"Megumi Yabushita is a genius because she does nothing in terms of MMA training and yet she can still compete against the world's best fighters." - Hiroyuki Abe and Megumi Fujii.
 
Splitting Hairs
When Laura D'Auguste won a hair thin split decision in the Smack Girl Show in Japan back in August of 2005, when they raised her arm she seemed genuinely surprised and once it sunk in, she must have been truly shocked.  In that fight under the infamous "Smack Girl rules" she continually pulled guard and clutched Yabushita until the 30 seconds countdown automatically stood them up, and then replay again and again.  (In Smack Girl rules slamming the opponent to the canvass is also illegal so when Laura jumped guard, Yabushita couldn't just slam her to the floor…) Weather D'Auguste really did enough to win the inaugural Smack Girl middleweight belt over Yabushita is absolutely subjective and debatable.  Did she win the fight, or in this case "game"? Probably not, and in my opinion she did very little to warrant a victory over the Japanese judo-ka who was powerful and aggressive and fighting for the fans without a care. 

Dressed like a geisha, clandestine Samurai Yabushita would break her sword on tough willed Laura D'Auguste.

The reason D'Auguste was given a split decision over a hometown hero was perhaps politically motivated.  Simply put, Smack Girl was looking for a new international star to light up their stage, and the foreign commodity D'Auguste was deemed worthy of that role.  They thought, wow, a star is born, but it's hard to predict the planets.  It's too bad that her corner was a bit insensitive and dropped the ball in terms of "respect" toward this Japanese fight organization, and now it seems very unlikely that D'Auguste will return to their stage, though through no fault of her own.
 
Thus Yabushita, the winner of Smack Girl's biggest tournament called ReMix, was sacrificed without being clearly beaten, while Smack Girls judges should be smacking themselves for calling it as they did.  There was no victor in this first fight, it was too close to call, and D'Auguste utilized the rules by pulling guard and holding position rather than working toward a submission.  Sure pulling guard is effective, but only if you work toward a submission, otherwise it's like a take down, which is worthless if you don't follow it up with something.
 
Anticipation
It was this sense of the undefined, or unfinished which made this next encounter in Atlantic City in kickboxing legend Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat show under full MMA rules very promising and exciting.  And indeed these women went off like fireworks, literally flying through the electrified air, but in the end, it was a lucky break for the winner and an unlucky break for the warrior who was stopped by the doctor of returning to the war in the second round.
 
Fire
As Megumi Yabushita entered the arena in a funky vivid kimono like outfit, most of the crowd did not realize whom their eyes beheld.  As she threw the dress over the ropes and leapt like Kevin Randleman in the corner the crowd started cheering, realizing the power in this world-class athletes body, as her feet almost reached the top ropes.
 
After a super loud reception and chant for the local champ as she made her entrance, they then gave it up warmly for the Japanese national Judo champion and former Olympian.  As soon as the bell rang D'Auguste starts circling right and then left as Yabushita delivers two solid outside kicks to her opponents left leg. Laura comes forward with a light combination and a couple rights to the face, but Megumi nails the same left leg inside, and judging by Laura's grimace, she did not like this at all.  The judo-ka then swings wildly with an outside right which lands but D'Auguste decides to tie her up near the blue corner. 

D'Auguste did not particularly care for Yabushita's thundering low kicks while trying to keep a poker face.

Puroresru Spirit
Yabushita, like Kazushi Sakuraba, seems comfortable exposing her back and controls the American's right arm with her own left as Laura grazes with a couple low knees.  Yabushita forces her right arm and shoulder between their bodies, dotting little hammer fists at Laura’s face, now controlling that same arm with both or hers. D'Auguste brushes a couple more knees to the left leg of the judo-ka.  Turning in, Megumi creates a distance between them, as D'Auguste backs up and throws a long jab to which Yabushita replies with two frontal kicks to the chest and another inside low kick to the left leg.  D'Auguste then works her long combinations to the face, tying Megumi up from the side, they face off, as Laura lands a couple knees to the body but gets nailed with a solid right to the face. 
 
