Gracie Jiu-Jitsu versus Japanese Judo Revisited
1951 and 2002
Part 2: Aftermath
Text and Translations by Roberto Pedreira
Royce weighed 88 kgs. Yoshida weighed 100.6. kg. according to the
official ring
announcement. Yoshida
said in an interview two days later that he had weighed 102. kg. Royce
probably weighed a few kg. more as well. The weight difference was
therefore about 12 kg., approximately the same as between Kimura and Helio
51 years earlier.
Royce wanted the
fight to be grappling only, in order to better pay tribute to his father's
October 23, 1951 match with Kimura and
also, Royce said, to ease Yoshida's entry into MMA. Pride had
different ideas about what the fans wanted to see and planned to toss
Yoshida into the deep end of the pool for a baptism of fire (so to speak).
As it turned out, no punches, kicks, knees, elbows, or head-butts were
thrown, other than two tentative step kicks that Royce used to set up his
guard-pull. So it was a submission grappling match after all, with
kimonos, just like Helio and Kimura's match in 1951. There
was a major difference though and it was a difference that became the
origin of a legend, myth, mystery, and even academic blunders[1]. Helio,
it is said by his grandsons and fans, invented a unique way of fighting,
using his legs, in order to beat larger, stronger opponents. Kimura vs.
Helio surely would have been the perfect time to put his unique fighting
style into action.
But Helio did not pull guard in the
first round of his fight with Kimura. Kimura did not attempt to take Helio
to the ground and finish him there in the first round. Kimura explained
exactly why he did what he did (Choque 2, chp. 2), which makes it
implausible that Kimura said he would recognize Helio as the winner if he lasted 3 minutes
(as Helio and Rorion have insisted). But it does possibly explain why Helio did not pull guard in
the first round (he did, or at least he tried, in the second round but
Kimura jumped over Helio's leg and Helio never recovered his guard after
that). If Helio wanted to survive as long as
possible, the best way he could try to accomplish that was to let Kimura
throw him, or rather, not do the
only thing he could possibly do to avoid it, which was to sit down or pull
guard. Helio had a personal and idiosyncratic view of what it takes to win a fight, a view
currently being promoted by his grandsons Ryron and Rener (but not
Rickson). That view is "Not losing = winning". Helio planned to
beat Kimura by not losing and the only way he could do that was to avoid
going to the ground as long as possible and then hope for a draw. It
didn't work out that way, but it made a lot more sense than Japan's plan
to defeat America in World War 2, and had a better chance of succeeding.
Royce agreed with
his father (see Part 1) that any win is a good win, but he apparently
didn't agree that not losing = winning. At least, he knew that the
promoters and fans didn't think so. If he avoided losing, it was going to
be ruled a draw, not a win for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. As Mr. Morishita explains
below (read the note too), fans like action, and promoters like what fans
like.[2]
Royce took the
fight to Yoshida, but judiciously. Kimura intended to throw Helio around
the ring for one round to put on a judo show for his Japanese fans in
Brazil (who were very upset about Kato's loss to Helio the month before).
Kimura was well aware that he wasn't going to KO Helio with a throw on a
soft surface. When he decided to take Helio to the ground and keep him
there, that is exactly what he did. Royce however did not think that
Yoshida intended to put on a 10 minute judo show before beginning mat
work. Yoshida
planned to enter into ne-waza from a throw (as he explains below). So
Royce wisely took the initiative. The rest is history (read below).
Royce officially
"lost" at 7:24 of the first round by what was ruled a " 失神" KO [失神 means loss of
consciousness]. Royce denied that he lost either consciousness or the fight. The
Gracie Train was incensed. Chaos ensued, followed by controversy.
Among the post-fight reactions were Helio, Pedro Valente
Jr., Royce (reluctantly), Yoshida, and various sports writers.

Above: Under a clear night sky on a fine day on August 28,
2002, the advent of a new pro wrestling.

