Shooto is holding an event in Korakuen Hall now. I will update the rest of the results later, but for now the Rookie tournament fights are done.
Some results to take note of, Shooto Champion "BJ" lost his none title fight, Juice Formiga should take a leap up the rankings after "BJ" did not win a single round on any of the judges cards.
Main-Event: Featherweight Title Fight: 10. Masakatsu Ueda Def. Eduardo Dantas by Decision 3-0
9. Bantam: Jucie Formiga Def. Shinichi "BJ" Kojima by Decision 3-0 8. Fly: Atsushi Takeuchi Def. "Heat" Takeshi Sato by Decision 3-0 7. Bantam: Masaaki Sugawara Def. Yasuhiro Akagi by KO Round 1 3:50 6. Welter: Yukinari Tamura Def. Shinji Sasaki by Decision 3-0 5. Light: Taiki Tsuchiya Def. Kazuhiro Ito by Decision 3-0
Rookie Tournament 2nd Round: 4. Light: Tsuneo Kimura Def. Yoshinao Oki by KO Round 2 1:48 3. Welter: Munehiro "Mike" Kin Def. Hiroki "KG Shinto" Kuga by Decision 3-0 2. Welter: Harada Def. Koji Nishioka by Decision 2-0 1. Feather: Kota Onojima Def. Inagaki by Decision 2-0
Shooto promotor Sustain have announced the new name for their series, previously they were celebrating the 20 years anniversary with "Tradition", now they are looking ahead with Revolutionary Exchanges.
The card is looking very good, with a title fight and a champion on the card. In addition to that there are some very interesting matchups. The flyweight rankings will most likely get some changes with #3 ranked "Heat" Takeshi taking on #5 Atsushi Takeuchi.
Also some news following the final Tradition card, Shooto champion Nakakura suffered a detached retina in his left eye following the KO he suffered in his loss to Gomi. He has undergone surgery, but is unsure about his future in the ring. Main-Event: Featherweight Title Fight: 10. Masakatsu Ueda 9-0-2 vs. 7-1-0 Eduardo Dantas
9. Bantam: Jucie Formiga 2-0-0 vs. 10-3-1 Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 8. Fly: "Heat" Takeshi Sato 8-6-1 vs. 6-4-2 Atsushi Takeuchi 7. Bantam: Yasuhiro Akagi 6-4-0 vs. 7-3-1 Masaaki Sugawara 6. Welter: Shinji Sasaki 7-2-0 vs. 8-3-5 Yukinari Tamura 5. Light: Taiki Tsuchiya 4-2-0 vs. 5-3-0 Kazuhiro Ito
Rookie Tournament 2nd Round: 4. Light: Tsuneo Kimura 3-1-0 vs. Yoshinao Oki 3. Welter: Hiroki "KG Shinto" Kuga 2-1-0 vs. 1-1-0 Munehiro "Mike" Kin 2. Welter: Koji Nishioka 0-0-1 vs. Harada 1. Feather: Kota Onojima 1-0-0 vs. Inagaki
Today Shooto announced the opponent for their world champion, Shinichi "BJ" Kojima. It will be the Shooto south American champion, Jucie Formiga. Formiga is also #6 on the world ranking, and it adds another solid fight to this card. "BJ" has proven to be very hard to beat at bantam weight, and has only lost once in his career at 56kg. That loss came at the hands of Junichi Sase almost 6 years ago.
This is the first major Shooto card since the final Tradition card, and it has some very larges shoes to fill. Added: Bantam: Jucie Formiga 2-0-0 vs. 10-3-1 Shinichi "BJ" Kojima
Featherweight Title Fight: Masakatsu Ueda 9-0-2 vs. 7-1-0 Eduardo Dantas
Bantam: Yasuhiro Akagi 6-4-0 vs. 7-3-1 Masaaki Sugawara Fly: "Heat" Takeshi Sato 8-6-1 vs. 6-4-2 Atsushi Takeuchi
Rookie Tournament 2nd Round: Welter: Hiroki "KG Shinto" Kuga 2-1-0 vs. 1-1-0 Munehiro "Mike" Kin Feather: Kota Onojima 1-0-0 vs. Inagaki Welter: Koji Nishioka 0-0-1 vs. Harada
Shooto have announced fights for their next big event. It probably wont be as big as the final tradition card, but it is looking interesting after 5 fights have been announced.
