Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii is one of the best pound-for-pound female mixed martial artist in the world. Currently at 25 wins – 1 loss* (Sherdog). We had the unique privilege to talk to her and get the latest. Due to the brevity of Twitter and the fact that we cannot read Japanese (without the help of Google Translator), this interview is fairly brief. Answers were able to be expanded due to the great work of the guys at The Grappling Dummy and director Matt Benyon. Watch video at the bottom of the article to view.
To visit Megumi’s official website (in Japanese), click image above.
1, How did you begin the martial arts & fighting competitions?
On the recommendation of my father (a strong Judo practitioner), I began studying judo at the age of three and continued up until about 22 years of age. Did Sambo, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling/Grappling starting at 23. I was 30 years old when I started in Mixed Martial Arts. I wanted new and challenging things.
I wondered what I could do to take advantage of my experience, so I decided on MMA.
I’m motivated to do things other people have never done. When everyone else will give up. I am different. I won’t.
2, How do you spend your day
Always weight & MMA training. I never get bored with this.I feel uncomfortable when I am not training!And there’s no secret. You have to train hard to win.
3, What exercises do you enjoy training with the most?
Push ups!
4, Who are some of your favorite athletes/influences?
Josh Barnett, Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Edgar
5, What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to watch movies, go to dinner with friends and play with cats. (=^^=)
6, What goes through your mind or what do you think about before your fight?
Before the fight, comes a feeling of fear…and fun. Nearing the fight, I try to soothe my mind – Nothing in the mind. Once the fight starts I think about my strategy. And I move!
7, More of your fights are going to the decision – Has this been a result of a strategy change?
I like to finish the fights and have the audience rejoice. My last big fight (Zoila Gurgel) I wanted to win badly, but lost (to the decision). In the future, fight to the finish!
8, What is your favorite “finishing move” to use in a fight?
My favorite techniques are the ankle-lock and the arm-bar.
9, At the age of 37, how much longer would you like to compete? Afterwards, what do you want to do?
I will be 38 in May. This year I am going to continue to work hard and fight. Next year… that I do not yet know.
10, Your perfect undefeated record ended with Ziola Gurgel. How did you feel about how that fight went? What did you wish you did differently?
Zoila is a great fighter. I thought I really won that fight, but lost instead. I wanted to ask the referee, “How can this be?” To lose a “perfect record” is very disappointing. Since the match was in the United States, I did have some jet lag and fatigue. But I’m eager for a rematch. Hopefully I’ll be back in the United States soon!
Bonus,
What is your favorite cartoon?
Sponge Bob ! ! !
We at the Combative Corner, Thank Megumi for her time and consideration and wish her the very best.
Fans had something to cheer about Saturday night, March 3rd, 2012 as the quick upstart, Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey defeated Miesha “Takedown” Tate to become the new women’s bantamweight champion. An Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, Rousey began her pro MMA start only a year ago and now holds the belt from 5-year veteran Tate. Noted for her solid armbars, many of Rousey’s fans knew that it would just be a matter of time before Tate would get caught.
Tate came out swinging but eventually fell to “The Armbar” at 4:27 of the first round. The extent of the elbow hyper-extension is still playing on the people’s minds but as Tate said, “…I came here to fight.”
About Tate, Rousey had this to say:
“She was much more savvy on the ground than I had anticipated… She’s good, she’s legit, but I don’t feel that bad about the armbar finish.”
Ronda Rousey, if she hasn’t already, has (in many’s eyes – and almost “overnight”) become “The Face” of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. She will deny it and say that Gina Carano still holds that mantle – but the wicked truth is that “Rowdy” is here to stay and is truly making her mark… and in remarkable fashion.
Watch the Gracie Breakdown for a breakdown like only the Gracie Brothers can give.
