Decades before mixed martial arts became popular in the United States, events matching fighters of different fighting disciplines were very common in Japan. They weren\'t called \"mixed martial arts\" at the time, but that\'s essentially what they were.There\'s an entire history of pro wrestlers fighting specialists from other martial arts (particularly judo) that were leaving out, but during the\'70\'s Antonio Inoki began to put the concept of \"mixed martial arts\" on the map with his matches against fighters from other disciplines.
Inoki would often face other martial artists in fights that are widely accepted to have been \"worked\" (having a predetermined outcome) in the same manner as professional wrestling matches. While Inoki faced a number of karate, judo and boxing champions his most famous match was certainly his fight against world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
There are differing accounts of how the best heavyweight boxer in history found himself in a ring in Tokyo\'s Budokan Arena against a pro wrestler. One thing is certain--it was viewed as an easy payday for Ali, who\'d lost a good chunk of his prime earning years to his controversial stance over the Vietnam war. That\'s what got him there in the first place, and that\'s what kept him there after the two sides began squabbling over the rules and the outcome of the fight. Some suggest that it was supposed to be a \"fair fight\" going in and once Ali saw Inoki spar he insisted on rules changes to tilt the fight in his favor. Another more likely version of the story suggests that Ali\'s handlers knew that the fight was supposed to be a \"work\" all along. They made the deal with Inoki\'s people based on this fact, and were all on board as to the outcome of the match and how it would \"finish\". The \"original\" plan was to have Inoki win in a controversial manner that would keep his undefeated streak in \"MMA\" matches intact while allowing Ali to \"save face. The only person who wasn\'t aware of the game plan, however, was Ali himself. When informed that he was supposed to \"take a dive\", even in a convoluted fashion, Ali refused. No agreement was reached between the two camps and at the last minute a legit fight transpired. The promoters were left with a sold out Budokan, a worldwide PPV audience and two fighters who despite every effort to the contrary would actually have to fight each other.
The rules that were in place on fight night were so ridiculously one sided in favor of Ali that it almost defies belief. Inoki wasn\'t allowed to hit Ali with a closed fist, nor strike him in the head at all. He was also prohibited from using any sort of choke or submission maneuver. Most problematically, he was prohibited from trying to take Ali to the ground. In other words, Inoki was basically not permitted to do anything that would threaten Ali with any sort of physical harm.
Despite the repeated howls from the media that the fight was \'fixed\', it was anything but--it was a real fight and painfully boring. Ali did next to nothing, Inoki did whatever he could within the one sided rules. Eventually, Inoki spent most of the fight on the ground trying to throw kicks at Ali\'s legs. The event ended up as a 74-74 draw. Both fighters got paid, and the fans got to watch a fight albeit a really, really bad one.
The fight was officiated by former pro wrestler \"Judo\" Gene Labell, a legendary tough guy considered at the time to be the \'baddest man on the planet\'. He could have easily beaten up both men, possibly at the same time. That might have provided some much needed entertainment to liven up the tedious charade masquerading as a fight.
In the aftermath of the fight, Inoki\'s popularity was greater than ever--in a perverse way he was something of a hero due to his trying to fight despite the rules being stacked so soundly against him. He remained one of the country\'s most popular professional wrestlers and even enjoyed a career in Japan\'s parliament. Without missing a beat, he quickly resumed his series of fights against other martial artists who were apparently all more comfortable with the \"worked\" environment of pro wrestling. Among his \"victims\" was none other than Leon Spinks, presumably serving as some sort of vindication for his draw with Ali. The popularity of these matches led to a number of promotions that were essentially hybrids of martial arts and pro wrestling, and these led to the big Japanese MMA promotions of today.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, surfing and sports betting. He has appeared on a number of TV and radio programs offering strategies for successful NFL football betting. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a pet llama. He is currently writing a biography of former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf.
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