The main event should be the featherweight title fight between the undefeated champion Masakatsu Ueda. The challenger is the very talented Brazilian Eduardo Dantas. Dantas has picked off his competition in Shooto Brazil, then he came to Japan to introduce "BJ" to the featherweight division. His only loss is a disqualification and this fight should be very interesting.
Also returning to Shooto after 2 years away is Alive's Yasuhiro Akagi, who will be taking on Masaaki Sugawara. Featherweight Title Fight: Masakatsu Ueda 9-0-2 vs. 7-1-0 Eduardo Dantas
Bantam: Yasuhiro Akagi 6-4-0 vs. 7-3-1 Masaaki Sugawara Fly: "Heat" Takeshi Sato 8-6-1 vs. 6-4-2 Atsushi Takeuchi
Neo-Blood Tournament 2nd Round: Welter: Hiroki "KG Shinto" Kuga 2-1-0 vs. 1-1-0 Munehiro "Mike" Kin Feather: Kota Onojima 1-0-0 vs. Inagaki Welter: Koji Nishioka 0-0-1 vs. Harada
Shooto Tradition 6 starts at the same time as the Sengoku event today. I will be updating the results as they become available here.
2 title fights on the card and lots of interesting talent, it should be a good event in Korakuen Hall. Bantamweight Shooto World Title Fight: 9. Shinichi "BJ" Kojima Def. Yuki Shoujou by rear-naked choke Round 3 0:38
Featherweight Shooto World Title Fight: 8. Masakatsu Ueda Def. So Tazawa by Decsion 3-0 Another strong decision win for Ueda.
There is a break before the final 2 fights. In that, there are some announcements, May 10 Shooto will hold the Tradition Final, and on the card will be the following:
Koutetsu Boku vs. Yutaka Ueda "Lion" Takeshi vs. Rumina Sato
Participating: Takashi Nakakura
6. Feather: Hiromasa Ogikubo Def. Tetsu "Hadairo" Suzuki by decision 3-0 5. Fly: Noburo "Shinpei" Tahara vs. Takehiro Harusaki DRAW 4. Bantam: Masaaki Sugawara vs. Daiji Takahashi DRAW 3. Fly: Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi Def. Mikitoshi Yamagami by Decsion 3-0 2. Welter: Takayuki Okochi Def. Michiyuki Ishibashi by KO Round 1 0:13
Rookie Tournament: 1. Feather: Kota Onojima Def. Takashi Niikuni by TKO
***REMINDER*** This card has been ready for a while and it is very good. Personally, I am looking forward to the Ogikubo fight, but there are 2 title fights on as well. Also, look out for Yamagami, who always seems to be a hit with the crowd.
***
The Shooto Trandition series have been awesome, as you would expect as Shooto is celebrating its 20th anniversary with this.
The latest event, #6 in the series, will have 2 title fights on the card. The main-event will be the bantamweight title fight between "BJ" Kojima and Yuki Shoujou. "BJ" is coming off a draw with Jesse Taitano at Tradition 5. Shoujou defeated Shooto veteran Yasuhiro Urushitani in this last fight, and this should be a very good fight.
The co-main event is the other title fight on the card. The undefeated Masakatsu Ueda is taking on So Tazawa. Tazawa is coming off a draw with Ogikubo in Tradition 4. So Tazawa have not lost since his last fight with Ueda, that almost exactly 2 years ago and Ueda won by Brabo choke in round 3.
Also on the card are some very interesting fights. Ogikubo, who is unbeaten in his Shooto career, will take on the grappling specialist "Hadairo".
There was one fight added with the announcement of the fight order. The veteran Takayuki Okochi will take on Michiyuki Ishibashi. Okochi have not tasted victory in over 6 years, and should be very determined to get one here. Ishibashi is not far behind, his only professional win was back in 2007, or 4 fights ago. Bantamweight Shooto World Title Fight: 9. Shinichi "BJ" Kojima vs. 8-4-2 Yuki Shoujou
Featherweight Shooto World Title Fight: 8. Masakatsu Ueda 8-0-2 vs. 8-3-3 So Tazawa
6. Feather: Hiromasa Ogikubo 5-0-2 vs. 8-6-3 Tetsu "Hadairo" Suzuki 5. Fly: Noburo "Shinpei" Tahara 5-3-0 vs. 5-4-0 Takehiro Harusaki 4. Bantam: Masaaki Sugawara 7-3-0 vs. 6-10-3 Daiji Takahashi 3. Fly: Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi 5-4-2 vs. 3-0-0 Mikitoshi Yamagami 2. Welter: Takayuki Okochi 7-12-3 vs. 1-5-1 Michiyuki Ishibashi
Rookie Tournament: 1. Feather: Takashi Niikuni 1-0-0 vs. Kota Onojima
Shooto have announced 2 more fights for their Tradition 6 card. This event is held on the same day as the Sengoku 7 event, and needs to be good, and this is shaping up to be something special.