I’ve been a fan of the sport of boxing for ages. Every once in a while, there will be a match that will bring you to your feet, fists clinched, eyes ablaze with emotion. There have been numerous fighters that have done that for me: Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Arturo Gatti… the list goes on and on. However, the 2000’s have provided only two big names – Floyd Mayweather Jr.(42 wins – 0 loses – 0 draws) and Manny Pacquiao (53 wins – 3 loses – 2 draws). While both are big names, what remains obvious to many, is that Pacquiao is the only “Champion” of the two. You can be a great fighter, as Floyd has made clear by his unbeaten record and by his previous fights, but you can’t be a champion unless you prove yourself through heart and character (and much of the time, this occurs outside of the ring!).
In Floyd’s latest fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, he captured the WBC World Welterweight title by knocking out Victor Ortiz, a young and strong up-and-comer, in the 4th Round. It was how he did it (and how he reacted afterwards) that has many people shaking their heads.
WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED?
Previous to the exchange of a left-right into Ortiz’s face, Ortiz gave a blatant headbutt to Mayweather (of which Ortiz tried desperately to “hug-out”). With anger still congealed within Floyd (quite noticeable in the pictures/video) he launches a “Sucker-punch” left-hook followed by a strong right into the jaw of Ortiz (see video below). One of the questions that I have is, “Is sportsmanship dead?”
Conclusion: Floyd Mayweather is awarded the knockout. Then, Mayweather does himself one worse – he gets angry and insults HBO commentary-favorite Larry Merchant.
The CombativeCorner authors toss this one out there:
“Have you ever been the victim of bullying & how did you deal with it?”
We ask: If you have a story that you’d like to tell, please let us know in the comment section at the bottom of the article. If you have a question for us, or any particular author of The CombativeCorner, please send us an email at CombativeCorner@Gmail.Com.
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George “Rush” St-Pierre on Bullying:
“I was bullied,” says St-Pierre, once a nerdy, studious boy who competed in chess tournaments. “I was not very popular.”
To protect himself, he learned Kyokushin karate from his father. That gave him the striking base he still uses today, he says. He discovered the importance of looking up to other experts when at 15 he watched Royce Gracie, a skinny Brazilian jujitsu master, tap out oversize foes in the early days of the UFC. “I asked myself, ‘How can this happen? How can this small guy beat all these monsters?’ ” he says. And now St-Pierre has the answer.
“Because of the knowledge,” he says, “that every war is won by the strongest weapon.”
[O’Brien, Luke. Men’s Health Magazine, April 2011. original article]
GUEST: DEBI PURCELL
[Professional MMA Fighter]
I think every person has been a victim of bulling in some form or another – even the bullies – especially the bullies; and I am no different. I once had a fighter set out to try and hurt my fight career in a very manipulative, vengeful way, because of their fear at the time. At first I was shattered and kind of let it ruin me for a bit. I then came to realize that the only person she hurt was herself, because although things happened that did indeed hurt my career, and life for a bit, it was ME that caused it for allowing someone to have that much power. As soon as I stopped feeling sorry for myself I was able to heal, & feel more compassion for the girl.
This ultimately led to me doing some different things and finding true happiness, and I would say to anyone out there getting bullied physically or emotionally. Stand up for yourself… do NOT be a victim in any way, including and most importantly feeling bad for yourself, or reducing yourself to their behavior.
If you can understand – they must be in a ton of pain for bulling you and try to have some understanding. They are in such a bad place in life, and in the long-term it sucks more for them then for you. As cheesy as this may sound, it’s true! Debi Purcell, FighterGirls.Com
I did get bullied a little as a kid since I had two things working against me: I was one of the few Asians in the area, and I was most definitely one of the nerds. Now that I look back on it though, I realize that I had a few strategies that kept the bullying to a minimum. First, I avoided situations that would allow bullying to arise. Bullies like easy targets. Take away the easy bullying opportunities, and the bullies aren’t likely to go out of their way to harass you.
