Mohammed Ali and Antonio Inoki had the first mixed martial arts-style fight in 1976. Inoki’s death at 79 has us looking back.
The world of combat sports and MMA is in mourning over the death of Antonio Inoki at age 79. A wrestling legend in his home country of Japan, Inoki took on Muhammad Ali in what could be called the first MMA fight in history.
We look back on the epic 1976 bout held at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, Japan. We also look at what it meant for the world of MMA that exploded onto the world stage just a few decades later.
Truly A World’s First
Antonio Inoki was a pro-wrestling legend who held the professional wrestling world championship title twelve times. Out of these, the most notable were the first International Wrestling Grand Prix heavyweight champion and the first Asian WWF Heavyweight Champion.
Muhammad Ali needs no introduction and as a champion of the momentum towards the emancipation of blacks in the US, he is a legendary figure. Ali is called the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.
Inoki fought Muhammad Ali in a special rules match with 15 rounds. Inoki was not allowed to grapple, throw or tackle Ali and must have one knee on the mat if landing a kick. The fight was tentatively to be a worked match, i.e. some scripting but enough free room for fighters to make up the flow of the match.
However, Ali refused when he learned he was scripted to lose and the match turned into a real one.
When Titans Collide
The 15-round fight lasted for over an hour. Most of the time, Ali was standing up trying to get at Inoki who chose to stay on the ground. Ali would shuffle into a combination attempt but Inoki would go for a low roundhouse, land flat on his back and goad Ali into attacking.
Inoki also went for side-step push kicks and leg-based takedown attempts. The fifth round saw Inoki knocking Ali off his feet. A jab attempt in the seventh round had Ali knocked down with a leg sweep again. By the 10th round the match had turned stale for the crowd and they chanted for Inoki to fight Ali standing up.
In the 11th round, Ali took to blocking Inoki’s strikes with his gloves. This was fairly successful and prevented further damage to his legs. Considering Ali took more than 107 kicks to the legs in the whole match, this strategy might have indeed saved his legs from even further damage.
After the fight, Ali had such severe injuries after the fight that doctors thought his legs may need to be amputated because of two blood clots that had formed on his legs.
Ultimately, the fight ended in a draw and Ali and Inoki remained friends after that time. Inoki even invited Ali to his wedding, an invitation only issued to close friends of the Japanese wrestling legend.
A Legacy Formed
Despite the fight being a somewhat let-down, it marked a crucial moment in international sports. Mainly it opened doors for Western wrestlers and pro athletes many of whom started their careers in Japan before moving to the MMA promotions that emerged in the late 80s and early 90s.
Inoki continued to wrestle for 22 years after the fight and became a legend in Japan. In his later years, he formed a political party and remained an influential social and political figure in his country until his passing.
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