There are already 2 title fights on the card, in addition to that there were some very good talent.
Today, they have added some more fights as well. The unbeaten 7th ranked featherweight Hiromasa Ogikubo will face grappling specialist and 10th ranked Tetsu Suzuki. Ogikubo faced Tazawa in his last fight and drew, this event So Tazawa is fighting for the title and I am guessing the winner of this fight will climb into contention.
The other fight added today is between Masaaki Sugawara and debutant Daiji Takahashi.
***UPDATE*** Made a mistake when looking up Daiji Takahashi... He is a very experienced fighter, but not had a win in his last 5 fights. I am sure he will come in motivated to get one here.
Added: Feather: Hiromasa Ogikubo 5-0-2 vs. 8-6-3 Tetsu "Hadairo" Suzuki Bantam: Masaaki Sugawara 7-3-0 vs. 6-10-3 Daiji Takahashi
Previously Announced: Bantamweight Shooto World Title Fight: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima vs. 8-4-2 Yuki Shoujou
Featherweight Shooto World Title Fight: Masakatsu Ueda 8-0-2 vs. 8-3-3 So Tazawa
Fly: Noburo "Shinpei" Tahara 5-3-0 vs. 5-4-0 Takehiro Harusaki Fly: Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi 5-4-2 vs. 3-0-0 Mikitoshi Yamagami
Rookie Tournament: Feather: Takashi Niikuni 1-0-0 vs. Kota Onojima
Shooto is moving back to Korakuen Hall for this event that is taking place the same day as Sengoku 7. Shooto producer/sponsor Sustain recently signed a deal with Sengoku, so I am guessing that means we will see some Shooto fighters in Sengoku.
Either way, this card is looking very good! 2 world title fights have been added to this card. "BJ" will fight again, this time he will put his bantamweight title on the line against Yuki Shoujou.
The other title fight is in the featherweight division (shooto that is 60.0kg, Sengoku is 65.0kg). Undefeated champion Masakatsu Ueda will take on So Tazawa. Tazawa has been on a strong run lately, and his last loss came 2 years ago to Masakatsu Ueda.
Also on the card, look out for undefeated Mikitoshi Yamagami, who always seems to get the crowd on his side. This is his first fight in Korakuen hall, but he is always a hit in Shinjuku Face. Bantamweight Shooto World Title Fight: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima vs. 8-4-2 Yuki Shoujou
Featherweight Shooto World Title Fight: Masakatsu Ueda 8-0-2 vs. 8-3-3 So Tazawa
Fly: Noburo "Shinpei" Tahara 5-3-0 vs. 5-4-0 Takehiro Harusaki Fly: Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi 5-4-2 vs. 3-0-0 Mikitoshi Yamagami
Rookie Tournament: Feather: Takashi Niikuni 1-0-0 vs. Kota Onojima
Shooto is putting on an awesome event in Differ Ariake today. Hopefully people have recovered after staying up half the night (in my case) watching the UFC. This card might not compete with the names on the UF card, but for Shooto fans and fans of Japanese MMA, there is plenty of stories to get into on this card.
In addition to those fights, it is worth mentioning a few fighters: "KODO" is a very talented guy with only 2 losses. One of those was stepping in on 1-2 days notice in DREAM to face Joseph Benavidez in DREAM 5. And I guess it was his 15 minutes of fame so far in his career, but I expect to hear from this guy again.
Akihiro Yamazaki, this guy is SERIOUSLY talented. At 20, he has had 13 fights and lost 2, to Kenji Arai and Yoshiyuki Yoshida!I am predicting a tough debut for a Korean fighter that I dont know the name of.
From a very talented fighter, to a very experienced fighter, Jin Akimoto is as experienced as they get in Shooto. The 38 year old veteran has had a hard 4 years, not winning since May 2002, when he took 2 years off. Returning in 20004, and not winning since... Thats 9 (!) fights without tasting victory. He has fought top fighters though, and I hope he can break the trend today.
