In his first foray into Mixed Martial Arts, Jose Canseco was pummeled by a 7-2, 330-pound grand champion of sumo, Hong Man Choi of South Korea, during a MMA show earlier Tuesday at Yokohama Arena in Japan.
The admitted steroid user and whistle-blower entered the ring hauling a baseball bat over his right shoulder and was accompanied by his girlfriend and publicist, Heidi Northcott, who tossed baseballs into the crowd as they slowly descended a ramp toward the ring. Canseco, 44, would have been wise to use the club against his opponent.
While Choi is a respected kick-boxer and sumo wrestler, Canseco's only achievement in the ring is that he once fought to a draw in a celebrity boxing match with former child star Danny Bonaduce.
Blinking nervously to start the first round, which was scheduled for ten minutes, as per Pride Fighting Championship rules, Canseco was immediately sent flying to the ropes by a jab.
At that point, Canseco, wearing black tights, must have felt it was better to run than fight because he took to scurrying around the ring, doing his best to avoid contact.
That tactic didn't work well either, because a minute into the bout, Canseco appeared to twist his right knee and he quickly grabbed at it while hobbling around. When Choi attempted to corner him, Canseco tried a leg kick, leaving himself vulnerable and the sumo wrestler collapsed on him, driving him to the ground face-first, and pummeling the back of Canseco's head.
After a few seconds, the referee dove in to pull Choi off Canseco, who rested on the canvas, looking more exhausted than hurt. The bout was stopped at 8:42 of the first round of what is being billed as the "Super Hulk Tournament," as part of the sport's Dream 9 card.
Read more: "'Bash Brother' Jose Canseco gets bashed in mixed martial arts debut" -
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_ ... GeS9xsIw&A
