The more you get into the lives of athletes involved in mixed martial arts, the more you realise how mixed and varied their backgrounds are. Ken Yasuda’s history is a classic example.

He’s presently at home in Los Angeles, sending off some emails before the interview commences. Because Ken is Japan’s most famous bodybuilder, and he has been described as being the Japanese Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s not surprising Yasuda has a similar promise to IFL fans: “We’ll be back.”

And as the interview proceeds, you realise this is not some idle threat: The 2007-model Sabres Ken plans to unleash on the MMA world… Well, the way he describes them, they could have trouble passing through customs – coming in from Tokyo with all their Cyborg parts.

One thing’s for sure: Ken has a vision for the Tokyo Sabres to dominate the IFL next year. And their head coach has a tendency to make dreams come true, as can be seen by his own impressive career. He was just six years old when he originally took up a fighting art. And things took off ‘big time’ from there. “Initially, I was impressed by Bruce Lee when I was little, so I began martial arts. I wanted to become strong like he was, and at the same time, to have a physique like his,” says Yasuda.

“I did Goju Ryu, but I soon switched to Shoringi Kenpo. And after doing the Shoringi Kenpo, some other blackbelts and I created a style called Choshin Ken – it roughly translates to Chosen Fist By God.”

Ken remains a very competitive bodybuilder, and says he finds working out with weights to be beneficial to his practising MMA: “Yes, definitely. It’s very helpful in martial arts training and also in fighting. But I don’t compete in MMA anymore. I now focus on my position as head coach of the Tokyo Sabres for the IFL.”

Ken, how did you become involved in coaching the Sabres?

“Because of my martial arts background, and my understanding of physiology and nutrition. Through being a professional bodybuilder, I met the legendary fighter, Mr. Antonio Inoki, and we did some projects together. He supports my career as well, and I train a lot of his fighters, such as Kazuyuki Fujita, who fights in PRIDE and is one of the best fighters to come out of Japan.  I initially train the Sabres fighters for their strength and conditioning work, because I understand that side of MMA.”

You also train Ichiro Suzuki. In what capacity do you train him?

“Strength and conditioning, because I was also a baseball player, and I came to the United States to become a major league baseball player – until I injured my elbow. Ichiro and I get along well and he’s a big fan of martial arts. In fact we made a ten-minute martial arts action-film for fun.

“Anyway, he was very skinny and he was always worried about how he could finish the whole season without getting tired. When he was in Japan, he was the best ever. And when he came to America he was still very good. But I basically enhanced his power by building well-balanced muscle strength – not just forearms or legs, but overall because in baseball you use all your body’s muscles. I also taught him how to eat to keep his energy level high – both throughout the game and throughout the season.”

How is your acting career going? They are mainly Japanese movies aren’t they?

“No, I’m starting to do more in the US. The most recent one I did was Just Another Romantic Wrestling Comedy. That one was a good-fun experience, and I brought my friend Don Frye (Ultimate Ultimate ’96 Champion) in and he played a character. And then I brought in another friend, Joanie Laurer (WWE wrestling). They have just finished editing the movie and it should be released soon. So I’m looking at the international movie market for my acting now.”

Does Antonio Inoki also coach the Sabres from the grappling aspect?

“No, he plays more an ambassador’s role. He gives direction for how each fighter should be working to improve their game. We also have other coaches who assist with various aspects of the team’s training, including Tokimitsu Ishizawa who fought in PRIDE and K-1.”

In what city is the team based?

“Los Angeles.”

So the Tokyo Sabres train in LA?

“Right, but some guys still stay in Tokyo. Basically they go back and forth from Tokyo to LA.”

I believe their MMA record is five losses and no wins.  But you say that’s all about to change?

“Yes, like Bas Rutten’s team, the Anacondas: They started out badly, but now… And with the Sabre-Tooth Tigers, we had to arrange everything from scratch within a month. At first we were rushing everything and we weren’t taking our opponents seriously as tough fighters – not like PRIDE or K-1. But that was a mistake we made.

“Now we will be returning in full force in January to prove that we are the best team. IFL is very new and a lot of organizations, when they start, the level is low and they are not too organized. But through experience, we saw that this is a very good organization. So when we return, most of the Sabres’ fighters will be different. Only a few will be the same. We will be back with a lot of new fighters and they are dying to fight for the team, and to seek revenge. We definitely mean business.”

When do the Sabres fight next?

“In January the official season commences, and there will be 12 different teams then. And we will be fighting once or twice a month.”

Ken, is there anything you’d like to add?

“When we come back in January, that will be the real Sabres. People will see our real face.”

For more on Ken Yasuda: www.kenyasuda.com.

For more on IFL: www.ifl.tv.

It’s Thursday evening in Los Angeles and IFL Sabres coach, Ken Yasuda, has just arrived home after doing some promo television work.

“Bas Rutten and I had an appearance on Fox’s Best Damn Fox Sports. We were talking about the IFL and MMA, and then we had the Sabres’ Antonio McKee and Savant Young doing some demonstrations, along with members of the Anacondas team,” says Yasuda.

