The UFC has only recently brought mixed martial arts to the mainstream in the US, but in Japan there\’s a long tradition of fights pitting contestants from different disciplines against each other. While they\’ve only been called MMA or \’mixed martial arts\’ in recent years, the sport clearly has its roots in these early contests between wrestlers, judo fighters and boxers. In Japan, Antonio Inoki\’s fights against world famous martial artists brought great notoriety to the still evolving sport.

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\’s still much speculation about how Muhammad Ali came to fight Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, and even more uncertainty about what happened immediately before and during the fight. Ali took the booking because he thought it was to be a big paycheck for little work. Most accounts suggest that his handlers agreed to the \’worked\’ finish without his knowledge, and once he found out that he was to \’take a dive\’ he refused.

By the time the fight began, Ali\’s handlers had obtained a ridiculously one sided set of rules that prohibited Inkoi from using a closed fist, striking Ali in the head at all, using any chokes or submissions or even trying to take the fight to the ground. Were it not for the huge amount of money he\’d be leaving on the table, Inoki would have been justified in not fighting at all under these highly restrictive and one-sided conditions.

The result was an absolutely horrible fight. Neither man showed much interest in engaging the other, with Inoki spending most of the time on the ground doing what he could under the one sided rules. Inoki threw kicks at Ali\’s legs, Ali threw an occasional jab and tried to protect himself from his opponent\’s leg strikes. The fight ended a 74-74 draw, with the real losers being the fans.

Some interesting trivia about the fight–the referee was former pro wrestler \”Judo\” Gene Labell, who is considered by many \’the baddest man on the planet\’ even in his 80\’s. He could have very likely beaten up both men at the same time–a spectacle that might have been welcomed by the live crowd and closed circuit audience worldwide.

The fiasco didn\’t hurt Inoki\’s popularity in Japan whatsoever. Oddly, he became something of a hero for trying to take the fight to Ali despite the one sided rules. He would remain one of Japan\’s most popular pro wrestlers and later serve in the country\’s parliament. Inoki\’s fights against other martial artists remained wildly popular, and are often credited as being the forerunner of PRIDE, RINGS and the major MMA organizations in Japan today.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer specializing in casino gambling, entertainment 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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