YAMATODAMASHII PODCAST

Enson and James look back at Enson’s work on the Vice Black Market series. They discuss the difference between Yakuza and Gurentai, whether he’s still in touch with the people featured in the show, the issues he has with Koike, whether street fighting is still a thing in Japan, what VICE were forced to leave out and much more.  *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg.jp/ *Grab a...

EDITORS NOTE – THERE WAS A SLIGHT CHALLENGE WITH ENSON’S AUDIO BUT IT’S RESOLVED AFTER THE FIRST 5 MINUTES Enson and James are back looking at some Mental Health topics. They discuss the sad passing of Anthony Johnson, what loosing someone means in the bigger picture, whether Enson was always mentally tough, overcoming setbacks, how Enson stays positive, helping people with addiction, dwelling on...

Enson and James go back in time 25 years to look back on the first ever PRIDE event. They discuss whether Enson had an offer to fight on the card, what he was doing at the time, Murakami kicking off the card, the violence of ‘Big Daddy’ Goodridge,  the birth of Akira Shoji fighting spirit, Koji Kitao’s background and strange fighting attire, Branko being Branko, the heart of Kurosawa, the Jap...

Enson and James are back talking some of the big MMA fights from the weekend. They discuss Sudario’s fight with Janos, improvements that have been made, what’s next for Sudario, the big Bellator vs RIZIN show on NYE, our terrible UFC 280 predictions, Volk vs Makhachev and what that means for the rest of the division, TJ Dillashaw’s shoulder injury, Yan/O’Malley Decision, WOTORE 6 and much more. *C...

Enson and James are back with an episode to get to know Enson better. They discuss who Enson thinks is the most over rated fighter, what career path he might have chose if he hadn’t have been a fighter, helping suicidal fans, what Enson learns from his favourite TV shows, what a typical crazy night out looked like back in the day and much more. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg....

Enson and James are back with special guest Konishiki aka Sale Atisanoe. They discuss 40 years in Japan, the culture shock of first coming to Japan, challenges of being a young sumo wrestler, how Sale dealt with those challenges, what he takes away from his Sumo career, Enson’s experience of training at the sumo stables, sumo culture, attending Enson’s fights, a potential new reality show and so m...

Enson and James are back discussing all the fallout from RIZIN 38 and SUPER RIZIN. They discuss controversy surrounding the flowers being presented to Mayweather, whether Mikuru/Floyd was fixed, Manny Pacquiao in RIZIN, what other big names should RIZIN look at, whether we’re likely to see Sudario/Shibisai 2, thoughts on the tournament finals, Ougikubo/Kim’s FOTY contender and much more. *Check ou...

Enson and James are back discussing Enson’s recent trips to Kyoto and Shikoku. They discuss the quick turnaround from the Hawaii trip, the hotel in Kyoto, not knowing what to expect with the SPIRIT event, the format of the show, plans going forward, where the championship belt currently is,  meeting KAN a.k.a GAMI, what the Shikoku Pilgrimage is, what Enson takes away from the experience, adv...

James and Enson are back talking RIZIN’s recent visit to Hawaii. They discuss overall impressions of the SUPER RIZIN & RIZIN 38 press conference, the announcements that were made, BJ Penn, Mayweather’s body guard, Hagiwara/Suzuki smack talk, what the rule set would be for a show in Hawaii, the format of the Hawaii try outs, who some of the competitors were and much more. *Press Conference Repl...

James and Enson are joined by special guest Frank “The Legend” Shamrock.  They discuss the fight from ValeTudo 1997, how important it was in their careers, Shooto vs Pancrase,  why Frank never fought for Pride, how close he was to fighting his brother Ken Shamrock, Maurice Smith, life after fighting, Frank’s work in Ukraine and much more. *To donate to the Shamrock Way* https://www.shamr...

James and Enson are back talking all the latest MMA news. They discuss RIZIN’s plans in Hawaii, the press conference for Mayweather/Asakura, Leon Edward’s corner tactics, Luke Rockhold’s pre fight comments, fighter pay, what’s next for Costa, Kayla Harrison calling out big names, Mike Perry vs MVP from BKFC and much more. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg.jp/ *Grab a Sera Bag wh...

James and Enson are back talking some of the stories behind Enson’s tattoos. They discuss whether tattoos were something he wanted when as a kid, the story of Enson’s first tattoo, pain tolerance, the reception in Japan, controversy within Shooto, any tattoos that Enson regrets, overall number of tattoos, most meaningful tattoo, the traditional way of tattoos, recommended tattoo artists and much m...

