Akiyama’s famed judo never came into play in his UFC 120 bout with Michael Bisping, as through the three rounds he only attempted one takedown, leading the Japanese press to question his game plan, wondering why he did not use his Olympic Judo skills to take the fight to the mat.
“I only went for one takedown but Bisping’s body was really slippery. Even if I do say so myself.”
The Japanese fighter himself has a storied history regarding his skin.
In the 2002 World Judo Championship Trials and 2003 World Judo Championships, Akiyama was accused of waxing his judogi by four different opponents. Officials asked him to wear a reserve judogi after the first three matches of the 2003 Championships but cleared Akiyama of any wrongdoing.
When he moved to MMA, Akiyama easily slipped and slid out of Sakuraba’s trademark low single leg takedown and rained down strikes as Sakuraba screamed out in protest. Akiyama was declared the winner by TKO as Sakuraba refused to fight back.
Akiyama eventually confessed that he had used lotion on his body before the fight and that he was not aware that it was illegal. As a result the match was declared a no contest.
Akiyama’s skin hasn’t all been bad news for him though. UFC ring girls Arianny Celeste and Chandella Powell noted how “silky his skin looked” after getting caught checking out “Sexyama” at the UFC 116 weigh-ins.
Akiyama: Bisping’s body was really slippery
Akiyama’s famed judo never came into play in his UFC 120 bout with Michael Bisping, as through the three rounds he only attempted one takedown, leading the Japanese press to question his game plan, wondering why he did not use his Olympic Judo skills to take the fight to the mat. “I only went for…
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