Former Sengoku Raiden Championship featherweight champion Masanori Kanehara will return to action against Doo Ho Choi at SRC 15 the promotion announced Thursday.
Kanehara controversially won the featherweight belt after he took a narrow decision over a battered Michihiro Omigawa in the finals of the 2009 GP. Kanehara was soundly defeated by Hatsu Hioki in the semifinals of the tournament,. but Hioki sustained an injury along the way and so Kanehara was slotted into the final.
Kanehara went on to secure his top career victory over Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto at Dynamite!! on New Year’s Eve, but his first title defense in SRC in June was disastrous as Marlon Sandro took only 38 seconds to KO Kanehara and claim the belt. After losing his strap, Kanehara returned to ZST for a grappling bout against Emerson Azuma where he was victorious by leg lock in the closing seconds.