A tournament is indeed an "iron-hearted athlete-assessment appliance."
Even though a fighter becomes a top athlete by winning fight after fight, the tournament could change the entire hierarchy over night.
The reason why is that it results with a situation where "every fighter is a looser except the winner of the tournament."

The glory of conquering the tournament is enormous but when you consider that you can loose because of it, I can see why some fighters prefer not participating.
In fact, Hidehiko Yoshida, at last year's PRIDE Middleweight GP, tasted doom in the tournament.
Yoshida was 3 – 0 in PRIDE at the time, 4 – 0 including a special gi fight (extremely controversial – premature stoppage) against Royce Gracie in Dynamite! (a.k.a. PRIDE Shockwave), but his wining streak was stopped by Wanderlei Silva in the GP's semi-final.
Normally, for an MMA rookie with only 4 fights under his belt and just about a year of professional experience, fighting a champion would be considered a bit premature.

The fans however did not see the situation the same way.
From watching that dreadful fight, fans thought, Silva drenched Yoshida in blood, and Yoshida's product value, in the market, has declined ever since.
If this was a "one-match" situation, he could have protected himself by rejecting the offer, nonetheless participating in the tournament does come with high risks.
At PRIDE 27 back in February, Yoshida stated, "I still haven't received an official offer (from DSE) but I would like to participate. (in the GP)" so everyone thought he was a shoo-in, however, just three weeks before the opening round, he released the following statement to the media and decided not to participate.

"Thank you very much for the support. I have made the decision of not entering this year's PRIDE GP, which is scheduled to begin on April 25th. I did received an official offer (from DSE) back in March and since then, I have received generous support from fans and promoters so I have been working on gaining my weight, and conditioning myself for the tournament.
However, although my goal was to win both the middleweight and heavyweight tournaments, I couldn't win last year's GP, and I also drew against *Royce Gracie, which left a bad after taste."

Did Not Participate

"By feeling the bitterness from last year, and turning it into the pabulum of my motivation, I would like to climb one mountain at a time by refocusing on bigger goals, step by step, without loosing the fight, I would like to move towards them.
By the way, this year I would like to have my first fight relatively soon. I will keep training harder so please continue the support."

Honestly, from this statement, it is difficult to understand the real reason behind his decision.
DSE has supported Yoshida's decision by stating, "he was probably thinking of revenge fights against Silva and Royce, and that was the motivation behind expressing interest in entering this tournament. If those two fighters were in the tournament, I am sure he would be in there too," but I believe the real cause of Yoshida's DNP was something else.

Back in February 22nd, Yoshida had announced that he would enter Buyu Cup Judo tournament, an amateur Judo competition organized by Musashino City Judo Federation.
This event was just a local event sanctioned under the Tokyo Judo Federation, but since this would be Yoshida's first judo fight in a while, it caught the attention of the mainstream media.
However, the airwaves of the Judo world, which have a longstanding insistence on being pure amateur competition, were very harsh on Yoshida, who is already a professional Kakutou-ka.

They cited the provision of the All Japan Judo Federation (AJJF) called the "professional-amateur policy" (this policy prohibits Judo-ka to engage in any professional activities) and practically labeled Yoshida as a non-active Judo-ka. They virtually shut the door on his face.
The fifth policy in the second chapter of AJJF's competitor's provision, regarding professional activities, states the following:
"Competitors are not allowed the following actions. They are prohibited from having a contract or being registered as a professional competitor or professional coach outside Judo."

However, there were no detailed provisions regarding a definition of "professional" in this article.
Except that "Professional Judo," started with various Judo legends like Masahiko Kimura back in 1947, the top athlete of Judo never turned professional Kakuto-ka and that was the reason why a definition of "professional" was never clarified.
There were exceptions like Seiji Sakaguchi and Naoya Ogawa, who became pro-wrestlers, but they never attempted to continue their careers in Judo.

Athletes who reached the top in Judo, like Yasuhiro Yamashita (84 Los Angeles Olympic Gold medallist, presently a professor of Tokai University) and Toshihiko Koga (92 Barcelona Olympic Gold medallist) after retirement, usually involve themselves in the world of amateur Judo competition as coaches.
"A Judo-ka is forever a Judo-ka" that was the common practice.
If you become a pro-wrestler, like Sakaguchi and Ogawa, you must break off from Judo.

*Gracie completely dominated Yoshida – automatic draw if no submission occurred.

The wall between Judo and professional fight sports was very high, and the disconnection of the two was in absolute order.
This was an implied law and the line between professional and amateur was so clear that defining "professional" was not necessary.

But times have changed.
Judo-ka: one who steps out of Judo with reserved capacity and begins a career as a professional, like Yoshida, who emerged in the martial arts business in the receiving end while his saucer fills, and this athlete is now thriving.
There were many breakouts of different matters, which just can't be measured simply with the existence of a "professional-amateur policy."
If they approved Yoshida to participate in amateur competition, there would be so many Judo-ka who would follow his lead and begin professional careers parallel to their Judo careers. Much less, Yoshida has already proven that a top Judo-ka can immediately compete in the top level of professional fight sports.

