Translation by Toshiko Masago



As a continuation of Part I with my Interview with Enson, he enlightens us on the often misunderstood meaning of Yamato Damashii, the reason why Kid didn’t go to the Olympics for wrestling and the full story of his run in with the Yakuza, Enson’s current legal problems, and more.

The meaning of Yamato Damashii to Enson:

ENSON: A lot of people come up to me and say that they don’t understand how I don’t tap when I hear my arm popping and everything but….that’s a whole another episode to me. You might think….any person or fighter that watches a fight might think that this guys has him in an armlock and he feels that his tendon is gonna break or his arm is going to break. Any normal person….there will be two options that come into their head.

Your whole life is about options. You’re driving a car and a person jumps in front of you. You either hit the car or turn and hit the wall. You know what I mean? There’s always an option. When you’re getting your arm broke or when a fighter is in any critical type of situation in a fight, there’s also options. The only reason why I move the way I do is because of the way I think. It’s not because of what I chose in my options. The way I think will control the outcome of what my options will be.

For example, a normal fighter or any person on the street who had never fought before gets in an armlock. Two options will pop into their head because they live their life as a normal person. Fighters train hard, fighters experience fear…the point of falling down because they cannot train, the point of sparring when they think they might die. But a lot of fighters don’t take it in the right way, don’t take it and absorb. They become a regular person. So when they’re in the fight and they’re getting their arm locked and it’s starting to pop, they’ll think like a normal person. What a normal person’s options probably will be, your arm is going to break or you’re going to tap. There’s two ways, there’s only two things.

But for me, I’ve been raised the Yamato Damashii way, where you give everything you’ve got until the very end. The only time you know you couldn’t do it is because you ran out of money; you couldn’t do it because you’re out of anymore options. Basically when I’m getting in an armbar and my arm is folded backwards – that’s another story. But if I can’t even hear my arm pop two options will come to my mind -- your arms going to break or get the fuck out of it. That’s it.

Everyone says Enson = Yamato Damashii. Enson’s so tough, so brave, a warrior. You know what I mean? I become a warrior not because of what I do in every situation as it comes, I become a warrior because of the way I live my life. The reason why those two options are different is because when I live my life, whether it’s fighting or it’s my arm breaking or working whenever I’m in the gym, or working on business somewhere else with another group – I’m giving all I got until the very end. I’ll try to negotiate a business deal until I cannot do anymore. Until I absolutely cannot do anymore and then I’ll quit. I don’t think I’ll quit, actually I’ll just let the situation die. I will not ever quit in a situation. So the same thing, you know?

It pops into my head, get out or get your arm broke. I don’t want my arm broke so I’m going to get out. As I’m getting out, I’m never going to know when my arm breaks. I don't ever want to wonder what would have happened if I didn't tap. If I could have gotten out, or if my opponent would have given up and moved to another hold. God only knows when my arm breaks. It’s like when you go to sleep when you get choked. Only God knows when you go to sleep from a choke. Who am I to decide and play God and decide when my arm is going to break or I go unconscious? All these people come and pay millions of dollars to watch the fights. I get paid 6 figures to fight. I’m there to entertain, give 110%, and leave everything in the ring. That’s all I do.

You’re going to pay that much money to see me fight. A promoter is going to pay that much money, they’re going to kiss my ass, they’re going to bring 2 corner men, put us up in hotels, give us food money, put us on TV, and put us in magazines. All these people. People are going to come watch us and cry at some of our fights. There are a lot of people who cry when I walk to the ring. I mean, it’s that big of thing. So you’re going to play God and decide when to tap? There's a referee, ring doctors, and your cornermen. Trust them and concentrate on just putting it on the line.

I’ve never seen a fighter, except Renzo Gracie, where his arm broke and then realized he was beat. 99.9% of the fighters will give up before their arm breaks. 99% of the fighters will give up before they go to sleep. Why? Because they’re anticipating the outcome, they’re anticipating the fear. They’re assuming that their arm is going to break and instead of doing that, why don’t you assume that you’re going to get out? The thinking is really different. It all depends on what your mind is focusing on. I’m focusing on finishing an opponent. If he hits me hard enough to wobble me, I’m focusing enough I hit him right back with the same kind of punch.

