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Next Sengoku Card Developing
Just 48 hours after the curtain closed on the second Sengoku show,
promoter World Victory Road announced several matchups for its next
event, scheduled for June 8 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan.
In a battle of elder statesmen, 1992 Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith (Pictures).
The 37-year-old Yoshida last saw action in March, when Josh Barnett (Pictures) submitted him in the main event of the first Sengoku card. The 46-year-old Smith has fought just twice in the last seven years. He stopped Marco Ruas (Pictures) in May 2007 and Rick Roufus (Pictures) this past February.
Yoshida sparked interest in the classic grappler-versus-striker confrontation by promising a standup battle. v "I am currently hitting the mitts a lot with (boxing trainer) Katsuhisa Tashiro," he said. "When facing a champion kickboxer like Smith, I have to pay special attention to my hands. I want to win via knockout."
The bill will also feature middleweight standout Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) against Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product Logan Clark (Pictures).
Misaki was part of the inaugural Sengoku lineup in March, when he took a second-round submission victory over Shooto world champion Siyar Bahadurzada (Pictures). The once-beaten Clark has spent the last year and a half under Zuffa's UFC and WEC brands. He is coming off a first-round pounding of Scott Harper in March.
"At first I did not even know (Clark's) name, but after some research I found out that he is a very good opponent," Misaki said. "From what I have seen of him, he appears to be well-rounded. What's standing out is his size. At 6-foot-2, he is very tall for a middleweight, which might pose some problems. All in all I am very honored to fight a quality opponent like him."
Misaki said he would have preferred to fight American Top Team's Jorge Santiago (Pictures), who submitted his Grabaka teammate Yuki Sasaki (Pictures) on Sunday. However, the Brazilian broke his hand in the fight. A Misaki-Santiago confrontation could take place at Sengoku 5 in September.
WVR also announced a pair of heavyweight bouts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Marcio "Pe De Pano" Cruz will fight super-tough South Korean Mu Bae Choi (Pictures), and recent Yamma tournament champion Travis Wiuff (Pictures) will meet the iron-headed Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures).
The four matchups join a previously announced welterweight clash between Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Michael Costa. Striking stalwart Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Chute Boxe brawler Fabio Silva (Pictures) and Brazilian lightweight prospect Rodrigo Damm are all scheduled for action on the card.
In a battle of elder statesmen, 1992 Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith (Pictures).
The 37-year-old Yoshida last saw action in March, when Josh Barnett (Pictures) submitted him in the main event of the first Sengoku card. The 46-year-old Smith has fought just twice in the last seven years. He stopped Marco Ruas (Pictures) in May 2007 and Rick Roufus (Pictures) this past February.
Yoshida sparked interest in the classic grappler-versus-striker confrontation by promising a standup battle. v "I am currently hitting the mitts a lot with (boxing trainer) Katsuhisa Tashiro," he said. "When facing a champion kickboxer like Smith, I have to pay special attention to my hands. I want to win via knockout."
The bill will also feature middleweight standout Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) against Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product Logan Clark (Pictures).
Misaki was part of the inaugural Sengoku lineup in March, when he took a second-round submission victory over Shooto world champion Siyar Bahadurzada (Pictures). The once-beaten Clark has spent the last year and a half under Zuffa's UFC and WEC brands. He is coming off a first-round pounding of Scott Harper in March.
"At first I did not even know (Clark's) name, but after some research I found out that he is a very good opponent," Misaki said. "From what I have seen of him, he appears to be well-rounded. What's standing out is his size. At 6-foot-2, he is very tall for a middleweight, which might pose some problems. All in all I am very honored to fight a quality opponent like him."
Misaki said he would have preferred to fight American Top Team's Jorge Santiago (Pictures), who submitted his Grabaka teammate Yuki Sasaki (Pictures) on Sunday. However, the Brazilian broke his hand in the fight. A Misaki-Santiago confrontation could take place at Sengoku 5 in September.
WVR also announced a pair of heavyweight bouts. Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Marcio "Pe De Pano" Cruz will fight super-tough South Korean Mu Bae Choi (Pictures), and recent Yamma tournament champion Travis Wiuff (Pictures) will meet the iron-headed Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures).
The four matchups join a previously announced welterweight clash between Nick "The Goat" Thompson and Michael Costa. Striking stalwart Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Chute Boxe brawler Fabio Silva (Pictures) and Brazilian lightweight prospect Rodrigo Damm are all scheduled for action on the card.
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