page_title: Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Royce Gracie
section_title: Reception
hierarchical_section_title: Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Royce Gracie / Reception
caption_attribution_description: Kokuritsu Kasumigaoka Rikujo Kyogijo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
context_page_description: Two fights between Hidehiko Yoshida and Royce Gracie were held in 2002 and 2003 at mixed martial arts organization PRIDE Fighting Championships. The first bout was disputed under special rules, and it ended with Yoshida being declared the winner by the controversial application of a choke. A rematch under full MMA rules happened a year later, ending in a draw due to the absence of judges demanded by Gracie. The whole affair attracted notoriety and controversy in the mixed martial arts world due to those and other factors.
context_section_description: The Pride Shockwave event was a critical and economic success, and the bout between Yoshida and Gracie in particular attracted a 28.7 rating, becoming the biggest rating match in the history of Pride up to that point. However, its result attracted a comparable controversy, dividing media among those who believed Yoshida's victory was justified and those who purported Gracie had suffered a fraudulent loss.
  As the Gracie side had demanded, the ruleset was revised. It was found that, according to the special rules, only cornermen had the authority to stop the match by throwing the towel, which ruled Noguchi's decision illegal. The Gracie side insisted further that the chokehold had been defended and therefore Royce had not fell unconscious. Hélio initially believed Yoshida had no fault on the incident, but after hearing him stating in an interview his belief that Royce had been choked out, Hélio and Royce accused the judoka of lacking "courage and morality," They also accused the promoters and specialized press of unfairly favoring Yoshida out of nationalism. When asked about the instance in which Royce's hand seemed to go limp, his cornerman Pedro Valente claimed Royce was actually "relaxing so that he could catch Yoshida's movement."
  For his part, Yoshida reiterated he felt no resistance on Gracie before calling the referee's attention, and addressed the illegal stoppage by opining it was the promoters' responsibility to deal with. However, as he had said the mic, he was open to the possibility of a rematch, stating, "we can do it separately. If [the Gracies] aren't satisfied, I will do it until they are."
  Judges were gathered in the time scheduled by Ishii, but despite confirming the technical incorrection of the stoppage, deliberations extended until November 11. After interviewing Noguchi, examining video footage and consulting combat sports experts, Pride rule director Yuji Shimada declared the promoters would finally keep the result as Yoshida's victory by knockout. They concluded there were reasons to argue that Royce had lost consciousness for a brief time, and it was approved that Noguchi had acted out to protect Royce's life, fearing the possibility that the Gracie team could leave Royce to die on a locked chokehold. Under those circumstances, victory was implicitly supported by the danger having come from a legal technique. However, Pride chairman Naoto Morishita acknowledged the fiasco, and promised the promotion would ban rulesets that obstructed the referee's power to stop the match, arguing humanitary reasons. Although the next matchup discussed for Yoshida was a possible place as Nobuhiko Takada's retirement opponent, Morishita also revealed they intended to host a rematch with Royce.
  In any case, reception in the martial arts community remained divided. The North American mixed martial arts community sided with the Gracies through the process, calling Yoshida a "cheater" without any real skill who was being protected by Pride. Meanwhile, combat sports press in Japan considered Yoshida a clean winner regardless of the controversy, with Goro Takamura commenting that, analyzing Royce's position, "it would have been almost impossible for him to advance the game in any advantageous manner and escape the hold" even if the match was not stopped. The resultant controversy affected Yoshida for the rest of his career, earning the description by Dave Meltzer that, "There are two different versions of Yoshida — the Japanese and the American. The Japanese version has Yoshida as a submission expert, one of the best judokas of modern times, anywhere in the world. [...] In the U.S., while not universal, there is a common theme among many people. He’s a fake. A cheater."
caption: The Tokyo National Stadium, where the Shockwave event was celebrated.
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