either way, you witnessed a important piece of fighting lore
i think the Japanese take alot of shit on the internet because of the fact that their fighters don't have the best records in the US and the fact that Japanese MMA was Yakuza run but most people on the forums are morons
They (the morons on MMA forums) don't know anything of "Fighting Spirit" and Respect Japanese fighters display......even in losing, the Japanese display honor and fighting spirit
Actually back then it didn't seem like any great historical event. This was still the 1990s and the Gracie's had their Gracie Challenge in which you'd win 10 grand if you could beat them. In-house fights were pretty common and it got to the point where you had to fight one of their students first. This was not the first time you had someone walk in to challenge Rickson though there would usually be some talk before hand. We didn't know who these Japs were and that Yoji Anjo was representing Takada's dojo. There was a bit more of an ominous aura because of the way they looked. They were obviously foreigners and the whole camera crew thing and they had a very serious and solemn look and manner about them. You got to love the Japs.
I have been thinking more about whether the fight was tape. Like I mentioned before, at the time I never really gave it much thought. It seems that if it was made it would have been made public by now. It is not out of the question that if the fight was taped that Rickson would have asked that it be given to him and that the Japanese, being the losers, would comply. "To the victor goes the spoils" according to the laws of Bushido. And if Rickson has it it will never be made public as long as he is alive and will only be reserved for a special audience.
Though the Japanese culture has been Westernize a lot you are right that for a large segment of the population the spirit of Bushido is still alive and well. And not just in martial arts. In America when a politician or business leader screws up or does something unethical they always proclaim that they will take full responsibility which in reality means nothing. They do nothing. It is not uncommon in Japan for these big wigs to suicide themselves, such as when Dream Stage Entertainment President (which produce and ran Pride) Naoto Morishita hung himself during all the turmoil with the organization, Yakuza and his mistress threatening to expose him.
The vast majority of the fighters, even great entertainers like Sakaraba, still imbue the spirit of Bushido.
