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Main event announced for UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 is less than a month away and the promotion has just announced both the main and co-main events. Both matches will be featuring top contenders from B-Team Jiu-Jitsu, but they will be facing very different challenges. The co-main event will see Nicky Rodriguez taking on the young Roberto Jimenez, an exciting and fast-paced grappler who might be smaller but recently won the absolute division at the IBJJF No Gi World Championship.

The main event involves the biggest name on the B-Team roster, Craig Jones. He will be facing off with BJJ legend and former Bellator middleweight world champion Rafael Lovato Jr. Although Lovato Jr. is the older competitor, he has recently seen a resurgence in his grappling career since retiring from MMA. They both actually competed on opposite sides of the under 99kg bracket at ADCC, where Jones won a silver medal and Lovato Jr. finished in fourth place.

Full lineup for IBJJF No Gi Absolute Grand Prix 2024 Confirmed

On February 29, the IBJJF is bringing back their no gi absolute grand prix for the first time in five years and they’ve announced a fantastic lineup of 8 elite grapplers who will be competing for the title. The reigning ADCC world champions at under 88kg and under 99kg, Giancarlo Bodoni and Kaynan Duarte, will both be competing. There are also two reigning IBJJF no gi world champions in the bracket too, as Elder Cruz and Roosevelt Souza won gold at heavyweight and ultra-heavyweight respectively.

Although these four might be the early favorites at the moment, there are two reigning IBJJF no gi Pan champions competing too. Dante Leon won gold at that event at super-heavyweight, while Pedro Rocha emerged victorious in the absolute division. Rounding out the tournament lineup is Patrick Gaudio and Haisam Rida, two top BJJ competitors who are going to be very tough matchups for even the most accomplished of the rest of the field.

Mica Galvao, Wardzinski crowned 2024 IBJJF European Champions

The first major IBJJF tournament of the year has taken place and 17 different European champions stood on top of the podium. As always, there were plenty of top contenders putting on classic performances and a handful of upsets along the way. Gutemberg Pereira and Gabrieli Pessanha ended up with the biggest achievements of the weekend, as they both won their absolute divisions along with the ultra-heavyweight and super-heavyweight divisions respectively.

A lot of attention was on Mica Galvao moving up to middleweight but he proved to be just as dominant as ever, submitting all four of his opponents in order to win the title there. One of the biggest storylines came in the heavyweight division though, as Adam Wardzinski stormed to victory in an incredibly tough division. He beat the early favorite Fellipe Andrew in the final, marking the second time he’s beaten one of the best BJJ grapplers in his weight class and he did it with the biggest points-margin yet.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Kade Ruotolo retains ONE Championship title

ONE 165 was a fantastic event for professional grapplers, despite the fact that there was only one grappling match. That one match was a big one though, as Kade Ruotolo was putting his lightweight title on the line against Tommy Langaker for the second time. The rematch was definitely worth making, as Langaker pushed Ruotolo to the limit the first time around and gave him one of the toughest matches that he’s ever had.

Ruotolo brought a whole new level this time around though and he was phenomenal from start to finish, winning another unanimous decision to retain the title. Elsewhere on the card Garry Tonon locked up an incredibly quick finish against Thanh Le to put himself right back in the mix for a title-shot, and a bizarre turn of events led to John Lineker stepping in to face Shinya Aoki on less than one day’s notice. Aoki also got the finish in the first round, submitting Lineker right on the three minute-mark.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Quick Hits

• Helio ‘Soneca’ Moreira and Roberto ‘Gordo’ Correa were awarded their coral belt together in the same promotion ceremony.
• Josh Barnett has been booked to take on fellow UFC veteran Philip De Fries in a grappling match at XTB KSW: Epic.
• Kron Gracie recently opened up about the pressure of having his surname and the ways in which his family might not understand modern MMA.
• Two huge tournaments were announced for 2024 as Sapateiro put up a $100,000 prize for their first World Championship and PGF offered the same for their latest season.

Technique Corner

Triangle choke from Back control

Arm-drag to standing D’arce choke

Gi choke from Closed guard

Meme of the Week

The Sumo Stomp! Spotlight

The dust has well and truly settled on the 2024 Hatsu Basho, where Terunofuji lifted his ninth makuuchi championship title. It was a memorable tournament, with a compelling four (and then three) horse race in the final few days.

The tournament was maligned, however, by injuries that struck up and down the banzuke. That resulted in lots of ‘what ifs’ and ‘what a shames’. Because of this a bit of gloss was taken off the entire basho, for me anyway. The tournament also saw a lot of rikishi under-perform and struggle. That brings us to target of our spotlight: Ura.

In January Ura ascended to the rank of komusubi for the first time in his injury-plagued career. I was delighted by this promotion, but also rueful in wondering what might have been had Ura been able to stay healthy and hit this ranking as he was entering his prime (not falling away from it).

Ura ended the tournament with a 6-9 record, proving that — despite being must see-TV and a gift for all sumo fans — he’s not cut out for the san’yaku ranks.

But what went wrong for Ura? Well, now it’s time to figure it all out.

Just like I did with Takakeisho last year, I’m going to break down each of Ura’s bouts; watching the gifs over and over again and noting what I see in a semi stream of consciousness.

Hopefully, once I get past Day 15 I’ll have an answer to my question.

Let’s get into it.

Day 1 vs. Terunofuji

On Day 1 Ura was given the ‘honour’ of facing Terunofuji (the eventual winner of the tournament). It’s a terrible match-up for him, given Terunofuji’s size advantage and his grappling intelligence. This loss sunk Ura’s life-time record versus the yokozuna to 1-6.

I think Ura starts this bout rather well. He gets solid contact off the tachiai and is not pushed that far back by Terunofuji (initially). He’s not able to move Terunofuji back, either, but he survives the opening clash and is able to circle away and get Terunofuji on the move (where he is not strongest, thanks to his knee surgeries). Ura’s hopes at doing something tricksy along the boundary are squashed, though, once Terunofuji decides to isolate his right arm.

When Terunofuji puts on that lock, he forces Ura to stop thinking about winning a game and rather focus on self-preservation. There’s no one who does that better than Terunofuji (or as often).

With Ura focusing purely on saving his elbow and/or shoulder, Terunofuji is easily able to wheel him around and push him over the straw.

There’s not much Ura could have done in this situation. I suppose you’d argue that the best remedy here would be not to get your arm stuck in the first place. But that’s easier said than done. And this isn’t the first time Terunofuji has caught Ura in a position like this (he has two kimedashi wins over him). Terunofuji’s anatomy means he often has opponent’s arms snug under his own armpits and he has the strength and acumen to make them pay dearly for it.

Ura may have also been nervous on his first bout as an upper ranked fighter, but even if he was cool as a cucumber he would was likely to lose in this match-up. So it’s hard to hold this 0-1 start against the Peach Prince.

Day 2 vs. Hokutofuji

On Day 2 Ura met a reinvigorated Hokutofuji. Sumo’s most intense man seemed mostly heeled from the injuries that struck last year and he put in some great performances before being hit with yet another injury later in the tournament.

There’s a lot to fault Ura for in this match, unfortunately. Just like on Day 1, Ura gets a good start here (a great start, in fact). He went in low, as he always does, with both his knees and arms primed for impact. The result is Hokutofuji, a very hard charger, being blocked off the tachiai and immediately put on the back foot when Ura pushes off his knees.

Ura is able to power Hokutofuji back to the straw, but then he opts for the spectacular when only the mundane was required. Despite having Hokutofuji dead to rights along the edge, Ura flips over, hoping he has generated enough force to push Hokutofuji out the rest of the way.

The replay below shows how doing so actually weakened his forward momentum. Instead of driving through Hokutofuji’s right leg with his left hand, Ura lets his left arm swing down and away to generate his body’s rotation. If he had kept his feet down, his hands on his opponent and driven forwards, I’m certain that he would have gotten the win here.

Here Ura trades a victory for some ooohs and aaahs from the audience and an 0-2 record to start his basho.

Day 3 vs. Hoshoryu

On Day 3 we see Ura trying the special/bizarre again in a situation where a more fundamental approach could have earned a victory.

His tachiai against Hoshoryu is a lot like what we saw on Day 2 versus Hokutofuji. Hoshoryu comes in and is met with bent knees and elbows, ready to absorb and push back.

Not only is Ura able to move Hoshoryu backwards, he’s able to get a solid grip on the ozeki’s mawashi. Then it all goes wrong. Instead of keeping Hoshoryu in front of him, Ura decides to position himself and his opponent so they are parallel to each other.

