Shooto’s Best 143-Pounders on Display
Hioki vs. Carvalho
Jordan Breen May 17, 2007
Hatsu
Hioki (Pictures) (ALIVE) vs. Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) (Abe Ani Combat Club)
Stakes are high.
If you've caught wind of the sub-55 buzz which has began to
resonate in the MMA community, this card may be a good opportunity
for you to figure out what the brouhaha is about. While the card's
headliner will see the Shooto world 143-pound title up for grabs,
it also boasts a bout which is tantamount to a title eliminator, as
either Hatsu Hioki
(Pictures) or Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) will likely be next to challenge
for that title in the coming months.
This match-up puts a staggering amount on the line for both fighters, in a quintessential do-or-die situation. While Hioki already wears the TKO featherweight title, he lives and breathes Shooto; you'd be hard-pressed to find another fighter who so embodies the storied Shootor's passion. After a sudden rise to prominence in 2006 outside of Shooto with high profile wins in TKO and PRIDE Bushido, this bout is the surefire chance for the Nagoya native to step into a Shooto title fight. While a loss would still see Hioki regarded as one of the best of the division, it would be a massive setback towards his goal of becoming the lightweight world champion of professional Shooto.
However, Carvalho may be driven by revenge as well as passion, as a win could propel him into a title clash with current champ "Lion" Takeshi Inoue (Pictures), which would be the rubber match between the two. After Carvalho handed Lion the first loss of his career in Aug. 2005, Lion rebounded last May to win the vacant Shooto world lightweight title by stopping Carvalho in the first round.
Both fighters are representative of the oft-preached idea that lower weight fighters bring better skillsets to the table. What makes the bout a great one isn't just the respective stature of both fighters in the division and the implied stakes. Perhaps the best aspect of the match-up is that both fighters are in the truest sense, mixed martial artists.
Hioki and Carvalho share similar backgrounds, in that they're jiu-jitsu experts who've acquired very respectable striking along the way. Neither is a dominating wrestler, however, solid fundamentals and their considerable size as 143 pounders often afford both fighters the ability to score takedowns.
The takedown advantage likely belongs to Hioki, as while neither is a powerhouse wrestler, Hioki has a particular advantage in the body clinch due to his freakish height and ergo, leverage. Hioki also has a very good sprawl, and is a core strength freak, which allows for him to defend the takedown from the body lock.
Both fighters are aggressive from the top and bottom, threatening with sweeps and submissions. Hioki and Carvalho are primarily finishers by way of their submissions, but both are quality ground-and-pounders. Perhaps what sets the two fighters apart is their defense off their back. Carvalho has showed some vulnerability off of his back; while his grappling insulates him from submissions, he is susceptible to ground-and-pound from his guard. Where Hioki utilizes tight wrist control from the bottom and is extremely patient in looking for submission and sweep opportunities, Carvalho has shown to be more active, and perhaps reckless, as it ope,,, , ns up avenues for his opponents to deliver ground and pound.
On the feet, neither fighter is a potent KO threat, but both have solid striking skills. Neither are great punchers, b, ut both have solid low kicks and high kicks. Again, Hioki's length affords him a considerable advantage, as he can dictate the pace of the stand-up with his jab, and his low kicks. Though Carvalho is by no means a small 143-pounder, Hioki's extraordinary length and reach may impose a particularly difficult challenge on Carvalho to reach and attack Hioki. After all, Hioki was able to win a decision over Mark Hominick (Pictures) in a 25-minute stand-up fight, and it was largely due to Hioki's ability to control the pace of the fight with his length and reach. Moreover, while Carvalho has shown some ability to get banged up, Hioki's ability to take damage and punishment has been greatly noted since his infamous fight with Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) four years ago.
Again, both fighters have complete arsenals, and this fight will likely be competitive throughout. However, because of his reach advantage and the fact his stand-up skills have really emerged over the last year, it is hard to imagine Carvalho pulling ahead in the stand-up unless he is able to both move swiftly inside, and land powerful, punishing strikes. Because Hioki's guard is defensive against good grapplers, Carvalho likely won't have many opportunities to score from the top.
Hioki's ability to stalemate off his back forces Carvalho to score in the stand-up in order to put himself in a good position to win a decision, which simply isn't that likely due to Hioki's constantly improving offense on the feet. On top of all that, this is Carvalho's first bout in a year, coming off a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Facing Hioki, with him looking much improved each time out, is a monstrous task. Expect the Nagoya native to take a decision after three rounds of a technical, tit-for-tat tilt.
