Shooto is putting on an awesome event in JCB Hall in Tokyo today. This is a new venue, and it looks as though they have built it without internet access creating some difficulties for the Sherdog live PBP. But they are still getting the message out there.
Right now they are in the last 3 fights, which are all title fights.
Read on for spoilers.
The fighters from Paraestra Matsudo have really not had a good day... First Koyama lost a close decision (Sherdog had him winning), then Ogikubo gets choked out on his way to a decision. Then the legend, "The Shooto Junkie", gets KO'ed in his first fight for 4 years. Not a good day.
So far the rest of the fights have gone the distance.
"Chiquerim" has JUST won the title when he returns it!! He informs the crowd that he has signed an exlusive contract with an organization that will stop him from defending it!
Lightweight World Title Fight:
8. Hatsu Hioki Def. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue by Decision 2-1
Welterweight World Title Fight:
7. Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire Def. Yusuke Endo by Decision 2-1
Bantamweight World Title Fight:
6. Yasuhiro Urushitani Def. Ryuichi Miki by Decision 3-0
5. 62kg: Rumina Sato Def. Ryota Matsune by KO Round 2 0:21
4. Feather: Masakatsu Ueda Def. Akitoshi Tamura by Decision 3-0
3. Feather: Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas Def. Hiromasa Ogikubo by Rear-Naked choke Round 3 1:21
2. Welter: Kotetsu Boku Def. Yoshihiro Koyama by Decision 3-0
1. Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari Def. Wataru Miki by Decision 2-0
Of course there would have to be a shirt to go with this awesome event! The shirt will of course be on sale in JCB hall, as well as the Inspirit Japanese webstore.
Bantamweight World Title Fight:
Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Ryuichi Miki
Welterweight World Title Fight:
Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire 15-2-0 vs. 13-3-2 Yusuke Endo
Lightweight World Title Fight:
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue 18-3-0 vs. 20-4-2 Hatsu Hioki
62kg: Rumina Sato 25-14-2 vs. 15-1-1 Ryota Matsune
Welter: Kotetsu Boku 16-6-2 vs. 14-3-1 Yoshihiro Koyama
Feather: Akitoshi Tamura 14-8-2 vs. 10-1-2 Masakatsu Ueda
Feather: Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas 8-2-0 vs. 6-1-2 Hiromasa Ogikubo
Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-3-3 vs. 16-9-3 Wataru Miki
I have been hoping this day would come for a long time! Ryota Matsune will return to the ring, against another Shooto legend, Rumina Sato. The fight was announced today at Shooto GIG Tokyo Vol. 4.
The card is shaping up to be one of the best Shooto cards in a while, even with the Vale Tudo card last year. There are 3 fights on the card, and they are all good fights too.
Also worth noting is that there are 3 fighters from Paraestra Matsudo, where Ryota Matsune is the MMA coach. Bantamweight World Title Fight:
Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Ryuichi Miki
Welterweight World Title Fight:
Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire 15-2-0 vs. 13-3-2 Yusuke Endo
Lightweight World Title Fight:
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue 18-3-0 vs. 20-4-2 Hatsu Hioki
62kg: Rumina Sato 25-14-2 vs. 15-1-1 Ryota Matsune
Welter: Kotetsu Boku 16-6-2 vs. 14-3-1 Yoshihiro Koyama
Feather: Akitoshi Tamura 14-8-2 vs. 10-1-2 Masakatsu Ueda
Feather: Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas 8-2-0 vs. 6-1-2 Hiromasa Ogikubo
Light: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-3-3 vs. 16-9-3 Wataru Miki
Some very good fights in Korakuen Hall yesterday. 2 Pacific Rim title fights, and both champions defended their title.
It also looks like the Australians are ready to make an impression in the Shooto world, with both fighters having impressive wins. Welterweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Yusuke Endo (Champion) def. Kotetsu Boku by rear-naked choke Round 1 3:18
Middleweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Xavier Lucas (Champion) Def. Akihiro Yamazaki by Decision 3-0
Bantam: Yasuhiro Urushitani Def. Ryuichi Miki by Decision 3-0 Bantam: Yuki Shojo Def. Junya Kudo by Decision 2-0 Feather: Tetsu Suzuki Def. Teriyuki Matsumoto by Guillotine Choke Round 1 3:31 Light: Gustavo Falciroli Def. Daisuke Ishizawa by arm Triangle Round 1 4:55 Feather: Fumihiro Kitahara Def. Masatoshi Abe by Decision 3-0
Rookie Tournament: Light: Yusuke Yachi Def. Atsushi Kobayashi by KO Round 1 1:21 Bantam: Nozomi Otsuka Def. Yasutaka Ishigami by Decision 3-0
Added to the card are some very interesting fights! There are 2 fights added in the bantamweight division, and both should be very good fights. Ryuichi Miki will take on Yasuhiro Urushitani in what will be a re-match. They last met in Mai last year and the fight ended in a draw. Urushitani has not fought since November last year, and it will be good to see him back in Shooto.
The other bantamweight fight will see Yuki Shojo, who resently lost to the champion "BJ" take on DREAM veteran Junya Kudo.
In the lightweight division, Australian Gustavo Falciroli is making the trip to Japan to take on Paraestra Sapporo's Daisuke Ishizawa. Falciroli made it into the Shooto rankings last month after a win over Akiyo Nishiura and it will be interesting to see if he can build on that.