We know what Ura’s thinking here (spoiler alert for Day 15). He wants to throw Hoshoryu backwards for a crowd-pleasing throw. Hoshoryu is just too good to be caught with something like that, though.

Once Ura falls in love with this throw attempt, he ignores what’s happening with his left leg and Hoshoryu’s right leg. Hoshoryu is a master at throws when he is able to get his leg on either side of an opponent’s leg and create a fulcrum there. Because of how Ura is trying to guide Hoshoryu, Hoshoryu is unable to get a trip with his leg on the inside position.

Watch what he does to counter this. He deftly takes his leg out from in front of Ura’s left leg and positions it behind. In doing so he creates a fulcrum with his right thigh. Then, a hard change of stances, paired with a heavy push, is able to send Ura careening over that right hip and onto the floor.

Ura’s biggest mistake here is committing to this awkward throw attempt. If he instead focused on what had the greatest chance of success (not greatest chance of a highlight reel) he would have gripped onto Hoshoryu’s belt closer to the right side of his hip and not worked his hand across the small of his back and then opposite hip. If he held a strong grip on the ride side, he could have kept Hoshoryu chest to chest and not given him that escape route out the left side, which he used to pull off the winning move.

Ura’s face after this is a little too “thank you sir, may I have another” for my liking. The vibe I get is that Ura is happy to be taking part and not driven to be the best out there (unlike his opponent on this day).

This kind of attitude makes Ura very fun to watch. But when he’s a komusubi, facing truly elite opponents, the act feels like a defense mechanism.

Day 4 vs. Takakeisho

A reprieve on Day 4. With Takakeisho hurting his back, Ura gets the fusen win and gets his record to 1-3. Takakeisho has had a lot of joy against Ura in the past, so I think our boy is pretty lucky with this timing here.

Day 5 vs. Kotonowaka

On Day 5 Ura’s run through murderers’ row continued as he met future ozeki Kotonowaka. Ura is able to push Kotonowaka back off the tachiai, but I think that’s down to Kotonowaka game-planning for a katasukashi here.

Watch how Kotonowaka stutter steps in the opening clash, inviting Ura into his body. Kotonowaka then starts to focus on the right side of Ura’s body, and considers putting both hands around that shoulder and pulling down. He gives up ground while he tests this out, but seems totally confident that he can stop Ura from pushing him all the way out.

As he targets that shoulder, Ura surprises him with a strong arm grab that almost pays off. However, Kotonowaka is able to put on the brakes early and pull his arm out of danger, preventing Ura from pulling him all the way across his body and onto the ground.

After Kotonowaka pulls the fight back into the centre he again looks like he’s setting up the katasukashi. But he aborts that plan when a better opportunity presents itself. As Kotonowaka circles away to look for an angle on the shoulder pull down, Ura stumbles forwards slightly. This allows Kotonowaka to circle even more to the outside and get on Ura’s back.

When Kotonowaka sees the middle of Ura’s back, he keeps himself central and shoulder barges him out for an okuridashi victory.

Kotonowaka’s approach here is what I wish we’d see more from Ura at times. I think Kotonowaka came into this bout hoping to get Ura with the katasukashi. It’s a move he used brilliantly throughout this competition and a squat, low charging Ura seems like an ideal candidate for it.

Kotonowaka worked hard to set the move up, but when a better opportunity arose, he took it. In doing so he sacrificed a more show-stealing move for something more mundane, but effective. I can just see what would have happened if the roles were reversed. Ura would have hung onto that katasukashi even when there was a chance to get behind his opponent, maybe even pulling the opponent back towards him as he went for the flashier finish.

Day 6 vs. Takayasu

On Day 6 Ura met his fellow komusubi. And, again, he goes for a Hail Mary move in a very bad position. However, unlike previous bouts, he didn’t sacrifice a good position to do so. He was in trouble against Takayasu from the jump.

Everyone knows Ura comes in low, so Takayasu decides to catch him coming in and hold him upright (which makes an opponent easier to push back). He gets some joy pushing Ura back, but Ura shows how strong he can be when he can sit down on his weight. Takayasu recognizes he’s going to have a tough time pushing Ura once he’s gotten set, so he switches tact and snaps a good grip on his belt with his right hand.

Takayasu then uses his over arm position to go for a throw. He doesn’t have a leg on the inside, though, so the best he can manage is shuffling Ura over to the straw. Without a leg to trip Ura over, Takayasu is hoping that he can send Ura over with his upper body alone and then crash down afterwards.

Ura shows great balance to stay up and survive for a moment. He hops along to the boundary hopping for a way out. When he runs out of space it becomes obvious to him that there isn’t a good way out of this.

As he’s hopping he’s also forcing Takayasu to hop along with him and test his balance, too. In the replay below you can see how well Takayasu does when hopping out to the side to give him both space and stability. Watch what happens when he finds the straw with his toes.

As soon as he feels the straw, Takayasu uses that slight lip to push off and create the rotation he needs to send Ura down.

Ura feels that rotation begin and then he makes a choice that I just hate.

Ura knows he is heading down and he goes for a last ditch move. At first I thought Ura kicks his leg up to try and make Takayasu spear into the ground before he does. Which is an awful choice to make, since their positioning here means only Ura will land first once this happens. And that’s exactly what does happen, he kicks up that leg and succeeds in bring Takayasu’s weight down alongside him, which only increases the impact Ura takes on his head and neck.

After watching this a hundred times, I actually think something else is going on here. I think Ura is trying to do a front flip and that he accidentally catches Takayasu’s left leg while doing so. The clash of legs prevents Ura from continuing the move (which likely would not have worked anyway). After the clash of legs, Ura does not have enough rotation to sufficiently tuck his head and land on his back and that’s what results in this scary impact to the head and neck.

If you look at Ura’s right arm in that replay, he tucks it and brings it into his body. I think that’s him using that arm to try and generate more rotation, as well as keeping it away from the clay.

I don’t think Ura would have been able to pull that move off, even if their legs didn’t clash. I think he has too much weight leaning down and away before he starts the move. If he would have made it, though, that would have been a sumo highlight for the ages (and I think we’ve established that this is Ura’s main goal in the sport).

Day 7 vs. Daieisho

Ura is 1-5 on Day 7 and is faced with another brutal match-up. Daieisho was one of the best rikishi around in 2023. He faltered whenever a championship or a promotion was in front of him, but that shouldn’t take away from how good he was in the vast majority of his matches (he is also one of the few top guys who didn’t miss a bout).

In this match Ura’s reputation for coming in low hurts him, again. Daieisho is ready with an upward thrust off the tachiai. Daieisho wants him upright so he has a massive target (Ura’s chest) for his power thrusts.

This top down replay is really revealing of what goes down. And it shows that this is another example of Ura getting a really fortuitous position, but failing to either recognize or capitalize on it.

Watch how Daieisho bounces off Ura to side off of the opening clash. Daieisho over commits with that opening thrust and finds himself moving towards the seats. What does Ura do, though?

He puts a hand on Daieisho’s chest and seems to turn him back towards him. A lot of credit needs to go to Daieisho being able to pivot so quickly and get back in the bout, but Ura should have really made him pay for wading out into that bad position.

Ura needed to do just what Kotonowaka did to him, get square behind Daieisho and push right in the middle of his back. After he misses that opportunity, Daieisho goes HAM and start firing away. His strikes prevent Ura from ducking down or loading up his knees, making it easy for Daieisho to drive him across the ring and out.

Day 8 vs. Wakamotoharu

Another day, another brutally hard match-up. This time it’s in the form of a much improved (and fired up!) Wakamotoharu.

Ura’s rep for coming in low is again taken advantage of here. This time Wakamotoharu uses that knowledge to place a shoulder striker right onto Ura’s right ear. Wakamotoharu went with this opening a number of times during the basho, using it as a disruption tactic and giving him time and space to get two hands on the belt.

Ura takes the hit and then focuses on Wakamotoharu’s right arm, correctly assuming that Wakamotoharu is going to want both arms for his favoured yorikiri finish. Then Ura attempts the same arm pulling technique he tried on Kotonowaka.

It doesn’t work, though. He is able to pull Wakamotoharu back, but he’s not able to move laterally enough to swing Wakamotoharu across his body and out of the ring. If Ura is not circling away, with power, then all this move serves to do is force him backwards (which Wakamotoharu wants anyway). With Ura staying in front of Wakamotoharu (something Wakamotoharu helps ensure with a nifty lift of his left leg), it’s pretty easy for Wakamotoharu to shove him off the dohyo.

