I am very aware of the fact that I'm running out of space so let me quickly go through a little bit more of the history and dive right into the ending of this many tailed tale.

During the year 2002, champion Gomi didn't defend his title even once, while Mishima fought three times and never lost. Naturally, Shooto's "scientific" ranking system should set the title fight between these two during the celebration of the "retrogression of the sacred place," in December.

However, Gomi vs. Mishima was officially signed in November, and many, including myself, wondered why it was so late, on such short notice.

Everything that I am going to state from this point on is pure speculation. However, I believe Mishima's decision to participate in DEEP 2001 was a big part of the reason for this last minute decision-making. In this particular event, Mishima fought Takafumi Ito of Pancrase. And Shooto considers Pancrase an enemy, because Shooto labels them as an "organization that has experience putting on 'working fights.'" Mishima ended up beating Ito in a matter of seconds, so there was no problem for the Shooto people, but I wonder what would have happened if Mishima lost? (DEEP 2001 is not an event organized by Shooto so there would have been no change in terms of title. But I wonder if Ito would fit into the description of a fighter "who possesses the class and responsibility suitable for a Shooto champion" Japan Shooto Association's criteria.) Sounds more like an audition for a gentleman's club rather than a fight sport champ.

Yes, Shooto has another aspect of this peculiar "political power game" going on and this is something fans can't see in the ring. This is something kept in the dark partly because some Japanese still admire the idea of "sacrificing yourself to protect the ideology" a type of samurai philosophy. (It can also be described as an "unsound attitude to protect a principle")

Did you know that Mishima was almost on the brink of a mild neurosis before the fight? Mishima was very unhappy with Shooto's decision of demoting him in the ranking due to an injury caused during training, so ever since he was offered to fight Gomi, he could not train full force. Once he took the fight, he couldn't afford to be re-injured. This may not sound quite right, but this is the truth.

Mishima looked completely different from when he became a number one ranked fighter about a year and a half ago – he was throwing wild punches, which almost reminded me of some sort of sleepwalker. Mishima was almost like a sacrificed ox in a festival to celebrate and honor Shooto. Of course, no one forced Mishima to be in this type of mental state, but Mishima's own romantic personality wasn't ready to accept carrying the burden of a myth created by the history of Shooto.

On the other hand, Gomi had a precise goal. Going to the UFC. Defending the Shooto championship is a mandatory passage for stepping into the Octagon. Maybe it was because of Gomi’s cut-and-dry personality, he never really cared for these Shooto myths, but there was a huge difference between these two fighters in terms of motivating factors. Gomi also had a much higher level of concentration going into this fight.

The result was what I speculated.

When Mishima was randomly throwing wild punches in the second round, I think he was barely looking at Gomi. Instead Mishima was fighting against a ghost, the pressure of being tagged a Shooto champion. Mishima was caught in a bad dream, which reoccurred for the past year and a half, ever since he became a number one ranked fighter. Gomi's short hook easily ended this first nightmare. For Mishima, it was sayonara to the Shooto welterweight championship. I wonder why so many feel that Gomi's hook was a merciful shot for Mishima? True euthanasia. Two youth in Asia.

I would like to finish this long tale by adding information about Shooto's plan for a new ranking system beginning January 2003.

Starting In 2003, Shooto will have regional champions in the three following territories: North & South America, Pan-Pacific, and Europe. Independent Shooto associations in the USA, Australia, and Holland will manage the championships and rankings of each territory. However, the organizational structure is quite strange, because independent Shooto associations in each territory must operate under the guidance of the International Shooto Commission, which is managed by Japan Shooto Associations.

The current ranking is going to be the world ranking so regional rankings will fall under them. Promoters who host events under the North American Shooto rules such as from Hook and Shoot and Superbrawl, will not be registered under this International Shooto Commission, so they would each have their own MMA rules and titles while continuing to promote their own fight events. Shooto is also currently talking to people in Finland and Brazil about the possibility of establishing Shooto associations in these countries.

I don't know if these Shooto newcomers can accept the mentality of Shooto people in Japan – such as hailing Tokyo Bay NK Hall as a sacred place and the welterweight championship belt as a sacred cup, "Holy Grail." Newcomers might create their own legends and myths and establish their own values within the world of Shooto, who knows? The only thing I know is something simple; the only person who has the power to create a myth is a winner.

Until now, Gomi was probably the fighter closest to that power. Just like Uno, he could leave Shooto and choose a new battlefield such as the UFC and WFA. If Gomi was to stay on the top of Shooto just as Rickson did, he could very well become a legend. Also, considering the fact that Shooto is expanding, the possibility of the world’s best welterweights gathering in the Shooto ring is not at all unrealistic.

Freeing Shooto from the ghost of Nakai and Tokyo Bay NK Hall, this day may come much sooner than we expect. "And now for something completely different." Gomi was just dethroned by Viking Joachim Hansen . Damned Vikings. Damned Myths.

A Sacred Cup Named Shooto 2005 Coming Soon!!