Biography
Enson Inoue, or "Yamato Damashii" as he is commonly known, is an American born jiu jitsu black belt under John Lewis, being the founder of the world famous Purebred Academy. A polarizing figure in both jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA), Enson was of great importance in the development of Brazilian jiu jitsu in Japan, having introduced the combat style to many important people including Yuki Nakai. In MMA Enson is regarded as both an "enfant terrible" and one of the most iconic fighters to have graced the sport, being the first and only Shooto heavyweight champion and Pride veteran, known for his "never say die" approach to the game. Although with some clouds in his past, Enson Inoue is also a charity fund raiser, having contributed greatly towards raising awareness to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims, through his charity walks in Japan. Enson is also the brother of another important combat sports figure, Egan Inoue. For Enson, the "Yamato Damashii" started after an interview given by Enson to a Japanese magazine, just before entering the octagon at UFC 13 against Royce Alger. Inoue's words and performance touched the journalist, who described Enson as a personification of the samurai spirit (Yamato Damashii), thus starting a trend that led to the popular nickname.