Koubousen Companion: News and Notes from Japan
Girls, GIGs and SWAT
Jordan Breen Mar 23, 2007
Smackgirl schedule remainder of next
Cinderella showdowns
Shooto and Pancrase aren't the only ones who recognize the worth of annual tournaments for their young crops of fighters. Pioneering joshi promotion Smackgirl's Next Cinderella rookie tournaments have produced quality talent including Smackgirl middleweight champion Hitomi Akano (Pictures), as well as competitors such as Mai, and Kanako Takeshita (Pictures). Smackgirl got this year's Next Cinderella series rolling on March 11 at Shinjuku FACE, and have announced the remaining schedule for the year's tournaments, to determine who the slipper will fit at 106-, 115- and 128-pounds.
The flyweight tournament bracket saw considerable action on March
11. In a quarterfinal bout, Madoka Ebihara took a unanimous
decision over Mamiko
Mizoguchi to advance to the semifinals against seeded
competitor SACHI on May 19 at Shinjuku FACE. Meanwhile, also on the
March 11 bill, Sayaka
Takase was forced to retire due to injury in the first round of
her semifinal bout with Maho
Muranami (Pictures). As a result, Muranami has
advanced to the August 8 card at Korakuen Hall, which will feature
all three tournament finals, to face the winner of the upcoming
SACHI-Ebihara bout.
Two quarterfinal bouts in the lightweight tournament were also contested on the March 11 Shinjuku FACE card, with Emi Tomimatsu (Pictures) taking a unanimous decision over Megumi Ito, and V Hajime choking out Ana Saito to advance to the semifinals. Tomimatsu will now meet seeded semifinalist Yuka Okumura on May 19, while V Hajime will await the winner of YOKO and Saori Ishioka, scheduled for Smackgirl's April 28 card at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka.
A sweet GIG for Shooto in Nagoya this Sunday
Despite a Kitazawa Town Hall card and a Korakuen Hall card already being checked off the Shooto schedule this month, March is far from done for Shooto. This Sunday in Nagoya, ALIVE Academy in conjunction with sponsor Kouboudo MACS will present the twelfth addition of GIG CENTRAL, offering up a very solid, and balanced line-up including some of central Japan's best Shooto talent.
Among the four rookie tournament bouts slated for action at Zepp Nagoya, a 168-pound quarterfinal between Tomokazu Yuasa (Pictures) and Yousuke Kume stands out as perhaps the most intriguing. The match-up pits 2005's All Japan middleweight amateur Shooto champion in Yuasa against 2006's 168-pound amateur king in Kume. Yuasa has shown to be a strong and particularly well-rounded competitor in his pro career, while Kume's outstanding finish rate as an amateur, with a considerable balance between knockouts and submissions, shows much the same versatility. In what may prove to be a dead even match-up, whoever is able to come out on top may emerge as the popular favorite to take this year's 168-pound rookie title.
Hometown Nagoya fighter Hiroshi Umemura long toiled in mediocrity in the Shooto featherweight ranks, but a recent five-fight winning streak, two of which were under Shooto sanctioning, have the BJJ black belt looking like a more seasoned competitor who may finally earn a ticket to Class A. In the ring, he will meet fairly pedestrian competition in Takamaro Watari (Pictures), and should be able to put on a strong performance for his hometown crowd, and move a bit closer toward a Class A promotion.
Umemura's ALIVE Komaki teammate and fellow BJJ black belt Akira Kibe (Pictures) will be in for a bit rougher ride against 2006 Shooto featherweight rookie runner-up Teriyuki Matsumoto (Pictures). Despite his grappling pedigree, Kibe has not been a particularly outstanding competitor in the Shooto ranks. Matsumoto, despite a lukewarm 3-2 record, is a very promising fighter whose only losses have come to the last two Shooto rookie champions in his weight class, Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) and Masakazu Ueda (Pictures). Matsumoto is an aggressive and exciting fighter with a versatile skill set. The flashes of potential he's shown in the ring have enforced the idea that he will eventually be a Class A Shooto competitor, and this fight may be a big step toward that.
More imminent in this regard however, is a 154-pound clash between local favorite Takahiro Kajita and 2006 Shooto welterweight rookie champion Yoshihiro Koyama (Pictures). While not explicitly stated, it appears obvious that the winner of the bout will gain their Class A Shooto promotion.
With only one loss in his last eight fights, Kajita has emerged as a legitimate KO-threat on the feet, and has turned in outstanding performances at each of the last two GIG CENTRAL cards. Meanwhile, Koyama has been tabbed as one of the best young fighters in the division. He has trained with the likes of Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), Kenji Osawa (Pictures) and Ryota Matsune (Pictures), all of whom have very high praise for his skill. An exceptional athletic wrestler who has quickly developed some potent striking, Koyama is the considerable favorite in the bout, which is expected to serve as a showcase for his immense potential.
