[Judoka89]

If you don't care then oh well but I just want to hear all your opinions on the mma judokas that i"m going to mention


Yoshida:

Is he, right now, a top ten fighter in his weight class? WILL he be a top ten fighter in his weight class? Maybe even five? I think that if Yoshida takes the time to get better at striking, he could go very far.


Yoon Dong Shik:

Got fed to two top fighters very early in his career. Tough loss to rampage. How far will he go? Many Sherdoggers have said he has a good chin and good heart and good potential.


Kazuhiro Nakamura:

Yoshida's protege and top student. 9-5 right now and improving. How far will HE reach? Top 5? Top ten? What do you think of this guy.


Pawel Nastula:

I see a potential top five heavyweight fighter in this guy. Discuss.

[MisterEZE]

Yoshida has adapted very well to MMA and I agree that with more striking he could be a serious force. Sure, Mirko made quick work of him but he did give Wanderlei two good fights. He should stick to 205 and he will be perennial top 10 but don't think he'll crack top 5.

Yoon Dong Sik...haven't seen anything but the two losses to Sakuraba and Rampage. Not really sure what to make of this guy...Saku took him out in 38 seconds and Rampage handled him easily but couldn't finish.

I really like Nakamura. Sure, he's still improving but he's got a grat personality and genereally puts on a good fight. His debut against Nogueira was decent and sure, Silva got him good, but he'll stand and bang. He has potential to be a very popular fighter, but like Yoshida, probably won't crack top 5.

Nastula. This guy has impressed me. Possibly the Polska pride coming out in me, but for real, he's no joke. Probably shown the quickest improvement in the shortest amount of time. His first fight he ASKS for Nogueira and put up a decent fight for his MMA debut. Second fight takes on Aleks and again puts up a great fight. Super impressive against Drago. Perhaps Drago was a bit hyped coming into the fight but Nastula took care of him. The only downside to Pawel is his age...36 years old. He was too busy winning world championships and gold medals in his prime. But still...he has a lot of potential to be a solid top ten fighter.

What do you think of Karo as an MMA judoka? Explosive and impressive but a bit wild at times. I consider him to be more of an MMA fighter now than a judoka...but hey...lets hear some more opinions.

[fightfanatic]

I have never seen anyone rank Yoshida in the top ten in any weight class

[johnsic]

I think Hector Lombard will be a solid top10 185´r

[nhbfan8080]

Originally Posted by Judoka89

If you don't care then oh well but I just want to hear all your opinions on the mma judokas that i"m going to mention


Yoshida:

Is he, right now, a top ten fighter in his weight class? WILL he be a top ten fighter in his weight class? Maybe even five? I think that if Yoshida takes the time to get better at striking, he could go very far.


Yoon Dong Shik:

Got fed to two top fighters very early in his career. Tough loss to rampage. How far will he go? Many Sherdoggers have said he has a good chin and good heart and good potential.


Kazuhiro Nakamura:

Yoshida's protege and top student. 9-5 right now and improving. How far will HE reach? Top 5? Top ten? What do you think of this guy.


Pawel Nastula:

I see a potential top five heavyweight fighter in this guy. Discuss.

Yoshida is very limited and can be boring. I don't see him going far at all. Pride has been using him for mostly side-show matches and a few matchups with top fighters since losing to them doesn't hurt his rep much. He's in MMA just for the money but Pride is happy because he brings in the crowds.

Dong-Sik is the real deal. Probably won't break top-10 but he is a tough guy for sure and he does have great grappling skills. He'll beat Naka and Yoshida in no time.

Naka is pretty good but he probably won't break past top-8 and can be boring although he went all out against Barnett.

Nasty is the real deal and he can drop to 205 easy but he is probably too old and past his prime to break into the really elite ranks.

Aikiyama has alot of potential but I don't like him in a gi. I feel its more of a disadvantage in MMA.

[John O'Brien]

Karo Parisyan is probably the most effective judoka in MMA right now. Yoshida is a good fighter, but he's not rounded enough to be a great fight.

[scorcho]

Karo is definitely the best mma judoka out there right now. Akiyama also has a lot of potential, as does Nastula.

[Shea]

Yoshihiro Akiyama and Kazuhiro Nakamura have THE best chances at becoming Top 5, or an actual championship contender.

Nakamura was giving Wanderlei a better fight than anyone expected, before the infamous Gi removal mishap. If he keeps training his standup, he could be a prospect for the upcoming MWGP in 2007.

Yoshihiro Akiyama has everything that Hidehiko Yoshida has, and more. His GnP is brutal for a Judoka, and the recent improvement in his standup is looking amazing. I don't know how far he can go fighting in HEROS, but look forward to a fight against Kazushi Sakuraba in the future.

( I personally think that Akiyama should go to PRIDE, and fight in the 183lbs division. )

[KingG]

Nakamura is already a solid top 10 fighter. Possibly has the potential to be top 5 if he keeps improving.

[Hus2]

Akiyama and Hector are the future. Nakamura needs to make 183 and he could rule the weight class.

Pride needs to find a Nastula or Yoshida type Judoka but get them while they are in the mid 20s.