This guy gets me in an armlock and I can hear the ligaments pop, on hearing that I’m thinking -- That mother fucker! Before he breaks it, I’m going to hit him right back with a punch, just as bad. You know what I mean? It depends on what you’re focusing on. If I’m focusing on the penalties of failure when my arm is going to break…I’m going to sleep and I don’t know when I’m going to wake up – I’m going to tap because I’m going to be scared. But that’s not what my fear is going to do. My fear is going to make me stronger. My fear is going to make me want to get out before he breaks my arm. My fear is going to give me adrenaline to punch, even if I am so tired.

I was brought up on a situation when I was a kid where this philosopher came and talked to me. I always went to sports psychology for racquetball. This guy told me this situation, which is an exact situation where your arm is going to break – if you’re going to focus on the penalties of failure or the benefits to success. Benefits of success meaning, getting my arm out and stomping on his face or something. Penalties of failure, not tapping and having my arm broke. Which one you’re going to focus on, is what you chose.

Say if I were to tell you, a 2 X 4 about a width, a foot long… say 20 yards long, a plank. And what I do with the plank is I put it on the mat, this soft mat right here. Enson is referring to the floor mat in his gym. The same kind of mat you can find probably in most MMA and BJJ schools. And put $1,000.00 on one end and tell you, you walk from one end to the other without touching the mat, a foot long, that’s pretty long, you can keep the $1,000.00. What would you do? You’re going to go shit and get the $1,000.00 and walk back and your done. Now what if I were to do this, the same $1,000.00, the same plank but I stretch it across to the other side of that building and say if you don’t fall off, you can have the $1,000.00. What are you going to do? Your probably going to wobble or say fuck it, you know what I mean? It’s the same plank, the same money, the same atmosphere, the same everything except what I’m doing with the situation is …. When you have the plank lying on the mat, the only thing in your mind is if you fall of the plank you’re not going to get the $1,000.00, you’re not going to lose nothing; you’re not going to lose your life. Your mind starts focusing right there on when you get to the other side, what I am going to do with that $1,000.00. But when I put you in the different scenario and I control your fear, I control how you’re going to think. All of the sudden, BAM, instead of the rewards of success what your focus is going to be on is….Shit, 7 stories up, shit, if I fall – I die. Right there, you’re not even thinking of the $1,000.00. You’re not even thinking of one way of how you’re going to spend the $1,000.00 because you’re so worried about falling.

I believe every fighter has that, whether it begins at the beginning of the fight or when he’s getting arm locked. I believe every fighter has that in them where they have fear and at that point, where you’re going to become a Yamadamashi fighter or you’re not, is what you do with the fear and how you look at it. And what you focus your mind on. If you focus on the fear you’re going to tap. No one is going to fight with all they have. But I’ve been living my life by giving 100% until the very end and focusing on what you’re going to gain from it. And if you don’t, then that’s something you learn.

People think that I’m a crazy guy or a bad ass warrior. I threw down with Igor because I don’t fear anything. When I threw down with Igor I feared it. I threw down with Igor because I knew that was a situation that I’d never be able to be in again. That fear of his…one punch can knock the shit out of me. You know what I mean? Like that Brazilian guy* he fought that he fell forward and his eyes rolled back after one punch. So one punch can do that to me. Can you imagine that fear, being in that range? I know that I’m hitting Igor so if I can hit him, he can hit me. And we’re throwing down, one blow after another. Like walking into a danger zone – walking into a fire and trying to save some people in the fire and think straight. Yeah, so it’s a misunderstanding that Yamatodamashi is not a machoism, not about being tough, it’s not about no fear, no pain. It’s about what you do with that fear and pain. How you live your whole life that will affect how you react in these situations.
*Francisco Bueno, Pride 8

IRONLIFE: For people who don’t seem to understand. How does that transition into training? Cause sometimes you have to tap.

ENSON: OK, yeah. Training is a whole different thing. Training is not a life or death situation. Training, your there to learn your there to get better. I’ll tap in training. I think tapping is good in training. If there is any situation that is even near an armbar or is bad enough, I’ll tap. I won’t risk injury in training.

Like I said, getting into the ring, fighting, it helps put your self into a life and death situation -- without really being in a life or death situation. But training isn’t like that. Training is a different thing. You know I always emphasis to my students, all this discipline that I’m setting in you, all this thing I’m talking about, you pushing yourself is not only about fighting it’s about your whole lifestyle. I don’t want them to learn and go out and train hard and be a pussy in their work. Don’t wanna go to work and they call in sick. You know what I mean? I’m trying to emphasis that. Training is a part of life, I believe. Tapping in training is very different than tapping in the ring.

