MMA Breaking News: Shinya Aoki Retiring
By Sean Farrell
Shinya Aoki the “Tobikan Judan” is contemplating retirement after his loss at “Dynamite! 2010,” in a special rules bout against Yuichiro Nagashima.
The special rules bout consisted of two rounds, the first being under K-1 rules to favor Nagashima and the second being under MMA rules to favor Aoki. In the first round Aoki was comical doing everything he could to not engage Nagashima in the stand up game. Aoki resorted to pro wrestling dropkicks and grasping and kicking his legs off the ropes like a fish on a line in order to stall and get into his element of MMA in the second round.
The first round was a joke, waste of time, and a disgrace thanks to Aoki and he paid dearly. In the second round, Aoki shot in quickly after the round started as everyone expected him to do and Nagashima unloaded a flying knee to the face leaving everyone astonished. Nagashima blasted Aoki knocking him out cold for what seemed like an eternity after the bout ended.
Nagashima after the bout when asked if he thought he would lose said: “I wanted to finish it in the first round and I didn’t really imagine I would win in the second. I thought I would do my best, and when I won I was like, that’s what K-1 is all about! I really felt like I’m the new face if K-1. I did what Masato couldn’t do, right?”
The victory over Aoki propelled Nagashima to stardom while one of the greatest lightweights to come along in awhile is now considering hanging it up at 27 years old after suffering such a devasting knockout to a middle of the pack K-1 fighter who “Cosplays” (a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea usually in Anime or Manga.) outside the ring as Miku Hatsune, Haruhi Suzumiya, Shana of the Blazing Eyes and Index from A Certain Magical Index.
If this is the case this would be a devastating demise to a promising MMA star. Aoki holds the DREAM lightweight title, the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts lightweight title and is a former Shooto lightweight champion. Aoki also holds significant MMA wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri,Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno, and George Sotiropoulos(DQ Groin Strike).