In the main event, world ranked bantamweights Yasuhiro Akagi and Homare Kuboyama (Pictures) will square off in a bout which is crucial for both fighters. Due to the fact Shooto's 123-pound class is extremely talented at the top of the division despite being on fairly unpopulated on the whole, competitors must fight tooth and nail to keep pace with the BJs, Mamorus and Urushitanis of the division. With both fighters coming off of losses, Akagi to up-and-comer Yusei Shimokawa (Pictures) and Kuboyama to contender Masatoshi Abe (Pictures), a win is crucial for both fighters, and moreover, a loss is even more devastating. A very evenly matched bout between two fighters who aren't afraid to push the pace, the finale of GIG CENTRAL Vol. 12 is a fitting closer to a card well worth some serious attention.
Saeki saves April offering with good booking, Brazilians and SWAT
Coming off of an outstanding Feb. 16 card that jam-packed Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, DEEP promoter Shigeru Saeki was faced with a tough hand to play. On a card in which he utilized several of his biggest draws, and four of his champions, many of his stars performed sensationally, with fighters like Hidehiko Hasegawa (Pictures) and Kazunori Yokota (Pictures) putting on the best performances of their careers in title-clinching wins, and top draws Ryo Chonan (Pictures) and Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) scrapping hard until the final bell.
The problem of course is that these fights didn't happen in a vacuum; Saeki has other events to promote, and the cost of standout fighters putting on exceptional performances is extracted in the form of them needing a break from the ring to recover. With a return to Korakuen Hall scheduled for April 13, Saeki reportedly found the early planning stages incredibly difficult.
Originally, it seemed that he had wanted to give new champions Yokota and Hasegawa easier showcase fights to reward their title wins and to not exhaust them less than two months after the biggest fights of their respective careers. However, bumps and bruises have sidelined Yokota and Hasegawa, nixing those plans. Saeki also wanted to give former champion Jutaro Nakao (Pictures) a chance to rebound after his tough title loss to Hasegawa, with Nakao being one of the first names announced when Saeki released the initial participation list for the event. However, injuries have also piled up on Nakao, putting him on the shelf as well. Saeki also reportedly had difficulties populating the undercard, with seemingly a rash of injuries to his typically utilized personnel.
However, Saeki's reputation as a stalwart promoter exists for a reason. Forced to be a bit more creative in his matchmaking, Saeki has hammered out a very interesting card, which may enjoy a considerable level of crossover appeal despite not utilizing many of DEEP's biggest stars.
Saeki has made good use of the regular DEEP talent who was healthy enough to compete, matching up "Barbaro44" Yoshihiro Tomioka (Pictures) and veteran Ryan Bow (Pictures), two fighters who are both looking to get back into the swing of things in DEEP's lightweight class.
Yoshida Dojo products Michihiro Omigawa (Pictures) and Ryuichi Murata (Pictures), both of whom are 3-1 in their last four fights and look much improved since their lackluster debuts in PRIDE Bushido, will return to the ring as well. Omigawa faces an apt test in veteran journeyman Naoki Matsushita (Pictures), while Murata takes a considerably stiffer test in South Korean Dae Won Kim (Pictures). Kim has looked great in his last three fights, defeating veteran Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pictures) and giving a world of trouble to Akihiro Gono (Pictures) before being submitted before dishing out a nasty KO to DEEP regular Yuya Shirai (Pictures) in December.
Coming off of a shocking loss to unheralded South Korean Muay Thai champion Ham Su Hi in February, DEEP 106-pound female champion Hisae Watanabe (Pictures) will return to the ring to face joshi kakutougi's ironwoman in Masako Yoshida (Pictures). Despite losing her last four bouts to sterling competition and again being an underdog in this bout, Yoshida is a very quality competitor, and a better opponent than was anticipated by many for Watanabe's return bout. If she is true to her word about wanting to fight on the feet with Watanabe and entertain the crowd, she will almost assuredly come out on the short and possibly painful end of the stick, however the bout is still a quality match-up of talented females.
The most intriguing point to this card, however, are the imports. In what will likely be the main event, former DEEP middleweight champion Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) will return to action to rematch former opponent Murilo Bustamante (Pictures). Having last competed in a lackluster bout against Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) last November, the 40-year-old Bustamante's participation in DEEP is somewhat of a throwback to the early days of DEEP, where there was a keen promotional interest in big ticket in Brazilians.
Bustamante's participation should ensure that the eyes of many casual fans take a glance at the event, giving DEEP some much warranted crossover appeal with the international MMA fan base.
Also, it would be amiss to not mention the other dubiously entertaining pairing slated for the April 13 card. While it has yet to be officialized, Brazilian bomber Edson Drago (Pictures) has confirmed that he will compete on the DEEP card, against none other than American instigator Wes Sims (Pictures), who will look to give Japanese fans their first taste of the ongoing Sims Whoop Ass Tour.