It’s like having a negotiation with your mother or your father and giving in on the negotiation, even if you think you’re right, because it’s your family and you don’t want to get into a fight with your family. Same thing, you don’t want to cause this funny aggression against this fellow member/fellow teammate. You don’t wanna break your arm – same thing. Same thing that you don’t wanna have a family argument. But if you’re in a misunderstanding with another Yakuza group or you’re in a misunderstanding with a promotion – that’s a whole different thing. It’s like fighting in a fight. Training is like having an argument with your family. But having an argument in a business negotiation is a different thing. That’s like fighting, I think.

Why Kid didn’t go to the Olympics for wrestling and the full story of his run in with the Yakuza:

IRONLIFE: There’s one thing I’d like to ask you but if it’s too personal feel free not to answer. There’s something I’d like to clarify since you’re very open about your life and answer many questions on the Internet. It’s regarding Kid Yamamoto and his run in with the Yakauza. From what I understand, Kid’s father was an Olympic wrestler and Kid was heading that direction but had some kind of run in with the Yakuza that prevented that.

ENSON: What happened with that is…well…Kid he’s a kid and he plays around and he has fun. He was shooting a BB gun and hit a Yakuza in the eye. They didn’t even know that they hit the guy. They were playing around shooting his friends and I guess it hit the guy, I don’t know. That’s what he tells me. I don’t know if he was aiming and shooting people and one of them was Yakuza. What happened was, the guy took his plate number down and he was in Yamanashi College, he was one of the top wrestlers there.

The guy followed him to where he lives and those guys actually went in and tried to get him out of the room. He had to jump out of three stories. I don’t know if he had to climb down or if there was a roof to jump down on to. Apparently from the balcony he got out from 3 stories and ran to a restaurant. He called me from the restaurant, telling me that there are Yakuza out there and they want to get him. So if I get there, it’s going to be 3-4 hours since it’s far away. I said, what you need to do is some where there’s a lot of people and wait there. They’re not going to touch you where there are a lot of people.

I made some phone calls and those guys backed away because of some people that I know. What happened was, Kid, because of the incident, got kicked out of college. Then he got banned for 1 year from the wrestling association – so he couldn’t enter any wrestling. The Olympics were the following year, so he would be out 1 year. He had a whole year to get ready for the Olympics.

1 year out of wrestling, so all I did was mention to Kid, hey Kid, come to my gym. Why don’t you come train submissions? I said, it’s still the same movement in wrestling, you can still wrestle, and you can use your wrestling for something else. He said, Oh OK. He came down and I worked on him for like a week and I told him, hey you got a future in this. If you want to push it, come move all your stuff here and don’t worry about money, I’ll take care of everything. I got an apartment for him.

So…he did that, he came down. What happened was, one year later he fell in love with fighting and that’s all he wanted to do. So now what happens is, dad comes to me and tells me – make Kid quit and make Kid wrestle. I said, you know what? As far as Olympic level wrestling, if your hearts not in it, no one can tell you to do it. If his hearts not in it, he’s not going to train like he should. So…I’m not going to make him do it, unless he wants to.

Ok…so his dad calls Kid and tells him that if he fights, I’ll never support you ever again. Dads are like that huh? So I told Kid, do what you need to do but don’t worry about money -- because that’s when I had a lot of money from Pride. I said, I’ll support you. Kid moved in with me for one whole year. He turned his dad down and everything. I got him the contract and everything. Now the dad is coming around and wants to take Kid over. He wants the contract, he wants to manage Kid. That’s the big problem I have right now with Kid. I know you’ve probably seen it on the Internet that I have a big problem with Kid. I’m sure there’s a question on everyone’s mind, because I haven’t been in the corner for Kid for the last 3 fights. It’s because there’s a problem. There’s a possibility 1) I might totally separate myself from him. Or I might start being in his corner again. I’m not sure right now.

I got the impression that Enson harbored no hostility or resentment towards Kid or his father. As with all business relationships, especially those with family, they sometimes go bad for various reasons.

In terms of Kid’s popularity and marketability here in Japan – it’s through the roof. All the girls love him and the guys admire his fighting style and aggressiveness. You can’t open a MMA magazine here in Japan without seeing Kid’s face. Kid paid his due in Shooto and now he’s reaping the rewards in K1.

