This coming weekend looks to be a historic one for mixed martial arts. The upstart Affliction promotion is putting on a card with a high caliber of fighters and an even higher payroll expense, the UFC has responded in kind with a hastily thrown together card, and theirs is  on free television to boot.

Even the most casual MMA fan should have no trouble getting excited for either the number one heavyweight in history fighting his first relevant fight in years in Fedor vs. Tim Sylvia, or the consensus number one pound for pound fighter making his debut in a new weight class in Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin.
The quality MMA runs far deeper than that this weekend though, there's another fight with a much lower profile that deserves your attention.

In one corner stands a man with a sterling record, a former champion in two weight classes, who was very recently considered on the fringe of the top ten pound for pound fighters in the world and who is currently in the top three in his division. He has adopted the hairstyle and facial hair of a national hero as and like his idol fights with reckless abandon.

In the other corner stands the brash, young, bleached blonde champion. The champ has taken the name of a foreign star as his own moniker, and has needed extremely questionable judges decisions to retain his belt. More recently the champ has unsuccessfully tried for dual division greatness while coincidentally avoiding worthy challengers in the division he rules. Despite these shortcomings he is still considered the number one fighter in his division.

Sound pretty intriguing? It should, a fight between two top fighters, with face/heel dynamics, and a built in back story should have all fans mouths watering. Hopefully the following won't stop your Pavlovian response: the two fighters names are Mamoru Yamaguchi and Shinichi "BJ" Kojima respectively, and they will be fighting for the flyweight (56 kg,123 lbs) title in the Japanese promotion Shooto.

Shooto has been in place in Japan since 1985, amd it has long been a favorite of hardcore MMA fans for its fast paced action, high quality fighters, and until Zuffa bought the WEC, Shooto was the only real place in the world fighters under 155 lbs could ply their trade.
Japanese stalwarts like Takanori Gomi, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Shinya Aoki got their feet wet in Shooto and became champions before moving onto PRIDE. Anderson Silva first broke onto the scene in MMA by defeating Mach Sakurai to become Shooto Middleweight Champion (167 lbs). Being the Champion of Shooto means something.

No one knows that better than current title challenger Mamoru Yamaguchi (20-4-3) who has been champion at both 132 and 123 lbs. His stint as 123 lb. champion came to a stunning end after two and a half years when he was choked out by BJ Kojima in late 2006. The two have previously fought to a tight majority draw as well. Mamoru has grown his hair out to an impressive afro and also sports a mustache in reverence to Japanese boxing legend Yoko Gushiken who was the WBA Jr. Flyweight Champion in the late 1970's.

Mamoru is very quick and uses that to push the pace, and attempt to be the one who lands first, he has shown striking prowess and power with both punches and kicks, Muay Thai knees have also been a finishing tool used by Mamoru. His ground game is mostly predicated on getting back to his feet which results in him pushing the pace and creating many scrambles, he has shown the knack of extricating himself from the most precarious positions which made BJ's finish of him even more impressive.

Shinichi "BJ" Kojima (8-3-4) has had a rough go of things since the night he broke down crying after defeating Mamoru for the title.
In the worst decision of 2007 BJ retained the title when the judges granted him a draw after being thoroughly outgunned by fellow top three flyweight competitor Yasuhiro Urushitani. He has also lost twice, once to an unheralded eighteen year old Brazilian on an ill-advised trip to 132 lbs in an attempt to replicate Mamorus' dual-division success. BJ looked extremely lethargic and out of shape when moving up in weight, coincidentally like his namesake. This has forced BJs top challengers to wait on the sidelines for a title shot as it has been more than a year since BJ has defended his title.

When fighting at 123 lbs. BJ has looked swift, and in the past he has pushed fights to a breakneck pace. In addition he's shown the ability to secure takedowns from the clinch and if he can take his opponents back on the ground has shown stellar finishing skills with four victories by rear naked choke, and one gruesome stoppage when his opponents cauliflower ear burst due to punches from the back mount.

Lighter weight fighters tend to have faster paced bouts to begin with, but with Mamoru and BJs' style their third fight should be make for a whirling dervish of action. The storyline of the afro'd fan favorite, former titleist chasing his strap from the brash champion who defeated him and has retained his belt largely through actions outside the ring is a classic as well.

In a sign of excellent booking, regardless of who prevails between Mamoru and BJ an intriguing and deserving challenger awaits them.
The slick counterpuncher Yasuhiro Urushitani recently defeated Mamoru but lost his number one ranking after falling victim to the judges once again as they awarded him two more draws in fights he had done enough to win. To see if he can finally overcome the judges will be an interesting storyline for a fight down the road.

So there you have it, a fight that should offer everything the fans ask for, exciting action with two charismatic guys, it's between two of the top fighters in the division, and there's an intriguing storyline with long-term ramifications and a sensical backstory, it's everything booking a fight should aspire to be.

If you can put down any preconceived notions you have about lighter, foreign, or non-Zuffa promoted fighters and can just enjoy a good scrap you should be more than pleased. The only downside is that the fight won't be broadcast in North America. Never fear though, the fight should pop up quickly on Youtube, and since you're likely reading this on a computer I can't imagine you're too, too averse to internet-based content.

If my tantalizing words didn't peak your interest, then hopefully watching past action of BJ's emotional victory over Mamoru will.
It's worth watching just to watch BJ break down in spastic fashion after winning.

Mamoru-BJ II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT97geemiXU


Thanks for reading, and keep in mind that there's a big wide world of MMA out there for you to explore.