Bob Sapp to Fight MUSCLE Man (In Japan, of Course)
If you’re a regular TR reader, you know that I rarely cover the world of mixed martial artists, as is good and proper for pasty, pudgy nerds like myself. But I couldn’t not inform you about a Japanese fight taking place this New Year’s Eve, between the massive former NFL player Bob Sapp, and…uh…an anime character. From MMA Junkie:
In one of the strangest bout announcements in recent memory, K-1 has
announced that the larger-than-life Bob Sapp (9-3-1) has agreed to face
Japanese anime character Kinniku Mantaro. Or rather Japanese wrestling standout Akihito Tanaka (0-0) wearing a Kinniku Mantaro mask.
So you know, Kinniku Mantaro is the son of King Muscle star of the Kinnikuman manga and anime in Japan, better known in America as Muscle Man, star of the M.U.S.C.L.E. toy line of little pink rubber wrestlers. Kinniku Mantaro starred in the sequel, which made it over to America as Ultimate Muscle, which was actually a pretty awesome show. Hell, all the Kinnikuman
stuff is awesome if you like insane wrestling (which I do). Like his father, Mantaro frequently farts on the face of his opponents and accidentally shits his pants–I hope Sapp knows about this. Or not. Actually, it would be way funnier if he doesn’t. Go Mantaro!
About The Author
Robert Bricken is one of the original co-founders of the site formerly known as Topless Robot, and its first editor-in-chief, serving from 2008-12. He brought the site to prominence with “nerd news, humor and self-loathing” as its motto, raising it from total internet obscurity to a readership in the millions, with help from his savage “FAQ” movie reviews and Fan Fiction Fridays. Under his tenure Topless Robot was covered by Gawker, Wired, Defamer, New York magazine, ABC News, and others, and his articles have been praised by Roger Ebert, Avengers actor Clark Gregg, comedian and The Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman, the stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax, and others. He is currently the managing editor of io9.com. Despite decades as both an amateur and professional nerd, he continues to be completely unprepared for either the zombie apocalypse or the robot uprising.