SHOOTO: The Forgotten MMA Pioneer

In recent episodes of the MMA Draw’s Mad Squabbles podcast, Nate recounted how he discovered MMA through tape trading and pay-per-views–primarily early UFC events and the occasional Pancrase and RINGS videos that made their way to him from across the Pacific, along with Vale Tudo tapes from Brazil. Similarly, Zack described his intro to MMA via Japanese pro wrestling, which at the height of its powers in the late-70s/early-80s began diversifying and experimenting in “shoot,” or “real/realistic”-style matches, eventually spawning the UWF, UWFI, and the aforementioned RINGS and Pancrase. Often overlooked amongst those innovators is Japan Pro Shooting, the early…