That puts Ura at 1-7, already fighting for his ranking.

Day 9 vs. Atamifuji

On Day 9 Ura is in a must-win situation to rescue any chance of a winning record. The match-makers finally give him a bit of a break. Atamifuji looked sensational in the tail end of last year, but in January he looked shockingly ordinary.

This is the first time these two have ever faced each other and it’s a match where Ura was finally able to lock up and complete a technique.

We’ve seen him go for katasukashi and shitatedashinage a lot during this tournament already. But against Kotonowaka and Wakamotoharu he wasn’t able to get enough force in pulling back or movement in his circling away to land them.

Against Atamifuji he executes perfectly. …

To read the rest of this Sumo Stomp! spotlight (which includes breakdowns of the stunning victories Ura had in the latter half of the tournament), head on over to Substack.

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WNO 22 happens tonight, February 9, 2024, and it will once again feature several of the top BJJ stars today. Headlining the card are two very mobile heavyweights with drastically different approaches, with decorated IBJJF world champ Victor Hugo and his dangerous bottom game vs. B-Team’s Nicky Rodriguez and his wrestling and body lock passing game.

The undercard also has two championship matches with top p4p talent Mica Galvao defending his title against ADCC Asian and Oceania trials winner Kenta Iwamoto, and a champ vs champ battle between Dante Leon and Diego “Pato” Oliveira. Gi superstar Tainan Dalpra will also continue his no gi campaign, and likely have his leg lock game tested when he faces against Oliver Taza. The rest of the line up also involves recent ADCC East Coast Trials winners Elijah Dorsey and “The Hillbilly Hammer” Jacob Couch in separate matches.

Join us starting at 9 p.m. ET for some top level BJJ action.

WNO 22 full fight card, results, recap, and video highlights

WNO 22 main card

Victor Hugo def. Nick Rodriguez by Decision

Victor Hugo willingly played bottom, and defended a lot of Nicky Rod’s body lock passing game and even had a few submission attempts early. One leg lock attempt from Hugo also got Nicky Rod to pass, making for a fun chess match with both athletes having very different styles. Nicky Rod got to side mount and north south at a couple of occasions, leaving for a close and competitive match. While things still seemed to be potentially up for grabs, Hugo managed to sweep and get his back in the last few seconds to leave no doubt and secure the decision in crunch time.

Mica Galvão def. Kenta Iwamoto by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) [WW title]

Mica Galvao immediately attacked with various guillotine attempts and armbar chains with quick transitions from standing, and Iwamoto managed to scramble out of most of the early attempts. Iwamoto managed to make things interesting by scoring takedowns of his own, but Galvao eventually got a gorgeous transition from omoplata, to armbar to back take, before finishing with a rear naked choke. Just beautiful technique from one of the absolute best BJJ talents today.

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Diego “Pato” Oliveira def. Dante Leon by Submission (Heel Hook), 8:37 [LW title]

Despite a pretty big size difference and Dante Leon’s recent dominance, Diego Pato proved that it’s speed and skills that kill. With a speed advantage that was very evident from the start, Pato attacked various leg entanglements and seemed to be one step ahead of all of Leon’s counters and defenses. Pato eventually got a bite on a heel hook, and finished to become a two-division WNO champion.

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Tainan Dalpra def. Oliver Taza by Decision

Gi star Tainan Dalpra’s no-gi campaign has continued successfully. Although he didn’t get a submission, he landed a couple of nice takedowns and completely controlled Taza on the mat. Dalpra passed his guard repeatedly and stayed on top for the clear cut decision win.

Adele Fornarino def. Amanda “Tubby” Alequin by Submission (Aoki lock), 0:24

Adele Fornarino came in as a late replacement for Ffion Davies, and she quickly (literally) took advantage of the opportunity and scored one of the fastest submissions in WNO history.

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Jacob “The Hillbilly Hammer” Couch def. Sebastian Rodriguez by Submission (Heel hook), 1:26

The Hillbilly Hammer continued his good run, attacking with heel hooks and foot locks until eventually getting the pretty quick finish. The recent ADCC trials winner called for a WNO title fight next.

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WNO 22 prelims

Elijah Dorsey def. Ivan Herrera by Submission (Shoulder lock), 2:45

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Daniel Sathler def. Max Hanson by Submission (Flying Triangle to Armbar), 1:01

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Ashlee Funegra def. Marilyn Cruz by decision

Dory Aoun def. Kyle Chambers by decision

WNO 22 free live stream, how to watch, start time for tonight’s BJJ card

Topped by a heavyweight clash and two title bouts, this pro grappling event will happen Friday night, February 9, 2024, in Costa Mesa, California.

The event can be streamed live on FloGrappling, and YouTube, with a free live stream of the prelims and the first couple of matches below starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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Carrying a famous last name can be quite a burden, no matter the field you field yourself working in. Time and time again, we see sons and daughters of well-known athletes, actors, singers and so on being compared to their parents before them, and MMA is no exception.

The burden of Gracie

Naturally, some offspring just cannot find the same success their parents did, such as Ryan Couture, son of former UFC double champion and legend Randy Couture. However, others can surpass the achievements of their folks and leave their own name in history, like former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee.

However, there’s no doubt that no other last name causes as much expectation and or puts more pressure on a fighter than the one that became associated with mixed martial arts and the UFC right from its early days: Gracie.

Though legendary athletes such as Royce, Renzo and Rickson Gracie have paved the way and left their mark both in jiu-jitsu and MMA, it’s only natural that not all Gracies would be able to do so well both in the cages and on the mat.

Kron Gracie is frustrated

Take the example of world champ and jiujitsu all-time great Roger Gracie, who just could rise to the highest level in mixed martial arts and retired in 2016 with a mediocre 8-2 record, with a loss in his lone UFC fight. If we fast forward some years, we may be witnessing another example of Roger’s path in the son of Rickson Gracie who currently fights for the UFC featherweight division, the intriguing figure that is Kron Gracie.

After a successful UFC debut in 2019, it did not take long for the blackbelt to return to the cage, only to be on the losing end of a unanimous decision against Cub Swanson. The defeat had Gracie away from the Octagon for almost four years, until his return and subsequent loss to Charles Jourdain in 2023.

We have not heard much from Kron Gracie since that second loss and it seems like it will be a long hiatus if he ever decides to give the UFC another chance. However, in a recent video posted on his official YouTube channel (transcribed by Bloody Elbow), the Brazilian addressed what he believes to be some of the issues regarding modern MMA and jiu-jitsu, as well as what it meant to grow up being part of the Gracie family and having Rickson as a dad.

“It was a lot pressure to have the Gracie name, growing up,” Kron said. “I was always able to trick myself into not letting it affect me so much. My dad was, like, the best fighter in the world. As a kid, that’s what you want to be like. You want to be like the best in the world. If I wasn’t trying to be the best in the word, I was, like, worthless. It’s always been my future. Why shouldn’t I be better than him?

“Growing up, it was all about jiu-jitsu. Everybody did jiu-jitsu to fight. Jiu-jitsu to prove they can beat up a boxer or beat up a wrestler. You’re trying to prove yourself to prove your martial art. Now, it’s merged into a way where you can’t just be good at one martial art and be very successful against everybody who’s at the highest level. My dad doesn’t understand that. My grandfather wouldn’t understand that. This generation is already completely different. I think the martial arts is like your own moulding. Martial arts, for me, is jiu-jitu, boxing and judo. When I say I’m a martial artist is because I built my own formula and I appreciate all the martial arts.”

Could Kron Gracie still return to MMA?

If this speech and Kron Gracie’s unpredictable behavior are any indication, we might not see him back in the Octagon any time soon or at all. But then again, it’s hard to be sure when it comes to this particular athlete.

On the bright side, Kron Gracie (5-2) is 35 with pretty low mileage, so he might have a couple of classic fights left in him. However, his last win does date back to a submission victory over Alex Caceres in February 2019, so don’t expect an actual title run.

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Gordon Ryan’s stomach issues have been well documented, and a couple months after pulling out of two more events, the BJJ superstar recently announced that he will be stepping away from all competitions until ADCC 2024 in August.

“I’ve finally accepted and came to peace with the fact that my body can’t handle the amount of pressure I put it under until my stomach and immune system is 100% better. My immune system simply can’t handle the workload of camp after camp,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram early in January.

“As much as it pains me, I’m going to attempt to step away from all competitions EXCEPT ADCC until my stomach is 100% healthy on paper, by the tests, and by how I feel.”