With that, the event starts at 4 Japan time. There will be spoilers if you read on after that! As always at the events, my focus will be enjoying the fights and taking pictures. I will post results and some quick comments only. More when I get home. The event is kicking off. The fighters are being presented.
1. Fly: Sakae Kasuya Def. Tomonori Taniguchi by Decision 3-0 Kasuya was dominating the ground game except for a short period in tbe 2nd when Taniguchi got some good gnp going. A solid win by Kasuya, who was really close to finishing by triangle.
2. Middle: Akihiro Yamazaki Def. Jun Yong Jae Round 2 1:39 The Korean debutant kept the fight standing in Round 1, and was dominating until the last seconds when Yamazaki finally got a takedown. Round 2 the Korean fighter hits with a huge right that brings Yamazaki to the ground. Jun follows up, buut on the ground Yamazaki is god and quickly secures an armbar, or is it a triangle... Either way, Jun taps.
3. Feather: Junya Kudo "KODO" Def. Takahiro Hosoi by KO ROund 2 0:34 "KODO" wsa dominating the stnad up and Hosoi was not able to take the flurries. A strong punch hit the button and Hosoi was not getting up.
4. Bantam: Ayumu "Gozo" Shioda Def. Jin Akimoto by Decision 3-0 Akimoto cant buy a win at the moment...
In the break it is announced that Rumina Sato will fight in Shoot Boxing February 11. Not Sengoku or DREAM tournaments as it has been rumored. A new adventure for Rumina!
5. Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Michihiro Omigawa DRAW Omigawa has some experienced support in his corner, includint Ryo Chonan and Kazuhiro Nakamura. Round 1 went to Omigawa, the fight was kept standing and no one managed to secure the advantage. Awesome fight so far!! Easily the fight of the night so far ends in a draw.
6. Light: Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura Def. Hayate Usui by Decision 3-0 Fight was mainly standing and Nakamura was the better fighter.
7. Bantam: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima vs. Jesse Taitano DRAW 0-1 Fight was mainly kept standing in Round 1, BJ had 1 takedown but was unable to capitilize. The ref stood it up and Jess was contronlling on the feet. The 2nd round was close, I would give it to Jess, BJ got a takedown at the end. I would give it to Jess, still I have a feeling it will be a draw...
The judges scored the fight 1 for Jess Taitano, 2 draws. This was close and I think Jess will be back in Japan.
8. Main Event - Welter: Yusuke Endo vs. Kotetsu Boku DRAW 1st round was close, probably the way of Boku. Boku started the 2nd fresh, but Endo had the upper hand on the ground in the 2nd. At this point it is a very close fight.
In the 3rd, I feel like Boku was doing most of the defending. This will be a close fight, and a very good one!
After Shooto announced the fight between Boku and Endo, I have been looking forward to this event. Even if its not a title fight, there is little doubt that the fight is a worthy main event. But this event has more than a very good main event.
Jess Taitano (and I am happy to see that Sherdog has updated the profile for the occation!) is a very good fighter, on his last visit to Japan he faced Urushitani. This time he is facing THE top Shooto fighter at the weight, Shinichi "BJ" Kojima (maybe he should change nickname to "Velcro"?).
Well, determined to actually finish this post I wont preview all the fights (I start one of these a couple times a month, but think I am yet to actually finish one...) I will jump straight into it. Fight #8: The main-event: Yusuke Endo 12-2-1 vs. 13-5-1 Kotetsu Boku
These are two fighters that very rarely lose.
-Kotetsu Boku- has lost 2 on the trot though, and I will call him the "challenger" here. In a very competitive Cage Force Tournament in 2007 Boku reached the final by defeating Eiji Mitsuoka in the semi-final. The final was a very close decision loss to Artur Oumakhanov (who defeated Tomonari Kanomata, there was some controversy around that one though).
Before his loss in the Cage Force final, you have to look back to 2003 (10 fights) to find another loss.
Boku's last fight was against Joachim Hansen in the DREAM lightweight tournament, and to be honest, I think a lot of sites didn't show Boku the proper respect in front of that fight. It was an awesome performance by Hansen, yet he was unable to put away Boku. Hansen is a world class fighter, and he knew not to underestimate Boku.
Kotetsu Boku's career highlight is winning the welterweight Shooto Pacific rim tournament in 2004/2005. In the final he defeated Ryan Bow and claimed the Shooto Pacific title, a title he never lost in the ring.
