Donmai Kawabata to RIZIN: The Potential a Judo Foot-Technique Specialist Can Show in MMA

Donmai Kawabata to join RIZIN.

When I heard this news, I was a bit surprised.
No, to be precise—
It might have been closer to the feeling of, "So it's finally happening."

Ryu Kawabata.
A man who has built a track record as a judoka and shared the appeal of judo through YouTube and other platforms is now stepping into the world of MMA.
Judo and MMA.
Both are sports where "grappling" is important.
However, while they may seem similar, the worlds are completely different.

Judo has the "ippon."
Throws, pins, chokes, and joint locks.
The match is decided in an instant.

On the other hand, MMA has striking.

There is distance.
There are takedowns.
There is the cage.

And even in the moment you go for a grapple, the opponent's punches and kicks are flying at you.
For a judoka, MMA is by no means an "extension of judo."
Rather, it is a world where you must break down the techniques you have cultivated so far and reconstruct them as a different sport.
That is exactly why I am interested in this challenge.

Ryu Kawabata is a "Judo foot-technique specialist"
I believe that when talking about Ryu Kawabata's judo, one cannot leave out "foot techniques."
Every judoka has a style they excel at.

Osoto-gari.
Uchi-mata.
Seoi-nage.
Sode-tsurikomi-goshi.

And Ryu Kawabata is a judoka who skillfully uses foot techniques.
The appeal of foot techniques is not simply about throwing the opponent.

It is about shifting the opponent's center of gravity.
It is about stopping the opponent's feet.
It is about making the opponent conscious of "what is coming next."

You use that split-second reaction to create your own form.
In MMA as well, this "breaking balance using foot techniques" holds great potential.

However, the meaning of foot techniques changes between judo and MMA.
In judo, you connect foot techniques to throws.
In MMA, you can use kicks to break the opponent's balance and connect to strikes.
Alternatively, you can make the opponent focus downward and land a punch.
The reverse is also true.
Make them wary of punches, then go for a kick or a takedown.
In other words, the "foot techniques" that are the hallmark of Ryu Kawabata's judo have the potential to evolve into a new form within the sport of MMA.

Will Donmai Kawabata become a "ground fighting specialist"?
This is also an interesting point for me personally.
When a judoka switches to MMA, one inevitably thinks, "Won't they use ground fighting as their weapon?"
Certainly, Ryu Kawabata comes from the "Kokushikan of ground fighting," so if he hones his ground game, it will become a powerful weapon.
However, I have a feeling that what Ryu Kawabata ultimately aims for in MMA is not necessarily a "style of getting an ippon with joint locks."

Rather—
I feel he might be looking to improve his striking.
That is what I feel.
The foot techniques that form the base of Ryu Kawabata's judo.
Integrating MMA striking into that.
This is extremely interesting.
Break the opponent's balance from the feet and throw a punch.
Make them conscious of the punch and break them with a kick.
If the opponent is wary of strikes, go for a grapple.
If they are wary of grappling, land a strike.

Incorporate the judoka's sense of "breaking balance" into striking.
If he can do this, a unique style of Ryu Kawabata might be born that is different from a simple "judoka switching to MMA."
Not a judoka who finishes with joint locks, but
a style that breaks the opponent down with striking.
That is the kind of figure I want to see.

However, MMA is not that easy
Of course, it is wrong to only talk about expectations.
MMA is harsh.
No matter how much of a track record you have in judo, you are a beginner in MMA.
In particular, responding to strikes is a major hurdle for those from grappling sports.
"If I can grapple, I can win."
It is not such a simple world.

You get punched before you can grapple.
Your takedowns get read.
You get worn down against the cage.

Even if you get a takedown, you receive strikes from the bottom.
And stamina is also required.
The abilities required for a judo match and an MMA match are different.
That is precisely why, if Ryu Kawabata wins, the value of that win will be great.
It won't be "he won because he is a judoka."
It will be because he adapted the weapons he cultivated as a judoka to a different sport called MMA.
That is the kind of victory it will be.

What will the "Judo foot-technique specialist" show in MMA?
How far Donmai Kawabata will climb with this RIZIN participation.
That is still unknown.
He might be made to realize the harshness of MMA.

Conversely, he might prove that the strength of a judoka's grappling is effective in MMA as well.
However, one thing is certain.
There is a view that can only be seen because you challenge yourself.
Carrying what you have built up in the world of judo, you jump into another sport.
I am interested in that figure itself.
And in the case of Donmai Kawabata, I don't think the possibility is as simple as "ground fighting because he is a judoka."

Foot techniques.
Breaking balance.
Sense of distance.

And integrating striking into that.
In MMA, judo foot techniques are not just a technique for "throwing."
They can also be a weapon to move the opponent's consciousness, break their balance, and connect to strikes.
If Donmai Kawabata hones his striking for MMA, I want to pay attention to that.

What happens when a "judoka good at foot techniques" learns MMA striking?
This is different from a simple judoka's transition to MMA.
When the sense of "breaking balance" that a judoka named Ryu Kawabata possesses fuses with striking, what kind of fight style will be born?
I think that is where the greatest interest in Donmai Kawabata's MMA challenge lies.

In martial arts, it is not necessary for only complete athletes to step into the ring.
"Will my weapons work in another world?"
You step into the ring to confirm that answer.
That, too, is the appeal of martial arts.

What will Donmai Kawabata show on the RIZIN stage?
How far will his techniques as a judoka work in MMA?
And how far can he expand the possibilities of the sport of judo?
I want to witness not just the result, but the process of that challenge.

Donmai Kawabata to RIZIN.
A judo foot-technique specialist steps into a new world called MMA.
What awaits beyond that is victory or defeat?
Or perhaps—
the new potential of judoka Ryu Kawabata?
In any case, from the moment he steps into the ring, a new story for Donmai Kawabata begins.

The Fighting Healthy Driver