秋山成勲と国本起一、野望の彼方に - Land of the Rising Stars

ファイターは、強さを証明し続けないと生き残れない。2年ぶりの復帰戦となる秋山成勲選手と、2連勝と進化を続ける国本起一選手。全世界のファイターが憧れる夢の舞台UFCへ上がる権利を得た彼らは、その強さを証明することが出来るか。前進し続ける両選手に強さへの原動力を聞いた。
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Kiichi Kunimoto has taken a rather unusual path during his fighting career. Hailing from Osaka’s notorious Nishinari district - Japan’s largest ghetto - his goal as a 15-year-old kid was to make it as a pro-skater. However due to the difficulty of surviving on skating alone, he decided to try his luck in MMA when he turned 24. His mentor Yoshihiro Akiyama, is also from Osaka and is an MMA veteran as well as one of the biggest international stars in the sport. Recently he has tried his hand in modeling, acting, and singing. "I owe everything I am now to fighting" says Akiyama.
Both of them grew up without too many luxuries, which they explain is one of the main factors that motivate them to become better fighters. This may ring truer for Kunimoto however, who hasn’t reached the same level of stardom as Akiyama. Regardless, both have their eyes on the UFC Welterweight title and are scheduled to fight on Sep. 20th at Saitama Super Arena. Considering Akiyama’s two-and-a-half year hiatus from fighting, some believe his match against Amir Sadollah will make-or-break his career. As for Kunimoto, if he wins against Richard Walsh, he will have situated himself nicely for bigger and better things to come. VICE Japan heads to Tokyo and Osaka to spend some time with both fighters in and outside their gyms.
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