BloodyElbow.com’s Nick Baldwin met up with Japanese mixed martial arts legend Masakazu Imanari this past weekend at Winnipeg Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Winnipeg, Manitoba. 41-year-old Imanari, who has fought for the likes of PRIDE FC, DEEP, Dream, and ONE Championship, was in town for a grappling seminar.
Baldwin and Imanari discussed whether he plans to get back into the MMA cage before stepping away for good, what organization he would fight for should he come back, whether he is currently involved in regular grappling competition himself, his small-time jiu-jitsu promotion in Japan, and what he has been doing since his last MMA fight in December 2016.