Top Shootors Go Back Their Roots

The calling card of pro Shooto has always been its lightweight competitors. In fact, perhaps the majority of top lightweights over the last 10 years really cut their teeth in Shooto. The likes of Sato, Uno, Gomi, Mishima, Kawajiri, Boku and Ishida are all Shooto products. That doesn't include other quality fighters -- Gesias "JZ" Calvancanti, Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro or Joachim Hansen (Pictures) -- who've past through Shooto as well.

Now, as Zuffa re-welcomed 155 pounders back into the Octagon and PRIDE is now a memory, the focus has largely shifted to a crop of new lightweights like Joe Stevenson, Tyson Griffin, Thiago Tavares (Pictures), Roger Huerta (Pictures), Kenny Florian (Pictures) and others who have personified the essence of the lightweight division with a steady stream of exciting fights over the last year. Couple that with Sean Sherk (Pictures)'s drop to 155 and subsequent steroid saga, and B.J. Penn (Pictures)'s return to the division, and it's not exactly hard to figure out why the lightweight epicenter has largely shifted.

However, there are a few fighters still flexing their games in pro Shooto who are worthy of attention. Takashi Nakakura (Pictures) and Yusuke Endo (Pictures) are two of those fighters.

Over the first three years of his pro career, Nakakura seemed to simply be a fighter who was technical and well-rounded but not exceptionally talented. His biggest win was over Ray Cooper (Pictures). He wasn't doing particularly well in that bout until a series of shoulder strikes from the clinch opened up a cut on Cooper's eye and stopped the fight. His limitations showed in his next fight against Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), who pinned him to the mat for the duration of the bout and pummeled him from top control to a cut stoppage. Tough but not outstanding. Good but not great.

The 30-year-old Osakan then took 14 months away from competition. He and his wife had their first child. He focused on training his students at Shooting Gym Osaka. He hooked up with former Shoot Boxing champion Hiromu Yoshitaka. And when he returned in October of last year, he was an entirely new fighter.

When he returned to face Ganjo Tentsuku (Pictures), it was as if Nakakura had been reinvented. His striking, which was mediocre at best before, was suddenly crisp and powerful. He was more aggressive and looked fantastic in his return, a nip-and-tuck blow-for-blow battle that went to a hotly competitive draw.

This February he met then-undefeated former rookie champ Mizuto Hirota (Pictures) for Shooto's Pacific Rim title at 154 pounds. The bout figured to be a coronation for the young, streaking Hirota. Nakakura, whose striking looked even better, used slick head movement and beautiful counterpunching to knock Hirota down and easily best him for the duration of the bout to take a unanimous decision. The Nakakura of 2005 likely would've been hammered.

Yusuke Endo (Pictures) has also undergone some retooling along the way. In 2004 Endo destroyed the field in the 154-pound rookie tournament and seemed set for bigger and better things in pro Shooto. Then in December 2005, he ran into the aforementioned Ganjo Tentsuku (Pictures), who cared very little for Endo's hype. Tentsuku exploited Endo's takedown defense and cardio, and he pounded him on the mat for 15 minutes straight.

However, the turning point for the 24-year-old Endo came the following summer. After originally being slated to face current TUF 6 contestant George Sotiropolous, Endo wound up against Clay Guida (Pictures), who was coming off of his domination of Josh Thomson (Pictures) and his competitive loss to Gilbert Melendez (Pictures). After being so thoroughly controlled on the mat against Tentsuku, Guida appeared to be a disaster for Endo. Instead, Endo showed off some slick guard work and quickly snagged Guida in a triangle before transitioning to an armbar for the victory.

And while Nakakura was upsetting Hirota this past February, on that same card Endo also evened the score against Tentsuku to avenge his only career loss. At this point in time, given the climate of Shooto's 154-pound division, this fight might as well be for the vacant world title. And if nothing else, the winner of the bout should be afforded a crack at the championship sooner rather than later.

Both fighters are solid, well-rounded strikers who are at their best when countering. Endo is a southpaw and prefers to counter when his opponents step in, driving them backward with punch rushes. Nakakura is much more patient and relaxed on the feet, looking to slowly pick apart his opponents with counterpunching combinations. Nakakura controls the distance and pace of the fight better with solid low kicks. Endo has skill on the inside, where he can land good hooks and uppercuts, though the advantage in the Thai clinch belongs to Nakakura, who neck wrestles well and can deliver powerful knees inside.

Although Endo's weakness has been his takedown defense, especially from the body lock, he has good offensive wrestling of his own and has shown flashes of submission skills in the Jin Kazeta (Pictures) bout and especially the Guida fight. However, Nakakura is likely the slicker, more technical grappler of the two.

Yet neither fighter is likely to finish the other. Both have defensive skills and a good set of whiskers while neither has big one-shot KO power or super dangerous submissions. This bout will likely be a tit-for-tat affair throughout, and it should come down to who can find a groove and generate the best spurts of offense. Even though Endo's southpaw style may present some problems on the feet, Nakakura's crisp counters should be able to keep Endo's punch rushing at bay. Unless Endo is hyper-aggressive and rough with Nakakura, he is unlikely to set himself apart in the standup.

Nakakura's best shot is to use his low kicks to keep the distance, counter with quick hands and continue circling away from Endo. Since Endo does not have any particular advantages, he'll have to rely on outworking Nakakura or keeping him off balance. Nakakura wants Endo to try to pick his shots so he can parry and return in kind, and Endo would be best served to push a fast pace and not be afraid to take Nakakura down and pound from top control.

Because neither fighter has huge advantages over the other in any department, the winner will be the fighter who can execute more flawlessly and create more clear offense. One round could make all the difference to Shooto judges, who are inclined to score 10-10 rounds. While Endo may initially struggle with the fact Nakakura can counter his strikes effectively, I've written Endo off in the two biggest fights of his career. I'll give him my blessing this time and pick him to win a decision after three rounds.