Japanese Star Shinya Aoki Gives His Take on the "Wrestling in MMA" Debate

In the recent fervor regarding ufc fighter Dan Hardy’s rant against wrestlers and Nate Marquardt’s subsequent response, another prominent Mixed Martial Artist has thrown his name into the mix and let his opinion be known on the controversial “wrestling in MMA” debate. One of the biggest draws in Japanese MMA both as a squeaky-clean boy idol and a villainous breaker of arms, current DREAM and WAMMA Lightweight Champion Shinya Aoki made his stance public in an interview with MMA Fighting.

Here’s what Aoki had to say on the subject: “…When we look at martial arts in its most extreme form, we need to win by submission or knockout… The American wrestling style – punching a little bit, getting a takedown and moving to side control to win the round has no risk. It’s an easier fight. It’s just using the judges. They don’t even have to worry about injuries or anything like that. There is no risk… I’m a huge fan of the UFC, but I think that it hasn’t been very interesting lately. There are good fighters of course but not so many interesting fights. They punch a little bit, then get a takedown and every round is just a repetition of that. Japanese MMA is totally different. We go for knockouts and submissions from the beginning and going for the decision isn’t an option.”

I actually disagree with Aoki for a number of reasons. For one, I think the UFC has more exciting fights than any other promotion out there. The WEC certainly comes close, but nothing really tops the UFC’s atmosphere and big-money fights. I think there are a few stinkers here and there, some bad matches that go a long way towards making you want to switch the channel, but if we’re being perfectly honest, when was the last honest-to-goodness bad UFC show? Some might be lackluster, some might not live up to their potential, but the UFC always does their best to produce interesting fights that the fans want to see. And more often than not, they deliver.

Also, I disagree with Aoki’s stance on MMA being vastly different in Japan than in the United States. Trust me: “lay and pray” crosses all boundaries, no country is immune to the problem of a fighter playing it safe and winning a round through ground domination. In Japan, it’s just far more likely that a submission expert will use “lay and pray” tactics than a wrestler, and at least a submission specialist goes for submissions every once in a while. Aoki shouldn’t throw stones while inside a glass house, either: if he’s got something to say about one-dimensional wrestlers, maybe someone should point out how utterly one-dimensional he himself is. Without hyperbole, Shinya Aoki has some of the most atrocious stand-up I’ve ever seen. It’s utterly abysmal. For proof, try and find a video of his DREAM 10 fight against Vitor Ribeiro. Aoki’s standup is so horrendous that the Japanese fans boo him back when he was still the squeaky-clean baby-faced do-gooder that could do no wrong.

I think you can argue that Dan Hardy’s original statements were 50% truth and 50% sour grapes, but in regards to Aoki, I think the percentage of negativity for the sake of negativity is quite a lot higher.

But what do you think, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Shinya Aoki’s opinion?