Gordon Ryan says he’s “malnourished and dying” after losing 20 lbs.

BJJ star Gordon Ryan has since given another health update, while also being a bit overdramatic about things.

“For those of you close to me, you know I’ve been bedridden almost completely for the last month or so with my stomach. Haven’t been able to eat hardly anything or exercise at all. Today is the first day I’ve been able to push more than a light workout (I did legs) in over a month,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram, while posing a photo of himself flexing after a workout.

“I’ve lost 20 lbs (currently around 206), yet I still feel strong and look, well, I’m probably the best looking human being to have ever existed, but that’s besides the point. No matter how many steroids you take, you won’t maintain size off cycle or through sickness if you haven’t built “real” muscle. It’s why you see guys go from 235 to 170 on vs. off cycle. Even though I’m malnourished and dying, I’m still me,” he continued.

“You can’t cut corners and expect proper results. This is something @notheysonnytaught me 7 years ago, and i finally get what she means. More to come and fingers crossed these new meds keep helping.”

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BJJ star Gordon Ryan also lost a lot of weight due to stomach issues before

I’m sure having those stomach issues are terrible, and having antibiotics not work properly for his body anymore sounds like a real problem. That said, claiming to be “bedridden,” “malnourished” and “dying” while just being at home and explaining how he can still do light workouts all sounds a bit overly dramatic. Saying all that while also bragging about how he didn’t lose as much muscle as other steroid users was also a bit of a weird flex, but to each his own I guess.

The BJJ all-time great was in seemingly far worse shape in June, when he posted what looked to be a very concerning before and after photo of him at 201 lbs due to the same stomach issues. Literally a week after that post, he was back to his usual jacked self. Soon after, he returned to hard training and eventually competed a couple of months later.

I don’t doubt that he’s been dealing with these health issues, but it might be safe to assume he’s not at all bedridden or close to dying, and will probably be able to head to the mats again soon.

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Preview

The 2024 Grand Tournament of Sumo kicks off this Sunday (January 14) in Tokyo and will continue for 15 straight days. This is your home for all the results, along with some highlights and analysis of what all goes down.

The 2024 hatsu basho (New Year Tournament) is exciting for a number of reasons, but chief among them is that ozeki Kirishima can seal a promotion to yokozuna if he wins the whole thing. There are number of other wrestlers looking to make waves in this tournament, you can read about them in my preview below:

Banzuke

Results, Highlights and Analysis

Day 1

Results

• Shimazuumi def. Aoiyama via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Onosato def. Bushozan via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Takarafuji def. Tomokaze via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Kotoshoho def. Onosho via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Churanoumi def. Endo via yorikiri
• Takanosho def. Myogiryu via oshidashi
• Oho def. Tsurugisho via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)
• Sadanoumi def. Tamawashi via okuridashi*
• Mitakeumi def. Meisei via oshidashi*
• Hiradoumi def. Hokuseiho via yorikiri
• Asanoyama def. Ichiyamamoto oshidashi
• Kinbozan def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Nishikigi def. Ryuden via suikuinage*
• Shodai def. Tobizaru via oshidashi
• Takayasu def. Hokutofuji via oshidashi*
• Daieisho def. Gonoyama via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Abi via oshidashi
• Takakeisho def. Midorifuji via oshidashi*
• Hoshoryu def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Kirishima def. Wakamotoharu via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Terunofuji def. Ura via oshidashi*

*Must see bouts

Quick Analysis

Sumo is back!

And on Day 1 of the Hatsu Basho, Terunofuji was back too (and he looked like a killer). He was given a softball to start the tournament, with newly promoted komusubi Ura. Teru is 6-1 versus Ura and he showed why. Ura couldn’t move the big man an inch. Terunofuji went for the kimedashi, which is what he used to win last time they met.

But Ura was able to pull out his arm. However, that lead to Terunofuji focusing off his ire onto a single arm of Ura’s, bending it back and threatening to destroy his shoulder. Ura went into panic mode to protect his limb and made himself an easy target for a push out. Check out the whole bout below:

And here’s the replay, you can see how Terunofuji is able to steer Ura around with that arm lock and almost launch him out the ring when he releases him.

Kirishima, who is hoping to join Terunofuji in the yokozuna rank, got a win over Wakamotoharu to start his campaign. To win, he stood up his opponent and then hopped way out of danger, leaving Wakamotoharu fighting a ghost and inevitably falling through thin air.

The other ozeki got wins on Day 1, too. Takakeisho faced Midorifuji. The little man faked a false start to try and hide his intention to henka Keisho, but it didn’t work. Takakeisho read the situation and was braced for the henka. After that he rushed Midorifuji to the boundary and got an easy shove out.

Hoshoryu picked up his first ever win against Atamifuji. The first time they met, in November, he was cocky in trying to rush out the bigger and stronger man. This time out, though, he showed more respect and elected to try and win with his next level judo prowess.

Hot shot rookie Onosato is also off to a winning start (in his top division debut). He schooled Bushozan with a slick hatakikomi.

Day 2

Results

• Takarafuji def. Aoiyama via okuridashi via hikkake (arm grabbing force out)
• Shimazuumi def. Bushozan via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Onosato def. Kotoshoho via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Onosho def. Tomokaze via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Endo def. Takanosho via oshidashi
• Churanoumi def. Myogiryu via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Tamawashi def. Oho via oshidashi
• Tsurugisho def. Sadanoumi via oshitaoshi
• Hokuseiho def. Meisei via uwatenage (over arm throw)*
• Hiradoumi def. Mitakeumi via oshidashi*
• Asanoyama def. Kinbozan via yorikiri*
• Shonannoumi def. Ichiyamamoto via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Tobizaru def. Nishikigi via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Shodai def. Ryuden via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*
• Hokutofuji def. Ura via hatakikomi*
• Kotonowaka def. Gonoyama via uwatenage*
• Daieisho def. Abi via oshidashi*
• Kirishima def. Takayasu via oshidashi*
• Takakeisho def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Hoshoryu def. Midorifuji via oshidashi
• Wakamotoharu def. Terunofuji via yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Wow. Only Day 2 of sumo in 2024 and we have a fascinating tournament on our hands, after Terunofuji was beaten by Wakamotoharu in an incredibly exciting bout. Check it out in all its glory below.

Wakamotoharu. who is coming off his worst performance in the last 12 months, showed a ton of guts and steel in this bout taking the fight to the monster Terunofuji. Terunofuji withstood the opening pressure (because he’s Terunofuji) and then drove Wakamotoharu back to the straw.

The Wakamotoharu we saw in Kyushu would have given up there, but 2024’s version dug in and fought with all he had. This was such a welcome sight after I felt legitimately concerned for the now former sekiwake in November.

After he stopped Terunofuji’s first assault, we had a stalemate. But it was Wakamotoharu who seized initiative and tried to end that stalemate, twice. The second time he bucked and drove forwards he was able to get a tired (and probably) hurting Terunofuji to the boundary and, lightly, over the straw. That’s the first kinboshi of Wakamotoharu’s career and, from a narrative point, probably his best and biggest win ever, too.

Terunofuji faltering means he gives all the ozeki a leg up on the competition. They all ran through their opposition today. Takakeisho put on a gutsy and powerful display against Atamifuji, Hoshoryu horsed a tricky Midorifuji off the ring and Kirishima surprised by out-muscling Takayasu.

Elsewhere we had Kotonowaka looking masterful in defeating a pesky Gonoyama. Daieisho and Abi also had a fun fire fight in their 21st ever meeting. Battle Pug won to give him the 11-10 advantage in their head-to-head record.

Day 3

Results

• Bushozan def. Aoiyama via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Shimazuumi def. Takarafuji via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Onosho def. Onosato via oshidashi*
• Kotoshoho def. Tomokaze via hikkake (arm grabbing force out)*
• Myogiryu def. Endo via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Takanosho def. Churanoumi via oshidashi
• Oho def. Sadanoumi via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Tamawashi def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri*
• Meisei def. Hiradoumi via oshidashi*
• Mitakeumi def. Hokuseiho via oshidashi
• Asanoyama def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Kinbozan def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi
• Nishikigi def. Shodai via yorikiri
• Tobizaru def. Ryuden via yorikiri*
• Gonoyama def. Takayasu via fusen (default)
• Hokutofuji def. Daieisho via oshidashi*
• Kotonowaka def. Midorifuji via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Hoshoryu def. Ura via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*
• Kirishima def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Wakamotoharu def. Takakeisho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Terunofuji vs. Abi via tottari (arm bar throw)*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Kirishima is go good, guys. He’s so so good. He’s fighting like a yokozuna in the making and has gotten to 3-0 without breaking a sweat. On Day 2 he shoved out a master shover and on Day 3 he got Atamifuji with a yorikiri (something the youngster has already shown he’s one of the best at). It feels like he’s not even gotten out of first gear yet, which could be a pretty scary thing for the competition.

