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3. Shooto “R.E.A.D. Final”
Dec. 17, 2000 | Chiba, Japan

Shooto is revered by many as the heartbeat of Japanese MMA, and it has given rise to some of the greatest fighters the sport has ever known. However, it never quite drew a global following like Pride Fighting Championships and remained a regional organization in Japan, with a few exceptions.

At the “R.E.A.D. Final” at Tokyo Bay NK Hall in 2000, Shooto organized an event chock full of premier talent that delivered the goods. Main event fighters Caol Uno and Rumina Sato tore into each other for as long as they could, but the former was the sharper of the two and knocked his foe cold in a little more than two minutes to successfully defend the Shooto lightweight crown. Meanwhile, Hayato Sakurai deposited knees all over Frank Trigg for a second-round knockout; Alexandre Franca Nogueira choked out Stephen Palling; and Mamoru Yamaguchi captured Shooto gold for the first time with his unanimous decision over Jin Akimoto.

Number 2 » Shooto: Year End Show 2004