Shooto and Pancrase aren't the only ones who recognize the worth of annual tournaments for their young crops of fighters. Pioneering joshi promotion Smackgirl's Next Cinderella rookie tournaments have produced quality talent including Smackgirl middleweight champion Hitomi Akano (Pictures), as well as competitors such as Mai, and Kanako Takeshita (Pictures). Smackgirl got this year's Next Cinderella series rolling on March 11 at Shinjuku FACE, and have announced the remaining schedule for the year's tournaments, to determine who the slipper will fit at 106-, 115- and 128-pounds.
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Two quarterfinal bouts in the lightweight tournament were also contested on the March 11 Shinjuku FACE card, with Emi Tomimatsu (Pictures) taking a unanimous decision over Megumi Ito, and V Hajime choking out Ana Saito to advance to the semifinals. Tomimatsu will now meet seeded semifinalist Yuka Okumura on May 19, while V Hajime will await the winner of YOKO and Saori Ishioka, scheduled for Smackgirl's April 28 card at Azalea Taisho Hall in Osaka.
The middleweight tournament saw only one tournament bout take place
on the March 11 bill, with Benkei quickly armbarring Hitomi Sakamoto to advance to
the first semifinal on May 19 aganst seeded HARUMI. The second
quarterfinal will take place on April 28 in Osaka, with Miyuki Ariga (Pictures) taking on Hiromi Kohata. The
winner of that bout will advance to the May 19 card to face a
yet-to-be-determined seeded opponent.
A sweet GIG for Shooto in Nagoya this Sunday
Despite a Kitazawa Town Hall card and a Korakuen Hall card already being checked off the Shooto schedule this month, March is far from done for Shooto. This Sunday in Nagoya, ALIVE Academy in conjunction with sponsor Kouboudo MACS will present the twelfth addition of GIG CENTRAL, offering up a very solid, and balanced line-up including some of central Japan's best Shooto talent.
Among the four rookie tournament bouts slated for action at Zepp Nagoya, a 168-pound quarterfinal between Tomokazu Yuasa (Pictures) and Yousuke Kume stands out as perhaps the most intriguing. The match-up pits 2005's All Japan middleweight amateur Shooto champion in Yuasa against 2006's 168-pound amateur king in Kume. Yuasa has shown to be a strong and particularly well-rounded competitor in his pro career, while Kume's outstanding finish rate as an amateur, with a considerable balance between knockouts and submissions, shows much the same versatility. In what may prove to be a dead even match-up, whoever is able to come out on top may emerge as the popular favorite to take this year's 168-pound rookie title.
Hometown Nagoya fighter Hiroshi Umemura long toiled in mediocrity in the Shooto featherweight ranks, but a recent five-fight winning streak, two of which were under Shooto sanctioning, have the BJJ black belt looking like a more seasoned competitor who may finally earn a ticket to Class A. In the ring, he will meet fairly pedestrian competition in Takamaro Watari (Pictures), and should be able to put on a strong performance for his hometown crowd, and move a bit closer toward a Class A promotion.
Umemura's ALIVE Komaki teammate and fellow BJJ black belt Akira Kibe (Pictures) will be in for a bit rougher ride against 2006 Shooto featherweight rookie runner-up Teriyuki Matsumoto (Pictures). Despite his grappling pedigree, Kibe has not been a particularly outstanding competitor in the Shooto ranks. Matsumoto, despite a lukewarm 3-2 record, is a very promising fighter whose only losses have come to the last two Shooto rookie champions in his weight class, Takeya Mizugaki (Pictures) and Masakazu Ueda (Pictures). Matsumoto is an aggressive and exciting fighter with a versatile skill set. The flashes of potential he's shown in the ring have enforced the idea that he will eventually be a Class A Shooto competitor, and this fight may be a big step toward that.
More imminent in this regard however, is a 154-pound clash between local favorite Takahiro Kajita and 2006 Shooto welterweight rookie champion Yoshihiro Koyama (Pictures). While not explicitly stated, it appears obvious that the winner of the bout will gain their Class A Shooto promotion.
With only one loss in his last eight fights, Kajita has emerged as a legitimate KO-threat on the feet, and has turned in outstanding performances at each of the last two GIG CENTRAL cards. Meanwhile, Koyama has been tabbed as one of the best young fighters in the division. He has trained with the likes of Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Mitsuhiro Ishida (Pictures), Kenji Osawa (Pictures) and Ryota Matsune (Pictures), all of whom have very high praise for his skill. An exceptional athletic wrestler who has quickly developed some potent striking, Koyama is the considerable favorite in the bout, which is expected to serve as a showcase for his immense potential.