Hoshoryu is also 3-0. He beat Ura after Ura went for a 360 reverse lay-up when a simple two-handed dunk would have sufficed.

Wakamotoharu built on his morale boosting win over Terunofuji to score a relatively simple push out on Takakeisho in what is usually an all-violence match-up.

Terunofuji rebounded with a win over Abi, but I think he was pretty lucky to get it. Abi was able to get Terunofuji to the boundary and, if he were a stronger man, could have had him out there. Abi also exposed how frightening slow Teru’s foot speed has become. At one point Abi pulled away and it seemed like he almost had to wait for Teruonofuji to catch-up and re-engage. I think we’re going to see Terunofuji lose a few more bouts in the next couple of days ahead of a possible face-saving tournament pull out (if not out-right retirement).

Further down the banzuke there were some great, and really competitive, bouts.

Kotonowaka got Midorifuji with the katasukashi (Midorifuji’s favourite move!).

Meisei regrouped to beat a very tough Hiradoumi.

Asanoyama looked dominant in handling Shonannoumi.

And Shimazuumi got the better of the veteran Takarafuji.

The biggest bummer of the day is Takayasu sitting out due to a, hopefully, minor back issue.

Day 4

Results

• Daiamami def. Aoiyama via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Bushozan def. Takarafuji via oshidashi*
• Onosato def. Shimazuumi via oshidashi*
• Churanoumi def. Tomokaze via oshidashi
• Onosho def. Endo via oshdashi
• Kotoshoho def. Myogiryu via oshidashi
• Oho def. Takanosho via oshidashi
• Mitakeumi def. Tsurugisho via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Meisei def. Sadanoumi via oshidashi
• Hiradoumi def. Tamawashi via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Asanoyama def. Hokuseiho via yorikiri*
• Ryuden def. Ichiyamamoto via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Nishikigi def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Tobizaru def. Kinbozan via okuridashi*
• Hokutofuji def. Abi via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Atamifuji via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Daieisho def. Shodai via oshidashi*
• Ura def. Takakeisho via fusen (defualt)
• Hoshoryu def. Wakamotoharu via okurinage (rear throw down)*
• Midorifuji def. Kirishima via katasukashi*
• Terunofuji def. Gonoyama via uwatenage (over arm throw)*

Quick Analysis

Well Gonoyama continues to prove he’s not afraid of anything. The youngster faced his first ever yokozuna this day and responded to the challenge head on. Just like he has whenever he’s faced the ozeki for the first time, Gonoyama speared forwards hoping to smash into his opponent. Unfortunately, Terunofuji is not one for being speared out the ring. He slipped the charge and pulled off a quick and brutal uwatenage. I like the moxie from Gonoyama, though. He’s shown in his young career that he will come at every bout with intensity and often respond to defeats positively. I hope Terunofuji sticks around long enough to see what happens if they fight again.

I jinxed Kirishima! He lost to Midorifuji on Day 4, with Terunofuji’s stable-mate hitting his favourite under shoulder swing down move. Midorifuji has given Kirishima problems in the past and this time around he was able to stall Kirishima long enough to get his favourite position and yank him down for the win. The loss is a hiccup for Kirishima, but he can’t afford many more if he wants to win this thing.

Wakamotoharu took the fight to Hoshoryu on Day 4 with a stiff forearm shot off the tachiai and then a hard thrust to Hoshoryu’s jaw. Hoshoryu was able to weather the storm, though, and get an angle for a throw. Wakamotoharu evaded getting set up for a standard technique, though, and wriggled into a position to try a last ditch shove. However, Hoshoryu’s balance is god-tier and he was able to execute an unorthodox throw and maintain balance on one foot.

Takakeisho didn’t show up for his bout with Ura. He’s dealing with a nerve issue and might return in a few days.

Other bouts of note from the day were the fire fight between Hokutofuji and Abi (Hokutofuji looks back to full strength now) and Tobizaru’s mischievous win over the hard charging Kinbozan.

Kotonowaka is looking like an ozeki in waiting with his performances so far. He punked Atamifuji with his second katasukashi of the tournament. Atamifuji is winless after facing a murderers’ row to start this basho.

Day 5

Results

• Onosato def. Aoiyama via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tomokaze def. Shimazuumi via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)
• Onosho def. Bushozan via oshidashi
• Takarafuji def. Endo via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Kotoshoho def. Churanoumi via oshidashi*
• Oho def. Myogiryu via oshidashi*
• Takanosho def. Sadanoumi via yorikiri
• Meisei def. Tsurugisho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Tamawashi def. Mitakeumi via oshidashi
• Asanoyama def. Hiradoumi via yorikiri*
• Hokuseiho def. Shonannoumi via shitatenage (underarm throw)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Nishikigi via oshidashi
• Ryuden def. Kinbozan via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Shodai def. Midorifuji via oshidashi*
• Atamifuji def. Tobizaru via oshidashi*
• Daieisho def. Wakamotoharu via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Ura via okuridashi*
• Kirishima def. Abi via tsukiotoshi*
• Gonoyama def. Hoshoryu via yorikiri*
• Terunofuji def. Hokutofuji via yorikiri

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Gonoyama was ready for this one. After losing to Hoshoryu in Kyushu, which involved a long and awkward stare down (which saw Hoshoryu dressed down by his stablemaster), Gonoyama took the fight to the ozeki and ran him out the ring.

I think sometimes Hoshoryu tries to win the bout during the pre-fight ritual and can be over confident at times. It was quite satisfying to see him put in his place by a young man who just commits to every bout, regardless who he is facing. Gonoyama is often the forgotten man in his generation, but he keeps showing, out of all the youngsters right now, he’s the one who is sticking around and staying competitive against the best of the division.

With Hoshoryu taking his first loss of the tournament, he was unable to keep the pace with our two leaders; Kotonowaka and Asanoyama.

Both of them have looked excellent so far. Asanoyama ran through Hiradoumi (who was off to one of the best starts of his career). He swiftly seized upon a split second of indecision from Hiradoumi and stormed him across the ring and out.

Kotonowaka was given the tricky task of containing the slippery and incredibly unpredictable Ura. He passed the test and showed plenty of ring awareness and reaction speed along the way.

Both of them are now at 5-0, but Kotonowaka’s wins have come against much better opposition and he’s showed a lot more craft and variety along the way. Asanoyama’s wins have looked mostly the same; quick and foreceful yorikiri. Asanoyama is of course a former ozeki, so I don’t believe he will fade away once he’s matched with higher ranked foes.

Terunofuji got a good win on Day 5, stuffing a spirited Hokutofuji and working him to the boundary and out.

Also, I need to share this gif from Churanoumi vs. Kotoshoho. These clashes of heads are way too common in sumo.

Day 6

Results

• Mitoryu def. Shimazuumi via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Bushozan def. Tomokaze via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)
• Onosato def. Takarafuji via oshidashi
• Kotoshoho def. Aoiyama via oshidashi
• Onosho def. Myogiryu via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Takanosho def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Oho def. Endo via oshidashi
• Churanoumi def. Sadanoumi via yorikiri
• Meisei def. Tamawashi via yorikiri
• Ichiyamamoto def. Mitakeumi via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Hiradoumi def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Ryuden def. Hokuseiho via fusen (default)
• Asanoyama def. Nishikigi via shitatenage (under arm throw)*
• Kinbozan def. Shodai via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Hokutofuji def. Midorifuji via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Takayasu def. Ura via uwatenage (over arm throw)*
• Wakamotoharu def. Kotonowaka via oshidashi*
• Atamifuji def. Daieisho via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Abi def. Hoshoryu via hikiotoshi*
• Kirishima def. Gonoyama via yorikiri*
• Terunofuji def. Tobizaru via oshidashi*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Oh boy, that was a spicy day on the doyho. Terunofuji vs. Tobizaru was an epic contest and there is a lot of bad blood there. Check out the bout below and then I’ll hit you with the backstory.

As you can see, these two don’t like each other much, as evidenced by the staredown from Terunofuji after the fact and the minimal, bordering on disrespectful, bow from Tobi at the end there.

