We visited Yushin Okami at RJW (Real Japan Wrestling, part of the Wajutsu Keishukai network) where he trains several days a week to interview him and watch him take the MMA class with some of the resident professional and amateur fighters.
RJW is located in a very unlikely spot. A residential area of Tokyo, on a converted floor of a condominium, rather hard to find for anyone unfamiliar with Tokyo or the Japanese language.
February 27, 2011, Riki Fukuda – team Grabaka’s DEEP Middleweight Champion – fought in the UFC for the first time.
The match which went to a judge decision in the favour of his opponent, Nick Ring (Canada), was widely accepted as Fukuda’s win and it has been reported that Dana White has offered to compensate Fukuda with the same purse as the winner.
MMA-in-Japan will interview Fukuda shortly and get his thoughts on
We visited Kenji Osawa recently to talk JMMA and hear about HEARTS, his new dojo in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Kenji, always cheerful and friendly, emphasized his ethos on enjoying training in MMA regardless of your level or ability.
Somewhat unsure of the future of DREAM in Japan he was unable to give a clear answer to where his career is headed; turning 35 this year also making hopes of entering the UFC slim. Wherever he fights we wish him all the best!
UFC 126 in Las Vegas, Nevada, is headlined by Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort. At the weigh ins the crowd seemed to be behind the challenger, Belfort, but the fight itself could shape up to be an epic battle. Both fighters are undoubtedly at the top of the middleweight division so we will have to wait and see on Saturday, February 5th.
This UFC also sees two top class Japanese fighters, Michihiro Omigawa (12-8-1), and Norifumi Yamamoto (18-3-0), who face
MMA-in-Japan.com went along to Wajutsu Keishukai’s A3 gym in Wako-shi to see Rikuhei Fujii, the new Pancrase Middleweight Champion, do his strength and conditioning workout, and we were lucky to get the chance to ask him a few questions afterward.
Fujii trains at A3 but is often at Wajutsu Keishukai’s RJW gym training under Yushin Okami. Recently crowned the middleweight King of Pancrase Fujii is an up-and-coming fighter with experience in the ring and the cage (Cage Force) and can be seen in the corner of Okami when he fights in the UFC.
Check the video and interview!
MMA-in-Japan.com spent a few days with Swiss fighter, Yasubey Enomoto during his recent visit to Japan. Yasubey fought Keita (K-Taro) Nakamura in the welterweight division tournament final of Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) at Ariake Colloseum in Tokyo Japan on December 30, 2010.
This video is from the weigh in and the pre-fight warm up.
The following interview was taken immediately after the weigh in, the day before the fight.
Have a look at some of the shots from UFC 122 on Nov. 13, 2010 at the Konig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.
MMA-in-Japan.com would like to congratulate Yushin Okami on his win in the main event and wish him all the best with his fight next year against the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort.
With Chael Sonnen seemingly out of the running in the middleweight division, Japan’s Yushin Okami is firmly back in the running. Facing Vitor Belfort in UFC 122 in Germany and winning will give Okami a title shot against Anderson Silva.
MMA-in-Japan would like to wish Yushin all the best!
*UPDATE*
Vitor Belfort is apparently getting a title shot before the end of the year and Nate Marquardt steps in to fight Yushin Okami.
Hidetaka Monma is a Japanese welterweight fighter with a professional MMA record spanning back to 2001. He has fought in RINGS, DEEP, DEMOLITION, CAGE FORCE, HERO’S and DREAM.
Hidetaka Monma
Originally from the Wajutsu Keishukai Network of fighters, which have included Caol Uno, Daiju Takase (see his win over Anderson Silva here), Yushin Okami, amongst others, Monma explains how he got into MMA later than most.