Stakes are high.
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This match-up puts a staggering amount on the line for both fighters, in a quintessential do-or-die situation. While Hioki already wears the TKO featherweight title, he lives and breathes Shooto; you'd be hard-pressed to find another fighter who so embodies the storied Shootor's passion. After a sudden rise to prominence in 2006 outside of Shooto with high profile wins in TKO and PRIDE Bushido, this bout is the surefire chance for the Nagoya native to step into a Shooto title fight. While a loss would still see Hioki regarded as one of the best of the division, it would be a massive setback towards his goal of becoming the lightweight world champion of professional Shooto.
However, let us not belittle the passion for Shooto possessed by
Antonio Carvalho
(Pictures). Even with opportunities to
compete at 145-pounds arising all over North America, Carvalho
recently chose to pack up from Toronto, Ontario and take up
residence in Tokyo, Japan, becoming a part of Shooto veteran
Hiroyuki Abe (Hiroyuki Abe'
class='LinkSilver'>Pictures)'s Abe Ani Combat Club.
However, Carvalho may be driven by revenge as well as passion, as a win could propel him into a title clash with current champ "Lion" Takeshi Inoue (Pictures), which would be the rubber match between the two. After Carvalho handed Lion the first loss of his career in Aug. 2005, Lion rebounded last May to win the vacant Shooto world lightweight title by stopping Carvalho in the first round.
Both fighters are representative of the oft-preached idea that lower weight fighters bring better skillsets to the table. What makes the bout a great one isn't just the respective stature of both fighters in the division and the implied stakes. Perhaps the best aspect of the match-up is that both fighters are in the truest sense, mixed martial artists.
Hioki and Carvalho share similar backgrounds, in that they're jiu-jitsu experts who've acquired very respectable striking along the way. Neither is a dominating wrestler, however, solid fundamentals and their considerable size as 143 pounders often afford both fighters the ability to score takedowns.
The takedown advantage likely belongs to Hioki, as while neither is a powerhouse wrestler, Hioki has a particular advantage in the body clinch due to his freakish height and ergo, leverage. Hioki also has a very good sprawl, and is a core strength freak, which allows for him to defend the takedown from the body lock.
Both fighters are aggressive from the top and bottom, threatening with sweeps and submissions. Hioki and Carvalho are primarily finishers by way of their submissions, but both are quality ground-and-pounders. Perhaps what sets the two fighters apart is their defense off their back. Carvalho has showed some vulnerability off of his back; while his grappling insulates him from submissions, he is susceptible to ground-and-pound from his guard. Where Hioki utilizes tight wrist control from the bottom and is extremely patient in looking for submission and sweep opportunities, Carvalho has shown to be more active, and perhaps reckless, as it ope,,, , ns up avenues for his opponents to deliver ground and pound.
On the feet, neither fighter is a potent KO threat, but both have solid striking skills. Neither are great punchers, b, ut both have solid low kicks and high kicks. Again, Hioki's length affords him a considerable advantage, as he can dictate the pace of the stand-up with his jab, and his low kicks. Though Carvalho is by no means a small 143-pounder, Hioki's extraordinary length and reach may impose a particularly difficult challenge on Carvalho to reach and attack Hioki. After all, Hioki was able to win a decision over Mark Hominick (Pictures) in a 25-minute stand-up fight, and it was largely due to Hioki's ability to control the pace of the fight with his length and reach. Moreover, while Carvalho has shown some ability to get banged up, Hioki's ability to take damage and punishment has been greatly noted since his infamous fight with Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) four years ago.
Again, both fighters have complete arsenals, and this fight will likely be competitive throughout. However, because of his reach advantage and the fact his stand-up skills have really emerged over the last year, it is hard to imagine Carvalho pulling ahead in the stand-up unless he is able to both move swiftly inside, and land powerful, punishing strikes. Because Hioki's guard is defensive against good grapplers, Carvalho likely won't have many opportunities to score from the top.
Hioki's ability to stalemate off his back forces Carvalho to score in the stand-up in order to put himself in a good position to win a decision, which simply isn't that likely due to Hioki's constantly improving offense on the feet. On top of all that, this is Carvalho's first bout in a year, coming off a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Facing Hioki, with him looking much improved each time out, is a monstrous task. Expect the Nagoya native to take a decision after three rounds of a technical, tit-for-tat tilt.