Notable wins: Eiji Mitsuoka, Hermes Franca, Ryan Bow, Alexandre Franca Nogueira Losses: Joachim Hansen, Artur Oumakhanov, Kenichiro Togashi, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Takaharu Murahama.
Kotetsu Boku highlight by Bestrafer7
-Yusuke Endo- is the current holder of the title Boku never lost. Endo claimed the title by defeating Kenichiro Togashi last year. At the time, the title had been vacated by Takashi Nakakura who upgraded to the world Shooto title. Endo lost to Nakakura in November 2007, in a fight that was the same title Endo was to claim just 8 months later.
When Boku was competing in the welterweight Pacific tournement (2004), Endo was just starting his career. He won the Shooto rookie tournament that year, defeating Heima Hashimoto, Kenichi Hattori and Seiki Uchimura in the process.
Fight # 7: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 9-3-4 vs. 4-2-1 Jess Taitano Just for the record, this fight is Class B rules (2x5min.). This is obviously because this is Jess Taitano's Shooto debut.
-Jess Taitano- I dont know why, but I believe there will be an upset in this fight (gut feeling), I saw Jess Taitano agaist Yasuhiro Urushitani on his last visit to Japan, and know that this guy should not be underestimated. Taitano is from Japan, and that is also where he has done most of his fighting. But a win against "BJ" here, would certainly open doors.
Taitano has 2 career losses, the first came in his debut (according to Sherdog, I have a feeling he has had more fight than what is recorded) against Takeyasu Hirono, a loss he later revenged. His other loss was in his last fight against Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Tanaka.
Taitano has never been finished, and I dont think "BJ" will put him away either (unless he has grown a fro since I last saw him). All the kidding aside, Taitano would like this fight standing and his takedown defence will be key.
Just for fun, here is a review I wrote after his previous fight in Japan (more than a year ago). It is just interesting looking back at that card as a whole, the quality was just unbelievable. Cage Force 5 Results
Jess Taitano promotion video (a bit old, but all I could find)
-Shinichi "BJ" Kojima- Kojima is the undisputed champion at 56kg, and he has only lost once at that weight. That loss was to Junichi Sase, a name to take note of for the next time you want to start a "Why did he stop fighting" type thread.
If "BJ" is unbeatable at 56kg, he cant by a win at 60kg, he lost 2 fights trying to make that transition, a project that now seems to be put on ice.
"BJ" was not able to claim the Bantamweight title on his first try, at that time Mamoru "The Fro" was the champion, but the fight ended in a draw. Just 6 months (on October 14. '06) later "BJ" got another shot, this time he needed just 1 minute and 38 seconds to put away the champion. Mamoru had the title for almost 3 years, and the rivalry is still healthy.
"BJ"s last fight was a title defence against Mamoru, it looked to be going to a decision and maybe a Mamoru win when the he got caught in a guillotine choke. "BJ" has beaten them all in the bantamweight division, and there is one similarity.
Both these fighters have fought and drawn against Urushitani.
This is not a title fight, "BJ" is facing a fighter that is unranked. I have a feeling "BJ" might not be as prepared as he was in his last fight. I guess for "BJ", the question is really who is the next challenger? Currently, it would be Yuki Shoujou, but I think Taitano has a chance to change that here.
Notable wins: Mamoru Yamaguchi, Setsu Iguchi, Yasuhiro Akagi Losses: Junichi Sase, Eduardo Dantas (at Featherweight) and So Tazawa (at Featherweight)
This is going to be a very busy couple of weeks in the world of MMA. This weekend in Japan, Shooto has the biggest event.
They have announced the fight order for Sunday, and I will be giving you these results live!
The main event is between the currrent Pacific Champion, Yusuke Endo and a former champion in Kotetsu Boku. Boku is coming off 2 straight losses and will be looking to redeem himself against a very tough opponent. This is not a title fight, but I dont think any of these fighters will care once the fight is on!
