Alexander Otsuka

Report Last Updated - 5/02
Birthdate - 7/17/71
6'1" 203 lbs. - Tokushima, Japan
Team - n/a
Style - Pro-Wrestling

Career Highlights -
- Defeats Marco Ruas by submission at Pride 4
- Fights fellow pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada at Pride 7
- Meets Igor Vovchanchyn, the finalist, in the first round of the Pride Grand Prix tournment
- Fights Ken Shamrock in his return fight at the Pride Grand Prix Finals show
- Defeats Mike Bourke at Pride 11 via submission

Striking - Alexander Otsuka's weakest area is his striking for sure. He will do it anyway, throwing jabs and body shots against much better strikers and usually paying for it. In the clinch he throws weak knees to his opponent's thighs, which are obviously nothing much. Perhaps the only exciting thing in Otsuka's arsenal is the odd dropkick he throws, which he may not connect with, but it gets a pop.

Wrestling - One could make a case this is Otsuka's best area, though even it isn't overly impressive. His leg shoots aren't the best and he usually has to scramble, which hardly ever works against people with a strong defense. As for his own defense, it is not particularly strong, however he seems moderately more comfortable on the ground. Otsuka is able to beat the guard, but his own is somewhat lacking.

Hooking - Otsuka may be a submission master in the pro-wrestling ring, but in the MMA ring he's anything but. He tends to show little knowledge outside of escapes, though even those are largely assisted by his toughness. We've seen him hook bottom-end brawlers, but he seldom gets the opportunities against the high-end fighters.

Strengthes - Kazushi Sakuraba was the first NHB fighter to successful bring pro wrestler flavor to the game and still be a credible contender. Otsuka is one of the many pros who have tried their hands at Pride and had lackluster results. Though it helps keep opponents off guard, Otsuka is yet to use it well. Otsuka's biggest strength is his incredible toughness, he can be pounded into oblivion or put in a submission, but he'll suffer through it all. So though he may not make pro wrestlers look like great fighters, he makes them look inhumanly tough.

Weaknesses - Otsuka is first and foremost a pro wrestler. He looks to entertain the people and he is not as successful as Sakuraba. Otsuka is a decent striker, but he is not much of a defender and that is always his undoing.

Outlook - For whatever reason, Otsuka has remained a returning star for Pride. It is probably safe to say he's better off doing pro wrestling (in which he is one of the best at his style). He will probably be a semi-constant fixture in Pride for however long he can look competitive since BattlARTS recent fall.