As a world-renowned pro bodybuilder and accomplished martial artist, Ken constantly maintains his incredible physique, and he regularly does demonstrations with the Sabres team to show how their training and nutrition regimen affects the team’s position in the IFL competition.

And the last time Ken talked to knucklepit.com, the Sabres were a completely different team – with the exception of Kazuhiro Hamanaka, who is an original member. At the time Yasuda said, “When we come back in January, that will be the real Sabres. People will see our real face.”  Today, Ken says he is happy with the remodeled Sabres team.

“Yes, definitely. The Sabres are reborn and you would have seen from our victory over Don Frye’s Scorpions – despite Kazuhiro Hamanaka’s fight being cancelled – that we beat them pretty easily. It was a big difference from our performance last September.”

After their 3-2 victory on February 2, Ken now believes Don Frye’s Scorpions need to do the same sort of reshuffle that his Sabres did: “From what I saw, I think the Scorpions have to go through some reorganizing, as we had to do last September.

“And I think the difficult factor is that Don Frye is not used to the team style of MMA. What I had to do was spend more time and approach coaching the Sabres as a full-time job, and keep the team tight like a family. Then we practiced together every day and we got to know each other and the different personalities.

“That’s something I think Don will have to go through as we did. I hope he’s going to do it, but it takes a lot of dedication and commitment.”

Interestingly, Frye consulted Yasuda in the past to assist his own competitive career. “When Don was getting ready for fights – especially when he was getting ready for PRIDE and K-1 in Japan, I helped him to get into condition through nutrition and a weight-training program, including cross training and mass-building exercises in his off season. We also made a workout video called Ultimate Power Training. That was a fun project we did and it was released in Japan.” 

Ken, what happened to Kazuhiro Hamanaka on February 2 in Houston?

“His opponent, Shane Johnson, didn’t pass the weigh-in.”

So after all of Kazuhiro’s preparation, he didn’t get to fight.

“No.”

That doesn’t seem fair to Kazuhiro.

“No. At that point I had to bring in Masaaki Izena as an alternate, and their lightweight alternate beat us, so… I think that was better for Don.”

Savant Young said Antonio McKee had invited Kazuhiro to stay at his place while he was in America. Would that be a bit of a culture shock for Kazuhiro – staying with the ‘Mandingo Warrior’?

“Yes, in a funny way. [laughing] Kazuhiro said Antonio is crazy. But Antonio has a lot of animal side: That’s his strength as well.”

Was Antonio the one who named Kazuhiro ‘Redneck’?

“No. Actually, I think he was named that by Matt Lindland. Kazuhiro also lived with Matt for a month, and after that, at Randy Couture’s house for a month – basically for special MMA training. And I think Matt named him the ‘Redneck’. I guess Kazuhiro likes all the things the rednecks like: trucks, tobacco…”

Mike Whitehead was scheduled to fight Vladimir Matyushenko. Was Mike injured?

“Yeah, he fought in a superfight on December 29 (against Krzysztof Soszynski), and I think his rib was broken and he had an open cut, so he wasn’t allowed to fight for 60 days.”

Your next event is against Marco Ruas and his Condors. Do you know much about Marco’s team?

“Yes… I did the homework, and it was at a fight in Oakland, California. I’ve gone over some strategies with my guys. So we will be ready and we just have to do a little more practice before we face them. Hopefully, we’ll have an easy fight, but they are very tough.”

With the IFL fighters having less rest between bouts than some other MMA athletes, is this an area where you will be able to assist team members with your diet and conditioning expertise?

“Yeah, basically they cannot go off too much between fighting events. Hamanaka walks around at about 210 lbs, but that’s a little heavy between these two events, so I’m having him keep his weight down to around 195. And Savant in the same way… But Antonio, in his case, he gets skinny easily, so I’m having him eat more and more. Even if he puts on weight, I can have him come down to 170 without any problem.

“Eating clean – healthy food with high protein – with no junk or processed food is a key, so I tell everybody to eat clean. Another issue: This week they wanted to get back in training right away, but I told them to take a rest because the season just started and I don’t want them to burn out. And then with each event, they get tougher and tougher. That’s another thing I have to monitor, so they stay hungry and get back into training, highly motivated. As well as the physical training we also have to take care of nutrition.”

“I pursue a Bushido philosophy. It’s about manhood, honor, integrity and mental strength. In a very basic explanation: Before you put yourself out in front, or you’re responsible for someone else’s life, you make sure you take care of your people. And in a lot of my life, in whatever I do, that kind of mentality is applied. That is a policy I have learnt from my ancestors.

“In the MMA, many fighters have fears and confusion, and it is my duty to be there and make sure they feel comfortable and confident. Sometimes they need a little mental help, and I have to be very strong and go out and help them. I think the Samurai has a great deal of influence on my personality.”

Would that heritage be ingrained in your subconscious mind, so that when you’re not consciously thinking, it would still have a bearing on your way of thinking?