As a side note, Kid comes from a competitive wrestling family. His father wrestled for the Japanese Olympic Team, his younger sister Seiko is a world champion wrestler and still actively competes, and his older sister Miyu was also a multi world champion wrestler who just missed making the Olympic trials.


(L-R) Genki Sudo and Kid

Enson’s current legal problems:

ENSON: There’s a lot of things going on in my life. I have a court case coming. I opened up a racquetball company E-force Japan, that’s Egan’s company. I did the Japan side. I hired this guy Sakai to do it after I figured it was very sturdy and I didn’t need to be here anymore, I wanted to go home to Hawaii. Then before I go home, I thought, get in the ring once, just to get that experience to see what that control is like with the fear and the anxiety of getting in the ring.

One thing led to another and fighting got big. I made that guy President and made him take over the whole company and I put all the gyms under that company and which meant, my fight money goes through that. T-shirt sales, everything goes through that.

IRONLIFE: I just want to clarify, that when you said he’s the president, which means he’s technically the owner here in Japan?

The reason why I asked this, is because foreigners are not allowed to legally own businesses here in Japan. More often than not, they will have a Japanese national listed as the owner or President of their company.

For example, I come up with a great business idea that will make a ton of money here in Japan. I have everything I need, materials, people, distribution, customers, and etc. All I need to do is file the paperwork and get my business started. There lies the problem. I’m not a Japanese national so I would need to get someone I trust to be the president or owner on paper. What happened to Enson, which you will find out if you keep reading, has happened to a lot of other foreigners who trusted the Japanese national they listed on the paperwork.

Keep in mind that Enson is ethnically Japanese but a US citizen.

ENSON: Owner is different, President is ….. I guess he has all the stocks in the company but I’m the owner and everybody knows that – but the paperwork, he’s the owner. I made him the owner but every big decision would have to go through me.

To make a long story short. After I retired, I looked into the business. I fought Mark Kerr, made money, and put a small percentage back into the company, every time I fought.

Enson then goes into detail about his T-shirt sales. The numbers that he discussed were very impressive. Due to personal privacy and possible legal complication, I’m omitting this information but leaving the following. This was a personal choice, Enson did not ask me to do this.

I retire and I go back into the books, start looking into the books. How’s the money doing? There was suppose to be a lot of money on the side and were suppose to split it, me and him. We go there and look into it. You know how much money we had in the fucking company? $30,000.00. I said, whoa! Where the money? He said, ok but we got $120,000.00 of stock – t-shirts. I said, I know, I don’t care, that comes out to $200,000.00 I said, where’s the money? He starts crying. “I’m sorry, I fucked up? I’m a bad businessman, I’m sorry. I don’t know where the money went.”

I’m thinking whoa! No way. So that was a problem. So what I did with him, he always lied to me, consecutive times. I always wanted to work with him because I considered him like a brother. So…I didn’t want to get rid of him or smash him or anything, so I kept working with him. But he kept lying to me. So finally I got mad. I went in there and he had to give me his car, he had a place he had bought and he had to get out of there and I moved into there, and I collected some cash from him. As I was doing that, he planned to sue me – a civil suit for extortion. And he started recording conversation and stated getting things, way ahead of time, I didn’t even know some of this stuff. The he got a lawyer to have him seal all the paperwork, to make sure he was the sole owner, make sure only his name is on the company, contract, everything.

A long story short, he did a very good job. I lost the civil case. I can’t believe it. So what’s happening now is that he’s creating a criminal on extortion, which is a sentence of anywhere from 1 ½ - 5 years in jail. Right now, there’s an investigation going on.

IRONLIFE: Do you know when that will be completed?

ENSON: At the end of the year. They’ll go to the courts and the court system will either throw it out or let it become a court case. If it becomes a court case, that’s not too good.

IRONLIFE: The fact that you’re technically American, does that play a factor?

ENSON: I don’t know, because right now I have a green card. I don’t know if I get convicted and I have to go in, if that will affect my green card. I don’t think it will. Basically this is home. I’ll go to jail for 3 years if I can come back and stay in Japan.

My basic theory is, I’m not wrong in this. I’ve done nothing wrong. The money I took was rightfully my money. In fact, this guy still owes me money.* I’m not really afraid of the outcome. I’ll try my best to win the case. If I lose and I do have to go to jail, I believe its destiny. I believe everything is destiny. I believe everything happens for a reason.

