The Historical Roots Of MMA: Muhammad Ali Vs. Antonio Inoki

The UFC has only recently brought mixed martial arts to the mainstream in the US, but in Japan there’s a long tradition of fights pitting contestants from different disciplines against each other. While they’ve only been called MMA or ‘mixed martial arts’ in recent years, the sport clearly has its roots in these early contests between wrestlers, judo fighters and boxers. In Japan, Antonio Inoki’s fights against world famous martial artists brought great notoriety to the still evolving sport.

Inoki billed himself as ‘World Martial Arts Champion’ and would frequently face other high profile fighters in contests that are generally believed to have had a pre-determined outcome similar to professional wrestling. Inoki faced a ‘who’s who’ of the martial arts world, but none were more famous than heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

There are differing accounts of how the best heavyweight boxer in history found himself in a ring in Tokyo’s Budokan Arena against a pro wrestler. One thing is certain–it was viewed as an easy payday for Ali, who’d lost a good chunk of his prime earning years to his controversial stance over the Vietnam war. That’s what got him there in the first place, and that’s what kept him there after the two sides began squabbling over the rules and the outcome of the fight. Some suggest that it was supposed to be a “fair fight” going in and once Ali saw Inoki spar he insisted on rules changes to tilt the fight in his favor. Another more likely version of the story suggests that Ali’s handlers knew that the fight was supposed to be a “work” all along. They made the deal with Inoki’s people based on this fact, and were all on board as to the outcome of the match and how it would “finish”. The “original” plan was to have Inoki win in a controversial manner that would keep his undefeated streak in “MMA” matches intact while allowing Ali to “save face. The only person who wasn’t aware of the game plan, however, was Ali himself. When informed that he was supposed to “take a dive”, even in a convoluted fashion, Ali refused. No agreement was reached between the two camps and at the last minute a legit fight transpired. The promoters were left with a sold out Budokan, a worldwide PPV audience and two fighters who despite every effort to the contrary would actually have to fight each other.

By the time the fight began, Ali’s handlers had obtained a ridiculously one sided set of rules that prohibited Inkoi from using a closed fist, striking Ali in the head at all, using any chokes or submissions or even trying to take the fight to the ground. Were it not for the huge amount of money he’d be leaving on the table, Inoki would have been justified in not fighting at all under these highly restrictive and one-sided conditions.

The result was an absolutely horrible fight. Neither man showed much interest in engaging the other, with Inoki spending most of the time on the ground doing what he could under the one sided rules. Inoki threw kicks at Ali’s legs, Ali threw an occasional jab and tried to protect himself from his opponent’s leg strikes. The fight ended a 74-74 draw, with the real losers being the fans.

The fight was officiated by former pro wrestler “Judo” Gene Labell, a legendary tough guy considered at the time to be the ‘baddest man on the planet’. He could have easily beaten up both men, possibly at the same time. That might have provided some much needed entertainment to liven up the tedious charade masquerading as a fight.

After the fight, Inoki’s popularity in Japan was greater than ever. He became something of a hero for trying to fight despite having the rules so decidedly in his opponent’s favor. He’d continue his fights against other martial artists and remain one of the country’s most popular sports figures for years to come. His ‘worked’ martial arts matches can be credited with sparking later hybrid promotions showcasing pro wrestling and martial arts that evolved into PRIDE, RINGS and the major Japanese fight promotions of today.