Here is a link to a very good interview with Japanese MMA manager, Shu Hirata.
1992 Barcelona Olympic Games gold medalist, Hidehiko Yoshida, will fight his last MMA match on April 25th, 2010. In an event called ASTRA, he is set to fight Kazuhiro Nakamura, a long-time student of his dojo.
Both have fought and cornered each other in Pride FC so win or lose it will be an emotional event to mark Yoshida’s retire.
MMA-in-Japan was present at a recent training session at Alliance Square, where both Yoshida and Nakamura have trained with Tsuyoshi Kosaka (TK) over the years. Yoshida was open about, and clearly suffering from a cold virus, but he trained nonetheless with still time to recover before the event on Sunday the 25th.
Ensen Inoue will make a comeback appearance at the event, long awaited by many of his fans.
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
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
This mix of K-1 and MMA fights, Sengoku and DREAM fighters, fighters in their teens and those in their forties, provided a great show to end the year 2009.
Masato fought his heart out
ZST at Differ, Ariake, Tokyo 23/11/2009 brought some good fights and interesting results.
I would like to congratulate my good friend, training partner and corner man, Ryoji Suzuki (Alliance Square) on his win against Motoki Osaki (Grabaka) at 3:43 in the first round by left high kick!
I arrived at the dojo in the middle of the summer of 2001, the hottest summer on record in Japan for 80 years they said. Coming from Scotland, my hottest ever holiday taken in the Mediterranean, the heat coupled with high humidity was ferocious. No air-conditioning, the gym in set at basement level with little circulation of air. Since it was the day after Pride 15,
In May 2001, 5 months after arriving in Japan, I met Nobuhiko Takada right after Pride 14 through a mutual friend. We ate yakiniku in Roppongi and I expressed my interest in training with Kazushi Sakuraba. He asked me why I was interested in MMA
