No Holds Barred: Tadashi Tanaka on Rizin Fighting Federation

(Photo courtesy of Tadashi Tanaka/Miruhon.net.)

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman once again spoke with our long-time colleague and friend, the Japanese mixed martial arts and puroresu (Japanese pro wrestling) journalist Tadashi Tanaka of Miruhon.net.

He covered the inaugural press conference held October 8 introducing the newest Japanese MMA promotion, Rizin Fighting Federation.

We spoke with Tadashi Tanaka by Skype Monday.

The head of Rizin is someone well-known in the combat sports world: Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Sakakibara had formerly headed the Pride Fighting Championships, which from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s had been the largest and most important MMA promotion in the world. But after a scandal linking the organization to the Yakuza, the Japanese mob, Pride telecasts were dropped by the influential Fuji TV, the promotion soon folded, and Sakakibara left the combat sports world.

Now Rizin seeks to take the place of Pride, and is adopting many of the methods which made Pride so popular, including Pride rules, using a ring instead of a cage, and signing an international group of star fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko, Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, and Gabi Garcia, who will make her MMA debut. In addition, Rizin is actually trying to create a federation, and will be working directly with other major promotions including Bellator in the U.S., Jungle Fight in Brazil, BAMMA in the U.K., KSW in Poland, Road FC in Korea, and Bushido in Lithuania.

Rizin's first show, the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2015, will actually be a three-day extravaganza scheduled for the week of New Year's Eve. Sakuraba will fight Aoki on December 29, there will be a fan expo December 30, and the main card featuring Fedor against an opponent to be announced will be December 31.

Already Spike TV in the U.S. had announced that it will televise fights from this card, likely on tape-delay because of the time difference between the U.S. and Japan. But major news has also come out in Japan, as once again Fuji TV will be televising fights from this card as well.

"The most important thing is, Fuji TV backs this new promotion. That's the biggest news," said Tadashi Tanaka. In Japan, Fuji TV is one of only five major networks which broadcast free, terrestrial TV, with everything else being "tiny," he said.

Fuji TV's involvement is of particular note because it was articles by Tadashi Tanaka and others in the Japanese publication Shukan Gendai that publicly exposed the Pride-Yakuza connections and eventually led to Fuji TV dropping Pride.

The question arises as to the nature of the backers of this new promotion. And Tadashi Tanaka believes that this new organization "is very clean."

He explained that in Japan, "The Yakuza is essentially dead." The government has had a major crackdown on it, and the gangs themselves are splintering. Thus, Fuji TV and various sponsors feel safe in backing this new venture, he said.

Even so, that is no guarantee that it will all work and fans will buy tickets to live events and watch it on TV. "We don't know the success," he said, and will have to wait and see how Rizin does.

We also discussed this new federation, which he characterized as in essence an "anti-UFC alliance." Fans in Japan and many other parts of the world prefer MMA in a ring rather than a cage, he said, and also are not that concerned about who will be Fedor's opponent because they mainly want to see him fight again.

Expect more announcements soon about the involvement with Rizin of others, including K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii, he said.

We also discussed the "totally bogus" rumors that Rizin is backed by "oil money", possible opponents for Fedor including Masakatsu Funaki, the New Year's Eve tradition in Japan of televising major combat sports events, and much, much more.

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Thanks, Eddie Goldman
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Will have to listen in to this one later. Finally JMMA is about to return. Really hope this is a success.

CDF47 wrote:Will have to listen in to this one later.  Finally JMMA is about to return.  Really hope this is a success.

You and me both, brother. It would be phenomenal but it's nice that Rizin is getting all this support from these other companies.

Rocksoldier84 wrote:

CDF47 wrote:Will have to listen in to this one later.  Finally JMMA is about to return.  Really hope this is a success.

You and me both, brother. It would be phenomenal but it's nice that Rizin is getting all this support from these  other companies.

yes and with sakkikbbara doing the right thing about the whole yakuza thing the zombies cant use that against them though they will/are

Listen to the show. We discussed it in depth. Tadashi Tanaka was the journalist who publicly exposed the Pride-Yakuza connection in Japan, and he said Rizin is clean.

Yeah eddie i posted your interview on another site......first thing they roasted was yakuza...

Until i explained they should read and listen before talking idiocy.

The very guy who helped break the yakuza storys is the one telling everyone they are clean now,also FUJI TV taking them back is a huge indicator on the legitimacy of the new org.Also the oil money thing is a ridiculous rumor haha.

