Abbreviated Fight History: Genki began wrestling at age 15 in high school. In 1996 Sudo became the All Japan Junior Olympics Champion while attending Takushou University and took part in the World Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships. Sudo studied fine art in the U.S. and began training at the Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club under the guidance of Bas Rutten and Marcus Vinicius. In 1999 he began fighting on the Pancrase circuit in Japan. In 2001 he made the move to RINGS and competed in the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships against Pride veterans Rodrigo Gracie and Vitor Belfort. 2002 was also a huge year for Sudo as he debuted in both the K-1 and the UFC.
Sudo/Andre Pederneiras: Sudo’s entrance at Colloseum 2000 is one of the best I’ve ever seen. He came to the ring dressed as a dragon on a throne carried by Tibetan monks. He walked down the ramp bellowing smoke and posturing like a Chinese New Year celebration before he took off his mask and revealed his dreadlocks. The broken rhythm of Sudo’s style was difficult for Pederneiras to get used to. They genuinely seemed to be enjoying each other as smiles and nods were exchanged throughout the match. About 7 minutes into the fight, closing in on the end of the bout, Genki caught Andre sleeping. Andre and Genki were on the mat and Genki broke away from his guard. Pederneiras was fighting from his back and Sudo looked to be attempting a jumping guard pass ala Sakuraba. Sudo fans on the jump and Andre is slow to get to his feet so Genki plants a roundhouse kick in his face followed by a straight punch. They lockup in the corner and Sudo tosses Pederneiras hard to the mat. They continue to grapple and Sudo leans back into a tight ankle lock (you can see the agony on Andre’s face). From there Sudo hops up and tries a number of jumping guard passes, an axe kick and a low level reverse roundhouse kick to Andre’s upper thigh. The bell sounds resulting in a draw and Pederneiras looks relieved.
Sudo/Craig Oxley: Sudo came out in his bouncy style and after receiving a leg kick from Oxley, he quickly brought him to the mat. From side mount Genki spun to an armbar but Craig rolled and they fought from guard. A tight triangle seemed to have Oxley finished as Sudo was able to sit up and punch freely with both hands but he would not tap. Oxley rolled out of the technique and Sudo jumped into his guard where for several seconds they stayed locked up. Suddenly Sudo stood and grabbed Oxley by ankles, spun him around, dropped him to the mat and applied a rolling Achilles lock for the tap out
Sudo/Brian Lo-A-Njoe: In an apparent attempt to match his opponent’s showmanship, Lo-A-Njoe came out in shackles, a prowler’s mask and two-tone hair. Genki came out in swimming goggles and a smoke shooting backpack. He jumped in the ring blew off Lo-A-Njoe’s stare down by shaking his hand and patting him on the back. Brian looked a bit upset. From the bell Sudo did his half-step routine and executed a rolling summersault kick that clipped Lo-A-Njoe in the face with his heel. He got to his feet and rolled forward again to obtain guard but Brian wasn’t having it. Sudo stood and brought Lo-A-Njoe to the mat with a double leg. Brian worked a guillotine choke from guard but Genki was out and both were back on their feet. A backfist and a rolling heel kick lead to another exchange on the ground. From the guard, Sudo worked in a triangle choke and though Lo-A-Njoe was able to stand and carry him into the ropes, Genki eventually had it sunk in tight enough to bring them back to the mat and force Brian to tap.
Sudo/Kenichi Yamamoto: The costume this time was that of a space alien. He wore a helmet with a flashing light on top, a long cape and a glittery confetti-firing rifle. His opponent, UFC 23/Ultimate Japan 2 veteran and the winner of the 4-man Japanese tournament brought his belt with him to the ring. There had apparently been a great deal of talking from Yamamoto before this bout. The fighters exchanged kicks and punches on the feet but the pace was slow for a Sudo fight. Yamamoto scored a throw/takedown and they grappled with Sudo on his back in guard. It looked like Abu Dhabi for a minute as it was all hand fighting and no serious strikes were exchanged. After a restart the calculated stand-up battle continued until Sudo’s kick was hooked and he jumped to guard bringing Yamamoto with him. Kenichi went for a heel hook but Sudo stood and they continued to grapple in tight on the ground for the rest of the round. Sudo came out firing in the second round, throwing front leg sidekicks, reverse side kicks and a backfist at Yamamoto. Kenichi answered back with a backfist of his own but it appeared to be a ploy to open Yamamoto up as Sudo brought him to the mat with a jumping guard and figure-foured Kenichi’s arm. Sudo sat up for an Omo Plata but Yamamoto yanked his arm out. Genki passes from side mount to mount and a mistake from Yamamoto gives Sudo his back for the rear naked choke win. Yamamoto actually relinquished his UFC belt and strapped it around Sudo’s waist as he left the ring.
Sudo/Leigh Remedios: Genki impressed all who had only heard his legend with this bout. He controlled the action throughout using flashy kicks, flying triangle chokes and his crowd pleasing gestures. Remedios survived the first round but early in the second he fell victim to a rear naked choke.
