Mixed martial arts champ ready to answer final bell

Advertiser Staff

No stranger to pain, Super Brawl champion Egan Inoue, 37, will fit nicely as a pharmaceutical salesman.

Egan Inoue, one of the world's top Super Brawlers, will hang up his gloves for a career as a pharmaceutical salesman. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

But first, Inoue must go out a winner in his present profession as one of the world's best mixed martial arts champions in his weight class.

Inoue, 5 feet 9 and 182 pounds, will face Martin de Jong of Holland in Super Brawl 25 Saturday at Blaisdell Arena in what the Manoa resident is calling his final fight "unless I lose."

"If I lose, I need a rematch. I definitely have to go out as a winner," Inoue said.

If he does go out a winner Saturday, it will end the professional career of one the state's ultimate athletes, whose accommodating, unassuming manner belies the image of a brawler.

Inoue played baseball at University High School, competed in triathlons, qualified for freediving nationals and even was offered a swimming scholarship.

He was a world champion in racquetball in 1986 and 1990 and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion in 1996-97 before becoming a Super Brawl standout.

"Egan has been a champion at everything he has done in his life. I am sure he will be successful in his new chosen career," said T. Jay Thompson, Super Brawl promoter.

But of all the sports, Inoue, owner of Grappling Unlimited in Halawa, considers mixed martial arts fighting "the most challenging sport there is. Even if I'm not going to be fighting anymore, I'll still train."

"It becomes like a chess game. It takes away from like, 'I'm going to fight this guy and beat this guy up.' It comes more tactical. You set up your moves ahead of time."

Inoue says many have come to his school for a workout and have no intention of fighting. But then, "they learn how to box, learn how to wrestle, learn how to do jiu-jitsu. Then they learn how to put things together."

Then, Inoue says, they get curious and wonder how they would do in competition. "It's not about beating up someone," says Inoue, whose style combines jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and kickboxing. Inoue also preaches staying humble as well as analytical during competition.

"I think letting your work speak for itself is important. It's not cockiness that gets you by anything."

Inoue says the difference between his style of instruction and others "is that when we go into a fight, we think, we use strategy and technique rather than anger."

With "a lot of guys coming out of my camp," Inoue senses the time is right for retirement.

"I don't feel I need to be the flagship anymore for Grappling Unlimited," he said.

But Inoue's actual reasons are more logical.

"Number one, I just got a job in pharmaceutical sales, and I'm 37 right now. Training is harder. This (sales) is long term, I have two kids (daughters Nika, 5, and Tia, 4) and a family and I got to think about that. ... my family is my future," he said.

Said Inoue's wife, Gina: "I'm happy for him to retire; I think it's his time."

Inoue has been in martial arts (karate) since he was 5. He was influenced by his grandfather, Shoso, who is a Shodokan black belt.

Egan Inoue sharpens his boxing skills with coach Rob Fraser as he prepares to face Martin de Jong of Holland. Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"My brother (Enson, 35) started doing this type of fighting in Japan," Inoue said. "He told me, 'Egan, you gotta check this out. We can win at this sport.' So I went.

"By the time I was done with racquetball I knew where I was going."

But even that almost took a detour.

Inoue tore up his right knee when his shoe tore while playing racquetball. The injury would sideline him from the sport for all of 1992.

To rehabilitate, Inoue used swimming and diving.

He decided to enter a freediving national qualifier on the North Shore.

To qualify, freedivers were allowed to spear three fish per species and whoever had the heaviest total would win.

"That day, the water was murky, so you had to dive 60 feet or lower," Inoue said.

Many divers came up empty handed.

Inoue, who said he can hold his breath under water for more than four minutes while stalking a prey, finished first, at first. But after one of his fish was disallowed, he ended up third (the top three qualified).

The nationals were held in Connecticut. Instead, Inoue resumed his racquetball career before retiring in 1994.

Just two years ago, the University of Hawai'i tried — but failed — to get Inoue into swimming after he beat members of the team.

Inoue said he swam in three meets and won his event, the breaststroke, each time.

"It was a matter of being able to swallow more water than anyone else. It's how much pain you can take. For real," Inoue said.

After Saturday, Inoue hopes he'll enjoy more pleasure than pain. He's already headed in that direction.

"My favorite thing to do right now is spend time with the kids and family," he said.