There are 10 fights on the card now, including 2 Pacific title fights. The card should be complete now, and it is looking very good! Added: Bantam: Ryuichi Miki 9-2-3 vs. 15-4-6 Yasuhiro Urushitani Bantam: Yuki Shojo 8-5-2 vs. 7-2-2 Junya Kudo Light: Gustavo Falciroli 6-1-2 vs. 4-5-0 Daisuke Ishizawa
Previously Announced: Welterweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Yusuke Endo (Champion) 12-3-2 vs. 14-5-2 Kotetsu Boku
Middleweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Xavier Lucas (Champion) 6-1-1 vs. 11-2-1 Akihiro Yamazaki
Feather: Tetsu Suzuki 8-7-3 vs. 6-2-0 Teriyuki Matsumoto Feather: Masatoshi Abe 8-2-1 vs. 5-1-1 Fumihiro Kitahara
Rookie Tournament: Bantam: Nozomi Otsuka 2-1-1 vs. 1-0-1 Yasutaka Ishigami Light: Atsushi Kobayashi 2-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Yusuke Yachi Feather: Haruo Ochi 4-1-0 vs. 2-0-0 Kota Onojima
Shooto have announced 2 Pacific Rim title fights for their next "Revolutionary Exchanges" event. In the welterweight division, Kotetsu Boku will aim to reclaim his title from the current champion, Yusuke Endo. This is not the first time these fighters meet. Endo was Boku's opponent when Boku returned to Shooto in January this year. That was a non-title fight and it ended with a draw.
In the other title fight announced, Australian Xavier Lucas will defend his middlweight Pacific Rim title against Japanese standout, Akihiro Yamazaki. This will be the first title defense for Xavier Lucas, and his first fight in Korakuen Hall. Yamazaki has not lost since February 2005, his opponent on that occation was Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and this should be a very good fight.
Also on the card is the Hadairo (Tetsu Suzuki), taking on a very interesting opponent in Teriyuki Matsumoto. Making his debut on the Shooto "main cards" is Fumihiro Kitahara, taking on Masatoshi Abe. Welterweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Yusuke Endo (Champion) 12-3-2 vs. 14-5-2 Kotetsu Boku
Middleweight Shooto Pacific Champion Title Fight: Xavier Lucas (Champion) 6-1-1 vs. 11-2-1 Akihiro Yamazaki
Feather: Tetsu Suzuki 8-7-3 vs. 6-2-0 Teriyuki Matsumoto Feather: Masatoshi Abe 8-2-1 vs. 5-1-1 Fumihiro Kitahara
Rookie Tournament: Bantam: Nozomi Otsuka 2-1-1 vs. 1-0-1 Yasutaka Ishigami Light: Atsushi Kobayashi 2-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Yusuke Yachi Feather: Haruo Ochi 4-1-0 vs. 2-0-0 Kota Onojima
Shooto will end this year on a high, from "Revolutionary Exhcanges 2" they will have 3 big cards with just a month between them.
For this card 2 Pacific title fights are announced. For the welterweight title, Kotetsu Boku once wore the belt that now belongs to Yusuke Endo. Some will point out that Boku never lost the title in the ring. This is a re-match from January, on that occation the fight ended in a draw.
The other title fight is for the middleweight title. The title currently belongs to Australian Xavier Lucas, who claimed the title after defeating Yoshitaro Niimi in October last year. In his first title defence he will be taking on Akihiro Yamazaki, a fighter that has lots of talent and this will be a good fight. Announced: Pacific Welterweight Title Fight: Yusuke Endo (C) 12-3-2 vs. 14-5-2 Kotetsu Boku
Pacific Middleweight Title Fight: Xavier Lucas (C) 6-1-1 vs. 11-2-1 Akihiro Yamazaki
Feather: Tetsu "Hadairo" Suzuki 8-7-3 vs. 6-2-0 Teriyuki Matsumoto Bantam: Masatoshi Abe 8-2-1 vs. 5-1-1 Fumihiro Kitahara
Rookie Tournament: Feaher: Haruo Ochi 4-1-0 vs. 2-0-0 Kota Onojima Light: Atsushi Kobayashi 2-1-0 vs. 1-0-0 Yusuke Yachi Bantam: Nozomi Otsuka 2-1-1 vs. 1-0-1 Yasutaka Ishigami
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
At last night's event they also introduced some fights for the first Shooto event next year. This will be held in Differ Ariake, as suppose to the usual Korakuen Hall.
On the card will be super-veteran Jin Akimoto, Akimoto was a very good fighter. But after taking 2 years off, he has not recorded a win (thats 9 fights without a win!). Akimoto has faced good opponents though, and he should be favorite against "Gozo".
The money fight on this card is the fight between Endo and Boku though. This should be the main-event, even if it is not a title fight. Boku lost by decision to "Hellboy" in his last fight and is currently on a 2 fight losing streak. Yusuke Endo is the current Pacific Rim Shooto Champion, and he will be facing a former champion. This is a non-title fight though. Announced: Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-1 vs. 13-5-1 Koutetsu Boku Feather: Junya "KODO" Kudo 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 2 participants to their BIG May 3. card. This will be an awesome event, and one I am really looking forward to.
They have added 2 very talented fighters, Yusuke Endo 10-2-1 and Shinji Sasaki 6-1-0 to this card, their opponets are yet to be announced.
The card now looks like this:
Takashi Nakakura 9-2-1 vs. 9-2-2 Ganjo Tentsuku Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. 13-2-0 David Baron Akitoshi Tamura 11-6-2 vs. 24-11-2 Rumina Sato Ryuichi Miki 6-2-2 vs. 14-3-5 Yasuhiro Urushitani "Lion" Takeshi Inoue 14-2-0 vs. 8-7-0 Savant Young
Opening fights: Hayate Usui 8-6-1 vs. 3-2-3 Sakae Kasuya Katsuya Murofushi 3-2-0 vs. Shinpei Tahara