The card suffered a setback when the fight between So Tazawa and Katsuya Toida was cancelled and there are "only" 8 fights on the card. However, the card is still a strong one. Fight Order: 8. Main Event - Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-1 vs. 13-5-1 Kotetsu Boku 7. Bantam: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 9-3-4 vs. 4-1-0 Jesse Taitano 6. Light: Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura 5-3-4 vs. 10-6-1 Hayate Usui 5. Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-2 vs. 4-7-0 Michihiro Omigawa 4. Bantam: Jin Akimoto 10-12-4 vs. 4-6-0 Ayumu "Gozo" Shioda 3. Feather: Junya Kudo "KODO" 6-2-2 vs. 5-4-1 Takahiro Hosoi 2. Middle: Akihiro Yamazaki 10-2-1 vs. 全 龍左 Zon Yon Ze(?) 1. Fly: Sakae Kasuya 4-3-3 vs. 3-5-2 Tomonori Taniguchi
Shooto have announced "BJ" Shinichi Kojima's opponent today. It is Jesse Taitano, and it should be a very good fight! It is a fight at bantam weight, and is a good oppurtunity for Jesse Taitano to get into the Shooto rankings. This is NOT a title fight.
Taitano is not new to taking on top Japanese fighters. Just over a year ago I was impressed by his performance in Cage Force 5, where he fought a very good fight (ended in a draw) against Shooto star Yasuhiro Urushitani.
The featherweight fight between So Tazawa and Katsuya Toida is taken off the card due to injury on Katsuya Toida, he would need about 1 month to recover. Added: Bantam: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 9-3-4 vs. 4-1-0 Jesse Taitano
Cancelled: Feather: So Tazawa 8-3-3 vs. 10-9-3 Katsuya Toida
Previously announced: Light: Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura 5-3-4 vs. 10-6-1 Hayate Usui Fly: Sakae Kasuya 4-3-3 vs. 3-5-2 Tomonori Taniguchi Middle: Akihiro Yamazaki 10-2-1 vs. 全 龍左 Zon Yon Ze(?) Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-1 vs. 13-5-1 Kotetsu Boku Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-2 vs. 4-7-0 Michihiro Omigawa Feather: Junya Kudo "KODO" 6-2-2 vs. 5-4-1 Takahiro Hosoi Bantam: Jin Akimoto 10-12-4 vs. 4-6-0 Ayumu "Gozo" Shioda
Shooto have announced a few additions to their January 18 card, which was looking awesome already! This is not held in the usual Korakuen hall, but in Differ Ariake.
"BJ" is fighting a yet to be determined opponent, this should be a non-title fight. I am also happy to see that it looks like it will be at bantamweight.
This card is stacked with experienced Shooto fighters and the fight between Boku and Endo will probably be the main-event.
Also on the card is Katsuya Toida, who returns to Shooto after a performance in Cage Force that can only be described as embarrasing, he will be looking to redeem himself against So Tazawa. Added: Bantam: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 9-3-4 vs. TBA Light: Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura 5-3-4 vs. 10-6-1 Hayate Usui Fly: Sakae Kasuya 4-3-3 vs. 3-5-2 Tomonori Taniguchi Middle: Akihiro Yamazaki 10-2-1 vs. 全 龍左 (?)
Previously announced: Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-1 vs. 13-5-1 Kotetsu Boku Feather: So Tazawa 8-3-3 vs. 10-9-3 Katsuya Toida Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-2 vs. 4-7-0 Michihiro Omigawa Feather: Junya Kudo "KODO" 6-2-2 vs. 5-4-1 Takahiro Hosoi Bantam: Jin Akimoto 10-12-4 vs. 4-6-0 Ayumu "Gozo" Shioda
When it comes to the quality of fights, there is not a lot that can compare to Shooto... They dont have the ring-girls (as you will see in my pictures tomorrow), but the fights make up for that. The atmosphere is awesome and the fights live up to it! Today was no different!
There will be some pictures soon, and I have some good ones. BTW, my guy Shinya Murofushi was AWESOME!
Shooto Bantamweight Title-fight: Shinichi “BJ” Kojima Def. Mamoru Yamamguchi by Guilliotine Round 3 3:42
Pacific Title-fight:Yusuke Endo Def. Kenichiro Togashi by Decision 3-0 "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura Def. Matteus Lahdesmaki by TKO Round 3 2:17 Hiromasa Ogikubo Def. Hiroyuki Tanaka by TKO Round 1 1:35 Shinji Sasaki Def. Jin Kazeta By Rear-naked choke Round 1 2:42 Shinya Murofushi Def. Takehiro Harusaki by Decision 3-0 Akihiro Yamazaki Def. Naoko Hirayama by decision 2-0 Takahiro Hosoi Def. Nobuhiro “Mike” Hayakawa by Triangle-Choke Round 2 1:31
Rookie Tournament: Haruo Ochi Def. Yuta Nezu by rear-naked choke Naohiro Mizuno "Chokugeki Gamon" Def. Daiki Tsuchiya by Decision 2-0 Ikuo Usuda Def. Junpei Konno by Rear-naked Choke Round 2 3:41
Finally Shooto have announced the opponent for "Wicky" Akiyo. It is Finnish Shooto fighter Matteus Lahdesmaki who will make his Japan debut.
