Inoki vs. Machida: Inoki Profile 1

In the history of professional wrestling, or perhaps even the history of all combat sports, you may never find someone who has had more influence on the way we view fighting than Antonio Inoki. for over 30 years, he dominated professional wrestling in the Japan, and founded Japan's biggest wrestling company: New Japan Pro Wrestling.

"But wait, pro wrestling's fake, isn't it?" Yes, folks. We all know about how fights are organized and blah blah blah. But, in addition to professional wrestling, Inoki was a pioneer of MMA. He is one of the founders of Kansuiryu Karate, which is one of the few karate techniques to actually utilize full contact training. And at 6'2", 220 pounds in his prime, he was a powerhouse of grappling. He was also one of the earliest wrestlers to actively practice both shoot and catch wrestling. That is, he would often break away from the scripted fights and would frequently utilize an array of submission holds. His fight with Lyoto Machida, who he would later manage as a young MMA fighter, should prove to be exciting.

Antonio Inoki was born Kanji Inoki on February 20th, 1943. He was born into a well-off family and had a pretty typical youth. He began training in Karate during the 6th grade, as well as winning awards for track and field competition. When he was 14, his family moved to Brazil to get away from the harsh post-war times. There, he met Mitsuhiro Momota, also known as the wrestler Rikidōzan. It was this meeting that led to Inoki's beginning in the evolving t of professional wrestling.

Questions or concerns? Email us at AthletesandEras@gmail.com!
Like us on Facebook.

Machida vs. Inoki: Machida Profile 1

You know, not many people out there can claim that they've been training in martial arts since they were three years old. Lyoto Machida is NOT one of those people.

Born in Brazil on May 30th, 1978, Lyoto Machida is the son of Yoshizo Machida, a high-ranking member of the Japan Karate Association. Yoshizo began training his son, Lyoto, in Shotokan Karate when he was only three years old. Shotokan is one of the five sacred forms of karate, and one of the few to successfully utilize elbows, knees, take-downs, and even a few submissions. Machida has said "It is a very traditional form. It differs from sports karate which we usually see in Karate schools and competitions as it has many elements which were lost in the style..."


In addition to training in Karate (he earned his black-belt at the age of 13), Machida began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a highly explosive submission-based style. He also began training in, believe it or not, Sumo wrestling. Does Lyoto Machida look like a traditional sumo wrestler? We don't think so...

Around the late 1990's and early 2000's, Machida began winning several amateur karate tournaments, as well as other martial arts tournaments, including the 2001 Pan American Karate tournament. He is also a two-time Brazilian champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He even once was victorious in a great fight against Chinzo Machida,m his own younger brother and fellow Shotokan Karate fighter. After compiling several wins and few losses, Machida decided to enter the world of MMA, being managed by none other than legendary wrestler and MMA pioneer... Antonio Inoki! That's right, fans, the man who guided a young Machida into the MMA world is none other than the man he will be facing this sunday on Athletes and Eras! Let's get excited!

We're back! And it's Lyoto Machida vs. Antonio Inoki!!

Hey, fans! Hope your turkey was good, ours was fantastic! Anyway, we're back again and all of our internal work is finished! We figured out what exactly we wanted to do here, and we've decided to change our focus to be only on the exciting worlds of MMA and Boxing! And now, let's build some excitement for next week's match-up: Lyoto Machida vs. Antonio Inoki! Who will win? Will it be Machida with his tactical Machida Karate fighting style; or will it be Inoki, a powerful wrestler with a leg kick that could cripple you? Find out next week, only on Athletes and Eras!
Questions or concerns? Comment below or email us at AthletesandEras@gmail.com!
Like us on Facebook.

          vs.