Last week's article mentions the pecularity of a Judo pedigree in MMA. Of Sherdog’s 10 ranked heavyweights, none of them have a Judo background*. In light-heavyweight there is Gegard Mousasi, who practiced Judo until the age of 15, and in the lighter divisions, Shinya Aoki and Manny Gamburyan are stand out Judoka (practitioners of Judo).
All the other ranked fighters have wrestling, BJJ, or striking backgrounds. UFC commentator and Jiu-jitsu brown belt, Joe Rogan, has said that increasingly, the young fighters coming up have no single discipline background and instead learn MMA as an integrated skill set.
In the past, some Judo fighters even wore their Gi (heavy cotton uniform) to bouts until this practice was disallowed. In UFC 2, Dutch fighter Remco Pardoel wore his Gi. The Gi allows opponents to grab hold of the wearer easier, but it also provides added friction for submissions and throws. Submission artist Shinya Aoki wears full-length elastic pants for that very reason.
In America, Judo is not as popular as some other parts of the world. However, we do have at least one living Judo legend in Jimmy Pedro, and Pedro's student, Rick Hawn, has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships, reports Brian Knapp of Sherdog.
France and Cuba always have competitors in the Judo Olympic games, and from these countries we have Judo black-belt fighters Hector Lombard (Sydney 2000 Olympian) and Sokoudjou (2001 US Open Judo Champion),
Sokoudjou, full name Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou [ra-mo tee-ery sokoo-djoo], trains at Team Quest owned by Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson, both former Olympic Greco-Roman wrestlers. Coincidently, the Western sport that resembles Judo the most is Greco-Roman wrestling.
*Fedor Emilianenko, top 10 heavyweight and, until recently, considered top fighter overall, has extensive expertise in Sambo, a Russian adaptation of Judo/Jiu-jitsu.
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