The Weekly Wrap: Sept. 12 - Sept. 18

Ishii, Cormier Debuts Set

The MMA debuts of two Olympians were confirmed.

Satoshi Ishii, the 2008 judo gold medalist, will debut against a fellow Olympic judo medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, who won gold in 1992. The fight will take place at Sengoku’s New Year’s Eve event. In Yoshida, Ishii was dealt Sengoku’s biggest name in Japan, his popularity dating back to his run in Pride Fighting Championships and fights on primetime network television. Ishii, 20, reportedly turned down offers, some said to be multimillion-dollar deals from the UFC and Dream, to join Sengoku.

Further details are expected on the bout’s specifics by month’s end. Ishii will be the second gold medalist Yoshida, 40, has faced in MMA. He dropped a decision to 2000 American wrestling medalist Rulon Gardner on New Year’s Eve in 2004.

Another Olympian, Oklahoma State University collegiate wrestling champion Daniel Cormier -- he represented the United States in the 2004 Athens games -- will face Gary Frazier at Strikeforce “Challenger Series 3” on Sept. 25 in Tulsa, Okla. The show will air live on Showtime. Cormier was a closely watched candidate for a medal as a freestyle wrestler in the 2008 Olympics but was forced to withdraw from competition at the last minute due to a kidney problem.