Lonely warrior Masaya Aoki, happy 39th birthday
In "ONE:X" more than a month ago, "Jumping Ten Duan" Aoki Makoto finally waited for his opponent who had been fighting for many years, the 46-year-old Akiyama Seikio. Aoki did not hide his contempt for Akiyama before the game, but he had no choice but to "punch in the face" too quickly. In the first round, Aoki had an absolute advantage, but unfortunately he was not able to strangle Akiyama, losing a lot of physical energy, and the second round became sluggish, and he was held down by Akiyama with his head and hammered, and TKO lost the game.
Aoki once said that he was terrified every time he competed. "I'll be excited before the game, I'm not afraid of the opponent. But I have a fear in my heart, and this fear comes from myself, I don't want to make mistakes, or be judged as losers, I am fighting myself. This time Aoki did not win, and the brand of the loser made him cry after the game: "I'm sorry, I don't have enough material!" I can't become Nasugawa Tenshin and Takezun, and it always ends up like this. ”
Masaya Aoki's career may not have been the most successful, but it was the most ups and downs. Recognized as a Japanese jiu-jitsu geek, he won the ONE Lightweight World Championship, shooto sub-middleweight World Champion, DREAM Lightweight World Champion, WAMMA Lightweight Champion, ADCC Japanese Jiu-Jitsu Champion, two-time All Japan Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and even the "Fighting Czar" Fido played an exhibition match with Aoki. To this day, Aoki still holds the record for the most surrendered wins in the history of the ONE Championship.
Aoki's love for martial arts is so pure. For MMA, he even gave up his job as a policeman. Even as a world champion, he stayed away from variety shows, crossover entertainment and advertising to practice martial arts. He once said: "I don't practice jiu-jitsu to win the championship, I practice jiu-jitsu because I love it." Competition is a way of self-expression, and it's the only way I can find my true self. ”
If he had only become a martial artist, I believe Aoki would have had many followers, but his unruly side has plunged him into controversy and become a "lone warrior".
2009 Japan Fighting Year-End Contest Dynamite! In the middle, Aoki twisted his opponent's arm, spit out his tongue and extended his middle finger to the moaning opponent, which was criticized by the public. "When I feel my opponent's bones being broken, I'm not affected. But my purpose is not to break the bones of my opponents, I just want to win the game. I am completely different from the state of the game in my daily life. Fighting in Japan is an unusual job, and I have to punch, kick or even break an opponent's arm in the ring, but I would never treat anyone like that in the ring. ”
Aoki will also show a humble side to his opponents he respects. After Aoki defeated his idol, Kazushi Sakuraba, in 2015, he couldn't cry, and people realized that Aoki was not a heartless person. In daily life, Aoki likes to wear black-rimmed glasses and speaks very little. But in the ring, he likes to fight in brightly colored pants, in his words – "It's wonderful to live in the world of MMA." ”
In the ONE Championship ring, Aoki lifted the lightweight world champion gold belt more than once, but lost the gold belt due to weak standing skills. Being killed in a match against former ONE middleweight world champion Ben Ascoron and being subdued by "Lion Killer" Gary Torneng in a tangled relegation tournament have all lowered the boxing fans' evaluation of Aoki's career. But after a series of blows, Aoki did not give up the battle, and he enjoyed the battle more than winning or losing. "Some people say that since you lost to your 46-year-old opponent, you have to retire at 46, right?" Say what? I'm going to hit 51! ”
Less than two months after losing the match, Aoki bounced back to the field to play against Capita Rutolo from Team Atas in the ONE 157 Lightweight Relegation Wrap Up on May 20. Faced with a jiu-jitsu player who is exactly 20 years younger than himself, can Aoki wash away the shame with a victory?
Aoki has won many world championship honors, but he has a dream in his heart. "I leave my family to compete, just like a fisherman leaves home to go fishing, it's all about raising a family, it's about survival. My biggest dream is to one day have a wrestling match with my son. ”
Happy birthday to the 39-year-old lone warrior!