Stewart
Here is a link to a very good interview with Japanese MMA manager, Shu Hirata.
For some photos from the ASTRA event on Sunday, April 25th, where Hidehiko Yoshida fought his last MMA match, click here.
In an unusual match up between sempai and kohai, the fight went to a judge decision and Kazuhiro ‘Kazu’ Nakamura won due to his dominating and controlling performance.
A very surprising outcome that day saw Ryo Chonan lose by knockout to Korean, Jung Hwan Cha in the second round. MMA-in-Japan.com hopes to interview Chonan in an exclusive very soon.
Ensen Inoue gave his fans what they wanted, arm barring Antz Nansen, a kickboxer he once cornered.
MMA-in-Japan is watching Michihiro Omigawa’s career closely!
A quick breakdown below.
Astra – Yoshida’s Farewell Results
I went along to the Cage Force event on Sunday, April 11th at Differ Ariake.
The octagon is not quite as big as the UFC but it is certainly much
UFC Fight Night 21 tomorrow is headlined by two world class lightweight fighters.
Also, on the same card, two more Japanese fighters have bouts.
Caol Uno will face Gleison Tibau, also in the lightweight division. Both fighters have extensive fight experience.
And Yushi Okami fights Lucio Linhares in the 185lbs (84kg) division.
All three fights, amongst others on the card, look to be very exciting. Gomi promises an explosive fight and as we’ve seen from him in the past he is sure to deliver. Caol Uno has an all-round game, very technical, and capable of finishing with a good submission. I trained with Okami in his preparation for this fight so I know he’s in excellent shape; very hard to take down we could see a knockout or submission from him.
In a national first, TV Tokyo will broadcast highlights from the event on Thursday, April 8 at 10pm.
And here is what some of the pros say.
Having recently been invited to train at the RJW (Real Japan Wrestling) branch of Wajutsu Keishukai (WK) where there are some notable fighters, including Yushin Okami who has been fighting in the UFC, it was too good an offer to miss. I had trained at the Wajutsu Keishukai main gym in Ochanomizu back in 2002 but
I caught up with Roxanne Modafferi, American MMA fighter currently living and fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. Under the Unified Women’s MMA Rankings, Roxanne is currently number 3 in the world at bantamweight. A lively and positive demeanor, it was a pleasure to do this interview. Please also check our exclusive video of Roxanne demonstrating a very useful MMA drill, hit & return.
When did you first become interested in martial arts and what got you into MMA?
I first got interested in Karate in middle school,
MMA-in-Japan would like to introduce a lesser known but very interesting fighter, Ryoji Suzuki. I first met Ryoji in Tokyo in 2001 where he was, and continues to be, a personal strength and conditioning trainer. With a professional boxing licence and a keen interest in the grappling arts, I was reminded that
In Japan, Christianity has always been in the minority, currently at only 2% of the population. As a result, Christmas is not really celebrated other than in a consumeristic fashion where couples exchange presents or children are given them. Christmas cards are generally not sent. However, New Year’s cards, in postcard form are sent by almost everyone