Above: Captions read (left side) "I didn't lose"
(top) Yoshida, "crushing victory" (right, side) "you should know
this man!" (center) "The sun eclipses the moon by overwhelming
victory...the birthday of a new breed of MMA hero".
Helio Gracie Comments

Note: The
interview took place after the fight and was published in SRSDX
September 26, 2002, p. 10. As the
caption above Helio's picture indicates, Royce was
unable or unwilling to be
present at the post-fight 会見場 [press
conference]. Helio spoke in place of Royce. Royce commented later, here.
**
Helio: First, I
want to say something. In
my opinion, the fight didn't
happen.
Concerning the
referee in this match, I think he didn't have the authority
to stop it. It is extremely regrettable that he stopped the match. I
think it was really unfair.
I understand that not everyone in Japan agrees with his action.
Because I really respect Japanese people I never thought such a thing
would happen. I'm sure everyone in Japan doesn't
agree with the referee's action. I
would
like this contest to be declared a "no contest" [ノーコンテスト
] and for that reason I asked the promoters to declare
this fight a "no contest". I want to be clear on this
point.
And also, I think I would like for there to be a new match.
This isn't a "revenge" match, it will be a new
match.
Question: Did
you have some agreement about the referee before the match?
Helio:
Concerning the rules, we clearly discussed the fact that there wouldn't
be any referee stops. Only the fighters' "seconds" would
be permitted to stop the match. That was firmly stipulated in the
contract.
Question: Are
you saying that the match could only be stopped by "throwing in a
towel"
Helio: Yes.
That's right. The only one who can stop the match is us.
Question: What
do you think about Yoshida's judo technique?
Helio:
Concerning Yoshida, from before the match it was understood that he was said to be a
great
athlete, and it was known that he was a world judo
champion. So in that way [we] respected him.
Question: If
the referee hadn't stopped the match, what do you think would have
happened (how would the match have gone)?
Helio: That's
not something that
I
can know. It is a pity
that it wasn't allowed to continue [because then we would know].
Personally, I wanted my son to win.
**
Analysis by
SRSDX p. 9

The Gracie family, that always haggles over the rules, did
it again, creating a ruckus before the tournament. After the tournament
too, they created an uproar. But this time, the Gracies were right. Because
in the rules discussion it was agreed that if a fighter doesn't tap out,
the referee has no authority to stop the fight. Nevertheless, Mr. Noguchi,
who served as the referee in this match, ruled that Royce lost
unconsciousness [失神した]
by Yoshida's sleeve-wheel-choke [袖車締め]. And he suddenly stopped the fight. Royce might have been slightly out [浅く落ちていたかもしれない] or not at all out. It isn't possible to know from watching the tape. But
immediately after the fight was stopped, Royce stood up without assistance
and protested that he hadn't been out. To no surprise, chaos
broke out. Royce, his face red with anger, jumped in front of Noguchi (the
referee) and threw several punches. The ring was a mob scene. The Gracie Train,
while not lacking a reason to be angry, nevertheless improperly interfered
by jumping into the ring. After the fight
was over, they apologized for their violent behavior and then registered an official protest. Certainly, Yoshida had a complete advantage
during the match. But it is possible to think that if the rules had been
followed correctly, the situation might have changed, so in that sense the
Gracies weren't wrong. In any case, it can't be denied that Noguchi's
action exceeded his authority as referee, even if he believed that he
needed to step in to protect Royce from serious injury.
Ishii-Kanchô
accepted the Gracie's protest and promised to review the case within two
weeks.
I wonder what
will happen after two weeks?
|

Interview
with
Yoshida #1 (it's a press conference, so different people are asking
the questions)
Q: The fight is over.
Can you share your honest opinion about it.
Yoshida: Well, you can
say I'm relieved. But there is a bad after-taste.
Q: What was
Royce's condition after the fight?
Yoshida: His strength
was gone. The choke was completely in. I thought, maybe he was unconscious and
couldn't even tap out. I was sure he was unconscious. I mean, I thought he was unconscious. I knew his
strength was completely gone. Because at the end, I felt no resistance.
