Baruto activities

[Akinomaki 39,495]

Baruto won his debut fight, a 3-0 point decision. He declared that he aims to become the top fighter of Japan and the world, but he also will start a career as entertainer in Japan: he joins Office Kitano, of Beat Takeshi (Kitano).
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/battle/news/2015/12/31/kiji/K20151231011786070.html
http://www.sanspo.com/sports/news/20151231/fit15123123380006-n1.html

Edited January 1, 2016 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 39,495]

Akebono lost also the re-match - the fight was stopped in the 2nd round because the bleeding from the injury he got at the start of the fight from a heavy hit to the back of his head couldn't be controlled. He lost by 0-3 decision. http://www.sankei.com/sports/news/151231/spo1512310014-n1.html
the hit

Edited December 31, 2015 by Akinomaki

[Masumasumasu 902]

[Masumasumasu 902]

[Masumasumasu 902]

Sorry about the old video. Here is the current one:

http://youtu.be/9Mv5zRMs9Fg

[Masumasumasu 902]

First round (I wish that I could edit these last three posts into one clean one):

http://youtu.be/6zeV6FLKVaQ

[hamcornheinz 839]

Makebono is still fighting? Also the first 30 seconds of that Baruto fight is a prime example why mma needs to be fought in a cage of some sorts.

[K. Sear 27]

It's good to see that Baruto went with his strength and didn't try to out strike Aerts, he just covered up enough to get in close and get a takedown where he looked rather comfortable for the most part. Aerts has a lot of heart to be willing to step in on short notice like that.

[Katooshu 3,079]

Good job big man!

[dingo 1,102]

I like that in the middle of the match Baruto used something that kinda looked like a kotenage :)

[Washuyama 634]

I love Baruto, but I feel if he faced someone with more BJJ skill he would have been easily beaten.

[K. Sear 27]

I love Baruto, but I feel if he faced someone with more BJJ skill he would have been easily beaten.

True, but you can say that about anyone (i.e., X would lose if Y had more Z skill). Baruto is also an MMA newbie so it isn't surprising that he is pretty one dimensional. However, if we are honest, this match was just a novelty to have name power on the card since Baruto probably isn't going to have a very long MMA career. Most foreigners have no idea who Baruto is, but they aren't the crowd this fight was happening for.

[Katooshu 3,079]

I love Baruto, but I feel if he faced someone with more BJJ skill he would have been easily beaten.

I agree.

Considering that his striking game is virtually non-existent and that for the better part of the last decade he's been training for and competiting in a sport where groundwork is prohibited, I don't think people should expect him to beat anything other than markedly limited opposition (see Aerts, who is very shopworn and is largely useless on the ground). There have been competitors from other sports who entered MMA around Baruto's age or even later and defeated solid opposition (in Rulon Gardner's only MMA fight he dominated an Olympic judo champion who was dexterous with submissions and beat some decent MMA fighters), but their disciplines better prepared them for MMA competition.

My assessment of his performance is that he showed notable weaknesses, including sticking his chin too far out when he rushed in (usually a reflex that people new to striking have) and getting himself into situations on the ground that would have left him extremely vulnerable to someone with a good submission background--something Aerts doesn't remotely have. On the other hand, I think his power was clear and he was able to put Aerts on the retreat (and thus in generally less effective positions to strike) very easily. He also obviously knew his strengths and intelligently fought as such---using his size and sticking to grappling rather than testing out his striking for longer than optimal or instinctively reverting to exchanging blows; contrast this with a case a few years back in which a very accomplished Egyptian amateur wrestler tried striking with the much more experienced MMA fighter Kazayuki Fujita, ending with the wrestler being heavily knocked out.

As someone who wants to see Baruto succeed and avoid being seriously hurt, I hope he stays away from good MMA fighters and still elite (unlike Aerts) strikers. I think he could generally do well and stay relatively safe in novelty bouts (what are the chances of an all-sumo showdown with Akebono?) and that's what I hope he sticks to.

Edited January 3, 2016 by Kotooshu's Revenge

[dingo 1,102]

all-sumo showdown with Akebono?

Now that would be a sight to behold!

[hamcornheinz 839]

Overall I doubt sumo translates to mma at all, all sumotori's biggest skills are in pushing people and that really doesn't translate to any other sport.

[wuli 67]

when there is none of this brutal 'sport' at all, along with others of the same ilk,

we'll know we are in a better world

in my view, and i'm asserting nothing more than a view,

sumo is as hard on the participants as i would want any activity to be on anyone

[Kuroyama 715]

Overall I doubt sumo translates to mma at all, all sumotori's biggest skills are in pushing people and that really doesn't translate to any other sport.

Perhaps more to the point, in sumo once you take down your opponent, the match is over. In MMA, that usually means it's just getting interesting.

[hamcornheinz 839]

Overall I doubt sumo translates to mma at all, all sumotori's biggest skills are in pushing people and that really doesn't translate to any other sport.

Perhaps more to the point, in sumo once you take down your opponent, the match is over. In MMA, that usually means it's just getting interesting.

Also the belt, of course. But the belt is not a small thing- most rikishi even when slapping each other keep the other hand very low to fight off their opponent's belt grabs. Both Akebono and now Ex-Baruto box with their hands very low, which is horrible form.

[Akinomaki 39,495]

No fighting this time: a "Delicious food" event in Koriyama-city, Fukushima. Baruto helped at the chanko nabe corner of the local "Sumo-chaya Imaizumi". http://www.minpo.jp/pub/topics/odekake/2016/01/post_5259.html

[Akinomaki 39,495]

Baruto visited for the first time a meeting of his Hioki-city (Kagoshima) Fukiage-koenkai.

(it didn't dissolve after he left the NSK!)
The koenkai was formed in Feb. 2012 after his first yusho, when there was hope he'd become yokozuna. When he was active he was too busy to go there - and retired the next year. The vice-president of the koenkai and his wife are his "Parents in Japan" though, they had visited Estonia in 1996 to spread sumo and met for the first time the then 12 year old Baruto, and in 2004 invited him to come to Japan and join ozumo. http://373news.com/modules/pickup/index.php?storyid=72820

watching old photos with his "2nd parents"

Edited February 1, 2016 by Akinomaki

[Kintamayama 44,182]

Next ?

Edited February 12, 2016 by Kintamayama

[Katooshu 3,079]

Please no....Fedor is well past his best but I think he'd still destroy Baruto.

[hamcornheinz 839]

Absolutely no sense in Fedor coming back. Hes the GOAT in mma, this can only hurt his legacy.

[Akinomaki 39,495]

Baruto Feb. last year started the Baruto corporation (public company) in Tokyo, for the import of his own produce from Estonia, and in December started Japan-wide sales of Baruto Salmon trouts http://blog.livedoor.jp/k_tohoho3940/archives/52111374.html




During the Haru basho he was for PR in Fukushima with his wife
http://www.minyu-net.com/news/news/FM20160315-057810.php

Edited April 12, 2016 by Akinomaki

[inhashi 2,363]

Wow, he's becoming quite an entrepreneur! It's great to see him doing well. I miss him.