Then there’s safety in numbers. If you have friends across different social groups, you are more likely to have backup close by. At the time, I was on good terms with a number of people, both students and teachers. I used my social circle for protection.
Of course, sometimes push comes to shove, and you have to shove back. I did once or twice have to push back just to establish that I wasn’t going to be an easy target. That took care of most of the bullies looking for easy pickings, but that didn’t take care of everyone. I was not the model of size and strength in school, so big bullies might still target me. My last defense was pure good luck. I just happened to be friends with a future football lineman. He was a big boy even when we were kids. I didn’t get bothered that much all through middle school just from that.
I’ve been a victim of bullying in the professional field, and this happened (recently) in the field of law enforcement. I tried to utilize the workplace discrimination, harrassment, and retaliation procedures but it only made things worse for my working environment. I was unaware of the EEOC laws at the time and did not find out about the laws until it had already gotten out of hand. What I advise for everyone is to be aware of the EEOC (more info can be located at the websie EEOC.gov). But either way – I have experienced bullying even when there are laws in place to try to stop such behavior. The behavior still goes on. It’s a very difficult struggle. I advise people to be aware of the laws, to stay informed of resources for help, such as the EEOC, and try to seek out individuals who have experienced similar incidents and seek help on how to deal with such situations. Sometimes it may be best to accept the way things are; other times it may be best to fight back the best you can with the laws that are in place. You can take action like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi and fight back peacefully or you can be like Lao-tzu or Chaung tzu and just go with the flow and allow things to take their natural course.
As someone who was a victim of bullying through most of his school years, the topic of bullying is one of my hot buttons. Just the idea of someone being picked on because of something as stupid as their appearance, how they speak or where they’re from makes me angry. Being bullied was the reason I started martial arts in the first place. I wanted to be able to stand up against anyone who would ever try to mess with me. Little did I know that along with learning how to do roundhouse kicks and punches I would also gain the confidence to walk down the hall with my head held high and the self-control and self-discipline to know that they’re other ways to deal with bullies then with physical force. I still got picked on, some confrontations I chose to walk away from, and others I faced head on. Sometimes I look back and think “Man I should have just fought all those guys that used to mess with me.” but I know that would have gotten me into some serious trouble not only in school but at home as well. Besides all it takes is standing up to one bully to show the others that you’re no longer a target. As a martial arts instructor I see a lot of my students dealing with the same bullying issues that I faced when I was younger and I feel an overpowering urge to help them stand up for themselves like I learned to. No one deserves to be picked on, no one deserves to be demeaned.
I was a victim of bullying a few times in my life. I have always been very tall and I think that had a lot to do with why I was not picked on by others much at all when I was little.
When I was in the 6th grade I was attacked on the bus by 4 kids (all much older and bigger then me – at the time 10th graders) at once. I did what I needed to do and got kicked off of the school bus 6.5 miles from my home. This was also during a very strong snow storm we were having. I was called a dirty, wild Indian by the school bus driver as he pulled away. So I am standing on the side of a dirt road on the Reservation in sub-zero temps and I started walking. Just when I did not think I could make it another step. A car rolls up and it is my uncle who said “Get in here!!”
From that point I was bullied at that school. I was told I attacked the 4 attackers and I would be put out of school for 3 weeks. So my mother pulled me from that school and I went to a private Native-run School. That was what I needed. I never treated anyone mean because of their race or anything like that but many are stuck in the past and still think that way. I would not changed how I responded to bullying looking back on it. I take no pride in having to hurt others to stay safe but you do what you have to do to make it out alive.
