Harumafuji's Headbutt

Against the Great Hakuhō

A Little Yokozuna

Contents:

• The GOAT Gets What He Wants

• Head In, Hips Out

• The Headbutt

• Stifling the Butt

Harumafuji, formerly known as Ama, was the sport of sumo's 70th Yokozuna. He rose to prominence alongside fellow Mongolian Hakuhō, the Dai-Yokozuna of the era and one of the greatest rikishi of all time.

V1: Harumafuji’s Zensho Yusho win against Hakuhō in the finals.

Disclaimer: The video clips included in this article are not owned by the author. They are included for educational purposes only to illustrate key moments in the fighter’s career and demonstrate aspects of mixed martial arts techniques and strategies. All rights to the video content belong to their respective owners.

Harumafuji's exit from the sport was uglier than most would have preferred, but I'd like to focus on what made him such a spectacular wrester, especially against his contemporary Hakuhō. He had a very competitive record with him, 22 wins and 37 losses (counting playoff bouts). Though on the losing end of the matchup, he has more wins over Hakuhō than any other wrestler.

His career is so impressive as he was often the smallest wrestler in the top division (makuuchi). At his heaviest he was only about 302 pounds. While large for an average person, Hakuhō himself was around 342 and the average among all rikishi is 330 pounds in the modern era. He utilized a litany of techniques, pulling off spectacular trips and throws that appeared gravity defying (V2). His kimarite (finishing techniques) were prolific. With 44 unique kimarite throughout his career, he even beat out his contemporary for variety, who had 42. If you want to be entertained watching this beautiful, ritualistic sport, Harumafuji does not disappoint.

I have a place in my heart for lighter combat athletes who find ways to compete and win among their fellow giants. I have a video on Midorifuji and an article on Enhō, two of the smallest wrestlers competing today. In a contest devoid of weight divisions, seeing how the more diminutive rikishi find success is ever the interesting study. I find it very helpful as a smaller grappler myself (I’m 5’7, and not yet the muscle shark I’m working to be. If you’re shorter and want to build more muscle, check this out). Even though sumo is unique among the grappling arts, the same principles tend to apply across them all.

Keep moving and take out the base.

While prescient, this is not what I want to focus on. Let’s first find out what made Hakuhō such a difficult matchup for Harumafuji.

V2: Harumafuji reverses a push out with a beautiful leg elevation, turning Hakuhō mid-air to secure the win

Hakuhō is a chameleon. He is incredibly versatile and defensively sound. He certainly has preferred positions, but he seems to be able to win from just about anywhere in the dohyō.

Hakuhō’s adaptability expressed itself in a protracted bout (V3). The longer it went, especially against Harumafuji, the more likely he was going to win. Why?

When assessing other combat sports, such as boxing and MMA, aerobic capacity is the perhaps the most important attribute to develop. How often have you heard “road work” be referenced in boxing circles? There’s a reason for that. A full length fight is 15 minutes minimum in MMA, 24 in boxing. Sumo bouts are often less than 20 seconds. It is an complete exertion of anaerobic capacity.

A smaller man usually has better cardiovascular capabilities, which is to their advantage in more aerobically taxing martial arts. The nature of sumo is so heavily weighed towards strength however that bouts will rarely reach aerobic exertion for Harumafuji to take advantage. The smaller man needs to work harder to stay competitive in a grappling exchange.

There are times which two rikishi are locked up, and seem to be doing nothing. Though they might need a breath, they are often making very tiny adjustments, looking for the perfect moment to push, throw, trip, or grip. A long, stalled clinch is largely predicated upon pure strength, especially when both men are rooted to the ground: two oak trees fighting for light. Both men are tense, looking for the moment they feel the advantage swing their way. The longer they work, the more likely it is that the larger, stronger wrestler will take over. Harumafuji, as the smaller, weaker man, must maximize his strength threshold just to stay competitive with Hakuhō in the clinch. He will tire more quickly due to his increased exertion. Hakuhō does not need to push himself to the limit in order to maintain an advantage. He can simply use enough force to keep Harumafuji at bay until he feels him fade. The longer of Harumafuji's bouts with Hakuhō often went the way of the larger man for this reason (V3).

V3