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marcelt
15-08-2009, 14:36
Kyotaro - The Japanese Hope

Japan is the country that has spawned K-1, developed it, made it work, made it popular, and it seems as though all K-1 fighters worship the country, and why shouldn't they? It gives them bread & butter, gives us, the public an exciting sport and something to talk about. It's great! There is however one chip in Japan's K-1 heart - no Japanese fighter has ever won the Heavyweight K-1 World Grand Prix.
Sure, some have come close enough, for example, Masaaki Satake in 1994, only to be stopped by a rising Peter Aerts, and Musashi in 2003 & 2004, stalled in his tracks by Remy Bonjasky. It's been 5 years since that last attempt, and since then we have only had a couple of ill-fated tries by the sons of the rising sun. Yusuke Fujimoto had a nice run with 2 Asian Grand Prix wins, but fell short of the main title. Then we had the infamous Junichi Sawayashiki, who, after a stellar start of beating such veterans as Jerome Le Banner, and Yusuke Fujimoto has slumped into the pit of incompetency, losing his last 5 fights - 4 by KO!
Now, Japan has gotten itself a new fighter to try his hands at the heavyweight division - Kyotaro. We can't be sure what's been going through Kyotaro's (also known as Keijiro Maeda, Kyotaro Maeda, real name Kyotaro Fujimoto, olden nickname Kyotaro Ranger) head when he took his first fight with K-1 in 2007; maybe he was ashamed for his country, or it might've been the fact that he had no money in his pockets, who knows? In any case, the rainbow hair, a funky ponytail, and a crooked grin have made it so far, together - on Kyotara's head. His donkey-tail came bouncing all the way to knocking Manhoef out, out-pointing Gokhan Saki, and now, finally - Kyotaro's in the Final 16.
The question now is - can he go all the way? Can he muster an assault on the Dutch castle in the face of Bonjasky, Aerts & Schilt? Can he put his country's flag in that vertical table of K-1 World Grand Prix Champions?
Let's see.
KNOCK-OUT POWER - Slightly above average
Would he knock out Semmy Schilt with a single punch, or part Remy Bonjasky's gloves for destructive straight in the face, or crack legs, ala recent Daniel Ghita's performance Vs John Love? Well, maybe we're not talking that kind of power, but he did knock out 4 opponents in his 11 K-1 fights. Good enough? Yes.
ENDURANCE - On par with the best
Quite recently, our pony-tailed friend has outpointed Ghokan Saki in a four round battle, and Ghokan Saki is not exactly a fighter whom you might accuse of not being fit. In most of his fights, Kyotaro looks quite happy having a run around the ring, and exhausting his opponents by being extremely mobile and hard to catch. So far - it's been working for him.
DEFENSE - Should be envied by the likes of Laschenko, who's been defiant of getting his legs kicked so much that he actually lost on the account, current Mark Hunt, who seems to be eating punches and kicks left and right, and the unfortunate John Love who appears to practice that defense style - where he blocks punches and kicks with his legs and head! Best of luck to all those above-mentioned gentlemen, we all wait to see them back in the ring.
Kyotaro's speed is his main defense, and it helps him decrease hit absorption, makes him better at ducking and diving, and allows him to slip out of the danger zone after breaking a clinch. He's outpaced Manhoef, and Saki in his recent bouts, and has managed to outrun Mighty Mo's wicked overhand a year ago. To top it all off - Jan Soukup's ambitious combinations, too, failed to reach Kyotaro.
BIGGEST WEAKNESS
There's always this perennial question; how much damage can a fighter take? With Kyotaro - we do not know, simply because there hasn't yet been a fighter that fed him enough hits to make a difference. So far, Kyotaro has been quick enough to avoid major damage, but wait. Review his recent fight with Manhoef and you will see Kyotaro getting caught proper - he lost his footing and for a second there the Dutchman had his chance, but momentarily, Kyotaro regained senses and was off and away. It seems that someone needs to corner him, block the escape routes, and with enough pressure - he will crack.
But first you've got to corner him - that's the hardest part.
BIGGEST STRENGTH
Simply put - speed and close ranged surprises. Speed - we've covered. Now on to the surprises. His latest fight with Czech karate-ka Jan Soukop demonstrated Kyotaro's hands once again. The two are in close range, anything can happen, Jan throws his arm out, it's a long shot, but he's trying. Kyotaro whispers,
"Hey, look what I've been hiding from you."
Overhand hook lands on Jan Soukop's temple, like a jet on a narrow runway in Tibet, we're talking precision. Jan's out.
Cold.
The medics are all over the Czech.
Kyotaro's hand's up - all's well in Japan.
At least for now.
KYOTARO'S CHANCES WITH THE BIG BOYS
Kyotaro can fight on points, or he can knock people out. He has a few wins over notable K-1 fighters, such as Melvin Mahoef, Gokhan Saki, Mighty Mo, and Musashi. Across this spectrum of beaten opponents we can see a range of styles that our fighter had to adjust to. The single punch knockout power of Mighty Mo, the aggressive forays of Manhoef, the fluidly sharp Saki, and a like-minded countryman Musashi. Kyotaro's single loss comes at the hands of the lumbering Ewerton Teixeira, and that was a decision.
The facts are there - Kyotaro is the best heavyweight that Japan has to offer at the moment. Can he bring the title home?
We'll see.

Alex Evdokimov, FaNS OF k1

marcelt
15-08-2009, 14:40
Denk het niet, maar leuke analyse. Lijkt me stug dat hij het redt tegen een van de big 4 (Badr, Sem, Peter & Remy)

snip83
15-08-2009, 14:44
het is een man met een vechthart

maar idd tegen de big 4 red hij het nooit

sjaakie'tje
15-08-2009, 15:01
Denk wel dat hij het meeste potentieel heeft van alle Japanese vechters tot nu toe. Het is echt een super atleet en talent, dat zie je onder meer ook aan de manier waarop hij rondspringt en aan zijn snelheid en kracht.

Hij moet echter technisch nog veel verder ontwikkeld worden, maar het talent heeft hij zeker.