Zuffa shills complaining about the Mafia. Right.

nhbnews wrote:Zuffa shills complaining about the Mafia. Right.

Yeah, cause I'm sure Zuffa is squeaky clean.

nhbnews wrote:Zuffa shills complaining about the Mafia. Right.

LMAO

Rocksoldier84 wrote:

CDF47 wrote:Will have to listen in to this one later.  Finally JMMA is about to return.  Really hope this is a success.

You and me both, brother. It would be phenomenal but it's nice that Rizin is getting all this support from these  other companies.

Yeah, in the interview they are called the Anti-UFC Alliance. LOL

Great interview Eddie.  Very interesting.  JMMA needs to make a comeback and this is the time.  Would be great if we get true world champs in the future with this Federation as well.

He mentioned the oil money rumor was probably Zuffa disinformation.  I swear, I think they have a Zuffa department that just spreads BS 24/7.

Can't miss this episode. Will listen and comment later thanks Eddie

CDF47 wrote:Great interview Eddie.  Very interesting.  JMMA needs to make a comeback and this is the time.  Would be great if we get true world champs in the future with this Federation in the future as well.

He mentioned the oil money rumor was probably Zuffa disinformation.  I swear, I think they have a Zuffa department that just spreads BS 24/7.

This is the time. The UFC has been declining in recent years so this is the opportunity to come in and over take it.

Rocksoldier84 wrote:

CDF47 wrote:Great interview Eddie.  Very interesting.  JMMA needs to make a comeback and this is the time.  Would be great if we get true world champs in the future with this Federation in the future as well.

He mentioned the oil money rumor was probably Zuffa disinformation.  I swear, I think they have a Zuffa department that just spreads BS 24/7.

This is the time. The UFC has been declining in recent years so this is the opportunity to come in and over take it.

Yup, great time for the return of JMMA.

I believe this time it will work. Dream didn't have Fedor and therefore it didn't have that top dog status or feel as an mma org.

We will see the emergence of a top contender for the number one position.

I started a thread at Sherdog regarding the oil funding disinformation:

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=109812571&posted=1#post109812571

This was one of the many very interesting topics during the interview.

Longtime Fan wrote:I believe this time it will work. Dream didn't have Fedor and therefore it didn't have that top dog status or feel as an mma org.

We will see the emergence of a top contender for the number one position.

True, Fedor is a huge addition for the promotion.  Hopefully they can bring in some solid vets with the Federation and build new stars and keep them as someone else mentioned today.  

Plus, Rizen will be using the correct JMMA rules.  DREAM took out soccer kicks and stomps which was a mistake IMO.

CDF47 wrote:I started a thread at Sherdog regarding the oil funding disinformation:

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=109812571&posted=1#post109812571

This was one of the many very interesting topics during the interview.

wow the zuffa zombies talk shit then they act like we don't know what your'e talking about you are paranoid zuffa has never had smear campaign against other mma orgs . man just think of the zuffa propaganda articles that have been realised it will thousands .

westcott123 wrote:

CDF47 wrote:I started a thread at Sherdog regarding the oil funding disinformation:

http://forums.sherdog.com/forums/showthread.php?p=109812571&posted=1#post109812571

This was one of the many very interesting topics during the interview.

wow the zuffa zombies talk shit then they act like we don't know what your'e talking about you are paranoid zuffa  has never had smear campaign against other mma orgs  . man just think of the zuffa propaganda articles that have been realised it will thousands .

LOL...No shit....would be hard to count them all (especially if Twitter was included).

Very informative and insightful program.

^Yeah, a lot of information on RIZIN and MMA that is not on any other site.

Great episode!

Rocksoldier84 wrote:

nhbnews wrote:Zuffa shills complaining about the Mafia. Right.

Yeah, cause I'm sure Zuffa is squeaky clean.

The Fertittas is a mafia family so they´re as dirty as they can get.

Golden Age wrote:

Rocksoldier84 wrote:

nhbnews wrote:Zuffa shills complaining about the Mafia. Right.

Yeah, cause I'm sure Zuffa is squeaky clean.

The Fertittas is a mafia family so they´re as dirty as they can get.

I think people are catching on to Zuffa's history.

Great interview! Masakatsu Funaki would be an interesting comeback fight for Fedor for the japanese fans. Perhaps Randy Couture will be Fedor's fight in Bellator down the line since that would be bigger in the U.S.