Aoki following a finish in Japan / Photo: FEG
Could Shinya Aoki one day retire as the most effective Jiu-Jitsu black belt in MMA?
When it comes down to numbers, at least, the day is approaching for the Japanese fighter.
A shoo-in for the great finisher’s hall of fame, the USA’s Jeremy Horn, 35, isn’t one to sweat up a gi, but at the end of this month he’ll be gunning for Thales Leites in Sweden, looking for the 50th submission of his career. That’s right, Horn today holds 49 wins by way of locks or chokes – out of 112 fights, at just about every promotion out there.
Who’s next? Perhaps the still active Ken Shamrock, with 22 finishes at 47 years of age. But he isn’t a Jiu-Jitsu black belt either.
Then there’s Brazilian black belt Rodrigo Minotauro, 34, with 20 wins coming via Jiu-Jitsu holds. Kazushi Sakuraba has 19.
Aoki is already coming up on his compatriot’s personal best, almost at Minotauro’s too. At 27 years of age, the Yuki Nakai Jiu-Jitsu black belt notched his 17th submission win, over Lyle Beerbohm at last Saturday’s Strikeforce show.
Will the Brazilian heavyweight have it in him to return to the UFC and add some arms to his collection and put some distance between the two? Will Aoki find excitement in pushing past a myth like Sakuraba, or will he just shrug it off? And how does Horn do it, huh?
Leave your comments below, Jiu-Jitsu fans. But first, check out this gift of slick and efficient Jiu-Jitsu from Aoki.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj__2O_nkWQ