“Yes. I guess for anybody it can be difficult to be honest and to stand up for the right things, or sharing their concerns – it requires courage. And you have to be mentally strong to have courage. I guess I naturally have that and I tell my guys also to have that courage and mental strength.

“And if they feel fear or something, and they are embarrassed to talk about it, I say, ‘No, open up yourself and show yourself’, and that’s the courage that I think I have to teach them, because everyone’s afraid of something. Especially when it comes to fighting: I don’t want them to hide their fear or concerns. Share with us – we’re family here and we can work on it and help each other. That kind of mentality…

“And I say, ‘If someone tries to say something negative about other guys, don’t do it behind the other guy’s back – say it in front of everybody and we’ll talk about it. That’s being a man.’ So, yes… the Samurai influence is really in me.”

Also at that site, it lists your MMA workout program. Is that the one you have the Sabres follow?

“No; that’s one sample and I consistently change the contents. And in the next two weeks – because we have six weeks till the next event – I’m going to have them do a lot more explosive power training. But it will still be a cross-training style. Then three weeks out, I’m going to change it to a cross-training style that requires more muscle endurance.

“That’s different to getting endurance from running, and many guys still need to improve their explosive power and muscle endurance. And that’s something you can never have enough of. This means I have to monitor the timing and make sure they don’t tire, but they’ve rested for one week, so they are refreshed and they’re ready to work with heavier weights and develop more explosive power.”

In that particular program, you have them doing reps of 30. Will the lighter weights used due to high reps also help against injury?

“One of the reasons for the high reps is to avoid injuries. Another reason is: As the weight gets heavier, it becomes an anaerobic exercise, which doesn’t really require muscle endurance. But I’m also trying to improve their muscle endurance, which means they have to do high reps, and to enable them to do the high reps, they have to use lighter weights.”

The three compound sets: Are they done on the same day?

“Same day.”

Is that every second day?

“Right now, two days a week.”

IFL’s Jerry Milani explained that, ‘If there's a bout that doesn't happen for some reason, it is replaced with both alternates.  So for the first third of the season, we use the lightweight alternates.  The second third, we use middleweights, and the final third we use light heavy/heavyweights.’ (eg. Izena vs. Halen)

Do you expect the quick backup for fighters between matches, and the alternate matches, to mean that the depth of teams will start to have a greater bearing on team results as the season progresses?

“I guess so, but some teams don’t even have alternates yet. It might be advantageous for those teams to not register any alternates. In a sense, if one of the fighters becomes injured, and the team doesn’t have alternates registered yet, then they can hire good, experienced fighters to replace their injured guys. They can easily do that. But in our case, we already had our alternates registered, and they are not as experienced. We are in the process of training them to become good fighters of the future.

“And in the case of Hamanaka, his opponent could not pass the weigh-in, so they reverted to using two lightweight alternates, and our lightweight alternate, Izena, had not fought in an MMA event before. He was facing a much more experienced guy, so that became a disadvantage to us.

“Izena had never fought an MMA match: He was a very good Olympic wrestler, but he was easily beaten in this, his first MMA bout. And when his alternate bout was counted, it did become disadvantageous for us.”

Didn’t the Scorpions forfeit a point for their fighter not making the weigh-in?

“No. In a sense, it might be smarter to not register alternates and just keep that spot open. Then if one of our team gets injured, I could bring in any experienced fighter who is available to fill that spot. I don’t know, but I think the IFL has to be a little more strict here or that policy could become a little unfair.”

I’ve heard you and the Sabres members are appearing and doing seminars at the West Coast’s largest fitness expo. Can you tell readers a little bit about that, please?

“I believe 100,000 people attend the expo over that weekend, and it is combined with the fitness and bodybuilding show. Over the last two or three years, they brought in MMA fighters, and this is definitely the right industry to market MMA, because a lot of people who are involved in fitness are also interested in mixed martial arts, boxing and other fighting styles.

“So we are certainly appearing at the right place and they have offered us a booth where we’ll be signing autographs and talking to fans. We are also having seminars, so any questions the fans have about skills, conditioning and strength required for MMA we will assist them with. And with my pro bodybuilding background, I think we can also draw people into MMA, so I believe this will be a very positive result for the IFL and MMA in general.”

Where abouts is the expo being held and what dates, please?

“In Pasadena, Southern California, on February 16, 17, and 18.”

Will all the Sabres team be joining you there?

“Yes; all of us – including alternates. (laughs) We’re a small family here, so I don’t want to leave anybody out. ”

Ken, is there anything you’d like to add?

“Well, we’re planning – like any other team – to win all the way through the season, but I think our strength is that this team is like a small family, and we support each other. People never expected MMA to become a team sport, but we’re definitely using the power of this family, and I think it’s working very well. I think that is an aspect a lot of fans saw in us at the last event. It’s something we’ve worked on here and it’s our real strength.”

Your personal sponsors?

“ I have the supplement company Lightforce supporting me.”

For more on Ken Yasuda: www.kenyasuda.com and www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kenyasuda.htm

For more on IFL: www.ifl.tv.