Q: Before the fight did
you feel some kind of fear?
Yoshida: If I said I
didn't I would be lying but.....Excuse me [Yoshida's cell phone rings].
Q: Royce is insisting
that the fight was invalid.
Yoshida: Is that a
fact? Well, that posture another degree (laughs).
Q: Do you plan to agree
if another match is needed?
Yoshida: It's ok with
me but truthfully speaking I'm ok with the result as it is.
Q: That technique you
used, what is that called in judo?
Yoshida: It is
"sleeve wheel" ”袖車です。どうちかと言うと柔術ですよね”].
Q: Did you
practice ne-waza pretty much in your judo days?
Yoshida: In my judo
days, I didn't train ne-waza at all. It required a lot of energy.
Q: Did you go for
a heel hold?
Yoshida: I thought it
was in, you know. It was pretty difficult.
Q.
Did you train heel holds?
Yoshida: Sort of. I
started training with Tsuyoshi Kôsaka [ 高阪剛].It
was enough to know how to escape. But I had to start from zero We don't have
leg submissions in judo. That
was the main thing I studied, you know.
Q:
Were you able to attack as you thought?
Yoshida: No.
Really, I wanted to enter into ne-waza from a throw, but as I anticipated he
grabbed both my sleeves and right away pulled guard t was just
as a expected. It was the situation that I was expecting
my opponent to to make. It happened before I could go for a throw. It is
regrettable that I couldn't apply a throw.
Q: You said "I'm
confident" [" 自信が出てきた"],
but Royce, he is one of the "top class" in MMA. Did you mean you had
strength [力],
did you mean it in that way?
Yoshida: No. This was a
"jacket match". Matches wearing a jacket and matches without wearing a
jacket are completely different. The rules are also totally different. I meant I
had confidence in a jacket match.
Q: Next time, you are
going to fight wearing a jacket, you mean?
Yoshida: I don't know
if I'm going to fight again. I was relieved when this fight was finished, I
haven't thought about it all what kind of fight the next one will be.
Q: Was the reality of
the ring completely different from what your image was before you climbed into
it?
Yoshida: I was
surrounded
by all my friends watching the watch so I felt good about that. For that reason
I didn't feel any nervousness. But there was a lot of water in the ring and I
was concerned that I might slip.
Q: Was the mat different?
Yoshida: Completely different.
Q: Was there a situation in the fight where you felt in
danger?
Yoshida: The first time when my leg was caught, was twisted,
deviated but Royce pulled my gi and held it tightly I couldn't completely get my
leg free. Well, but it didn't hurt.
Q: On the contrary, you
felt composed and calm.
Yoshida: No. I felt, what should I do? This is a problem.
I couldn't decide what to do. It's a heel hold.
Q: Does you victory feel different from when you were
competing in judo?
Yoshida: Well, this time, really, but more than happy, I feel
relieved. After the first fight, I felt relaxed. But the next time, if there is
a next time, I will feel less than this time. That's what I mean, you know.
Q: Is there anyone who you want to fight?
Yoshida: Nope. No one in particular.
Q: Are you aware of the Kimura vs. Helio match?
Yoshida: Nope. Not at all.
Q: How does it feel to win this fight compared to winning a
gold medal in the Olympics?
Yoshida: Hmmm. That's a good one. Well, as you might expect,
winning in the Olympics is really hard. You have to train hard to win. Well,
this time I trained too, but winning the highest level of amateur
fighting, the feeling, but this time, 10,000 people gathered to watch me
win, so it was different, you know. Really, such a thing like happiness, in
Olympics, National Stadium, a thing like easy mind. Honestly speaking, it's a
relief.
END

Interview
(excerpts) with Yoshida #2 p. 116-117
Q: Two days have passed
since the fight. How do you feel?
Yoshida: No, nothing
special. Relived I think. I haven't changed my ordinary daily routine.
Q: You returned
to your normal life?
