The 5.19 Pro Shooto New Pier Hall day/night tournament will be held as the biggest special edition of the first half of the year.
The second part will be a Sino-Japanese competition between China’s largest martial arts organization, “YFU Wulin Zhongzhong” and Shooto.
The entire 7×7 match card has been decided.
The leader of Team JAPAN, who will take on Team CHINA this time, is the world featherweight champion, SASUKE (Master Japan Tokyo). Her opponent is Huang Yueroa (China/Team YFU), who is only 23 years old and currently reigns as the WLF Featherweight Champion.
Huang Yueloa has a record of 9 wins from 10 fights, with boxing and karate as his backbone, and is especially well-regarded for his punching power. There was also a game where he stunned his opponent with a single right cross, so he will be a threat to SASUKE. Also, his wins include an ippon win by the RNC, which shows that he can compete whether he is lying down or standing up. Although SASUKE has won all of his last five fights against Japanese fighters, he has lost against foreigners at ROAD TO UFC two years ago and last year. As the commander in chief of the Japan-China competition that will be held at their home stadium, Shooto, this was an important match with many elements that made it impossible for them to lose.
The members of Team JAPAN who will pass the baton to SASUKE are lightweight Yuji Efeviga and bantamweight Akio Kawakita from TRIBE TOKYO MMA. Yuji Efeviga’s opponent, Aayjiako Akenbiekoa, also participated in the “Hero Series” held in various countries by ONE Championship to discover talent, and won. He is good at pounding from takedowns, and is good at power fights such as breaking triangle chokes with lift-up busters. Efeviga won’t be lagging behind physically, but it’s an exciting matchup.
Two women’s strawweight matches have also been decided. Queen of Pancrase’s Salt (Mars Gym) takes on Hirai Usha’amo, who has a good record of 6 wins and 1 loss based on wrestling. Another member of TORAO colors will be Kotomi Shintani from Okayama (Japan/TEAM AGENT).
Last year’s Welterweight Rookie of the Year, Hidenari Saijo (THE BLACKBELT JAPAN), was selected to represent the Shooto heavyweight division. And the person who was selected this time was “super high school student” Takehiro Nakaike (Palaestra Koiwa). Nakaike won the All-Japan Amateur Shooto flyweight title while still a first-year high school student, and in that interview, he said, “I want to win all the games and completely dominate Tatsuro Taira,” naming the “Supernova” who has won five consecutive UFC races. Shooto’s top prospect will be taking on Jimbo Zou, a veteran with 24 races under his belt. Please pay attention to Takehiro Nakaike, a next-generation ace candidate who is still in the process of development, but has outstanding moves and finishing ability!
China is making particularly remarkable advances in MMA in Asia. Martial arts have a long history, with descriptions of them dating back to the Han Dynasty before BC, and the name of Chinese martial arts is widely known even in Japan. Once China gets serious, it can produce a UFC champion in an instant, demonstrating its ability to adapt to any sport. The average age of Team YUF’s representative players chosen this time is young at 25 years old, and some of the fighters boast extensive careers, so they are not only to be underestimated, but even lose completely becomes a reality. However, if China is a country of martial arts that has continued since the Han Dynasty, there is no way that Shooto, the origin of MMA in the world, will lose! Will the winner be YUF from China, a country of martial arts that has continued since the Han Dynasty? Or is it Shooto from Japan, the land of martial arts? On May 19th, an MMA battle will take place with the country’s prestige at stake!
Also, in the first part of the number series, 5 cards have been decided so far, centering on the first world women’s strawweight queen deciding match, Emi Fujino (JAPAN TOP TEAM) vs. Megumi Sugimoto (AACC), so keep an eye out for that too!
[5.19 Shooto vs YFU Sino-Japanese competition deciding match card]
◎Featherweight 5 minutes 3R
SASUKE (Japan/Same class world champion/Master Japan Tokyo)
vs
Huang Yueloa (China/WLF Champion/Team YFU)
◎Lightweight 5 minutes 3R
Yushi Efeviga (Japan/TRIBE TOKYO MMA)
vs
Aayjiako Akenbiekoa (China/Team YFU)
◎Women’s strawweight 5 minutes 3R
Salt (Japan/Queen of Pancrase/Mars Gym)
vs
Hi-Lai Wushaamo (China/Team YFU)
◎Bantamweight 5 minutes 3R
Akio Kawakita (Japan/TRIBE TOKYO MMA)
vs
Dou Gerxue (China/Team YFU)
◎Welterweight 5 minutes 3R
Hidenari Saijo (Japan/2023 Rookie of the Year/THE BLACKBELT JAPAN)
vs
Jiang Shizhen (China/Team YFU)
◎Flyweight 5 minutes 3R
Takehiro Nakaike (Japan/Palaestra Koiwa)
vs
Zou Jinbo (China/Team YFU)
◎Women’s strawweight 5 minutes 3R
Kotomi Shintani (Japan/TEAM AGENT)
vs
Li Guanzhen (China/Team YFU)
◇Tournament overview
[Tournament Name] Professional Shooto Official Match
[Part 2] Shooto x YFU 7 vs 7 Sino-Japanese competition
[Date and time] Sunday, May 19, 2024
[Doors open] 17:00
[Start] 17:30 *Opening fight will be held while the venue is open
[Venue] New Pier Hall
New Pier Takeshiba North Tower, 1-11-1 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
7 minutes walk from JR Hamamatsucho Station
1 minute walk from Yurikamome “Takeshiba Station”
[Cooperation] Japan Shooto Association
[Certification] International Shooto Commission
[Sponsor] Sustain Co., Ltd.
[Ticket price]
VIP 30,000 yen/RS 20,000 yen/SS 15,000 yen/S 10,000 yen
*All seats reserved, all prices include tax.
*Additional 500 yen on the day.
*Tickets are required for elementary school students and above.
[Ticket sales office]
Eplus https://eplus.jp/shooto/
(PC & smartphone) https://eplus.jp/qa/