The last time these two fought it was at the Nagoya basho last year. Tobizaru won that fight thanks to a hard leg kick to one of Teru’s wounded knees (that was the yokozuna‘s first tournament since returning from double knee surgery). After that kick rocked Terunofuji, Tobizaru was able to force him out to earn his second career kinboshi. Teruonofuji dropped out of the tournament a day later due to injury (though he would say it was his back, not the knee Tobizaru targeted). This is the first tournament Terunofuji has fought in since then.

After that happened, Terunofuji punished Tobizaru during a public exhibition event. He overworked Tobizaru with brutal pushing drills known as butsukari. Tobizaru needed hospitalization for dehydration after that display.

Terunofuji released a statement around that time about how he was angered by opponents not having a tight mawashi. He didn’t mention Tobizaru by name, but it seemed pretty clear he was talking about their bout, where Terunofuji pulled Tobizaru’s belt up to his chest.

In this match, Tobizaru again targeted Terunofuji’s knee, hitting it twice, before the yokozuna could get the extra forceful push out. There might be some reprucussions behind closed doors for both men after this.

Terunofuji moves to 5-1 with the win and joins a crowded pack of wrestlers with that record. All of them are one win behind Asanoyama, who stayed perfect at 6-0, with a great win over Nishikigi.

An almost fully healed Nishikigi is the toughest test Asanoyama has had this tournament so far. Asanoyama was able to drive Nishikigi back to the straw, but Nishikigi (who is a brick wall when fully fit) was able to halt him there and respond. Some slick grappling later and Asanoyama was able to execute a nifty throw along the boundary.

Among the 5-1 wrestlers is the rookie Onosato, who is beasting his way through the competition (albeit against the lowest ranked wrestlers available). On Day 6 he blasted through former sekiwake Takarafuji.

We had another injury pull out on Day 6, with Hokueseiho sitting out due to a knee issue.

Takayasu did return on Day 6, though. He fought Ura in a bout that landed with a sickening thud. Takayasu scored the win, but I hope Ura is ok after he landed on his head and appeared to really crunch his neck.

The two remaining ozeki in the tournament had mixed results on Day 6. Kirishima horsed out Gonoyama, with a bit of a needless extra push at the end. And Hoshoryu got tricked by Abi (for Abi’s first win of the basho).

Day 7

Results

• Onosho def. Aoiyama via fusen (default)
• Shimazuumi def. Kotoshoho via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)
• Bushozan def. Churanoumi via oshitaoshi
• Myogiryu def. Takarafuji via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Onosato def. Oho via yorikiri
• Tsurugisho def. Tomokaze yorikiri
• Sadanoumi def. Endo via yorikiri
• Tamawashi def. Takanosho via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Asanoyama def. Meisei via yorikiri*
• Ichiyamamoto def. Hiradoumi via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Mitakeumi def. Shonannoumi via oshidashi
• Nishikigi def. Kinbozan via oshidashi
• Midorifuji def. Gonoyama via yorikiri*
• Atamifuji vs. Abi via oshidashi*
• Wakamotoharu def. Takayasu via yorikiri*
• Daieisho def. Ura via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Kotonowaka def. Ryuden via yorikiri
• Kirishima def. Hokutofuji via yorikiri*
• Hoshoryu def. Hoshoryu via yorikiri
• Shodai def. Terunofuji via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Terunofuji took his second loss of the tournament on Day 7. This one came against Shodai, someone who has had a lot of success against the yokozuna in his career. Shodai is now 11-9 [-3] against Terunofuji, with two of his wins coming while Terunofuji has held the yokozuna rank.

Shodai is a bad match-up for Terunofuji because he’s a big strong, and slow, pusher. He doesn’t make the fast movements that Terunofuji seizes upon to lock up painful holds. Shodai instead grips and barely move as he works for a push out. Shodai’s speed disadvantage has caused him problems against the rest of the field, but against Terunofuji (who’s beat up knees mean he moves at a snail’s pace) he doesn’t get exposed.

Check out below as he slowly, but powerful, puts Big Teru out for an increasingly rare statement win.

With Terunofuji falling back in the leaderboard, he gets leapfrogged by a shrinking group of wrestlers who are on six wins or more.

Those wrestlers are Kirishima, who beat Hokutofuji in a bizarre match which saw the gyoji go splat along the boundary. The ref falling seemed to distract both men, perhaps Kirishima more so, but the ozeki was able to gut out a good performance and get out a very strong looking Hokutofuji.

Kotonowaka got to 6-1, too, after he handled a tricky Ryuden. Ryuden gave his all in the bout, but Kotonowaka’s mix of strength and very heady footwork/arm placement was too much for him.

Onosho and Onosato are also on 6-1, though they are yet to beat anyone in the upper half of the rankings.

Asanoyama won again on Day 7 to keep sole ownership of the lead. He scored yet another textbook yorikiri, this time against a very game Meisei. It’s starting to look like anyone else who wants the first Emperor’s Cup of the year will need to get through him.

Day 8

Results

• Nishikifuji def. Bushozan via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Onosho def. Shimazuumi via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)
• Takarafuji def. Churanoumi via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Onosato def. Endo via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Takanosho def. Tomokaze via tsukiotoshi
• Tsurugisho def. Myogiryu via uwatenage (over arm throw)
• Oho def. Kotoshoho via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Sadanoumi def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi (frontal push out)*
• Tamawashi def. Asanoyama via sukuinage*
• Kinbozan def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Meisei def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Nishikigi def. Hiradoumi via oshidashi
• Abi def. Shodai via oshidashi*
• Atamifuji def. Gonoyama via uwatenage*
• Wakamotoharu def. Ura via oshidashi
• Kotonowaka def. Takayasu via fusen (default)
• Daieisho def. Midorifuji via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Hoshoryu def. Hokutofuji via oshitaoshi*
• Tobizaru def. Kirishima via oshidashi*
• Terunofuji def. Ryuden via yorikiri

Quick Analysis

The 2024 Hatsu basho is now wide open. With Asanoyama dropping his bout to Tamawashi, we have a four-way tie for the leader position and then five rikishi one win back of them.

Asanoyama lost to the oldest man in the division on Day 7. Tamawashi has looked good this tournament, but it was still a surprise to see him pull off the win against Asanoyama who has looked so good all tournament long. I suspect Asanoyama seems to have picked up an injury the day prior and this surely played a majoy role in what went down today.

When Asanoyama and Tamawashi wrestled along the boundary, both looking to execute a throw, it seemed like Asanoyama buckled when he tried to plant a newly, and heavily, wrapped leg. If this is true, then I think this tournament is at risk of being overshadowed by injury storylines. Hopefully this is not the case and Asanoyama can continue to compete, and do well enough, that he can keep pace at the top of the leaderboard.

The other major injury news included that Aoiyama ruptured his ACL on Day 5. That means he is out of competition for around a year. And at 36-years-old, we might have seen the popular Bulgarian rikishi compete on the dohyo for the last time. That would be very sad for European sumo, which lost Tochinoshin last year.

Additionally, we also saw a scary scene involving Hokutofuji. He needed to be helped out of the arena after taking a harrowing fall, backwards, off the ring thanks to Hoshoryu. Hokutofuji looked to be favouring his heavily strapped knee, which makes me suspect he may have blown out his knee before the fall. If that’s the case, and Hokutofuji’s distress was nothing to do with the impact from that fall, it could mean that another popular rikishi will be out of action for sometime.

Takayasu also stayed on the sidelines today, giving Kotonowaka the default win (which means he is one of the wresters leading with a 7-1 record).

And of course there is still no sign of Takakeisho. And Hokuseiho is also out.

This January has been brutal.

In more positive news, the rookie Onosato continues to look special. He’s also on 7-1 after he blasted through Endo. Onosho is the other wrestler with 7-1, which is probably due to him being under ranked for this tournament.

The large pack of second place wrestlers feature Kirishima, who failed to capitalize on Asanoyama’s loss today. Kirishima lost to king pest Tobizaru, who continued to prove he can be a tough out for anyone and is liable to fight tooth and nail regardless who he is up against.

The other 6-2 wrestlers are the expected Terunofuji, Hoshoryu and Daieisho. But they are joined by the surprising Oho (who should fall away when he gets matched with some elites).

