Toby Imada Credits Judo for Shoot Boxing Win Over Andy Souwer

Toby Imada Credits Judo for Shoot Boxing Win Over Andy Souwer
11/23/2010 11:13 AM ET By Daniel Herbertson

o Daniel Herbertson
o MMA Writer and Photographer

Despite Andy Souwer’s injury claims, Toby Imada’s defeat of the Shoot Boxing great in Imada’s debut exceeded all expectations, including his own.

“This was a huge achievement for me. A big accomplishment. It’s the first time I’ve competed in Shoot Boxing, especially with this calibre of fighters. It’s completely new to me. I won my first match and it was a good fight and I was very impressed with myself. And Andy Souwer… well, I didn’t expect it but this is what I do. I go out and I fight and I don’t give up,” Imada stated post fight.

Imada wouldn’t be at the top of the list for successful kickboxing converts as he is primarily a grappler but with Shoot Boxing allowing throws and standing submissions, Imada believes his grappling roots gave him the edge.

“I had a good chance to display my skills to everybody. It worked great – this wasn’t kickboxing, it was Shoot Boxing. It was a big step for me, a huge honor. I’m very impressed with myself and very pleased with myself. It it wasn’t for my training and especially my judo I wouln’t be where I was. I owe a lot to judo.”

In Imada’s quarter-finals defeat over Japanese Super-Welterweight Champion Takaaki Umeno, it took the American a full round to find a winning game plan as he initially stood and traded with the much more experienced stand-up artist.

Through the second and third rounds however Imada restored back to what he knows best – his grappling. With Umeno worried about being thrown time and time again, Imada was also able to be more effective with his hands and scored a last second KO.

With a winning gameplan developed Imada then moved on to face the best Shoot Boxing has to offer in Andy Souwer. Although it has since been revealed that Souwer may be been severely injured going into the bout, Imada was again able to bring a much more experienced opponent down by utilizing his judo and then striking.

The bout with Souwer damaged his legs badly though and going into the finals against two-time K-1 MAX Champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk, Imada was out of luck.

“As far as my match with Buakaw, it’s not easy on the body. It’s very hard. By the time that third fight came around my body had taken some punishment and I tried as much as I could but unfortunately my leg couldn’t take any more.”

Imada has become somewhat of a tournament specialist, competing in Bellator’s 2009 and 2010 lightweight tournaments and like his Shoot Boxing S-Cup run, Imada exceeded expectations but lost in the finals of both.

“I didn’t have any expectations. I just know that I needed to go out and fight and not give up and just find a way just like my other MMA fights. I needed to find a way and not give up. It’s been a very successful mindset for me. I could have gone another round if my leg was ok. I wasn’t afraid. I can’t allow myself to give up. If I cannot go any further then that’s one thing but I just can’t give up. I’m proud, it’s in me.”

sincerely,HappyThanksgiving

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We’d like to embrace the opportunity to say Thanks to all the support from our people over the years. Fokai has always been and always be a from-the-heart process in Celebrating Life and sharing in and aiming for the good vibe. It has always been our honor to see the love that passes through our doors–its a love that we extend in our product and development.

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TobyImada:YamatoDamashiiInThe201S-Cup.

Toby Imada made yet another unexpected tournament run in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The two-time Bellator Fighting Championship lightweight finalist shocked a pair of highly-regarded opponents on his way to the finals of the 2010 S-Cup, Shoot Boxing’s biennial one-night, eight-man tournament. The rules of shoot boxing allow for traditional kickboxing strikes (punches, kicks) as well as standing submission attempts and point-earning throws.

Imada was announced as a participant just four days prior to the tournament, a late replacement for fellow MMA vet Charles Bennett after the fighter formerly known as “Krazy Horse” was unable to leave the United States due to a revoked visa.

Slotted against Takaaki Umeno in the opening round, most observers viewed Imada as they had Bennett: a sacrificial lamb for Shoot Boxing’s super welterweight champion. Things did not go as expected, however, and after weathering untold leg kicks from Umeno, Imada scored a stunning upset knockout at the last possible second. The official time was 3:00 of the third and final round.

Advancing to the semifinals, Imada faced another tall task in three-time S-Cup and two-time K-1 Max champion Andy Souwer. There, Imada’s black belt in judo would come into play, as a pair of throws scored him crucial points and earned him another massive upset. Imada took a three-round split decision over the tournament favorite with scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 27-28.

In the evening’s last match, Imada met two-time K-1 Max champ and fellow shoot boxing neophyte Buakaw Por. Pramuk. The muay Thai stylist won a pair of unanimous decisions over Hiroki Shishido and Henri van Opstal to advance to the finals, but needed less than two rounds to end Imada’s Cinderella story. Pramuk battered Imada with right hands and leg kicks, dropping him five times en route to a technical knockout victory at 2:29 of the second round.

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In and Out of the Water.

Congratulations:RafaAndGuilherme

As previously reported by GRACIEMAG.com, brothers Rafael and Guilherme Mendes took off for Japan, where the Rickson Cup took place this Saturday. The duo comments on how things went in Kawasaki:

“We just got back from the championship, it was great! The organization was first rate and thank God everything went well, according to plan!” recounts Rafael, with Guilherme filling in:

“Rafael scored 12 to 0 before finishing from back mount in his first match; I scored 8 to 0 before finishing with a choke from a guard pass in my first match, also against a local fighter. In the semifinal, Rafael got another choke from back mount, from a positions we’ve been practicing a lot in the academy, and I beat Shane Rice by 8 to 2. I passed guard and took his back, but he defended well and escaped.”

The trip to Japan was no easy one, but it was all worthwhile. Besides overcoming their respective opponents, Rafael and Guilherme, as is apparent in the photos, are treated like true celebrities by Jiu-Jitsu lovers in the Land of the Rising Sun.

“We’re really pleased because we got in last night, we could hardly sleep and we still had excellent matches. We always compete looking to innovate, to come up with new positions, and try to create moves that will surprise people. It worked out yet again!” says Guilherme.

“We were really happy with this win, especially for the honor of fighting in Japan. The affection and respect the people of Japan have for fighters always makes us want to come back. As soon as we get back to Brazil we’ll start training for the European Open. Guto Campos is already in Rio Claro for that. Finally, we can’t leave out our thanks for the guys at the gym who help us so much. We believe our wins don’t just come down to the work we do, but their work too. Thanks Durinho, Frazatto, Calasans, Ronaldinho, Ed, Denison, Lazaro, Ferrugem, Walker, and Thiago Mendes, our physical conditioning coach. We can hardly wait to get back and train all together again!” says Rafael in finishing.

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