That's right, the "Saucer Syndrome" in fight sports is surely and steadily progressing.
What if current top Judo-ka such as Kosei Inoue, Keiji Suzuki, and Yuta Yazaki all turned professional? Could "Japan Judo" still maintain top-level competition in the international arena?
They can wear two hats and one can be Judo but it would be difficult for any athlete to concentrate on two different sports, and by doing so, the risk of injury would surely increase. It could also be possible that enormous fight money as a pro could encourage a fighter to put more emphasis on professional activities instead of following the Judo season.
Yoshida himself is an athlete who loves Judo and almost every month, he still engages in events or activities promoting and popularizing Judo.
What he does in PRIDE, as a professional athlete, is not necessary a neglect of Judo but once the dam is broken, it is almost impossible to fix.

On March 16th, AJJF assembled their congress.
They revised the "professional – amateur policy."
AJJF has defined "professional" as limited to Kakutougi-related competitions such as PRIDE, K-1, and Pro-wrestling, only. Karate and Sumo wrestling are not considered in the same category because participating in these sports is not considered an application of Judo techniques.
This revision obviously is a "Yoshida-shift" and countermeasure to professional MMA such as PRIDE.

After the Athens Olympics this summer, even though PRIDE and other MMA organizations wanted to scout Kosei Inoue, if Inoue wishes to continue his career in Judo, he would not be able to answer these "love calls."
The structure was established.
(However, this revision is effective for a three-year period. Basically, AJJF will approve athletes to participate in Judo competition as long as the athlete is out of professional sports for a period of three years. Which means, theoretically, that if a Judo-ka turned pro immediately after Athens, he could stay pro for one year and retire. Then it is possible to be eligible for the Peking Olympics on 2008.)
After all, Yoshida's retreat was cut off.
From the beginning, Yoshida has always stated that his reason for stepping into PRIDE is to "promote and popularize Judo" so his first priority has been Judo instead of MMA.

As a Judo coach and the owner of Yoshida Dojo (Judo gym), he can't afford to loose his position in the Judo world.
He could also loose his identity in MMA if he looses his backbone, Judo.
This is an Olympic year and if Yoshida were to enter in the PRIDE GP, the mainstream media would report this unfavorably; Yoshida blowing in the Judo world wind would be even more threatened.
Yoshida, who never took off his gi even against the toughest opponent, was forced to be a Judo-ka before Kakutou-ka. He had no choice.

Yoshida is out, and PRIDE lost its Japanese star that could have been the nucleus of this year's GP. PRIDE suddenly was in the deep end. It was almost impossible to find a Japanese fighter with the same market value as Yoshida to fill this empty spot.
By bringing in Yoshiki Takahashi from Pancrase and Hirotaka Yokoi from Zero-One, DSE did shakedown the fight cards but in terms of audience awareness and records in MMA, both Takahashi and Yokoi just couldn't be pivotal figures in the tournament.
Still more, for the first time in the history of PRIDE, this event is televised on prime time by Fuji television.
Ticket sales were steady because PRIDE already has become very close to a top brand in the events market but the characteristics of viewers, sitting in front of a TV, usually are quite different from these hardcore fans.
But, one man, looking scornfully at Yoshida's struggle, suddenly rushed up to the ring.

He was once "star of Japan" just like Yoshida but quickly cast off the gi and chose the life of a pro-wrestler; Naoya Ogawa.

In a way, considering the situation where DSE is extremely closed to Zero-One, promoting Hustle events, I could say that it was natural for DSE to pursue Ogawa.
However, Hustle series is pro-wrestling with a touch of slapstick comedy and PRIDE general manager Nobuhiko Takada plays this role of "hatchet man" insulting Ogawa and his tag team partner Shinya Hashimoto by calling them "chicken and pork." Yes, it is indeed a "theatrical" pro-wrestling show.
The body temperatures of PRIDE fans that support “real fights” are wholly different from fans of the Hustle series.
As a matter of fact, some "square" PRIDE fans actually despise the management style of DSE; promoting these two, 180 degrees, completely opposite events simultaneously.
By nature, many fans are still puzzled with what is going on and that maybe is the reason why I am hearing that the Hustle series are still struggling in terms of attendance.

When Ogawa announced his decision of entering the PRIDE GP, many thought he was just being a crowd-pulling "Panda Bear" for the Hustle series.
At the press conference held on April 12th, announcing Ogawa's entry into the GP, Nobuhiko Takada, the Fuhrer of the Team Monster, his opponent in the Hustle series, first appeared in the monitor.
In this video, Takada provoked Ogawa by stating, "this PRIDE GP is an evaluation bout for upcoming Hustle 3 in May," this was a typical gimmick we all used to see in the pro-wrestling world and some MMA fans moaned and actually felt bitter with Ogawa's performance at the press conference.

Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the president of DSE, however held a press conference the day after Ogawa's announcement, and gave "PRIDE-like" reasons for Ogawa's participation.
This press conference basically revealed what happened backstage and basically, fully denied the "gimmick" performed by Ogawa just the day before.
" I offered Ogawa to fight a special bout in either the June or August event initially, but Ogawa himself said that if he need to do it at all, he preferred the GP."
Sakakibara's analysis went as far as evaluating Ogawa's mind, which keeps expressing his dedications to the Hustle series.
"I don't think the reason for Ogawa entering this year's PRIDE GP is only to promote the Hustle series. Considering his place in the industry, and his passion towards pro-wrestling, of course, he had to do that type of press conference. You will never get amateur athlete-like comment such as 'I will try my best' from Ogawa."

As a promoter of both PRIDE and Hustle, I prefer not discussing the right and wrong of Sakakibara revealing the truth behind that pro-wrestling gimmick but I also understand Sakakibara's feeling of wanting to reveal Ogawa's "machismo" behind his perverse acting.
Ogawa, who is known for being very persistent with his own ideas, began stating, "If Yoshida pulled out because of his amateurism, I will do it. I will draw the line of demarcation from result-oriented-amateur-sports and will promote both PRIDE and Hustle at the same time."
This was a great comment and some fans with weak lachrymal ducts probably felt emotional, and tears dropped listening to Ogawa's comment.

Ogawa's performance after demolishing Stephen Leko however denied Sakakibara's support and was again, filled with profound meanings of true professionalism.
"Can I talk now? Well, long time no see for people in PRIDE! First, I would like to thank everyone. (snip) I am sorry for saying this to the fans of PRIDE but I am working hard everyday trying to promote the Hustle series. PRIDE is great but Hustle 3 is coming up on Saturday, May 8th. It will be at Yokohama arena so please try to come to the event! (snip) The fight will continue though. So, everyone, let's bring up the spirit! Are you ready? Three, two, one, Hustle! Hustle!"

Ogawa still does posses that overbearing quality. But it was different from "Mr. Chicken" infringing the Hustle series. He stuck with promoting his stage, Hustle, but his comments in the ring never disturbed the atmosphere of PRIDE; it was indeed a brilliant performance.
I thought I saw a mature man who is trying to make living, as a professional athlete. What do you think, MMA fans?

Ogawa actually had the previous offense of ruining the atmosphere of a pro-wrestling event by screaming, "Hey pro-wrestling fans, wake-up!" after beating the crap out of Shinya Hashimoto, the most popular pro-wrestler of NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling) at the time, ignoring the "mutual rules" of pro-wrestling.
Yes, Ogawa first appeared in NJPW as "allotrio" and refused to take off his gi but almost before one realized it, stuck between real fighting and pro-wrestling, Ogawa had transformed into a large wheel with absolute professionalism.

Very much indeed, his professionalism was not only about the performance before and after the fight.
"I don't stick with trifles of just winning the fight, I want to show a dynamic and entertaining fight."
That is the reason why he stood up against Leko trading punches to begin the fight, and this professionalism is the reason for his dominance. If Ogawa was thinking Judo, the fight would be completely different, and the result would probably be different too.
Appropriately, Ogawa, at the post-fight press conference, said the following regarding his fight against Leko.
"I don't want to talk in detail about my opponent or his technique or anything like that. If spectators liked what they saw, then I passed the test, but if the crowd felt bored, then I failed."

Fuji television, the TV station which televised this opening round in prime time, made a decision of airing Ogawa vs. Leko at the end, the main bout of the telecast, and this was not just because of Onawa's popularity in Japan.
By looking at the content of the fight, performance, and philosophy, it was obvious that Ogawa shined the most as a professional athlete.

Ogawa however, in the past, also went through an experience of being stuck between the dignity of Judo and amateurism when he was a Judo-ka.
He conquered the World Judo Championship at age 19, the youngest in the history of the sport, so winning a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was an "absolute must" for him, but he lost to Hahareisibiri and ended up with a silver medal. He was the second best in the world and even though he won seven national Judo titles, "Japan Judo" never nodded.
The power of the Olympic gold medal, and the narrow-minded amateurism of only praising the winner never accepted Ogawa as a winner.
He was abused by the media and was called "The Ace Who Can't Win."
In the 96 Atlanta Olympics, he not only missed the gold medal but he didn't even get to the podium, placing fifth.
In the same year, Ogawa withdrew from being AJJF's top Judo-ka and cut all ties with the amateur Judo world.

In the video played in the arena prior to his entrance, at the opening round of PRIDE GP, Ogawa said the following, with what looks like a forced smile.
"I do have an experience of fighting with the rising sun on my back but not even once did I say that I would fight for Japan. That's why people booed me."
This short comment, by Ogawa, was smeared with a struggle he went thorough in the past.
For people who know the history of Ogawa, these words are very painful.
Now, it has been seven years since he turned professional.

Ogawa, has basically filled the big hole created by the absence of Yoshida, with a huge professional heart.
And with this win, at PRIDE GP 2004, Ogawa gave a blow back to the amateurism that chased him out of Judo.
Of course, Ogawa probably would say in disgust, "I am not fighting for such a small issue!"