I was very fortunate growing up. Loving, somewhat “normal” family, and lived an a very safe area of a friendly, mid-sized city. I was also fortunate that I sprouted quickly, being either the tallest or second-tallest person in my grade-school classes. I was also very athletic and played a wide variety of sports (as I still do). But with all this on my side, I was not immune to bullying in middle school. For some reason it seemed that noone was immune. There was one memory that sticks into my mind quite vividly:
I lept off the school bus on what I remember as being a beautiful day. As I made my way to my driveway, a low-riding car drove slowly past and the driver “shot me the bird”, laughed and drove off. Without a drop of venom, I spun around and gave him a view of my middle finger as well. It wasn’t that I was “feeling tough,” I just thought we were exchanging a high-five (or sorts). I walked to the back of my house, to find that I was locked out. No big deal, my mom was probably just on her way back from the store. I sat out my homework and started on my math assignment when 4 teenagers, led by a white, tough guy with a faint moustache and sideways baseball cap came stomping up to me. “WHY DID YOU GIVE ME THE FINGER, PUNK?” he asked me. (He was nearly chest-to-chest with me) and I firmly explained, “I did it because you did it to me, sir!” (I was maybe too polite) He came back with “YOU CALLING ME OLD?” To which I stupidly said, “No, Sir.” After some pretty harsh taunts and me just standing there and taking it…. he grabbed my favorite Pittsburgh Penguins hat (right off my head), ripped the bill off of it and tossed it in my yard. They left without throwing a punch. But they scared me emotionally. As soon as I was able to get inside, I remember shaking, crying and then getting really mad.
Many years later, I look back on this situation and marvel at how great I handled it. I stood up to them without looking weak. I was mentally prepared to act, if needed… but no such boundary was crossed. I took with this an understanding that strength comes in different forms. And just because someone appears strong, doesn’t mean that they ARE strong.
I have always been smaller than the average bear. When I was 9 years old, I tipped the scales at a mere 45 lbs. I had one or two physical altercations with bullies in grade school, but it didn`t get really bad until grade 5. I was the new kid in school, and I was frequently (maybe twice a week) ambushed by a group of 4 kids 1 year older than me on the way home from school. I never fought back, I just took it. My older sister at the time was friends with one of the bullies older sister`s, and when my sister found out about the bullying, word spread to the other sister – and then to their father. The bullying stopped immediately after that.
In high school I started taking Tae Kwon Do, and that is when my confidence started to grow, and my transformation started.
After that, I was never the victim of bullying again – mostly because of the way I carried myself and wouldn`t let people treat me poorly (without consequence that is). If I were to go back in time, I would have made sure to hit hard and fast when being bullied, and then have told the authorities (teachers, parents, etc.) rather than keep it to myself.
If it worked for George McFly, it could work for me 🙂
Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu is a Brazilian JiuJitsu martial artist, famed for his “Tornado Guard” (among other things). He’s the owner of Fight Sports in Miami Beach, FL, and has won numerous titles (one of them being the Brazilian National Jiu Jitsu Champion). Learn more about him at his website: http://cyborgbjj.com/… however, since you’re here, you might want to read about him in his exclusive interview with the CombativeCorner.
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How did Roberto come to become a practitioner and teacher of jiujitsu?
First of all I want to thank the Combative Corner for the opportunity! …
I started training back in 1998 in my home town in Brazil called Campo Grande. I was raised on a farm; a place where I had a great childhood. I was always a sports practitioner since I was little. After passing through many sports, like swimming, karate and judo, I did 3 years of capoeira, which helped me out a lot with my mobility in Jiu Jitsu. In 1998, when I was 17 years old, I started BJJ. It had just arrived to my state in Brazil, and I loved to fight. Once playing around with a friend of mine he tapped me many times. At first I didn’t even understand what he was doing, but I was sure that that’s what I had to learn. I made him take me to his school and I feel in love with the sport. I won my first tounament within 2 weeks of practice. After that I never stopped. I got my black belt within 5 years of training.
How do you think your “style” of jiujitsu differs from others that you’ve encountered?
I came from a place that didn’t have this much of Jiu Jitsu. Also, I opened my school when I had just got my purple belt, and I had only my students to train with. It made me change my Jiu Jitsu a lot. I had to move a lot in order to train since most of my students were white belts and all light. I created everything I know, and it became what you see today. My Jiu Jitsu is very plastic, and I move a lot like a featherweight, being 220 pounds. I have a great combination of strengh, flexibility and agility that really few guys in the history of Jiu Jitsu had.