Day 9

Results

• Endo def. Tomokaze via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Myogiryu def. Bushozan via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Takanosho def. Takarafuji via oshidashi
• Shimazuumi def. Oho via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Kotoshoho def. Sadanoumi via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*
• Onosato def. Meisei via yorikiri*
• Churanoumi def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Onosho def. Asanoyama via fusen (default)
• Tsurugisho def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi
• Tamawashi def. Shoannoumi via oshidashi*
• Kinbozan def. Hiradoumi via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Tobizaru def. Hokutofuji via fusen (default)
• Abi def. Gonoyama via uwatenage (overarm throw)*
• Wakamotoharu def. Midorifuji via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Ura def. Atamifuji via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Daieisho via yorikiri*
• Kirishima def. Shodai via oshidashi*
• Hoshoryu def. Ryuden via yorikiri
• Terunofuji def. Nishikigi via yorikiri

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Welp. This tournament has been so injury hit that it’s starting to drain some excitement from the final week of bouts. Asanoyama and Hokutofuji have both withdrawn due to bruising encounters on Day 8. Hokutofuji’s knee and Asanoyama’s ankle both looked seriously injured in their losses. They join a growing list of high level wrestlers who will no longer play a role in the basho.

This is especially hard for Asanoyama, who was looking like he was on track to challenge for the title here. With him leaving the competition, and what went down on Day 9, we have three wrestlers at the top of the leaderboard with a fantastic 8-1 records.

Those are Kotonowaka, Onosho and Onosato.

Kotonowaka earned his eighth win by going chest to chest with Daieisho. He withstood the Battle Pug’s mighty opening charge and then used his own strength and speed to push him across the entire ring and out.

Onosho got to 8-1 by default, after he was scheduled to face the now injured Asanoyama.

Onosato received his toughest test to date, in the shape of former san’yaku wrestler Meisei. It didn’t look like a tough test, though. The rookie finished that fight in about two seconds, just like most his other wins this month.

Out of these three Kotonowaka seems the most legitmate threat to win the cup. He’s already beaten very good opponents and, despite his young age, has plenty of experience of this level of sumo.

Onosho is feasting on lower ranked fighters and I don’t trust him to perform against better opposition (or under more pressure).

Onosato might be ‘him’ (as the kid’s say), but I’m still going to hold judgement until we’ve seen him against a true elite. His physical profile, speed and energy have demoralized more experienced wrestlers so far. In doing so, and winning with such speed, we haven’t seen a great deal of technique out of him. There’s no way he can continue bowling top level wrestlers over, though, so sooner, rather than later, he’s going to need to show some craft in order to keep winning.

He’ll have the opportunity to do that tomorrow. The match-makers have decided they want to truly separate pretenders from contenders by matching Onosato and Kotonowaka against each other. We’ve also got Onosho versus Kirishima on Day 10.

Kirishima is in hot pursuit of those three leaders. He won on Day 9 versus Shodai, but he was very lucky to do so. His confidence seems a little rocked after those losses to Tobizaru and Midorifuji a few days ago.

Got to give Ura a shoutout today, he got his first actual win of the tournament, after he beat Atamifuji with a beautiful katasukashi.

Day 10

Results

• Shimazuumi def. Myogiryu via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
• Kotoshoho def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Sadanoumi def. Bushozan via yorikiri
• Takarafuji def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Tomokaze def. Hiradoumi via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Churanoumi via hatakikomi*
• Endo def. Shonannoumi via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Meisei def. Nishikigi via yorikiri
• Takanosho def. Tobizaru via hatakikomi*
• Gonoyama def. Shodai via oshidashi
• Abi def. Ryuden via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Wakamotoharu def. Oho via oshidashi
• Tamawashi def. Atamifuji via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Mirodifuji def. Ura via oshitaoshi*
• Kotonowaka def. Onosato via yorikiri*
• Hoshoryu def. Daieisho via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Kirishima def. Onosho via hatakikomi*
• Terunofuji def. Kinbozan via uwatenage (overarm throw)*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

In a pivotal bout on Day 10 sekiwake Kotonowaka met makuuchi debutant Onosato. Both men were on 8-1 and looking to take a lead in the tournament. For Onosato, this was the first time he had ever faced and elite rikishi. It was also the first time, in this tournament, that Onosato had come against someone as big, strong, and quick as he is.

And Kotonowaka showed the rookie, who is only three years his junior, that there are levels to this game. He got a great jump off the tachiai and was able to stand up Onosato and prevent the younger man from getting any forward momentum. After instantly wrapping his arms around Onosato, Kotonowaka methodically walked him back. Onosato tried to shift his hips and isolate an arm, but Kotonowaka responded perfectly, each time, rolling out of the attempts while keeping his legs wide and knees bent on route to a routine, but very meaningful, yorikiri.

With Onosho falling to Kirishima, Kotonowaka stands alone at 9-1.

Kirishima beat Onosho in a must-win situation for him. If he had lost he would have been two wins behind the leaders and very close to losing his shot at winning this basho (and being promoted to yokozuna). As we’ve often seen, though, when Kirishima has to win — he does just that.

He looked a little nervy against Onosho, though, being pushed back and almost out. However, once Kirishima withstood Onosho’s charge his instincts took over and he was able to win with a slick slap down.

Tied with Kirishima, Onosho and Onosato for second place are Hoshoryu and Terunofuji.

A number of wrestlers are stacked behind that group at 7-3, including Tamawashi. The oldest man in the division is having a sensational tournament. He beat up another whipper-snapper on Day 10, running Atamifuji around the ring before getting him down with a chaotic oshitaoshi. That dropped Atamifuji, who has looked far from his sparkling late 2023 form, to 4-6.

Day 11

Results

• Takanosho def. Kotoshoho via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Tsurugisho def. Churanoumi via yorikiri*
• Shimazuumi def. Sadanoumi via yorikiri*
• Meisei def. Endo via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Hiradoumi def. Bushozan via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Takarafuji via hatakikomi*
• Tomokaze def. Shonannoumi via oshidashi
• Kinbozan def. Myogiryu via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Mitakeumi def. Nishikigi via oshidashi*
• Gonoyama def. Ryuden via oshidashi*
• Tobizaru def. Midorifuji via oshitaoshi*
• Atamifuji def. Shodai via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Wakamotoharu def. Tamawashi via oshidashi*
• Abi def. Ura via hatakikomi
• Kotonowaka def. Oho via oshidashi*
• Kirishima def. Daieisho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Hoshoryu def. Onosato via shitatenage (under arm throw)*
• Terunofuji def. Onosho via yorikiri

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Kotonowaka remains on top after a surprisingly tough test from Oho on Day 11. Oho showed he’s actually a very strong wrestler, standing up to the forceful pushes of the sekiwake. At one point it looked as though Kotonowaka had lurched too far forwards, but he was able to right himself by peddling his feet and finding the body of Oho, which he then pushed out.

Maintaining pressure on Kotonowaka are the expected trio of Terunofuji, Kirishima and Hoshoryu. They all won this day to get to 9-2 records.

Terunofuji handled a gutsy Onosho, absorbing his powerful tachiai and then escorting him out of the ring. That moved Onosho back to 8-3 and likely eliminates him from the championship.

Kirishima took his customary win over Daieisho on Day 11. As per usual, Kirishima stood up Daieisho, making a wall against his pushes. He then, predictably, removed that wall to force Daieisho to miss and then allow him to find an angle for the push out.

Hoshoryu survived Onosato thanks to his unrivaled judo game. Onosato plowed forwards, as he has all tournament, and Hoshoryu had to be quick, and excellent, to secure his grip for an underarm throw right on the boundary. He was able to get the throw off just in time and with just enough strength needed to torque Onosato’s massive body to the side. Afterwards Hoshoryu looked a little stunned by how challenging that was.

There were lots of other great bouts on this day, too.

Wakamotoharu secured kachi-koshi with a thrilling bout over Tamawashi.

Tobizaru continued his feud with Terunofuji, by launching the yokozuna‘s stablemate Midorifuji off the dohyo.

And Gonoyama beat Ryuden in a Darwin match to stave off a losing record for at least another day.

Day 12

Results

• Shimazuumi def. Churanoumi via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Oho def. Bushozan via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Sadanoumi def. Takarafuji via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Tomokaze def. Mitakeumi via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Myogiryu def. Meisei via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Hiradoumi def. Endo via yorikiri
• Tsurugisho def. Kinbozan via yorikiri
• Tobizaru def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi*
• Shonannoumi def. Shodai via kotenage
• Abi def. Midoriduji via yorikiri
• Kotoshoho def. Wakamotoharu via yoritaoshi
• Nishikigi def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Ura def. Gonoyama via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Onosho via hatakikomi
• Daieisho def. Ryuden via hatakikomi
• Hoshoryu def. Takanosho via shitatenage (under arm throw)*
• Kirishima def. Tamawashi via hatakikomi*
• Terunofuji def. Onosato via uwatenage (over arm throw)*

Quick Analysis

The four highest ranked men in this tournament keep on winning, doing exactly what is expected of them. Terunofuji, Kirishima, Hoshoryu and Kotonowaka all won on Day 12, meaning Kotonowaka stays in the lead with an 11-1 record. The other three are just behind him with 10-2 records.

