Tag: Sengoku

Nippon Weekly: Fighters OK After Massive Quake; Sengoku’s Future Grim

Filed under: Sengoku, News, JapanGiven the circumstances in Japan, it’s not really possible for me to write. The power is going to be switched off periodically in Tokyo I’m told, Internet is sketchy, there are reports now of trace amounts of radiation …

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Given the circumstances in Japan, it’s not really possible for me to write. The power is going to be switched off periodically in Tokyo I’m told, Internet is sketchy, there are reports now of trace amounts of radiation in Tokyo and I am ready to get out on a moment’s notice.

No fighters that I am aware of have been reported missing. The vast majority of fighters are in Tokyo and that area was not hit as bad as places to the north.

Notably, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Kazuyuki Miyata and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai are all up North in the Saitama and Ibaraki prefectures, but they are fine.

Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago Signs With the UFC

Jorge Santiago (23-8, 9 KO/TKO’s, 12 submissions), who was recently granted a release from his contract with Japan-based MMA promotion Sengoku, has signed a multi-fight agreement to return to the UFC. Details on his first fight back with the prom…

Jorge Santiago (23-8, 9 KO/TKO’s, 12 submissions), who was recently granted a release from his contract with Japan-based MMA promotion Sengoku, has signed a multi-fight agreement to return to the UFC. Details on his first fight back with the promotion are expected to be released shortly. The Florida-based Santiago has gone 11-1 in Strikeforce, Sengoku […]

UFC Betting

Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago Signs With the UFC

Mark Fischer Says UFC Has Significant Opportunities in Japan Now

Filed under: UFC, interview, JapanThe Japanese fight sport industry is in dire straits. The two leading event promoters, K-1 and DREAM promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group and Sengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road, have no events…

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The Japanese fight sport industry is in dire straits. The two leading event promoters, K-1 and DREAM promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group and Sengoku Raiden Championship promoter World Victory Road, have no events scheduled, are having major financial troubles and are losing fighters to the Western promotions at a rapid rate.

Out of great crisis comes great opportunity and the UFC is now planning on moving in. Leading the charge is the man responsible for bringing the NBA to China, Mark Fischer.

Now holding the title of Zuffa Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Fischer spoke exclusively to MMA Fighting about Zuffa’s expansion into Japan.

Nippon Weekly: Former Pride Boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara Back in MMA?

Filed under: DREAM, K1, Sengoku, JapanWhen former Pride FC president Nobuyuki Sakakibara stepped down from his post in response to exposed Japanese mafia ties, it signaled the end of an era in MMA. Now, with Japanese MMA at it’s lowest, Sakakibara may …

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When former Pride FC president Nobuyuki Sakakibara stepped down from his post in response to exposed Japanese mafia ties, it signaled the end of an era in MMA. Now, with Japanese MMA at it’s lowest, Sakakibara may be working on starting a new era.

In this edition of Nippon Weekly: Sakakibara may be planning a comeback with some of the biggest players in Japanese MMA, FEG finally gives us a timeframe for its return, fighters flock from Sengoku, Gomi and Gono return to their roots and fat guys fight in Deep.

Dave ‘Pee-Wee’ Herman Released by Sengoku, Signs With UFC

Filed under: UFC, Sengoku, News, JapanLeading Japanese promotion Sengoku Raiden Championship has lost its second top fighter in two weeks.

SRC middleweight champion Jorge Santiago was the first to go and Tuesday, MMA Fighting has confirmed that heavy…

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Leading Japanese promotion Sengoku Raiden Championship has lost its second top fighter in two weeks.

SRC middleweight champion Jorge Santiago was the first to go and Tuesday, MMA Fighting has confirmed that heavyweight prospect Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman (20-2) has left the promotion and has already signed with the UFC.

Herman signed with top Japanese manager Shu Hirata following his one-sided victory over Yoshihiro “KISS” Nakao at Sengoku: Soul of Fight on Dec. 30. After the financially unsuccessful end-of-year event, the uncertainty of the sport in Japan grew and so Hirata sought the release of Herman. The American has now signed with the UFC.

Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago Back In The UFC

Japanese MMA is in dire straights. Japan’s flagship promotion, Dream, is on the verge of fiscal collapse; Shoot fighting had a mutiny in which the trainers and fighters banded together to have the head of organized Shooto to step down, and Sengok…

Japanese MMA is in dire straights. Japan’s flagship promotion, Dream, is on the verge of fiscal collapse; Shoot fighting had a mutiny in which the trainers and fighters banded together to have the head of organized Shooto to step down, and Sengoku just lost their sitting Middleweight champion. Jorge Santiago is a name that some […]

UFC Betting

Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago Back In The UFC