I'm not going to lie. I've never been a fan of Shinya Aoki.
In the world of Mixed Martial Arts, Japanese MMA has always been regarded as a "freak show". Guys like Giant Silva and Bob Sapp can go from being "tomato cans" to being icons. The rules sometimes make no sense and leave the average North American fan confused. It as almost if every fight fought in the ring over there is improvised, with the officials making the rules up as they go along.
Yet, there was always something that stood out about Aoki. From his long leotard striped pants to his general attitude towards tradition and sportsmanship, his outstanding submission victories over the likes of Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez has constantly been overshadowed by controversial moments, like his arm-breaking and "finger-waving" incident against Mizuto Hirota at Dynamite!! 2009, or his fight with Gilbert Melendez where he went 0-for-19 in submission attempts and spent the last half of the 5 rounder in a sitting position refusing to engage.
When he got floored by a knee during his fight at Dynamite!! 2010 this past New Year's Eve, I laughed. Although the loss didn't account on his record, the knee he suffered from Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima was on a grand stage and perhaps the last big card in Japan's history (due to financial difficulties) and it was fitting to get his "just desserts" the year after he danced around the ring after breaking Hirota's arm. His twitter account got bombarded with hate messages and Aoki so upset he was threatening to retire.
With the current situation in that has happened in the Japan, it seems like MMA has taken a back seat to just general survival. 2 massive Earthquakes, a Tsunami and a Radioactivity scare have clearly come to the forefront, and more than anything else, the Japanese people need no doubt a break from all the mess that has come about in the past several weeks.
What they got was Aoki, the villian, stepping up on Saturday night. In the first Zuffa produced "Arena Series" card for Strikeforce, the opening fight featured the Japanese superstar. He didn't disappoint, dominating Lyle Beerbohm from the opening bell and getting top position, forcing the American to tap at just 1:33 of the opening round.
This time, Aoki didn't jump up and wave his finger, not caring about his opponent's well being. He jumped up in jubilation, running around being generally ecstatic at what had just transpired.
Japanese fans, who were in the arena in the hundreds, screamed his name. The whole arena, who might have been booing in any other situation, cheered in jubilation with Aoki. There were Japanese flags being waved, and a general smile came across the DREAM lightweight champions face in light of the victory.
Like I said, I'm not going to lie, I've always hated Shinya Aoki. But in all honesty, for one night, he did earn my respect and brought a bright moment to a country who has had it very rough lately. He is a hero, if only for one day.
Get back to me, mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com.
Until next time, fight fans.
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