Shinya Aoki vs Yuichiro "Jienotsu" Nagashima 2010 NYE

Last Updated on Sunday, 16 January 2011 17:01 Friday, 31 December 2010 16:33

Written by T N

Aoki vs Jienotsu was a strange fight to begin with. The fighters come from different disciples, Aoki an MMA champion, and Jienotsu a K-1 MAX Japan champion. Putting them into the ring together was "gimmick fight," as a commentator notes. Both fighters would likely run in the round with their opponent's ruleset, as the rules dictated an automatic draw in the event of a decision. This... was half correct.

Nagashim vs Aoki

Give Aoki his due. His creativity in stalling was unparalleled. A list of tactics (not all-inclusive): jumping kick ending in a flop to the canvas, tight Muay Thai clinch, taking Nagashima's back, rolling kick mostly executed on the ground, and ducking all the way to the canvas to avoid a punch.

As predicted, Nagashima chased Aoki around the ring for the opening K-1 round, trying to plant his fists on Aoki's face while Aoki ran away. Nagashima got his wish and caught Aoki in the opening seconds of the second round, however, as Aoki apparently decided that it would be his round as much as the last was Jienotsu's. That was not quite the case as Jienotsu's first strike, a flying knee,  caught him flush and Aoki was finished with a weapon of his own trade: ground and pound.

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