**Correction*** Matteus Lahdesmaki has Has fought in Japan once before, that was in 2006 the organization that time was MARS and the arena Shinjuku Face.He lost that fight to Un Sik Song by rear naked choke.
This card is looking awesome!
Added: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 7-2-1 vs. 5-3-3 Matteus Lahdesmaki
Previously announced: Main-Event: Shooto Bantamweight Title-fight: Shinichi “BJ” Kojima 8-3-4 vs. 20-4-3 Mamoru Yamamguchi Co-main event: Pacific Title-fight: Yusuke Endo 11-2-1 vs. 7-5-5 Kenichiro Togashi Hiroyuki Tanaka 6-4-1 vs. 4-0-1 Hiromasa Ogikubo Shinji Sasaki 6-2-0 vs. 8-7-2 Jin Kazeta Takehiro Harusaki 5-3-0 vs. 4-0-1 Shinya Murofushi Teriyuki Matsumoto 5-2-0 vs. 4-4-1 Takahiro Hosoi Akihiro Yamazaki 9-2-1 vs. 1-0-0 Naoko Hirayama
Rookie Tournament Round 2: Daiki Tsuchiya 1-0-0 vs. 2-1-0 Naohiro Mizuno Yuta Nezu 4-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Haruo Ochi Rookie Tournament: 臼田育男 Ikuo Usuda (?) vs. Junpei Konno
Shooto has announced an additional 4 fights today, the main event will see "BJ" returning to bantamweight, and I am sure I am not the only one to look forward to seeing him defending his title againstMamoru.
There is a very good mix of experienced top fighters and new exciting talents on this card, should be an awesome event!
No opponent for "Wicky" Akiyo yet, but hopefully there will be an announcement soon.
For some reason, this fight does not seem to be on the card anymore: NaohiroMizuno 2-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 DaikiTsuchiya
Added to the card: Main-Event: Shooto Bantamweight Title-fight: Shinichi “BJ” Kojima 8-3-4 vs. 20-4-3 Mamoru Yamamguchi Co-main event: Pacific Title-fight: YusukeEndo 11-2-1 vs. 7-5-5 KenichiroTogashi HiroyukiTanaka 6-4-1 vs. 4-0-1 HiromasaOgikubo Rookie Tournament: 臼田育男 IkuoUsuda (?) vs. JunpeiKonno
Previously Announced: ShinjiSasaki 6-2-0 vs. 8-7-2 JinKazeta TakehiroHarusaki 5-3-0 vs. 4-0-1 ShinyaMurofushi TeriyukiMatsumoto 5-2-0 vs. 4-4-1 TakahiroHosoi AkihiroYamazaki 9-2-1 vs. 1-0-0 NaokoHirayama
Rookie Tournament Round 2: DaikiTsuchiya 1-0-0 vs. 2-1-0 NaohiroMizuno YutaNezu 4-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 HaruoOchi Participating: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 7-2-1
Shooto have added to their Tradition 02 card. I have made a comment earlier about value for money in these events, and as an audience I have to say that this card looks like very good value, with a ringside seat costing 10,000 yen!
Today it was announced that Wicky Akiyo will be participating. Earlier it has been announced that "BJ" Kojima is fighting also, so this should be a very good event if you add that to the fights that are already announced.
Shinji Sasaki 6-2-0 vs. 8-7-2 Jin Kazeta Takehiro Harusaki 5-3-0 vs. 4-0-1 Shinya Murofushi Teriyuki Matsumoto 5-2-0 vs. 4-4-1 Takahiro Hosoi Akihiro Yamazaki 9-2-1 vs. 1-0-0 Naoko Hirayama Naohiro Mizuno 2-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Daiki Tsuchiya
Rookie Tournament Round 2: Daiki Tsuchiya 1-0-0 vs. 2-1-0 Naohiro Mizuno Yuta Nezu 4-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Haruo Ochi
Participating: Shinichi "BJ" Kojima 8-3-4 "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 7-2-1
