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Brad's Friday Fight Bodega - Imanari vs Silva
Written by Brad Taschuk   
Friday, 18 December 2009 09:17
Alright, today at the Bodega we've got a nice special treat.  Since DEEP Cage Impact 2009 is approaching -- and nobody is talking about it, surprise, surprise -- I decided to feature one of their fighters.  The DEEP Bantamweight Champion is currently Masakazu Imanari, better known to most MMA fans as the sport's leading foot fetish-ist.  For those of you who don't know Imanari, his nickname is "Ashikan Judan" which in English means that he'll tear your leg off and beat you with it.  Actually it means "10th Dan of Leglocks", which means he's like the RicksonGraciebyArmbar of leglocks (as a sidenote: if you've been following the forums lately, you'll probably have noticed that I've been mentioning Rickson a lot.  It's because I've gone back and watched a bunch of his old fights.  Ostensively, a Rickson Gracie Bodega exists in your future).  Anyways, enough of my getting sidetracked, proceed into the bowels of the Bodega for some leglocky goodness.



The fight I decided to choose for this Bodega isn't anything particularly epic, it's simply one of Imanari's 8 victories via some form of leglock (a statistic which is impressive in it's own right).  There is something to be said for a guy who is constantly willing to dive for leglocks, pull guard, and just generally throw caution to the wind in an attempt to remove your capability to exist as a biped.  For your amusement, here is Imanari's 2008 Cage Rage fight with Jean Silva.


Awesome, no?  You have to love a guy so completely devoid of fight intellect that he's willing to throwing a spinning hook kick into the guard of the man with arguably the best leglocks on the planet.  I salute you, Jean Silva.

This weekend, Imanari will be taking on Justin Cruz for the DEEP BW title, in what should most likely turn out to be another highlight reel submission for the champion, since Cruz has never faced anybody on his level.  Also on the card are notable fighters Atsushi Yamamoto, Bernard Ackah, Nobuhiro Obiya (who most certainly will be featured in an upcoming Bodega) and Ryuta Sakurai.  Oh hell, since it's the holiday season, let's show you Obiya's fight as well.  This is one of the most entertaining fights to take place outside of the major promotions.  It's probably simply one of the most entertaining fights period.

In December of 2005, Obiya took on Milton Vieira, who is notable for rocking a Clay Guida-esque look before it was fashionable.  I won't spoil any of this fight for you, so long as you consider it my early Christmas gift to all of you (or at least those of you who haven't seen it).  Also, if you could find it in your hearts to somehow get people to stop asking me for money this holiday season, that would be great as well.


The next Bodega may not be until 2010 (although I may not be able to resist the urge to preview some DREAM/Sengoku uber NYE card), when I might even be back with fancy graphics and double my current producton costs.  Until then, be somewhat safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't do (which doesn't take much off the table).  Also, if any last minute Christmas gifts are needed, check out our sponsors ToeZup and The Fight Mafia, as they both have a ton of great gear.