Since Hisaki Kato knocked out Joe Schilling, my
list of Japanese rookies seemed to get quite a bit more attention. I
unfortunately could not include Syuri Kondo and Daichi Abe in last
year’s list due to their shorter careers. I could change the list
structure to include such fighters, but it would mean that it is more of
a gamble that they’ll be picked up by larger orgs. At the same time,
you can still follow fighters’ improvement on UFC Fight Pass or DEEP
Fight Global.
Naoki
Inoue was picked up by the UFC and he was included in last year’s list.
Likewise, Shintaro Ishiwatari chose to sign with Rizin and he also came
from this list in 2017. Many fighters that I have spotlighted in the
past now belong to larger orgs. Still, I can bring attention to more
names because this year Japanese MMA succeeded in building a new
generation.
Takumi Tamaru
Tamaru became known
as a promising rookie after finishing Yasuhiro Urushitani in the first
round. He then drew with Hayato Ishii, who is Megumi Fujii’s prodigy.
Tamaru was sidelined with an injury for the remainder of 2017 and he
will face PXC champ Riley Dutro on January 28. If he passes that tough
test, his improvement curve will be very high.
Hayato Ishii
Ishii
represents BURST gym and his coaches are Megumi Fujii and Shinji
Sasaki. He won a close decision against Yoshiro Maeda and fought a tough
scramble fest against Takumi Tamaru that ended in a draw. Ishii did
lose to Tadaaki “Onibozu” Yamamoto in a title eliminator bout, but this
did not worry me very much since his coach is a legendary MMA fighter.
Yuya Wakamatsu
Wakamatsu
is from Ryo Chonan’s Tribe Tokyo MMA and he has scored KO wins against
some opponents whom I have previously rated highly. He will next meet
Senzo Ikeda, a former pro boxer. Ikeda defeated Japanese pioneer Mamoru
Yamaguchi, who is known for his masterful Muay Thai, in the striking
battles. If Wakamatsu knocks out Ikeda, it would be a sensational
statement for the prospect to make.
Kana Watanabe
Watanabe
has already had one Rizin fight, but I want to highlight that she
defeated Shizuka Sugiyama, who had 19 fights’ worth of experience and
who previously fought for a Deep Jewels title. Prior to that, Watanabe
had only had her debut fight. While I normally don’t get too excited
about a fighter’s future during their debut, hers against Hikari Sato
was different. She knocked Sato down in that fight, which is rare since
judo convert fighters have a bad habit of moving their arm. Some judo
fighters can never get past that, but Watanabe passed the test.
Takashi Sato
Sato
is back from an injury absence. He avenged his lone loss to Kenta
Takagi with takedowns and ground and pound, but his most significant win
came against Akihiro Murayama. He won with his striking on the feet.
When he first lost to Takagi, I worried about his striking, but he has
improved. Perhaps his next fight (maybe against Hiromitsu Miura?) will
define his career path.
Yoshiki Nakahara
Nakahara’s
dominant win against Akitoshi Tamura was shocking since Tamura is known
for being very tough to finish. His punches dealt a huge amount of
damage. He also won against Hiroshige Tanaka in striking, which is
Tanaka’s specialty. After that fight, Nakahara petitioned Sean Shelby
for an opportunity to compete for the UFC.
Koyomi Matsushima
Matsushima
struggled early in career with his striking. His move to
PancraseISM Yokohama changed his career path. He can mix takedowns
effectively with striking now due to coaching from Satoru Kitaoka, and
Matsushima recently defeated former PXC champ Kyle Aguon.
Ryuichiro Sumimura
Last
year, DEEP held a welterweight grand prix. Sumimura shocked fans by
upsetting Ken Hasegawa. In the process, he spoiled Hasegawa’s planned
UFC signing and was crowned as DEEP’s welterweight champ. Sumimura has
since declared that he wants to fight for Rizin.
Makoto Takahashi
Takahashi
is only 17 years old, but he won a competitive fight against Hiroki
Yamashita. I can’t say too much yet since he is so young, but when
thinking about how Paraestra Matsudo has recently produced champions
(Kanna Asakura, Yoshitaka Naito), we better keep an eye on him.
Jin Aoi
Takashi
Nakakura’s student, Jin Aoi, faced Shooto Pac-Rim champ Ryogo
Takahashi. Aoi lost, but he made the fight competitive when many
predicted that Takahashi would dominate. He tried unsuccessfully to
counter Takahashi’s trademark low kicks and leglocks in the fight. Aoi
is still young and he has plenty of time to develop his career.
Yoshinori Horie
Many
Japanese fans took note of Horie’s striking and finishing ability, and
Horie is this year’s best rookie in Pancrase. His karate swings are very
wild and that makes it hard to predict their course. He is a part of
the Pancrase featherweight division, which is the deepest in Japan.
Therefore, he needs time before stepping up to major orgs, but he is
young enough to wait.
Big thanks to Robert Sargent (MMA Rising) for English editing.
