My Top 5 Judokas in MMA

Let’s face it, judo is huge and so is MMA.  Judo is a high-intensity, epic sport that requires a full life sacrifice to become the best.  For this reason judokas are becoming more and more prominent in the MMA scene. 

I follow judo and MMA as much as any avid fan.  Like anyone else, I have a soft spot for those competitors whose original style was my own – judo.  So without further ado, here is MY list of 5 top judokas in MMA.

Shinya Aoki – Japan

Though not a top tier judo player, Aoki still holds a black belt from Japan and was very competitive before transitioning into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA.  Old videos of him on Youtube show his tendency for newaza over nage waza.  Aoki is one of the most recognizable figures in Japanese MMA.  

With notable wins over Rob McCullough, Marcus Aurelio, Vitor Ribeiro, and Eddie Alvarez, Aoki is no doubt one of the best in the game.  Watching any of his fights clearly shows his desire to take the fight to the ground.  And for good reason, once he gets there, he typical wraps it up.

Hector Lombard – Cuba

Hector Lombard is a 4^th dan in judo and 2000 Olympian for Cuba, one of the toughest teams in the sport.  Without question, Lombard is one of the most explosive and aggressive fighters in MMA.  Now fighting in the UFC, I believe he will quickly become one of the top contenders in his division.

Lombard fights out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL which is where I once trained before travelling abroad to teach English.  A definite throwback to Mike Tyson, Lombard’s highlight videos are a sight to behold.  Let’s just say he’s better as a friend than a foe.

With Hector Lombard at American Top Team

Kim, Dong-Hyun – South Korea

Kim, Dong-Hyun is a former Yong In University judo player.  What does that mean?  It means he is one bad judo dude.  Yong In University is Korea’s official judo and martial arts college and training site for the national team.  Without being too cliché, the “best of the best” in Korea train at Yong In University.  The training intensity he developed at Yong In has translated well into the MMA world.  

Now one of the top contenders in the UFC, Kim is the biggest name in MMA in South Korea.  What’s crazy is I train at his school – Busan Team MAD.  Some great talent coming up in Busan.  Be prepared. 

Fedor Emelianenko – Russia

What’s in a name?  I remember watching Fedor’s first fights in Pride back in the day.  When I found out he was a Russian judoka he immediately became my favorite fighter.  Little did I know he would go on to be the most recognizable fighter in the game and responsible for taking MMA to new levels.  A former competitive judoka from Russia, Fedor placed in several top tournaments in Russia.  What’s the big deal about Russia and judo?  Obviously  Japan, France and South Korea don’t have the answer to that question as Russia is arguably the most dominant country in the sport today.  This not including Russia’s “related” countries (e.g. Georgia, Uzbekistan, etc.) that many of us view as part of the empire in northern Asia.  Russia dominated the 2012 Olympic games in judo (finishing first overall) and shows year over year that they bring the pain to the tatamis. 

Fedor is one of their products.  With a very long and brutal career, his days look numbered in MMA.  If he ever finds himself in the ring again it will likely be as a coach or promoter.  After suffering losses at the tail end of his career, it was clear that the abuse from years of fighting and the evolution of the sport have finally caught up with him.  It happens, but has no bearing on the fact that this great judoka was once King of the cage for over a decade.

Ronda Rousey – USA

What can I say?  You can’t overlook this girl.  A Jimmy Pedro protégé, Ronda Rousey has made us all watch MMA a little more.  A junior World Champion and medalist at the World Championships and Olympic Games, Rousey is the reason women are in the UFC today.  Her level of play, technical ground game (a la Jimmy Pedro) and ferocity make her unstoppable at the moment.  She is the biggest name in women’s MMA since the sport came about.  Not only is she better looking than the ring girls, but she can turn them all into pretzels as well!

A trash talker and a pretty face, I hope she continues to put judo on the map and bring much needed recognition to all-time great, Jimmy Pedro.

Rousey and "Judo" Gene Lebell

Oss.

Training at Team M.A.D. MMA in Busan

Ever since I arrived here in Korea, I've been trying to find a local BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) gym.  Amazingly, there is only one pure BJJ gym in this, the second largest city in Korea with 3.6 million people.  That gym, Tozi BJJ, is located way uptown from where I live and there was just no way that I'd be able to make it up there 2 to 3 times per week.  I tried Korea job forums, Korea BJJ Facebook groups, basically any way of getting a lead for a BJJ club or gym near me.  It was to no avail though.  I even contacted American Top Team to see if they would be interested in sending someone here to open a gym.  It's such a wide open market.
I still kept active in judo and though they rarely practice newaza, I would still look for opportunities to roll when given the chance just to stay tuned up.
Fast forward UFC 148 where Anderson Silva fought Chael Sonnen for a much anticipated rematch.  Included on the card was a fighter from South Korea named Dong-Hyun Kim.  Well, during my perusing of Wikipedia I realized he fights out of Busan!  I perused more and found that his gym is called Team M.A.D. and it is just 3 subway stops from me.  They teach "MMA" as they say, which is essentially no gi BJJ and Muy Thai.  I thought I should have a look.  So I did.

Kim Dong-Hyun

Though it is one of the most successful MMA teams in Korea, Team M.A.D. is not like what we may be accustomed to back home.  Actually, most martial arts schools are not like back home.  They are not tailored for asthetic appeal in most cases.  There are no contracts.  No auto payment, none of that.  You show up, give the owner cash each month and work out.  Don't want to train one month, don't show up!  I digress.
Team M.A.D. is beyond "no frills".  It is one room, maybe 700-800 square feet covered completely by padding.  There are 3 or 4 muy thai bags hanging as well.  No other fixins.  No real dressing room.  More like a dressing closet.  It's July now and the rainy season.  That means it is humid!  They have a fan and dehumidifier.  The dehumidifier clearly has no effect on the training area.  The area is in a basement of a building and there are no windows.  Just the door leading to the stairs.
This is a real dungeon for training.
I went to visit on a Tuesday, and on Wednesday I joined.  The first class was warm ups which are very similar to judo warm ups.  Basically line drills of tumbling, shrimping, basic hip movements, etc.  Endurance drills centered around double leg pickups (morote gari), leap frogs, arm bar (juji gatame) and triangle choke (sankaku jime) movements.  The main instructor is a young guy with bad cauliflower ears as should be expected!  He went through a couple techniques and then we were free to roll if desired.  I was a little surprised that you actually had the choice to roll or not.  Back home in South Florida where BJJ is king, Brazilians require you to roll for 3 consecutive rounds like it or not.  Nonetheless, I got in a couple rounds and had a great workout.

No gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

This gym is in the heart of Busan.  Busan is 100% "Korean".  Not like Seoul where there are some pockets of international flare.  Well, in this gym is another EPIK English teacher - a young girl from the states with long blonde hair.  She is a former high school national wrestling champion.  She really sticks out.  Very funny.  She's the real deal though and a real trooper.  The next Rhonda Rousey?  You never know.
I'm glad to be doing more no gi BJJ as my experience with it is very limited.  I'm a jacket wrestler!
I am happy to have found this gym.  I don't know when the professionals train, but I hope to have the chance to work out with them at some point.
Osu!