PRIDE Middleweight GP: My thoughts

First, I would like to apologize for the long read. But in case you have kept reading I would like to share something I witnessed backstage with Hidehiko Yoshida right after the event finished.

Let’s start at beginning.

After the event was over I started to pack up my equipment and walk downstairs to the press interview space to catch my buddy Masa. While waiting there for Masa to finish the last video shots from the remaining fighters and PRIDE President Sakakibara I decided to sit and write some stuff from the event. From my vantage point I witnessed some of the fighters leaving the Osaka Dome — a very happy Sakuraba walking with other members from Takada Dojo while talking in the cell phone, probably telling the person on the other end, “I got the first KO of my career”; Bushido stars like Dokonjonosuke Mishima, “Mach” Sakurai, Takanori Gomi, Ryo Chonan and soon to be Bushido fighter Jutaro Nakao talking with each other, probably exchanging thoughts about the event; a very fresh Ricardo Arona walking around with BTT head honchos Mario Sperry and Murillo Bustamante.

While this was a very cool experience considering how big a fan I am, a moment caught my attention.

Hidehiko Yoshida was making his way out of the dome followed by long-time corner and friends Tsuyoshi “TK” Kohsaka, Ryo Chonan and Hirotaka Yokoi. Once out and heading downstairs, Yoshida suddenly stopped. With an ice bag on his head and a towel with more ice tied to his knee, he sat on the stairs and started to look down. I could see his friends trying to help him stand, but he didn’t want to.

Yoshida wanted to be by himself for a few minutes after his match with Silva. He did not look beaten or swollen like after the first match. His eyes did not look sad and he was not crying. Everything I could feel about the moment was Yoshida was clearly disappointed.

He came to this bout in probably the best shape of his MMA career. Against all odds from the international fans and media — but more important the Japanese media and fans — which gave him little chance at success against probably the most dangerous 205-pound MMA fighter in the world, he stood in the ring and like déjà vu from their first match in 2003 Yoshida did everything he could to take the win and his personal pride away from Silva.

Keep in mind we are talking about someone who trained judo his whole life, always trying to face top competition when in national or international tournaments, going as far as the Olympic games. Before his debut in MMA he never trained in striking arts or cared about defending against stomps or punches to the face.

He was facing the biggest challenge of his short MMA career. As soon as the first punch was throw all the cross training he did before the fight with kickboxing trainers from Oceania and the long hours training in jiu-jitsu and grappling with the best Japanese talent was throw out the window.

Once again Yoshida stood there in front of Wanderlei Silva with the only two weapons he knew since childhood: judo and his personal pride.

Yoshida managed one more time to push the right buttons as Silva did the same with him. As the fight progress you could see both fighters exploit the other’s weakness, but at the same time failing to capitalize on the moment at hand. Where others had failed and many Japanese fighters fell victim of Silva’s ruthless attacks, Yoshida stood and survived. It’s very easy to say Yoshida stalled the fight at times by holding. But it is also easy to forget he is after all a judoka who used every bit of his judo skills to get through the fight.

I do not consider this fight better than the first bout in 2003, but give credit to Yoshida because he took the fight to Silva with the best of his knowledge.

Until the end of the second round he still was there, smiling in front of Silva as he took the punishment with only five minutes to go. While Yoshida was not taking a beating he was not also in the best position to win the fight on the scorecards at the beginning of the third round — and most likely Yoshida is the only one who knows why he did not push the fight. Silva was not going to sit around and drink tea with him, so the champion began to punish Yoshida with kicks. With only one minute left in the fight, Yoshida reacted with another takedown to side choke and started giving trouble to Silva. But it was already too late.

Back to Yoshida sitting outside.

Surrounded by DSE/PRIDE representatives Yoshida meditated in the chill Osaka wind. I could feel many people ask him to stand and walk to the bus. But he did not want to move.

After few minutes, with some more people running here and there, PRIDE executive Nobuhiko Takada showed up and knelt beside Yoshida. What they talked about or what Takada told Yoshida I do not know, but a few seconds later Yoshida stood and began to walk down the stairs.

Maybe all he needed were those five minutes alone to make him realize how close he was to beating Silva.