However, having just celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie fight,[1] Royce suggested the match to be hosted under similar rules as a homage, turning it into an unofficial "judo vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu" challenge.

"[1] In order to recreate faithfully the Kimura vs. Gracie bout, special "jacket match" rules were created to be used instead of the regular MMA format.

Yoshida described himself as unskilled in groundfighting, as he had built his judo career mainly on his throwing abilities, so he made sure to hone his grappling with his long time friend Tsuyoshi "TK" Kohsaka, a judoka and mixed martial artist.

[1][2] For their part, the Gracie side were sure of their victory, trusting the superiority of their style of jiu-jitsu over any eventuality, including Yoshida's 18 kg weight advantage.

Mário Sperry from Brazilian Top Team agreed with the Gracie side, noting that, "unlike the days when Kimura was touring Brazil, when Japanese judokas were very strong on the ground, judo players since the 1964 Olympics have lost their feel for the floor.

[7] Although the judoka overrode him, Gracie pulled guard to avoid his standing game,[9] frustrating Yoshida's intentions to enter groundwork through a throw.

[7] Showing signs of pain,[8] Gracie tried to counter with another ankle lock, which looked fruitful,[9] but as the hold exchange became stagnant, Noguchi stood the contenders back.

[9] The referee judged so, helped by the visual impression that Gracie's arm had become limp,[9][3] and called for the fight to be stopped, giving the win to Yoshida by technical submission.

[9] Gracie chased Noguchi, throwing punches at the ring crew when he was restrained,[6] and grabbed Yoshida's jacket to demand him to tell the judges.

[10] However, its result attracted a comparable controversy, dividing media among those who believed Yoshida's victory was justified and those who purported Gracie had suffered a fraudulent loss.

"[12] For his part, Yoshida reiterated he felt no resistance on Gracie before calling the referee's attention, and addressed the illegal stoppage by opining it was the promoters' responsibility to deal with.

After interviewing Noguchi, examining video footage, and consulting combat sports experts, Pride rule director Yuji Shimada declared the promoters would finally keep the result as Yoshida's victory by knockout.

[13] However, Pride chairman Naoto Morishita acknowledged the fiasco, and promised the promotion would ban rulesets that obstructed the referee's power to stop the match, arguing humanitary reasons.

[13] Although the next matchup discussed for Yoshida was a possible place as Nobuhiko Takada's retirement opponent,[6] Morishita also revealed they intended to host a rematch with Royce.

The North American mixed martial arts community sided with the Gracies through the process, calling Yoshida a "cheater" without any real skill who was being protected by Pride.

[3][11] Meanwhile, combat sports press in Japan considered Yoshida a clean winner regardless of the controversy, with Goro Takamura commenting that, analyzing Royce's position, "it would have been almost impossible for him to advance the game in any advantageous manner and escape the hold" even if the match was not stopped.

[18] On the other hand, Royce underwent an intense training designed to avoid further gi chokes, expressing "I will be happy punching Yoshida's face.

"[17] The match was hosted under full MMA rules, but the Gracie camp demanded a series of modifications in order to prevent another compromising situation.

[17] Finally, and despite Morishita's claims, the bout would feature again a rule forbidding the referee from stopping the match,[16] allowing only the cornermen to do so by throwing the towel.

[18] As in the previous round, the Japanese stood up and fought grips with a supine Royce, who benefitted from his lack of jacket to grapple with less risk of being grabbed.

The judoka then focused on preventing any submission and just enduring the strikes, while Gracie continued punching methodically for the next minutes, without attempting ulterior moves, until the end of the match.

[19][18] With the bout's result being announced as the perfunctory draw, Royce immediately engaged in winning celebrations, while Yoshida recovered from his knees with the opposite appearance.