*From what I understand, legally Sakai does not owe Enson money, but morally and ethically he does. I got the impression Enson was only able to collect a fraction of the money Sakai stole from him.

According to the terms of the civil suit that Enson lost, Sakai can legally collect 10% of every amount Enson makes.

IRONLIFE: So…regardless of the outcome, your gyms are still safe?

ENSON: Yeah. I’m safe as far as that goes.

The criminal case is bad. If I lose the criminal case, the worst case scenario is 5 years. That’s very long.

I told you, I believe there’s destiny. I’m not wrong, I believe there’s a chance that I might win this case. Even if I don’t win it and I do go to jail it’s not for that. What God is doing for me is that he’s putting me in jail for a reason. I can see 2 reasons that God would be protecting me from. 1) Is a car accident. Maybe I was supposed to die next year in a car accident but because I’m in jail, I cannot drive, I cannot get into the car accident – he might save my life. 2) Another thing is, like I said, I’m surrounded by the Underworld. I’ve got a lot of friends. Maybe I am getting a little too deep. I do feel it like sometimes. I feel like I’m part of the family, with all different families. Maybe if I got to prison for 1-3 years it’ll make it…it will cut all the ties…maybe it won’t cut but make it further.

I believe that if I do lose a case that I’m right in and I do go to jail. I believe that there is a reason for it. I’ll go in there with a positive attitude thinking shit he’s protecting me from a car accident – cool.

IRONLIFE: Is it true that you don’t drink?

ENSON: Yeah. I don’t drink or smoke at all? Egan doesn’t either. We didn’t drink or smoke because of racquetball. The thing you have to understand is I started in high school when I was 16. Basically you don’t drink alcohol when you’re young. And I had another alternative because I wanted to become the best racquetball player in the world.

We woke up early, 6am to train, I had no time for a hang over. Egan was like that. Egan was actually the one who made me like that, because he was like that. I looked up to him as a mentor and an older brother.

Drinking isn’t bad at all. It’s just….like I said, we started at age 16 playing racquetball. We never drank because of that – racquetball. I never wanted to drink or have a cigarette. My run that I did every Tuesdays and Thursdays, I’d drop 1 minute on, I’d get slower. You know what I mean? I was afraid of that. I was afraid of partying and coming back to my training the next week and trying to gain seconds every time I ran the route but I’m dropping minutes, I’m worried about that. I’m worried about never ever getting it back. That’s why I didn’t drink in the beginning.

I came to Japan, started fighting, and it was ok to drink then, but I never liked it. I never liked the taste. If I ever did drink it would be like a shot of tequila or kamikaze. It tastes like cough syrup. I mean beer tasted different – beer is beer. Wine is alcohol. But shots are like cough syrup, Nyquil™ to me actually. So we never drank. When it came to fight parties, we sometimes had some Kompaiis (Japanese version of cheers or a toast) and do some shots.

When I drink 1 shot, I get red, all swollen, and my throat feels like it’s getting half the size. I feel like I’m breathing through a snorkel. My whole body is beat red and when I push on it, it’s like I got sunburn. It turns all white and then the red comes back. I believe that I’m probably allergic. Basically I don’t drink or smoke

IRONLIFE: How about your folks? Do they smoke or drink?

ENSON: My dad doesn’t smoke or drink either. My mom smokes and drinks. So it’s not a parent thing. I’m pretty happy that I don’t smoke or drink because when I see my friends get drunk, they get real stupid. I’m sure it’s probably fun at the time.

IRONLIFE: Does that bother you?

ENSON: No, not at all. I have no problem with that. I understand that they’re drunk that they’re having fun. It’s cool. I understand too that you do a lot of things that you probably wouldn’t do – it kinda distorts your personality. If you’re a gentlemen to girls you might be a dick to them. When I see those kinds of things, I’m kinda happy that I don’t drink.

But of course, it does look fun sometimes when they’re drinking. I do have fun watching that too. I do have fun playing along and playing jokes on the guy who’s drunk, you know what I mean? I have a lot of fun without being drunk. I just don’t like the taste. Then again, I feel I have like an allergic reaction to it. Basically, I don’t need it. I don’t crave it.

IRONLIFE: What do you do to relax? Have fun? To get away from all the stress here.

