The most notorious woman in professional wrestling has found a new home…and it isn’t in the ring. According to a press release obtained by Bleacher Report Monday night, Yoshiko Hirano (who works under the ring name Yoshiko), has signed with Korean MMA promotion Road FC to compete in a fight with a yet-to-be-named opponent.
Yoshiko became well-known in the realm of joshi pro wrestling as one of the top heels of World Wonder Ring Stardom, a Japanese all-women promotion. She gained overnight infamy, however, in February 2015 due to an impromptu shoot (that is, real fight) with fellow star Act Yasukawa, which saw the much larger Yoshiko repeatedly drag Yasukawa down to the mat and legitimately punch her in the face.
The match, which has since been labeled “the Ghastly Match” in Japan, saw Yasukawa reduced to a bloody mess, sustaining numerous severe facial injuries. Yoshiko was suspended for several months, per WhatCulture.com, but returned less than a year later with another promotion, SEAdLINNNG. Yasukawa, meanwhile, was forced to retire from in-ring competition later that year.
The fight, which is scheduled to take place on February 11 in Seoul, South Korea, marks Yoshiko’s official MMA debut. The bout will be an openweight contest, with Yoshiko’s billed weight being 80 kilograms (176 pounds).
While this bout will likely raise eyebrows and ire among wrestling and MMA fans alike, the rest of the February 11 card is generally solid.
The main event will see former DEEP middleweight champion Riki Fukuda face Nae-Chul Kim. Meanwhile, the undercard will feature numerous bouts for Road FC’s $1 million lightweight tournament including Bellator lightweight Melvin Guillard facing Korean prospect Seung-Yeon Kim and Russian veteran Shamil Zavurov opposite Won-Gi Kim.
With the event less than three weeks away, expect an update on Yoshiko’s opponent in the near future. The event will be available on internet pay-per-view on Epicentre.tv.
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