Sudo/Duane Ludwig: Sudo enters the cage ninja style; a warrior dressed in Geisha garb. From the bell, Sudo has his back to Ludwig and is popping and locking like a break dancer. Ludwig waits for things to develop and after a few sidekicks Sudo brings him to the mat. The ground game is controlled by Sudo as he strikes standing or in the guard and moves from side mount to full mount at will. With a minute and half left, Ludwig escapes an armbar and gets back to his feet but can only throw knees from the clinch. Some of the knees score and Sudo drops to his back. As the round ends, Ludwig is standing and striking down but it is difficult to asses the damage done to Sudo. Ludwig pushes the pace standing in round two. Duane is tagging Genki but Ludwig looks frustrated and Sudo is able to slip underneath him and fall to guard. On the mat they exchange strikes but Big John stands them for inactivity. Ludwig looks determined, throwing sharp strikes while Sudo lands an axe kick and continues to pace the cage. McCarthy is quicker with the stand ups in this round. With 45 seconds left Sudo scores another takedown and they stay locked up until the bell. With Ludwig’s striking damage and Sudo’ takedowns, it was a fairly even round. Round three begins with good exchanges and yet another solid takedown from Sudo. They trade from inside Ludwig’s guard and Duane is paying for it. With three minutes on the clock, Ludwig is a mess and Sudo is scoring virtually at will. A blood soaked Ludwig is stood up and wiped off with under two minutes left. The fighters are restarted on the feet. Ludwig charges in and Sudo poorly executes a takedown resulting in him falling to his back. From Sudo’s guard Ludwig stays busy striking to the body and jumps in and out of the guard. Sudo’s face shows signs of damage and Ludwig scores well until the final bell. Ludwig wins a very controversial decision.
Also worthy of note, Sudo faced: Khalil Ghosn (loss/decision), Kousei Kubota (win/decision), Victor Hunsaker (win/submission), Nathan Marquardt (win/submission), Masato (loss/decision – kickboxing bout) and Eric “Butterbean” Esch (win/submission)
Strengths And Weaknesses: For all his submission and striking skills, Sudo’s greatest strength is his unpredictability. You never know what he is going to do. You can watch his tapes and become familiar with his submission arsenal but it still will not be enough to face a fighter who has no game plan other than to “be like water”. He also hides pain well. Since he is always smiling, physical cues are relatively useless. As for a weakness, he sometimes plays too much and doesn’t always finish off his opponents. How He Can Beat Brown: On the mat. Genki is a master at the disguised submission. and he can take Brown down and show him two or three fakes until he bites and finish him with something completely off the wall like a head and arm triangle choke from rear mount.
MIKE BROWN: American grappler, wrestler, boxer, TFC Fightzone World Junior Lightweight Champion, AFC Bantamweight Champion, HOOKnSHOOT veteran, Ring of Fury veteran, Mass Destruction veteran, Hardcore Fighting Championship veteran, trains with Nuri Shakir, Sean Wilmot, Matt Lee, Jim Desouza, Jorge Rivera and Keith Rockel and the rest of Team Elite, with an overall record of 9-1 in MMA, making his 1st appearance in the UFC.
Abbreviated Fight History: Brown is a Portland, Maine native and began wrestling in high school. He continued wrestling in college at Norwich University in New England. Mike began submission grappling in 1995 and has trained in boxing since 1997. Although he began training submission with individuals who knew as little as he did, they gradually improved and began placing well in submission tournaments. Mike fought in a number of locals shows and has continued to win. He won the TFC Fightzone World Junior Lightweight Championship and the AFC Bantamweight Championship
Brown /Hermes Franca: Franca showed great perseverance as he was dropped to the mat after a leg kick and forced to fight from his back with a tenacious Brown on top of him. Hermes worked for the submission and hung on after being slammed to sink the triangle choke midway through the 1st round.
Brown/Mark Hominick: Brown won the TFC Fightzone World Junior Lightweight Champion by submitting Hominick with a heel hook in the third round of their title bout at the TFC 8: Hell Raiser show in June of 2003.
Brown/Leigh Remedios: Brown beat Londoner Leigh Remedios’ 145lb title by split decision at the AFC 6 show. Leigh was explosive on the feet but Brown was able to bring Remedios to the mat and force him to work from there for the majority of the bout. Brown controlled the pace and the setting of the three-round bout and took home his second title in a 6-month period of 2003.
Strengths And Weaknesses: Mike Brown has a wrestling base but his solid 9-1record (8 submission wins) shows a penchant for rear chokes. He is smooth on the ground and has not lost since very early in his career. His proposed weakness is very common for a first-timer in the octagon; a lack of top shelf experience. With HOOK’n’SHOOT and AFC experience and having fought UFC veterans Hermes Franca and Leigh Remedios and UCC/TKO veteran Mark Hominick, he has been heading in the right direction and deserves the shot.
How He Can Beat Sudo: By being smoother on the ground than Genki. It’s not easy to do but if he can get Sudo to make a mistake and seize opportunity on the mat, his stock will skyrocket with a win over a top contender in the lightweight division.
MY PICK: Sudo. Genki is wild. Ludwig showed patience pays off but he only got that opportunity due to a poor stand up. Can Brown bide his time and wait for an opportunity or will the “big show” jitters take over? I have to think Sudo will be cool as can be and control the bout. No disrespect intended to Brown’s accomplished record but I feel it will be Sudo by submission in the 1st Rd.
DOWN THE ROAD:
Sudo/Duane Ludwig: Just get it signed already. With so many questions left from the first bout, the rematch simply has to happen.
Sudo/ Hermes Franca: Can you imagine this one for the lightweight title? Of course Franca would have to get past Edwards and likely Josh Thomson first.
Brown /Yves Edwards: If Brown beats Sudo, his stock will rise but he’ll still have to get in line in the talent laden lightweight division.
Brown /Alberto Crane: Crane continues to win whether in the U.S. or Japan. Both he and Brown favor the submission win so the ground battle should move lightning fast.