ENSON: Game centers (video arcades), listen to music, and cruise.

IRONLIFE: What kind of music do you listen to?

ENSON: Reggae, hip hop, Hawaiian contemporary.

IRONLIFE: Game centers? Any games? What kind of games?

ENSON: Mental games – video poker, like Las Vegas. No money but it’s still something to do. Kills time.

IRONLIFE: Do you have any Playstations™ hooked up in your house?

ENSON: I have everything – Playstation™, X-Box™, and Game Cube™. I have a Game Cube™ downstairs in my room, I have it everywhere. I love games.

Honestly, I now kill my time with girls. I love girls. I love chicks.

I always ask myself this….ask yourself this too. What would the world be like, if all the chicks in the world disappeared and there were only guys? How much would you actually try to be rich? How much would you actually want to drive a nice car? How bad would you actually want to be in shape, without ever having to want to enter in a fight? Why would I want to be ripped? Why am I trying to stay in shape now? Why is it for? Is it for…is it actually for me? Yeah, it is for me, for self esteem. Why do I need self esteem?

Do I give a fuck if I’m fat and have a belly sticking out when I’m talking to a guy about job negotiations? No, I don’t give a fuck. Do I give a fuck about having a stomach when girls are saying, do you have abs, do you have a six pack? Oh hell yeah I do! Do I give a fuck about my body when I’m taking off my clothes with a nice chick and she’s gonna get more turned on by my body? Or do I give a fuck if I’m going out with the boys to the Matsuri* (Japanese festival) they have tonight, if I’m fat? I don’t give a fuck. You know what I mean? I wonder, shit man, I wonder what would change in my life if all the chicks disappeared? I think my life would change a lot. I think to myself right there – shit, man, I love chicks! Basically I love chicks. I don’t know how this conversation went from Yamato Damashii to chicks, but I guess Yamato Damashii has a lot to do with chicks.

Enson continues to share some personal experiences. I thought my life and my friend’s lives in Japan were good, but after hearing Enson, we’re not even close to having as much fun as he does. I can’t even imagine what life for Kid and Masato is like after hearing Enson’s story.

*Enson mentioned that Musashi, from K1, might be joining him and his friends at Matsuri. Imagine all the girls that Musashi and Enson got that night.

Another thing I’m doing is pro wrestling on August 14th – Riki Pro and another one on September 11th.

IRONLIFE: Where’s the location of both of these places?

ENSON: Riki Pro, that one is going to be in Tokyo, Korakuen Hall. I’m not sure where the September one will be. That’s September 11th man, terrorist day. I have no idea who I’m going to wrestle or what the story is but they already asked me to open on the 14th. It’s good, it keeps me in shape. I’m going to run because of that. I don’t want to look too fat in the ring. The reason why I don’t want to look too fat in the ring, is not only for the chicks, or the fans that look at me as a fighter, it’s because of Pride – the association. If I’m coming out real fat, they’re going to look at me like – there’s no way, he’s not real serious.

I’d like to thank Enson for taking time out of his busy schedule to do this interview. For those of you interested in checking out Enson's Japanese site. Unfortunately, you will need to know Japanese to fully appreciate it.

If you want to purchase some of Enson’s merchandise but cannot read the Japanese site, you can check out Fokaidamashii. It’s in English.

Those of you interested in checking out Enson’s gym, you can find a list of his gyms and the phone numbers on this SITE. Once again, it’s in Japanese. However, if you’re going to check out his gym in Japan, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of Japanese or have access to someone who can translate for you.


Purebred sign in the main lobby of the building, near the elevators.


Kyoto Purebred sign outside of the building on the main street.

I hope to visit his new gym in Osaka in the near future, and do an in depth article about it. I’m actually thinking about doing this with several gyms. This way it’s easier for those of you looking to train at a gym, either short-term or long-term. In the mean time, here’s the link to his Osaka gym, once again in Japanese.

Misc. pictures:


Enson's Heavyweight Shooto Belt*


Close up of the belt*

*Shooto let Enson keep the belt after he retired as Heavyweight Champ. They also decided to get rid of the Heavyweight class and focus more on the lighter and middleweight fighters. The belt costs about $5,000.

