Hansen Returns to Shooto
In addition to a bout between top-ranked featherweights Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) and Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures), Shooto promoter Sustain is in
the final stages of negotiating a lightweight battle between former
champion Joachim Hansen
(Pictures) and Japanese wrestler
Eiji Mitsuoka
(Pictures), Mitsuoka confirmed with
Sherdog.com.
The match will mark the Norwegian's return to his Shooto roots in the main event of the BACK TO OUR ROOTS 6 event on Nov. 8 at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Hansen, who debuted in Japan for Shooto almost five years ago, last fought for the promotion in February 2006 when his challenge for the Shooto 154-pound title ended in a disqualification loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures).
Mitsuoka, 31, won the second season of PRIDE's former reality show "PRE-PRIDE," the Japanese equivalent of "The Ultimate Fighter." In his 18 fights, Mitsuoka has only been stopped twice -- on a cut against John Alessio (Pictures) and via submission against Chris Brennan (Chris Brennan' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) in his PRIDE debut.
Mitsuoka is also a teammate of former King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue (Pictures) and top flyweight Shooter Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures) at Wajyutsu Keisyukai RJW. He holds victories over UFC veterans Gerald Strebendt (Pictures), Anthony Macias, Gleison Tibau (Pictures) and Paul Rodriguez (Paul Rodriguez' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) as well as former KOTC lightweight champion Takumi Nakayama (Pictures). His last fight was a razor-thin split decision loss to HERO'S veteran Koutetsu Boku (Pictures) at GCM's Cage Force 4 in September.
Although Mitsuoka was originally scheduled to return Dec. 1 to GCM, where he holds a solid 6-2 record, Hansen wasn't thinking he would compete again this year.
In an interview "Hellboy" said his contract with former PRIDE owners Dream Stage Entertainment ran until Dec. 31 and then he would have been free to sign with another promoter, Cage Rage and HERO'S being frontrunners for his signature.
With the dissolving of PRIDE's Tokyo office in early October, though, and the subsequent public funeral of the former Japanese powerhouse, Zuffa appears to have lost its stranglehold on some fighters' contracts. Now that Hansen is returning to Shooto, it is expected that the remaining PRIDE stars like Josh Barnett (Pictures), Ricardo Arona (Pictures) and Takanori Gomi (Pictures) will be back in action shortly.
The match will mark the Norwegian's return to his Shooto roots in the main event of the BACK TO OUR ROOTS 6 event on Nov. 8 at the Yoyogi National Stadium Second Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Hansen, who debuted in Japan for Shooto almost five years ago, last fought for the promotion in February 2006 when his challenge for the Shooto 154-pound title ended in a disqualification loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures).
Mitsuoka, 31, won the second season of PRIDE's former reality show "PRE-PRIDE," the Japanese equivalent of "The Ultimate Fighter." In his 18 fights, Mitsuoka has only been stopped twice -- on a cut against John Alessio (Pictures) and via submission against Chris Brennan (Chris Brennan' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) in his PRIDE debut.
Mitsuoka is also a teammate of former King of Pancrase Katsuya Inoue (Pictures) and top flyweight Shooter Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures) at Wajyutsu Keisyukai RJW. He holds victories over UFC veterans Gerald Strebendt (Pictures), Anthony Macias, Gleison Tibau (Pictures) and Paul Rodriguez (Paul Rodriguez' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) as well as former KOTC lightweight champion Takumi Nakayama (Pictures). His last fight was a razor-thin split decision loss to HERO'S veteran Koutetsu Boku (Pictures) at GCM's Cage Force 4 in September.
Although Mitsuoka was originally scheduled to return Dec. 1 to GCM, where he holds a solid 6-2 record, Hansen wasn't thinking he would compete again this year.
In an interview "Hellboy" said his contract with former PRIDE owners Dream Stage Entertainment ran until Dec. 31 and then he would have been free to sign with another promoter, Cage Rage and HERO'S being frontrunners for his signature.
With the dissolving of PRIDE's Tokyo office in early October, though, and the subsequent public funeral of the former Japanese powerhouse, Zuffa appears to have lost its stranglehold on some fighters' contracts. Now that Hansen is returning to Shooto, it is expected that the remaining PRIDE stars like Josh Barnett (Pictures), Ricardo Arona (Pictures) and Takanori Gomi (Pictures) will be back in action shortly.
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