Regardless of whatever bromance you have with Tito Ortiz, my current bromance with Masakazu Imanari is greater. Everything that could ever be said about Imanari was published in our Top Ten Fighters that NEED to be in EA Sports MMA list so you should direct your cursor to the link and use your index finger to click it.
If a movie was ever made about 90s candy and they needed someone to play the part of ‘Pop Rocks‘, Masakazu Imanari should heel hook the casting director until he gets the role. It’s a shame that hardly anyone knows this guy in the states, but after watching him fight, it’s impossible not to love him. Imanari fights like he’s in a constant audition for Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. Sure he was defeated by Bibiano in the Dream 9 tournament, but the guy just sat in the middle of the ring just to see what would happen if he did. Imanari fights like a glitchy videogame character. In fact, if Imanari were in a videogame, the best way to use him would be to attach chains to your controller, make it a medieval flail and just walk around the street swinging it when people get too close to you. Every once in a while, hit a mailbox just for the hell of it.
Masakazu Imanari holds two belts (one of which he uses it as a replacement for underwear) one in Cage Rage and the other in DEEP. Imanari will be defending his belt for a third time at DEEP 52 on February 25th against Iron Hiroshi Nakamura. If Shinya Aoki were Luke Skywalker, Masakazu Imanari would be his Obi-Wan Kenobi. In fact, check out all 27 seconds of Imanari claiming the Cage Rage belt since you nothing else to do this Wednesday afternoon.
Note to all highlight reel makers out there: Masakazu Imanari exists, and I’m sure you can do better than this. [Source]