Although Yabushita seems to flinch while trading, D'Auguste's punches don't have  enough power to hurt the judo-ka, and therefore Laura's tendency despite the reach advantage, is to tie up and try to work the knees.  Each time they clinch, the taller D'Auguste winds up off to Yabushita's side and back, but she can't do anything against this bizarre Sakuraba like defense.  Yabushita's tendency is to reach back for the head while keeping a solid center of gravity.
 
Penalty
After the referee breaks them apart, Laura circles outside again and catches another right outside low kick.  She flails forward and one lanky fist shot lands on Megumi's mug.  The crowd reacts, and Megumi reacts with a beautiful hip toss in which Laura flies through the air like a Raggedy Anne doll, helplessly landing on her back.  Yabushita immediately goes for the arm bar, but Laura's arm is too long as she slips away with a reversal.  As Laura climbs, Megumi applies the Sakuraba Philosophy, comfortably turtling up, exposing her back, and controlling the arm.  However Laura keeps climbing, riding almost too high, but with balance and free fists she starts pounding down on Megumi's head and back.  The only problem being, it was a series of right-handed hammer fist shots to the back of the opponents' head.  At this moment the referee stopped the action and deducted a point from D'Auguste, granting Yabushita five minutes of recovery time.  Megumi held the back of her head having felt that right fist, as her corner translated the information to her, but the Judo-ka took about 45 seconds and nodded to the referee; she was ready to go.
 

After drawing blood from her nemesis, Yabushita tossed D'Auguste in a final effort with a broken arm.

Spinning Back Fist
Once again they wound up clinched against the ropes in the chest to side standing position. Yabushita is excellent at neutralizing Laura's attack and once again controlled her head and right arm showing excellent balance as the referee stepped in again to break them.  As Laura came forward with a combination trying to take advantage of her reach advantage, Megumi nails a solid outside low kick to the left leg again, but Laura replies with a combination circling to her right, backing up Megumi with a long stiff right jab. As the fans cried out, suddenly Megumi's right arm coiled out clockwise and the back of the forearm clocks Laura centric on the face, drawing blood from her nose and another roar from the crowd. Again they clinch to the exact same position, against the ropes.  Laura is again throwing grazing knees. The referee breaks the action.
 
Inevitable
It seems that each  time they wind up in this stand off, Yabushita is controlling the arm and head trying to set up some inevitable move.  However this time Laura gets a takedown and back mount sinking in the leg hooks as she begins striking Yabushita's solid turtle like shell. Eventually D'Auguste rides too high and Yabushita turns in reversing her with a left open palm to the nose and comes out on top.  Lanky Laura closes her guard almost getting a triangle, but Megumi stands back looking for an opening as D'Auguste throws heels backing up and butt scooping.  Laura eventually gets up, comes forward  with her right arm extended, but it is used as a lever and she gets tossed like a salad with a solid judo throw.  However, with both their shoulders towards the ground, Laura wraps around Megumi and the taller fighter maintains control of the back.  Once again Megumi assumes a turtle position, replay and the bell. 

Tama-Chan ices Yabushita's arm as the doctor calls it quits.

Great round, and considering the one point deduction, I wonder who was winning in the judge's cards?  But it wouldn't matter anyways.
 
Genius
Yabushita is a great sport and looked apologetic when the doctors stopped the fight due to a fracture that immediately, visibly began swelling and discoloring.  Also a great sport, D'Auguste seemed almost disappointed, as she sympathetically gave Yabushita a hug as she was being tended to in her corner.  What was going through Laura's head was probably the fact that there was no clear winner, except for that lucky break.  What was going through Yabushita's mind was probably the fact that she needs to start training for her MMA fights, having confessed.  "I haven't trained in three years."  Although she did train a bit with former judo-ka and current pro-wrestler Sumie Sakai for her pro wrestling debut here in the U.S. shortly before this fight.  As Yabushita bowed to the crowd icing that right arm, I couldn't help but think about the fact that once again it is unfinished business.  I can't wait for the third fight in what could be one of the first worldclass trilogy's of women's MMA.

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