ROAD FC's Mung Hong Jung Comments on DREAM.18/GLORY 4

Monday, 07 January 2013 17:51

Written by Dave Walsh

Without a doubt the GLORY 4 Tokyo/DREAM.18 event was one of the better events this year for both MMA as well as Kickboxing. Both events were wildly entertaining and the DREAM.18 portion had that big NYE feel that many older events did, giving some hope that Japanese MMA could continue on. The reality is that GLORY currently has no plans for future collaborations with DREAM and it seems to have ruffled the feathers of some in the Asian MMA community, namely Mung Hong Jung of ROAD FC. Jung is the CEO of Korea's ROAD FC, which has seen a good deal of success and has an intimate knowledge of the MMA industry in Asia.

He penned an article this weekend and honestly, it confirms a lot of fears that many had about the event and paints a rather negative picture of the GLORY organization. He covers everything from the attendance to the even to the treatment of legends within the world of Japanese MMA.

"Another aspect I was shocked by were the Japanese officials. One example would be one of DREAM’s most important figures; executive producer Keiichi Sasahara. This once powerful figure in JMMA was now no different from an intern. He was literally ticketing people at the VIP entrance. That was a really shocking moment for me.

"Also one of DREAM’s organizers, REAL ENTERTAINMENT’s President Kato, was running around sweating and clutching the microphone trying to get everything organized. Because we have someone with that job position at ROAD FC, I knew exactly what was going on. He was trying to make sure there would be no disruptions or mistakes in the tournament. He looked incredibly stressed and haggard.

"Amidst all this the young 35 year old GLORY representative was sitting down comfortably. I began to feel sad and bitter about this situation. Not only was this event funded by foreign funds but also the once powerful Japanese MMA figureheads were working like they were a bunch of interns. I then noticed DEEP’s Saeki and PANCRASE’s Masakazu Sakai sitting down looking devastated."

This really is a must-read, so read the translation on CorMMA.com now.

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