Yoshida: Yesterday I
went to the dojo to teach. At 2:00 I arrived there, did light running, then I
taught the beginner kids. I was at the dojo until 9:00. I didn't change
anything, almost.
Q: You feel readjusted already?
Yoshida: Until now, I felt like I understand
the level of my judo opponents, but this is a new world for me. I don't know how
well it is going to work out. But I think I need to pay attention to the
striking aspect as well as judo. I plan to train things that I never trained
before. Q:
Seriously, are you nervous before a fight?
Yoshida: I'm always nervous before a
fight, well, but I forget about it when the time to compete comes.
Similar Qs & As omitted.....
Q: Yesterday, Mr. Helio said that you didn't do
anything wrong, but that it was the error of the referee and judge and
therefore he wants the result to be called a "no contest" [
無効試合].
What about that?
Yoshida: Well, not much about it ..
The fight is over and I don't want to say anything about it. It's up to
the organizers to sort out. I'll do everything I have to do. That's all
I have to say about it....Royce was out, wasn't he?
Q: Did
you see the video?
Yoshida: I didn't see it.
Q: Out.....you felt that he was out, didn't you.
Yoshida: His power was gone. I thought he was out.
Q: You had a strong feeling that he was out?
Yoshida: I felt it, I felt it absolutely, it [the
choke] was in (explains with a gesture). [感覚的に、こうなって、完璧にこうなって、こう入ったんで。
]
Q: But
you
couldn't see around Royce's head.
Yoshida: He
couldn't see me either (laughs)
Q: From his breathing, you could sense
that he was out?
Yoshida: His power was gone. He was
out. [力がなくなったんで、落ちたかなというのはありましたね].
Q: Until then, you could feel his
power?
Yoshida: At first, I was on top, and
his arm, and choking [Royce]. And the, it [his power] slipped away [こうなって抜けて]
。It was in, completely in.
Q: So on reflection, you told the
referee "He's out, he's out" ["落ちた、落ちた"]?
Yoshida: No. What I said was "Is
he out?" [”落ちたんじゃないの?” ]. Because I
couldn't see. I don't want to kill anyone. (said with a bitter smile [苦笑]).
I couldn't see what was happening. The referee was the only one who
could see what was happening. I had to rely on his judgment. I could
have continued [choking Royce], but I though the referee was in the best
position to decide. I knew his [Royce] power was gone. I was wondering
what was going on.
.Q: So you're personally OK with the
result?
Yoshida: A fight is a fight. It is
what it is, you know. If some says that the result is unconvincing, then
it is the organizers' responsibility to do something about it. Looking
at this time, something is good, can do to this level it's good. Up to
now, I don't know about that. Judo is different. In a judo match you
fight your own fight. I think that's the best way, you know. In this
match (with Royce) it leaves a bad after-taste [後味が悪いです
].
I mean, well, after thinking it over slowly, the organizers have to deal
with it.
Q: Just before, the rules were all confused,
weren't you concerned about that?
Yoshida: Umm, not really. It wasn't talked about what kind of
rules, I didn't care about it.
Q: This was the first time with striking rules.
Yoshida: Not getting hit in the face, me too, wasn't easy
to do. Well, it's necessary to react to the opponent, I think.
Q: Did the match go as you expected?
Yoshida: As I expected......I think so. I thought he would probably
pull guard as soon as we made contact. I expected that and trained for it. As
soon as we made contact I could know my opponent's strength. So I wasn't afraid.
Similar Qs & As omitted....
Q: There's talk
that DSE president Mr. Morishita, is considering putting you in as Takada
Nobuhiko's opponent for his retirement fight, possibly next November in Tokyo
Dome. What about that?[3]
Yoshida: I haven't
heard about that but I'm a professional so I will do what I have to do with a
positive attitude, but also considering the rules, you know.
Q: Have you seen
Takada's fights so far?
Yoshida: Yes.
Q: What was your
impression?
Yoshida: Well, whatever
kind of fights he is doing, he is a great man.[4]
Similar Qs & As omitted.....
