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In the Mood for Love (2000) directed by: Wong Kar-wai

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花樣年華 ( In the Mood for Love ) dir. Wong Kar-wai

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Lake Ashi - Hakone, Japan

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Hiroshi Yoshida

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Megumi Yabushita vs Svetlana Goundarenko | 12/5/2000 - ReMix

This is what regulations took from you.

Happy women's history month. We have to go back to Japan for this next bit of MMA weirdness.

If Megumi Yabushita was to be a fighter in today's time, she'd probably be an atomweight. Maybe a strawweight. She was an accomplished judoka at 52 kg (roughly 114lbs) before deciding to come to MMA in 2000. She had won the All-Japan tournament and represented the country internationally. But open weight was still very much 'en vogue' heading into the new century. And this new ReMix tournament was very much the style. Taking women from around the world and throwing them into an openweight, one night tournament.

So the 5'1 Yabushita was being forced to fight whoever they put in front of her. That meant facing off with the 6'3 300+lb Svetlana Goundarenko in the semi-finals. Svetlana was not just a random huge woman either. She was a former bronze medalist in the world championships for judo and a European champion. And Goundarenko had experience. She had won the LLPW - Ultimate L-1 Tournament in 95, arguably the first shoot women's MMA event ever.

Needless to say, Yabushita would have her work cut out for her.

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Hiroshi Yoshida

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Hakone.

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