Carvalho to Fight Takaya in Nov.
TOKYO -- Top pro Shooto promoter Sustain is set to announce a bout
between featherweight standouts Antonio "Pato" Carvalho
(Pictures) and "Streetfight Bancho"
Hiroyuki Takaya
(Pictures) on Nov. 8's BACK TO OUR
ROOTS 6 at Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium, Sherdog.com
has learned.
Carvalho, a representative of the Franco-Behring team who has spent the last 11 months living and training in Japan under veteran Hiroyuki Abe at the Abe Ani Combat Club in Tokyo, confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com on Thursday. The 28-year-old "Pato" currently stands atop the Shooto world rankings at 143 pounds after having defeated top Japanese featherweights such as "Lion Takeshi" Takeshi Inoue (Pictures), Rumina Sato (Pictures), and most recently, Hatsu Hioki (Pictures).
The heavy-handed Takaya, 30, began his career in Shooto as the 2003 rookie champ, emerging as one of the 143-pound division's young stars before heading to the 154-pound class of K-1 HERO'S for a chance at larger paydays. However, Takaya recently made the drop back to the featherweight division, where he defeated American Jarrod Card (Pictures) via a first round KO in Sept's Cage Force. Due to Takaya still struggling to ease his body back into the division, Carvalho has agreed to take the bout at a 148-pound catchweight.
With Shooto world champion Akitoshi Tamura (Pictures), who is also scheduled for action on the card, needing to make his first mandatory title defense by May, the bout takes on a larger significance. A win over Takaya cements Carvalho's place atop the Shooto rankings, while beating the top ranked 143-pound Shootor puts Takaya in place to make his long awaited jump overseas.
Also slated to fight on the card card, Shooto Pacific Rim 154-pound champion Takashi Nakakura (Pictures) will defend his title against upstart Yusuke Endo (Pictures), while former Shooto world champion Takeshi Inoue (Pictures) will battle Katsuya Toida (Pictures) for the 143-pound Pacific Rim title. Shooto 123-pound world champ "BJ" Shinichi Kojima (Pictures) will make his move up to Shooto's 132-pound class to face young Brazilian import Eduardo Dantas. And female dynamo, "Mega Megu" Megumi Fujii (Pictures) will face ALIVE's Kyoko Takabayashi (Pictures).
Carvalho, a representative of the Franco-Behring team who has spent the last 11 months living and training in Japan under veteran Hiroyuki Abe at the Abe Ani Combat Club in Tokyo, confirmed the bout to Sherdog.com on Thursday. The 28-year-old "Pato" currently stands atop the Shooto world rankings at 143 pounds after having defeated top Japanese featherweights such as "Lion Takeshi" Takeshi Inoue (Pictures), Rumina Sato (Pictures), and most recently, Hatsu Hioki (Pictures).
The heavy-handed Takaya, 30, began his career in Shooto as the 2003 rookie champ, emerging as one of the 143-pound division's young stars before heading to the 154-pound class of K-1 HERO'S for a chance at larger paydays. However, Takaya recently made the drop back to the featherweight division, where he defeated American Jarrod Card (Pictures) via a first round KO in Sept's Cage Force. Due to Takaya still struggling to ease his body back into the division, Carvalho has agreed to take the bout at a 148-pound catchweight.
With Shooto world champion Akitoshi Tamura (Pictures), who is also scheduled for action on the card, needing to make his first mandatory title defense by May, the bout takes on a larger significance. A win over Takaya cements Carvalho's place atop the Shooto rankings, while beating the top ranked 143-pound Shootor puts Takaya in place to make his long awaited jump overseas.
Also slated to fight on the card card, Shooto Pacific Rim 154-pound champion Takashi Nakakura (Pictures) will defend his title against upstart Yusuke Endo (Pictures), while former Shooto world champion Takeshi Inoue (Pictures) will battle Katsuya Toida (Pictures) for the 143-pound Pacific Rim title. Shooto 123-pound world champ "BJ" Shinichi Kojima (Pictures) will make his move up to Shooto's 132-pound class to face young Brazilian import Eduardo Dantas. And female dynamo, "Mega Megu" Megumi Fujii (Pictures) will face ALIVE's Kyoko Takabayashi (Pictures).
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