Shinya Aoki is one of the best lightweights in mixed martial arts, and he's the most exciting submission artist in the sport. And Aoki, who fights in the Japanese Dream promotion, is also well known for the colorful spandex pants he wears in the ring. But don't dare ask Aoki whether those pants help him apply those exciting submissions.
I asked Aoki in an e-mail interview set up by Dream whether his pants aid his grappling skills, and his response (as translated by a Dream PR representative) indicated that he wasn't too pleased with my question.
"It is nothing to do with my grappling skills," Aoki replied. "Anybody who has experience of grappling should know about this. This questions seems for non professional."
Aoki is free to call my question "non professional" all he wants, but the fact remains that it's a common question -- those pants provide traction, and there's no one in MMA who relies on getting a strong grip with his legs more than Aoki does. He'd be a talented submission specialist no matter what he was wearing, but some of his submissions (including the heel hook that got Eddie Alvarez to tap in the above video) would be harder to pull off if he were wearing shorts.
Aoki also told me via e-mail that he expects to fight in the United States. If he ever does, he'll be required to wear shorts -- and we'll see whether his pants have nothing to do with his grappling skills.
For a series of pictures showing the evolution of Aoki's pants, click here.
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