Classic MMA Fight Video: Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama…and Frye’s Opinion of James Toney
Also, Frye gives his candid opinions on other professional sports figures coming into mma.
If you like all-out backyard brawls between two guys at the height of their manhood and blunt courageousness, then you’ll love the classic mma fight video of UFC Legend Don Frye vs. Japan’s mma fighter and professional wrestler Yoshihiro Takayama!
Don Frye, UFC veteran
This fight, which took place in June of 2002, displays arguably the greatest fighting spurts and exchanges in the history of mma! Don “The Predator” Frye (20-8) recently said that he’s probably done fighting. However, the 44 year old says he’s always open to the right fight … for the right money. Frye is quite possibly a future UFC Hall of Famer, having started out his career 15-1, beating many notable fighters.
Tom Selleck, actor
Frye is also a two-time UFC Tournament Champion, both in 1996. He’s one of mma’s most rugged and toughest personalities, having had a few disagreements with Dana White in the past; he has had his share of run-ins with a few others in and around and near the mma world with his brash and say-as-you-go rhetoric. Frye also gets credit from many people as he has a slight resemblance to actor Tom Selleck … if you’re comparing the 1980’s cop mustache.
Yoshihiro Takayama was and still is one of Japan’s most popular professional wrestlers. When I say professional wrestling, I’m referring to wrestling such as the WWE or ECW of the United States. Takayama is a huge man, standing six feet five inches and tipping the scales at over 280 pounds. Obviously, he didn’t take mma too seriously considering his record is just 4-4. However, on this one early summer night in his home country of Japan, Takayama put EVERYTHING on the line in his brawl with Frye and his star-spangled shorts.
After this classic brawl, Frye – and his reckless fighting style – seemingly wasn’t the same, losing 7 of his last 14 fights with one No Contest and one draw. Takayama continues, at the age of 44, to be a big draw in Japan’s version of professional wrestling.
FRYE SPEAKS OUT
Don Frye doesn’t think much of other professional athletes – such as Jose Canseco, Herschel Walker, and James Toney – stepping into mma. In recent interviews with mma reporters, Frye offered up an opinion on boxing top talent and veteran of 83 fights, James Toney (41) and his recent demands to join the UFC. Frye, the mma purist, stated, ‘I don’t think he would do fantastic.’
In an interview with MMAjunkie.com Radio, Frye also says “I tell you what: … any of them … that come into our sport at their age should be required to take them down and break as many bones as possible on them and keep them crippled for six to eight weeks…. I’d break both their [expletive] arms so they’d have to hire somebody to wipe their ass for the next six to eight weeks … it should be a requirement … that’s why nobody respects this sport, and it’s just a circus act right now … they have these morons come in at the age they should be sitting in the retirement home, and they walk in and get a high-dollar fight.”
James Toney, the boxer
I’d say however, if many fans want such fights, the decision makers that run the organization have to listen and give it consideration. This is the good thing that Strikeforce is willing to do, which the UFC has been very adamant about, where you’re talking about – for lack of a better phrase – “sideshow fights.” And although it’s HIGHLY unlikely we’ll see Frye fight again, this is good theatre.
James “Lights Out” Toney, with 44 knockouts in his career, is a future boxing Hall of Famer. He’s boxing’s former Middleweight, Super Middleweight, Cruiserweight, and current Heavyweight Champion. What I’d like to see, is James Toney fight one of the Klitschko brothers for the better known Heavyweight title belt!!!
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Don Frye, General MMA Info, James Toney, Yoshihiro Takayama | admin
boxing, dana white, Don Frye, James Toney, pride, ufc, Yoshihiro Takayama
An incredible start to the fight, for sure! You gotta love guys that get in the ring (or cage) and give it everything they’ve got.
As for Frye’s comments about the infringement of other athletes into mma … he kinda circles around and bites himself on the ass. Nobody respects this sport because other athletes are fighting in it? Or because of testosterone-driven comments like “I’d break both their arms so they’d have to hire somebody to wipe their ass for the next six to eight weeks”? Seriously, it’s comments like these that cause people who already think of mma as a “blood sport” to shun it further.
Frye is upset that these guys get a high-dollar fight. But he wants to fight them. Of course he does – it would also mean a big payday for him! Or even a payday. He hasn’t had a fight in a large promotion since PRIDE in 2007. The reason for that, of course, is that nobody cares. If people wanted to see him fight, he would still be in the UFC. Instead, people want to see (and, more importantly, want to *pay* to see) Jose Canseco or Herschel Walker. I dare say, a lot of people want to see them get their asses kicked for even thinking of stepping in the cage. The point is, as your author already said, the organizations have to listen to the people that pay the bills – the fans. Sorry Mr Frye, but if the fans want to see Magic Johnson take on Brock Lesnar, it’s more likely for that to happen than for you to ever get another chance at a UFC title.
@ Jane….you have a VERY good point regarding the comments from Don Frye. I’ve yet to read any comments that have pointed out the inherit and peceived hypocrisy of Frye’s reasoning.
And yes, it does appear that the casual fan like ourselves are leading the way in terms of the future on mma. We are the one’s that are fueling and elevating t.v. and cable ratings for mma programming. We are the one’s that are buying tickets to live shows as well as popularizing fighters such as Brock Lesnar, King Mo, and the many fighters to come out of the Ultimate Fighter Series.
The Ultimate Fighter series takes a lot of crap, too, but I would point out that, because these guys are on our TV every week, we actually learn more about them and connect better with them than we might do with veteran or even legendary fighters. And since we’re paying the bills, we’re likely to see more of these young guns than the old guard.