You’re a really strong guy. Do you think that your bulk helps you considerably in your matches?
Truly, my game is based on my agility and speed. But since I’m the smaller guy on my division, of course a little bit of strength always helps.
In your life thusfar, what do you consider to be your “crowning achievement”?
I live my dream today. I live in Miami, have affiliate schools around the world, and live from what I love to do. I have achived most of the top rankings in the world in BJJ and Grappling, have made many champions, and have the #1 team in the world NOGI for 2010. Ufa…so many good things… Been successful with what you love to do is a gift. I just live my life one day at a time and work hard to make it better everyday. Everything that has happened in my life came through the energy I put into it. So I’m just up to take whatever presents god has to give me. It being said, my “crowning achievement” is Life!
In your life as a competitor, what has been your hardest match/opponent?
I think this is a hard question for someone who fights all the time. Every single match is a great challenge!
What do you think is one of the most important thing(s) to know when beginning in the art of jiujitsu?
Respect and humility.
How (in your opinion) does training in the States compare with how training is conducted back home in Brazil?
The mentality and value of the sport here is completely different, which made most of the bigger names in Jiu Jitsu and the most important tournaments come to the U.S.
It’s not a question to me that training here (US) is more professional and better than it is in Brazil.
Are you an admirer of the UFC/CageFigthing/Pride tournaments? And if so, who are some of your favorite athletes to watch?
I like MMA, specially when I see guys like Demian Maia, Jacare, Andre Galvao, Toquinho, Roger, Thiago Silva, and other great black belts putting our art to work on the cage.
What does Roberto Abreu like to do in his spare time (apart from training, teaching, & competing in the martial arts)?
When I’m not working and training I like to enjoy the nature. Mountains, waterfalls, beach, rivers, sports, and travel. I’m always trying to explore new places and cultures.
A few months ago we (the CombativeCorner) had a Roundtable Discussion when we asked our authors “What was your favorite moment of 2010?”… what was yours (professional or personal) and why?
I had two moments, one when I won the worlds nogi weight and Open, which was a dream come true. And the second, my fight against Braga Neto at the semifinals at the worlds which won as the “Best fight of the Year” by GracieMag. I had a huge comeback after loosing by 6×0, lasting less then 30 seconds of fight after scaping of many tight chokes, I got out of a back attack and tapped him out in a beautiful triangle. It was a tough fight and an amazing finish. But when I left the mat I found out that my best friend and student Piter Bivona had died in the hospital in LA. It was tough.
Bonus Questions: If Roberto Abreu was a video game character, what would be his power and what weapon (if any) would he carry?
I would like to use my Jiu Jitsu, the most efficient martial art in earth. With my tornado guard, revert triangles and knee on the neck I would give a lot of work to anyone!! hahaha…
BONUS #2 – Do you have some words to tell to your fans?
I would like to thank the support I always receive everywhere I go.
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Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii is one of the best pound-for-pound female mixed martial artist in the world. Currently at 25 wins – 1 loss* (Sherdog). We had the unique privilege to talk to her and get the latest. Due to the brevity of Twitter and the fact that we cannot read Japanese (without the help of Google Translator), this interview is fairly brief. Answers were able to be expanded due to the great work of the guys at The Grappling Dummy and director Matt Benyon. Watch video at the bottom of the article to view.
Fans had something to cheer about Saturday night, March 3rd, 2012 as the quick upstart, Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey defeated Miesha “Takedown” Tate to become the new women’s bantamweight champion. An Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, Rousey began her pro MMA start only a year ago and now holds the belt from 5-year veteran Tate. Noted for her solid armbars, many of Rousey’s fans knew that it would just be a matter of time before Tate would get caught.
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