(Video courtesy YouTube/clearwatertopteam)
Usually when a fighter or his management put out a highlight reel or a mini-documentary that they have the final say in producing, the final product is equal parts bias, hype and bullshit. There are exceptions of course, but nine times out of ten the best videos come from passionate fans who have no vested interest in the fighter, besides being entertained by them.
The Minowaman video above is no exception.
If you aren’t familiar with the story of "The Giant Killer," Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese fighter who began his career with a dismal record of one win in his first ten fights before turning things around and becoming one of Asia’s biggest MMA stars.
His 47-31-8 record is somewhat deceiving when you consider he fought the majority of his career in open weight bouts against marquee competition, losing to the likes of Paulo Filho, Kazushi Sakuraba, Semmy Schilt, Evan Tanner, Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Bustamante and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic among other notables.
In recent years Japan has made him into a bit of a freakshow fighter by pitting him up against ex-baseball players and much bigger opponents like Butterbean and Hong Man Choi, but you can’t fault him for being pigeonholed due to Asian fan preference.
If you want the Cliff’s Notes version of Minowa’s story, this video paints a pretty good picture of the fighter’s career in just over 10 minutes.
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