Genki Sudo

The temptation to keep fighting until you're nothing more than a broken-down shell of your former self can be an overpowering one. Somehow, these men managed to resist it...

BAS RUTTEN

(Rutten vs. Kevin Randleman, UFC 20, 5/7/99)

Though he’s better-known these days as the barely coherent host of Inside MMA and part-time children’s fitness coach, Bas Rutten’s legendary run as a professional fighter ended in 22 consecutive fights without a loss. After knocking off such MMA pioneers as Frank Shamrock (twice), Maurice Smith (twice), and Guy Mezger during his five-year stint in Pancrase, Rutten joined the UFC where he won their vacant heavyweight title in his second Octagon appearance (a split decision over Kevin Randleman at UFC 20). But while preparing for his next fight, Rutten suffered serious injuries to his knee and biceps, and was forced to retire from the sport.

Bas landed on his feet, though – his ongoing commentary gig for PRIDE as well as acting roles kept him busy until he decided he was healthy enough for one last dance around the cage, seven years later. Originally booked to fight Kimo Leopoldo at WFA: King of the Streets in July 2006, Rutten instead faced Ruben “Warpath” Villareal when Leopoldo pissed hot for Stanozolol two days before the fight. The beating was so lopsided that it eventually became featured in a CagePotato Video Tribute. With that last challenge conquered, El Guapo rode off into the sunset for good, an undefeated UFC champion who hadn’t tasted defeat in over 11 years. Party on, indeed.

GENKI SUDO

(Sudo vs. Damacio Page, Premium 2006 Dynamite!!, 12/31/06)

Genki Sudo’s brilliance didn’t end with his unforgettable ring entrances; he was also one of the most skilled submission specialists to ever heel-hook a fat guy. The Neo-Samurai was innovative even when it came to retirement: At the height of his popularity, following a first-round triangle-choke victory over Damacio Page at Premium 2006 Dynamite!!, Sudo announced to the shocked Tokyo Dome crowd that his days as a fighter were over. At that point, he'd won eight of his last nine matches — including victories over Mike Brown, Royler Gracie, and Hiroyuki Takaya — making him one of the only MMA fighters to ever retire in his prime. Sudo now spends his time as a wrestling coach, author, and J-pop star. You know, normal retiree stuff.

Tekken 6 MMA Boxing Live Action Trailer - Watch more Game Trailers
(Props: Break.com Game Trailers)

Above is the live-action trailer for Tekken 6, which succeeds in being awesome despite the fact that the game itself is only briefly shown at the end. The gist is, fighters from all walks of life — Josh Barnett, Dan Hardy, and Evander Holyfield, among others — discuss what drew them to fighting and why they do it. I guess they're supposed to represent the different styles and mindsets in the video game, though the montage fails to include boxing kangaroos or a sentient wooden training dummy. There is, however, a Tekken 6 character that's clearly based on Roy Nelson.

(The Fireball Kid returns on Saturday; Diaz may be ringing in '09 overseas.)

— Though most of us want to see him return to the UFC eventually, Nick Diaz's next fight will likely be in Japan. Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie told MMA Weekly that he's already been contacted by Fight Entertainment Group (Dream's parent company) and Sengoku, and Diaz will be competing either on FEG's K-1 Dynamite! card on New Year's Eve, or Sengoku VII on January 4th. Diaz's EliteXC contract states that he can compete in Japan as long as it doesn't interfere with his EliteXC duties — so, no problems there.

— According to MMA Fighting, former IFL lightweight standout Chris Horodecki will return to action on November 24th at the Shootboxing "S-Cup 2008," a one-night eight-man tournament that will go down at the Saitama Super Arena; the tournament will also feature PRIDE vet Luiz Azeredo. Known as "standing vale tudo," Shootboxing doesn't incorporate ground-fighting, although throws and standing submissions are allowed. Horodecki is still penciled in to compete at Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" show on January 24th.

(Props: BloodyElbow)

So David Blaine did his Dive of Death thing last night, and Esther was right about the Kimbo Slice segment: There was no trick involved whatsoever. Blaine just let Kimbo haul off and slug him in the stomach twice. It was impressive that Blaine didn't crumple to the ground in agony — though maybe not as impressive as making the Statue of Liberty disappear.

(Props: TheTrollSmasher)

If you've never seen the UFC 42 fight between Genki Sudo and Duane "Bang" Ludwig, set aside some time and check this out. Sudo's gender-bending kabuki ring entrance is easily the most bizarre in UFC history, and calling his style "completely unorthodox" is still an understatement. You'd think that Ludwig would dash in with some punches at the beginning of the fight when Sudo has his back turned, but he was probably too freaked out to understand what was happening. Unfortunately, the fight also ends with one of the most questionable unanimous decisions in UFC history. Maybe Sudo's geisha-boy antics invoked emotions in the judges that they weren't quite ready to deal with...

Don't you wish more American fighters had quirky blogs where they detailed the hilarious minutiae of their lives? We're stuck with the there-but-for-the-grace-of-God heaviness of Evan Tanner's journal, while Akihiro Gono is complaining about his sexual frustration and Shinya Aoki is describing the pattern samples for his new tights. Anyway, Genki Sudo (of K-1 and Ninja Warrior fame) just updated his blog, Suki MMA translated, and we just wanted to share:

I had my birthday on Mar 9 and decided to buy something for me. The item I choose is a rolex watch. I went to see my parents and told them about buying it. My dad said, you did great in your 20's and I will pay for it. I thought he is generous because of getting an influence of the metabolic syndrome. I thanked him and he asked me to tell everybody he bought my rolex.

Spread the word, Potato Nation — Genki didn't pay for that watch himself.