Q: Pride heavy weight
champion (Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera) or middle weight champion (Vanderlei Silva)
are looking for you.
Yoshida: Ah, is that
so?
Q: Don't you want to
fight with them?
Yoshida: Nogueira is
strong. (laughs)
End
Notes
1. See Top
13 Classic Historical Myths and Misconceptions about Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, note 3.
2.
Lots of fighters would probably prefer to avoid losing, by being as
defensive as possible. But fans don't want to see demonstrations of a
fighter's defense no matter how scientific, and promoters don't want to
spend money organizing defensive boring fights that fans don't want to
see. Fans like offensive action,
not demonstrations of defense. Most fighters understand this, which
promoters appreciate and are prepared to reward; see interview with Naoto
Morishita, for example. This was as true in the 1930's in Brazil
as it was in Japan in 2002, as it is in 2016, and as it will always be
everywhere. Concerning Brazil in the 1930's, particularly during Helio
Gracie's heyday, 1932-1936, see Choque 1. As a side-note,
Japanese fans and sportswriters were highly displeased and unimpressed by Teddy Riner's
2016 Olympic gold medal win over Hisayoshi
Harasawa. Riner won by having fewer warnings [指導]
for defensiveness. See Negative Judo for details.
3. Mr.
Morishita is president of DSE = Dream
Stage Entertainment, the promoters of Pride. Mr. Morishita explained in
a 2000 interview:
".....vale tudo-type tournaments have been going
on with the Gracie family as a center since 1993. Defeating the Gracies
has been a big theme for fighters. So to speak, it is an antagonism
structure against Gracie jiu-jitsu.
The concept of antagonism against the Gracie family
was made by us, DSE. I don’t think that structure came to the end. It
will still continue. I think there is something deeper in the Gracie
family. They won’t finish it in such a way that Gracie jiu-jitsu was
defeated by Pro-wrestling, and for Royce Gracie himself it won’t be
the last fight
What we have to do is to make a match between
Japanese fighter and a real strong fighter, not necessarily a villain,
and a match for which the Japanese fan can have empathy like “I want
you to defeat him”.
Mr. Morishita has some interesting observations about
Rickson's samurai spirit, versus Royce, that are interesting:
"Q: It is said that Rickson asks for a very high
pay. Is it true?
Morishita: Yes, it is true. He asks not only for
money, but also the environment and rules of the fight.
Q: Compared to other fighters, does he ask for an
extraordinary money?
Morishita: Yes. But he is not worthy of it. It is a
matter who he is going to fight with. He himself is not worthy at all
[Translator's note: in other words, it depends on who Rickson is willing
to fight]. However, the situation to ask for a high pay was set up
around him. I want him to come into the ring with a hungrier spirit and
a samurai spirit as he says, but I can’t feel it from him. I
personally think that Royce is much better in this sense."
Read full interview here.
4. Takada fought Mark Coleman, Mark
Kerr, Rickson Gracie, and various others. Some observers suspected that
some of his fights were "worked". The fans didn't care, they
liked him. The promoters didn't care, the fans liked him. Yoshida is
careful to avoid insulting him.
Go back to Part 1:
The Gathering
Storm
***For more interviews with Helio
and Royce, see:
Helio 1994
Helio 2001
Helio 2002
(talks about Yoshida fight, Pedro Valente Jr., and Royce also add their 2
cents)
Royce 2001
(talks about Sakuraba and Wanderlei Silva)
Royce 2002
(talks about K-1 and Ray Sefo)
Royce 2002
(before fight with Yoshida. Also Mario Sperry offers exclusive
prediction about the outcome of the match)
*Thanks to
veteran MMA translator Yoko Kondo [近藤洋子] for checking the
translations and suggesting some improvements. Her translations of
interviews with Helio Gracie, Sakuraba, Rickson Gracie, Caol Uno, and
many more can be found here].
(c) 2016, Roberto Pedreira. All
rights reserved.
|