Judo has paved the way for several mixed martial arts (MMA) legends, including Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko, “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama and “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. The Japan-derived world-renowned martial art continues its strong bloodline in combat sports today – but who would have thought it had a role in football? “Without judo, I would not be able to go far in football. That is very clear to me,” said Japan U23 goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi, who plies his trade in Spain’s second division with Extremadura UD. The Paris-born, Tokyo-bred Yamaguchi, who is adamant that his native Japan can shine at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and 2022 Qatar World Cup , said his judo background gave him the cutting edge during his French youth football days. “When I was in [FC] Lorient, the goalkeeping coaches loved the fact that I practised judo and told me that it was a really good base for goalkeepers – for movement, balance and stability. And obviously the drive to fight, to compete, to not be afraid of anything,” he said. While Yamaguchi went on to pursue his dream as a footballer, it was not the original plan. After all, his French father had moved to “The Land of the Rising Sun” precisely for judo. “No, not always,” the 22-year-old said when asked if he had always wanted to become a footballer. “I started with judo when I was around three or four years old. I was practising so early on because my dad was actually a judo instructor assistant. So a Frenchman and his Sensei were teaching judo in Japan and overseas!” “My dad wanted me to be a judoka [judo practitioner], of course. But he didn’t mind what I did. The most important thing was that I was doing something that made me happy.” Yamaguchi trained at the Kasuga Judo Club in Tokyo’s infamous Kodokan Judo Institute, known as the Mecca of judo, while his father taught Iaido (an ancient Japanese martial art specialising in swordmanship and reactions) across the city. Yamaguchi – who speaks French with his father and Japanese with his mother, while the pair mainly speak English between them – proudly listed a number of current practitioners from the school. These include multiple-time judo world champion Asahina Sara, 2016 Rio Olympic gold medallist Mashu Baker and 2017 world champion Aaron Wolf. The trio are notably all aged 25 and under, suggesting the Olympic sport is in safe hands for next year’s postponed Games. View this post on Instagram #JUDODüsseldorf ♀️ すごく感情的で歴史的な1日... 久しぶりに わたしらしい柔道ができて、苦しすぎた2019年にやってきたことも、何より 今までやってきたこと全てが 無駄ではなかったな と思えた大会でした。 オリンピックに出られない、という 現実を突きつけられている 今だからこそ "#朝比奈沙羅"の真価が問われると思うので、これからも 自分自身の価値を上げていけるように 日々精進していきたいと思います。 今後とも引き続き応援のほど、よろしくお願いします It was so emotional day for me because I felt a lot of pain about I can't compete for #tokyo2020olympics these days. However, I did it well at Grand Slam Düsseldorf, I think. My real strength is always questioned in the games, no matter what an awkward position, so I must prove it anytime, any situations, and anywhere I compete for. I'll push myself to more improve my skills, and getting stronger than now Thanks all for cheering me everyone! ーwith love.♡ #愛 A post shared by Sarah Asahina / 朝比奈 沙羅 (@sarah_damncool) on Feb 26, 2020 at 2:07am PST “There are a lot of Olympic-level judoka to brush shoulders with. The latter two are Japanese-American – mixed like me – while Asahina is one of the most well-known in Japanese judo right now. I mentioned a few names but there are so many more incredible students in each class,” Yamaguchi said. “Also, do you know Itsuki Hirata from ONE Championship? She’s my friend and we trained judo together as kids.” The 20-year-old women’s MMA fighter Hirata, nicknamed “Strong Heart Fighter”, has emerged as one of the Asia-based promotion’s most promising strawweights. She is 3-0 since signing with ONE in June 2019, winning her last fight against Nyrene Crowley in February. “Hirata was also there – we were around the same age, a bit younger than the others. When we were young, they didn't really separate the boys and girls up because you're all similar when you're younger. I interacted with her a lot and at the end of class there were always duels, so we'd always win and lose against each other. I remember her being very strong, one of – if not the strongest girl. We had good clashes for about six to eight years,” Yamaguchi said. While the former judo partners have gone on to do different things in the sports world, they maintain contact as a means of nostalgia and support. Yamaguchi conceded that he did not know about Hirata’s MMA adventure until he saw her fighting in a cage. “I’m very proud of me and her and the others. It’s really rewarding thing to see every single person going in their path and being successful. The school must be very happy with what it's created,” he said. View this post on Instagram . . 私の原点！講道館！ . 6歳の頃から片道1時間電車に揺られて通ってたなぁ。 . 向井先生、平先生 ありがとうございました！ また遊びに来ます！ A post shared by (@_itsuki_h_) on Apr 11, 2019 at 3:42am PDT “Before, I actually had no idea she was competing in MMA, nor did we contact during that time. But then I saw her fighting on ONE Championships so I reached out. She said she remembered me, too. So when she has a big fight coming up, I send her my luck and support. I tell her that I know she's going to win,” added the avid MMA fan, who hopes to catch Hirata’s next fight if the opportunity allows. Finally, and perhaps a sign of the new generation of martial arts, Yamaguchi shared thoughts on his favourite fighter: “retired” Irish superstar Conor McGregor . “I like his personality, obviously. I think every one of his fans likes him because of his character, but the most important thing is when he's in the cage. I love him. He's a natural fighter. and I like his combat style of implementing a lot of different styles – polyvalent – and he knows how to do them perfectly,” he said. “He's crazy, but the mix of intelligence in fights and personality outside gets me. I also like his ability to take risks. He's not always conforming to things, like he did the boxing with [Floyd] Mayweather . It was incredible for the UFC. I respect him a lot for that. I also think there should be a part two against Khabib [Nurmagomedov] , for sure.”