Author: Daniel Herbertson

Yasubey Enomoto Wanted to Be a Chef, Not a Fighter

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TOKYO — Yasubey Enomoto seemingly came from nowhere but quickly made his presence on the Japanese scene as he took out Grabaka boss Sanae Kikuta, Kenta Takagi and Taisuke Okuno in dominating fashion.

During his preparations for his Dec. 30 welterweight GP final bout with Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura at Sengoku: Soul of Fight, the Swiss prospect spoke candidly with MMA Fighting at Brave Gym in Adachi-ku, Tokyo about training with his brother in a garage in Zürich, his take on the philosophy of fighting and why he doesn’t consider mixed martial arts to be a real sport.

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TOKYO — Yasubey Enomoto seemingly came from nowhere but quickly made his presence on the Japanese scene as he took out Grabaka boss Sanae Kikuta, Kenta Takagi and Taisuke Okuno in dominating fashion.

During his preparations for his Dec. 30 welterweight GP final bout with Keita “K-Taro” Nakamura at Sengoku: Soul of Fight, the Swiss prospect spoke candidly with MMA Fighting at Brave Gym in Adachi-ku, Tokyo about training with his brother in a garage in Zürich, his take on the philosophy of fighting and why he doesn’t consider mixed martial arts to be a real sport.

Yuichiro Nagashima, Shinya Aoki Workout Video

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TOKYO — MMA Fighting was on hand for the highly unusual media workouts of DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and 2010 K-1 World MAX 2010 70kg Japan Tournament winner Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima, held at the Deep Official Gym and Silver Wolf Gym respectively.

The eccentric lightweights will square off on Dec. 31st at Dynamite!! in a mixed rules fight that will consist of alternating rounds of K-1 and MMA rules and to prepare for the bout the K-1 and DREAM Champions dressed up, sung, dance, slapped, chopped and Nagashima even trained a little bit.

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TOKYO — MMA Fighting was on hand for the highly unusual media workouts of DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and 2010 K-1 World MAX 2010 70kg Japan Tournament winner Yuichiro “Jienotsu” Nagashima, held at the Deep Official Gym and Silver Wolf Gym respectively.

The eccentric lightweights will square off on Dec. 31st at Dynamite!! in a mixed rules fight that will consist of alternating rounds of K-1 and MMA rules and to prepare for the bout the K-1 and DREAM Champions dressed up, sung, dance, slapped, chopped and Nagashima even trained a little bit.

Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hiroyuki Takaya Open Workout Video

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TOKYO, Japan — MMA Fighting was on hand for Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hiroyuki Takaya‘s open workout at JB Sports Gym in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, as the fighters prepared with striking coach Takeshi Yamada for their Dynamite!! bouts on Dec. 31.

Tatsuya Kawajiri will attempt to bounce back from his submission loss to DREAM lightweight ace Shinya Aoki when he takes on former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. Hiroyuki Takaya will seek redemption when he rematches Bibiano Fernandes for the DREAM featherweight title.

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TOKYO, Japan — MMA Fighting was on hand for Tatsuya Kawajiri and Hiroyuki Takaya‘s open workout at JB Sports Gym in Adachi-ku, Tokyo, as the fighters prepared with striking coach Takeshi Yamada for their Dynamite!! bouts on Dec. 31.

Tatsuya Kawajiri will attempt to bounce back from his submission loss to DREAM lightweight ace Shinya Aoki when he takes on former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. Hiroyuki Takaya will seek redemption when he rematches Bibiano Fernandes for the DREAM featherweight title.

Chonan vs. Hornbuckle, Fujii vs. Fujino Complete Sengoku ‘Soul of Fight’

Filed under: Sengoku, News, JapanSengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road added two final fights on Monday to its “Soul of Fight” end of year event, bringing the total to 28 fights.

UFC and Pride veteran Ryo Chonan will look to back up…

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Sengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road added two final fights on Monday to its “Soul of Fight” end of year event, bringing the total to 28 fights.

UFC and Pride veteran Ryo Chonan will look to back up a dominating victory over an outclassed Jun Hee Moon at Deep 50th Impact against Bellator welterweight tournament finalist Dan Hornbuckle. Megumi Fujii attempts to rebound from the first controversial loss of her 23 fight career when she takes on Emi Fujino, who recently snapped a four-fight losing streak with a 24-second submission win at Valkyrie 8.

The mammoth event, which will be held at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan, is planned to be a family friendly and festival-like atmosphere with fight fans free to come and go throughout the day. Selected bouts from the Dec. 30 event will air in North America on HDNet.

Shooto Crowns 2010 Rookie Champions

Filed under: Results, JapanIf Shooto’s 2010 Rookie Tournament Finals are any indication, Japan has a bright future in MMA as the newcomers put on one of the events of the year at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo on Saturday. The sports oldest promotion crowned c…

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If Shooto‘s 2010 Rookie Tournament Finals are any indication, Japan has a bright future in MMA as the newcomers put on one of the events of the year at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo on Saturday. The sports oldest promotion crowned champions in six divisions including rookie MVP and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto teammate Kyoji Horiguchi.

Kazuyuki Miyata Talks About How He Turned His Career Around

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Japan isn’t exactly known for grooming its prospects, but few have been put through the paces like 2000 freestyle wrestling Olympian Kazuyuki Miyata. After facing Royler Gracie in his debut, and then top 10 lightweights Genki Sudo, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Joachim Hansen all within his first eleven fights, Miyata’s record was left in tatters.

Miyata spoke to MMAFighting.com about his tough beginnings, reinvention and building himself back up as an undefeated featherweight.

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Japan isn’t exactly known for grooming its prospects, but few have been put through the paces like 2000 freestyle wrestling Olympian Kazuyuki Miyata. After facing Royler Gracie in his debut, and then top 10 lightweights Genki Sudo, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Joachim Hansen all within his first eleven fights, Miyata’s record was left in tatters.

Miyata spoke to MMAFighting.com about his tough beginnings, reinvention and building himself back up as an undefeated featherweight.