Fansided MMA
FanSided

The top 10 biggest fight cities in the world

By Thomas Albano

The Las Vegas Strip and skyline including various hotels and casinos are seen at night in Las Vegas, Nevada, in this photograph taken October 18, 2016. / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Strip and skyline including various hotels and casinos are seen at night in Las Vegas, Nevada, in this photograph taken October 18, 2016. / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) /
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04 February 2019, Japan, Tokio: View of the government quarter of Japan in Tokyo. Chancellor Merkel visits the Japanese capital for two days for political and economic talks. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)
04 February 2019, Japan, Tokio: View of the government quarter of Japan in Tokyo. Chancellor Merkel visits the Japanese capital for two days for political and economic talks. Photo: Kay Nietfeld/dpa (Photo by Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

4. Saitama/Tokyo, Japan

Just like Singapore, when one thinks of the best international locations for traditional and mixed martial arts, it’s a sin to not have Japan included. Going back to the days of the samurai and dynasties, martial arts in the country have developed and evolved over time. Learning MMA, or any martial art for that matter, in Japan truly lives up to the mission of learning how to defend oneself while working on one’s mind, body and spirit.

That being said, competing in front of a Japanese crowd is much different than competing in front of most crowds on the Western hemisphere. Japan treats its combat sports athletes as its modern-day warriors and Japanese MMA promotions have long featured a sense of pageantry with ceremonial event introductions and fighter presentations. In the Americas, when there’s stalling during a fight, or when there’s a grappling battle on the mats, many of times the crowd grows restless, jeers and chants obscenities at the combatants. Over in Japan, crowds are much more reserved and quiet, with the fans appreciating the smallest details from a blocked transition, to a fighter passing guard, to a strong combination landed.

The roots of MMA in Japan more specifically can be traced back to at least 1993, with the founding of Pancrase — a promotion founded by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki based upon the styles and rulesets of professional wrestling and catch wrestling before switching over to more modern-day rulesets like the Unified Rules of MMA. While Pancrase, which holds all its events in Tokyo, featured legends such as Ken and Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Bas Rutten, MMA in Japan arguably was never at a higher point before and after the lifespan of PRIDE Fighting Championships.

PRIDE had media attention on it Japan almost right from the get-go. With approximately 10 events each year, PRIDE attracted eyes with its unique ruleset, crazy openweight contests, Grand Prix tournaments and more. Many of the world’s best MMA fighters competed in PRIDE, including Wanderlei Silva, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Filipovic (aka Mirko Cro Cop). Unfortunately, accusations of PRIDE brass being associated with the Yakuza led to the cancelation of its TV deal in Japan, which killed much of its revenue. In 2007, PRIDE was sold to ZUFFA and folded. The spirit of PRIDE was felt in an unofficial successor in DREAM, as well as today’s RIZIN Fighting Federation.

Outside of its home promotions, Japan has been the home to nine UFC events, with Tokyo hosting UFC 25 and UFC 29 in 2000 (the latter of which the final UFC event before ZUFFA’s ownership) and Saitama hosting five events, including both UFC 144 in 2012 and the most recent event in Japan — a September 2017 Fight Night card that featured Ovince Saint Preux choking out Yushin Okami with his signature Von Flue choke.

ONE Championship held its first-ever event in Japan in March with ONE: A New Era, which featured four championship fights and the ONE debuts of UFC veterans Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and Eddie Alvarez.

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