No. 9: Pumola
Discipline: Sumo
Strengths: Squeezing, smirking, no-selling damage
Analysis: Given his sheer size, Pumola does pretty well utilizing his sumo stylings during the Kumite, but I’m not sure he would translate to MMA as well as some suspect.
Don’t get me wrong: Pumola’s backbreaker move is freaking sweet, as you could definitely argue for him to be a bit higher on the list. However, I’m not sure if that move is even legal during any iteration of MMA, nor do I think Pumola’s persistent strategy of tanking damage is the smartest thing to do in today’s game.
Add in the fact that this dude was listed at nearly 400 pounds, and I don’t even know what weight class or era you would put him in. That said, I’d be totally down to see RIZIN sign Pumola for a one-off with Bob Sapp on New Year’s Eve to help fulfill our sports yearly quota for weirdness.
No. 8: Toon Ip Mung
Discipline: Kung fu
Strengths: Focused on fights, has a training partner
Analysis: One of the most focused fighters at the Kumite, Toon Ip Mung is not one to be distracted by liquor and ladies, as he and his fellow training partner – Chuan Ip Mung – are shown stonewalling the attractive leading lady early on in the film.
That type of discipline should translate well in today’s world of MMA, as those distractions exist in spades.
Toon doesn’t make it as far as (his brother?) Chuan, but the two show some of the most fluid kung fu in the entire tournament. Although kung fu sadly wasn’t one of the martial arts to put an undeniable stamp on MMA, I gotta suspect that Toon and his partner in crime put up a better fight than most (regarding this 1988 lot).
Still, it’s hard to see Toon having success past the early days of MMA given the susceptibility he shows to Thai-style leg kicks on the second day of the tournament. Granted, those leg kicks did come from Paco – who pretty much used Toon’s body to reenact Anderson Silva’s rematches with both Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen.
Nevertheless, Toon is gonna have to get himself a ground game if he and Chuan want to stand any chance at earning the title of “Chinese Diaz brothers.”