In the main event, world ranked bantamweights Yasuhiro Akagi and Homare Kuboyama (Pictures) will square off in a bout which is crucial for both fighters. Due to the fact Shooto's 123-pound class is extremely talented at the top of the division despite being on fairly unpopulated on the whole, competitors must fight tooth and nail to keep pace with the BJs, Mamorus and Urushitanis of the division. With both fighters coming off of losses, Akagi to up-and-comer Yusei Shimokawa (Pictures) and Kuboyama to contender Masatoshi Abe (Pictures), a win is crucial for both fighters, and moreover, a loss is even more devastating. A very evenly matched bout between two fighters who aren't afraid to push the pace, the finale of GIG CENTRAL Vol. 12 is a fitting closer to a card well worth some serious attention.
Saeki saves April offering with good booking, Brazilians and SWAT
Coming off of an outstanding Feb. 16 card that jam-packed Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, DEEP promoter Shigeru Saeki was faced with a tough hand to play. On a card in which he utilized several of his biggest draws, and four of his champions, many of his stars performed sensationally, with fighters like Hidehiko Hasegawa (Pictures) and Kazunori Yokota (Pictures) putting on the best performances of their careers in title-clinching wins, and top draws Ryo Chonan (Pictures) and Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) scrapping hard until the final bell.
The problem of course is that these fights didn't happen in a vacuum; Saeki has other events to promote, and the cost of standout fighters putting on exceptional performances is extracted in the form of them needing a break from the ring to recover. With a return to Korakuen Hall scheduled for April 13, Saeki reportedly found the early planning stages incredibly difficult.
Originally, it seemed that he had wanted to give new champions Yokota and Hasegawa easier showcase fights to reward their title wins and to not exhaust them less than two months after the biggest fights of their respective careers. However, bumps and bruises have sidelined Yokota and Hasegawa, nixing those plans. Saeki also wanted to give former champion Jutaro Nakao (Pictures) a chance to rebound after his tough title loss to Hasegawa, with Nakao being one of the first names announced when Saeki released the initial participation list for the event. However, injuries have also piled up on Nakao, putting him on the shelf as well. Saeki also reportedly had difficulties populating the undercard, with seemingly a rash of injuries to his typically utilized personnel.
However, Saeki's reputation as a stalwart promoter exists for a reason. Forced to be a bit more creative in his matchmaking, Saeki has hammered out a very interesting card, which may enjoy a considerable level of crossover appeal despite not utilizing many of DEEP's biggest stars.
Saeki has made good use of the regular DEEP talent who was healthy enough to compete, matching up "Barbaro44" Yoshihiro Tomioka (Pictures) and veteran Ryan Bow (Pictures), two fighters who are both looking to get back into the swing of things in DEEP's lightweight class.
Yoshida Dojo products Michihiro Omigawa (Pictures) and Ryuichi Murata (Pictures), both of whom are 3-1 in their last four fights and look much improved since their lackluster debuts in PRIDE Bushido, will return to the ring as well. Omigawa faces an apt test in veteran journeyman Naoki Matsushita (Pictures), while Murata takes a considerably stiffer test in South Korean Dae Won Kim (Pictures). Kim has looked great in his last three fights, defeating veteran Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pictures) and giving a world of trouble to Akihiro Gono (Pictures) before being submitted before dishing out a nasty KO to DEEP regular Yuya Shirai (Pictures) in December.
Coming off of a shocking loss to unheralded South Korean Muay Thai champion Ham Su Hi in February, DEEP 106-pound female champion Hisae Watanabe (Pictures) will return to the ring to face joshi kakutougi's ironwoman in Masako Yoshida (Pictures). Despite losing her last four bouts to sterling competition and again being an underdog in this bout, Yoshida is a very quality competitor, and a better opponent than was anticipated by many for Watanabe's return bout. If she is true to her word about wanting to fight on the feet with Watanabe and entertain the crowd, she will almost assuredly come out on the short and possibly painful end of the stick, however the bout is still a quality match-up of talented females.
The most intriguing point to this card, however, are the imports. In what will likely be the main event, former DEEP middleweight champion Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) will return to action to rematch former opponent Murilo Bustamante (Pictures). Having last competed in a lackluster bout against Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures) last November, the 40-year-old Bustamante's participation in DEEP is somewhat of a throwback to the early days of DEEP, where there was a keen promotional interest in big ticket in Brazilians.
Bustamante's participation should ensure that the eyes of many casual fans take a glance at the event, giving DEEP some much warranted crossover appeal with the international MMA fan base.
Also, it would be amiss to not mention the other dubiously entertaining pairing slated for the April 13 card. While it has yet to be officialized, Brazilian bomber Edson Drago (Pictures) has confirmed that he will compete on the DEEP card, against none other than American instigator Wes Sims (Pictures), who will look to give Japanese fans their first taste of the ongoing Sims Whoop Ass Tour.