James and Enson are back talking Sudario’s fight against ‘Shrek’ Sekine at RIZIN 37. They discuss the shape Sudario was in for the fight, training with bigger team mates, thoughts on the Japanese MMA scene, how the fight preparation played out in the fight, how they celebrated the win, what’s next for Sudario, potential RIZIN heavyweight tournament and much more. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goo...

James and Enson are back as promised with Part 2 of the fan suggested names. In this episode a few shots were fired at certain individuals as well some stories on the fan suggested names. They cover everything from fans thinking Enson was someone else to MMA sex tapes.  *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg.jp/ *Grab a Sera Bag while stock is still available* https://www.serade...

James and Enson are back with a topic suggested by a fan in the comments section. Enson gives his thoughts on your suggested fighters along with any stories he has. If you already submitted your suggestion and it wasn’t covered in part 1, fear not it will be covered in Part 2. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg.jp/ *Grab a Sera Bag while stock is still available* https://www.sera...

James and Enson are back talking with Sarah. They discuss what they found most surprising about visiting/living in Japan. They break down their own top 5 lists, discuss their honourable mentions and even have some advice for first time travellers. If you’ve visited Japan, let them know in the comments what you found surprising about visiting Japan. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www....

James and Enson are back talking with special guest George Sotiropoulos. Together they discuss how Enson and George first met, fights in Guam, George’s fight with Shinya Aoki, the controversial finish, wild times in Thailand, no sleep Enson, the current Australian MMA scene compared to the past, how Jiu Jitsu has evolved, the reality of the Ultimate Fighter and much more. *Check out George’s gym O...

James and Enson are back talking everything that Enson got up to last week. They discuss the results of ‘The Match’ Tenshin vs Takeru, travelling to Osaka to announce a new MMA promotion, how it will differ from other promotions, traveling over night to Niigata, working as a ‘young boy’, stumbling across an Alpaca farm, saving 150+ koi, the challenges of rehoming them,  Tsuyoshi’s training fo...

James and Enson are back talking all the latest topics in MMA. They discuss the announcement of Floyd Mayweather vs Mikuru Asakura, the implications of that fight, the reasoning behind the fight, ‘The Match’ Tenshin/Takeru being domestic viewing only, the stakes for both fighters, Jiri winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, who won the Shevchenko/Santos fight, Joanna retiring, the two bes...

James and Enson give their take on the recent Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard trial. They discuss their first impressions of the case, Enson meeting Depp, their own encounters with liars, how they’ve dealt with those types of people, the recent incident of the Yakuza that lied, being lied to by close friends, expectations of loyalty, advice to Amber Heard and much more. *Grab a Sera Bag while stock is...

James and Enson talk about a meeting Enson mediated. They discuss who Enson met with, why he was there, the importance of the meeting, what the issue was about, why the Chinese mafia suddenly got mad, the fight that broke out, who gave the instruction, what pissed Enson off, who the lady was that intervened and much more. *Check out the latest PUREBRED goods* http://www.pbg.jp/  *Grab a Sera...

James and Enson celebrate 50 episodes of the YAMATODAMASHII PODCAST. They discuss all the great feedback they’ve had from fans, what the podcast means to them, some of the best moments in episodes, the variety of guests that have joined the podcast, underrated episodes, the future of the podcast and much more. *Thumbnail Artwork was provided by Mono Warriors* https://www.instagram.com/monowarriors...

James and Enson look back at Enson’s fight for the inaugural SHOOTO heavyweight championship with Joe Estes. They discuss feelings going into the rematch, whether the weight difference would be a factor, turning down an invitation to fight in Pride 1, what Enson had to sacrifice to get Joe to fight in the rematch, the controversy of the end of the fight, the repercussions, bringing Shooto Enson’s...

James and Enson look back at the UFC 274 card from Phoenix, Arizona.  They discuss Oliveira weigh in issues, what might be the next fight for the Lightweight Championship,  how they judged the Rose/Carla fight, where it ranks in the worst fights of all time, what Enson’s real time reaction was to the Ferguson KO, the most shocking KO’s ever, who should Shogun fight before retirement, wha...

James and Enson are joined by special guest Brent Nicholson. They discuss how Brent and Enson first met each other, the competition Enson ran, Enson’s time at the police station, Brent going backstage at Pride, sparring with Enson and the aftermath of it, crashing in Enson’s Mercedes, trips to Thailand and Guam, George Sotiropoulos, Bobby Razak being kidnapped, Yakuza funerals and much more. ...