My final comments and thoughts:

I know that Enson is surrounded by controversy. It seems that people either love him or hate him. In all honesty, I never really understood why they hated him. Sure, he’s made mistakes – he’s only human. He’s never claimed to be otherwise. Personally, I found him very friendly and open. He talks to you eye to eye and makes you feel like you’ve known each other for years.

I’ve met other fighters who've bought into all the hype that surrounds them. Considering how popular MMA fighters are, here in Japan, I’m really surprised Enson hasn’t. Even my friends who don’t follow MMA, know who he is.

Pro wrestlers and MMA fighters have a huge fan base here in Japan. I think it's hard for many of you living outside of Japan to fully understand how popular they are, since the live gate attendance at MMA events, pale in comparision to those here in Japan. Throw in TV and PPV and it's mind boggling. Some MMA fighters can be seen doing various TV commercial and print ads. Edwin Jeans for the longest time had Brad Pitt as their spokesperson, I think they still do, but they also have Genki Sudo was well.

I admit that I got the impression that Enson is a very intense individual with strong beliefs. He could easily make a second career as some kind of motivational speaker – he generates a lot of energy. Due to his strong beliefs and convictions, people often misunderstand and magnify his actions and mistakes. Like I said before, he's only human -- he's gonna make mistakes.

I’ll let you make your own opinions about Enson – good or bad. However, I’m sure if you met him face to face and got to talk with him, your impressions would be favorable. Not only as a fighter, but as a human being. He really does care about his fans, friends, and family.

I'm willing to bet, most people that have a negative impression of Enson are simply judging him based on Internet rumors and gossip. These people are judging him, without ever having met him. I'm not saying everyone that meets Enson will like him, but I am saying that if you actually talk to him, you will begin to understand him better and respect his beliefs and convictions. Those are just my thoughts.

After thought:

I forgot to mention. Enson might be coming out with a really cool new poster and hopefully T-shirt that has has a really good explanation of Yamato Damashii. He had a huge ass picture poster that was the size of like 4-6 posters, that you might've had on your walls while growing up. It was preview poster. That poster was written in Japanese and Enson translated the meaning for me into English, since I'm Japanese illiterate.

Unfortunately, due to it's position near the windows, glossy picture finish, and huge ass size -- I was unable to take a picture of it. I'm guessing that the final version will be much smaller. The background was Enson, when he debuted in the UFC, with several lines elaborating on the true meaning of Yamato Damashii. If interested, please check his site. Hopefully it will start selling soon....especially if he decides to make it into a T-shirt.

Autographed Enson picture, DVD, and sticker give-away:

As I have done in the past with my interviews, I will be giving away a limited number of:

*Autographed pictures that Enson was kind enough to sign. These pictures are A4 sized and ready for framing. (Frame not included)
*Personally signed Enson made DVD.
*Yamato Damashii cell phone (cell phone not included) sticker that comes in black or white lettering.


Autographed picture of Enson


Enson made DVD case.


Personally autographed DVD.



A very cool sticker that Enson gave me to put on my cell phone. Yamato Damashii!

Details for this give-away are located in the MMA forum. You must be a member to be eligible -- membership is free.

Remember, the rules and conditions are in the MMA forum. DO NOT PM or e-mail me, unless I pick you as a winner. This is clearly stated in the details of the give-away. In addition, do not beg Enson or me to let you win this give-away. There are only a limited number of items, once the winners are picked and all the items from the give-away are gone -- it's over. Good luck.



Hody

Other articles and interviews written by Hody Jae Huh. Please click on the below underlined hyperlinks to read the full article.

Front Page News:
Pro Shooto and Kakumei Kickboxing 05/08/2005
Pride MW GP 2005, Press Conf
PRIDE MW GP 2005, Osaka Dome
Zepp Deep Osaka Results
Zepp Deep Osaka, Official Weigh-Ins

Interviews:
Nakao, Jutaro Interview
Nakakura, Takahashi Interview
Mishima, Dokonjonosuke Interview
Ryan Bow Interview
Bas Rutten Interview
MA Question of the Month (Guest Writer)
Itchaku Murata Interview

Training:
Training MMA in Japan (Part 1)
Training MMA in Japan (Part 2)
Training MMA in Japan (Part 3)
Inside Look: PRIDE Audio Broadcast Team

Product review:
Bas Rutten's MMA Career DVD and MMA Workout set

Misc:
K-1 Dynamite
K-1 NYE Press Conference
Hermes Franca V. Manny Reyes Jr. Editorial