Judo is an internationally recognized form of martial arts, but until now it has never been an extremely adorable form of martial arts.

Welcome to the Gawker Guide to the Obscure Olympic Sports You Have Never Heard Of Or Given A Damn About. Next up: Judo, the most gentle martial art and the 17th Most Important Olympic sport.

[Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin beats up some guy at a sports center in St. Petersburg. Image via AP]

Speculation is rampant that badass Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin got his ass beat in a Judo match after he appeared in public today with a black eye covered with lots of makeup. He definitely won, though. [AFP]

Vladimir Putin has released a judo-fighting DVD. Naturally! When he's not busy posing shirtless, fucking gymnasts, or flexing his iron fist, the Russian prime minister and former judo champ of Leningrad is practicing his Nage no Kata and Katame no Kata. The Daily Mail says Putin has been a sex symbol for Russian women and men since his topless fishing pics came out last year—although you know Russians are all huge, bear-like creatures with no concept of "abs." Wanna see the scourge of unfavored oligarchs flipping some dude over his head? Video below! Click to view [Sky]

Yahoo's Aikido and Judo projects, briefly mentioned in a New York Times story, "are, in fact, yet another round of navel-gazing strategy overview efforts," Kara Swisher reports. Translation: more layoffs to come. [BoomTown]