And tomorrow, we’re going to see some fireworks. Kotonowaka has been matched with Terunofuji and Kirishima and Hoshoryu have been paired together.

If Kotonowaka wins, he will move to 12-1 and the winner of the all ozeki match-up will go to 11-2. The losers will be on 10-3. With two days left, those losers will be basically out of contention (only able to force a play-off should the winners lose their remaining two bouts).

If Terunofuji wins, he, Kotnowaka and either Kirishima or Hoshoryu will all have 11-2 heading into the final two days.

Kotonowaka was a little lucky to maintain his lead with his win over Onosho. Onosho was the victim of a slip, which set him up for an easy slap down. We shouldn’t take anything away from Kotonowaka’s 11-1 record, though, he’s earned the bulk of that with excellent displays this tournament.

I suppose you could say Hoshoryu was a little lucky, too. He drew Takanosho this day. Takanosho showed zero fight IQ by running straight into Hoshoryu’s favourite set-up for a throw.

Terunofuji was also able to feast on a wrestler who has shown they only have one gear and one direction they like to go in. The young Onosato tried his best to run through Terunofuji, but he neglected to heed the yokozuna‘s judo skills.

Kirishima was given the toughest test this day. Tamawashi came to fight and he had Kirishima in a nervy position before Kirishima was able to find space to hop out of danger and land a great slapdown.

Day 13

Results

• Tohakuryu def. Takarafuji via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Onosato def. Takanosho via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Sadanoumi def. Tomokaze via oshidashi*
• Tamawashi def. Churanoumi via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Meisei def. Kotoshoho via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Shimazuumi def. Mitakeumi via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Oho def. Hiradoumi via oshitaoshi*
• Shonannoumi def. Bushozan via tsukiotoshi
• Endo def. Ryuden via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)
• Tsurugisho def. Shodai via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Asanoyama def. Gonoyama via kotenage (arm lock throw)*
• Abi def. Ichiyamamoto via tasukidashi
• Midorifuji def. Myogiryu via makiotoshi (twist down)*
• Atamifuji def. Kinbozan via oshidashi
• Wakamotoharu def. Onosho via oshidashi
• Ura def. Tobizaru via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Nishikigi def. Daieisho via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Kirishima def. Hoshoryu via nimaigeri (ankle kicking twist down)*
• Terunofuji def. Kotonowaka via yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Oh boy, what a day. With Kirishima beating Hoshoryu (in a bout for the ages) and Terunofuji slamming the door shut on Kotonowaka we have a three-way tie going into Day 14.

The matchmakers have predictably, and appropriately, set things up so whoever wants to win this thing has to go through the yokozuna. Tomorrow we will have Kirishima vs. Kotonowaka and Hoshoryu vs. Terunofuji.

The winner of Kirishima and Kotonowaka will move to 12-2. If Terunofuji beats Hoshoryu, he will also have 12-2. Hoshoryu will then be at 10-4 and be officially out of it.

If Hoshoryu wins, both he and Terunofuji will be 11-3.

In both scenarios the final day match-ups will be Terunofuji vs. Kirishima and Hoshoryu vs. Kotonowaka. If both Terunofuji and Kirishima are coming off wins they will be fighting for the cup. All the other possibilities are rather complicated and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it (but there are ways for each man to win it all).

If Kotonowaka had won today he would have been fighting tomorrow with a chance to end this thing. But against Terunofuji, someone he has never beaten, he just couldn’t find a way through. Terunofuji was able to halt the young sekiwake‘s charge and then power him across the ring, proving that he’s still got juice in those knees (no matter how hard Tobizaru kicks them).

Kirishima keps his yokozuna aspirations alive with an amazing play to beat his longtime rival Hoshoryu. Kirishima is a genius when it comes to fight IQ. He knows his opponent’s strengths and, most the time, he has a gameplan designed to nullify those strengths and attack the weaknesses they hide.

Kirishima, who trained at the same judo school as Hoshoryu when they were children, knows all about Hoshoryu’s throws. And, being no slouch at judo himself, he knows how important foot and knee placement is. Off the tachiai Kirishima locked up Hoshoryu in a way that prevented him from stepping inside and throwing Kirishima over his hip. With his favourite move blocked off, Hoshoryu tried to throw Kirishima backwards, over his his knee.

Kirishima saw it coming, though. He stepped back to avoid the attempt and used the same foot he had just retracted to then attack Hoshoryu’s right leg, sweeping his ankle while simultaenously leaning into him with his shoulders. The result was the rarely seen nimaigeri finishing technique. It was beautiful.

You can see how much it meant to both men (who are both on record saying how much they hate losing to the other).

Other bouts of note this day were Asanoyama returning from his ankle injury to secure his kachi-koshi with a gorgeous throw on Gonoyama and Ura winning the all-chaos match-up with Tobizaru in spectacular fashion.

Day 14

Results

• Endo def. Roga via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Takanosho def. Bushozan via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Tsurugisho def. Shimazuumi via uwatenage (over arm throw)
• Oho def. Takarafuji via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Onosato def. Sadanoumi via kirikaeshi (tweisting backward knee trip)*
• Kotoshoho def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Onosho def. Meisei via kubinage (head lock throw)
• Tomokaze def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Churanoumi def. Shonannoumi via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Nishikigi def. Tamawashi via yorikiri
• Hiradoumi def. Tobizaru via oshidashi
• Gonoyama def. Myogiryu via oshidashi
• Midorifuji def. Ryuden via katasukashi*
• Abi def. Wakamotoharu via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Asanoyama def. Atamifuji via yorikiri
• Ura def. Shodai via tottari (arm bar throw)*
• Daieisho def. Kinbozan via oshidashi*
• Kotonowaka def. Kirishima via yorikiri*
• Terunofuji def. Hoshoryu via fusen (default)

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

And then there were three. Hoshoryu was absent on Day 14, gifting the default win to yokozuna. The loss gives Hoshoryu a 10-4 record, officially eliminating him from the championship. Hoshoryu appears to be in no shape to compete anyway, though, having aggravated a knee injury in his crushing loss to Kirishima on the previous day.

Terunofuji moves to 12-2. He’s joined by Kotonowaka.

Kotonowaka beat Kirishima in a bout where both men looked a little nervy. Ultimately, Kotonowaka was able to force Kirishima out with strength, while avoiding the tricky trips and pull downs that make Kirishima’s game so formidable.

This all means that if Kotonowaka (who is matched against Tobizaru) and Terunofuji (who is matched against Kirishima) win tomorrow, they will fight in a play-off for the title.

If Kirishima beats Terunofuji on the last day (something he has never done) and Kotonowaka wins, there would be a three-way tie. In that case, Kirishima and Kotonowaka would then fight for the honour of facing the yokozuna in the final play-off bout.

Other bouts worthy of your attention from the penultimate day are Asanoyama handing Atamifuji a make-koshi, Midorifuji trotting out his elite katasukashi to drop Ryuden and Ura doing Ura things to beat Shodai.

Final Day

Results

• Takarafuji def. Kotoshoho via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Oho def. Tomokaze via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Tsurugisho def. Bushozan via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Onosho def. Sadanoumi via oshidashi
• Onosato def. Tamawashi via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Meisei def. Shimzauumi via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Mitakeumi def. Endo via tsukiotoshi
• Myogiryu def. Ichiyamamoto via oshidashi
• Churanoumi def. Shodai via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Takanosho def. Gonoyama via tukiotoshi
• Hiradoumi def. Abi via hatakikomi*
• Kinbozan def. Midorifuji via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Shonannoumi def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Wakamotoharu def. Nishikigi via yorikiri*
• Ura def. Ryuden via tsutaezori (under arm forward body drop)*
• Daieisho def. Asanoyama via hikiotoshi
• Kotonowaka def. Tobizaru via uwatenage (over arm throw)*
• Terunofuji def. Kirishima via yorikiri*
• Terunofuji def. Kotonowaka via yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

We have a winner. Terunofuji proved the doubters (me) wrong, with a strong and energetic finish to the 2024 Hatsu Basho, earning his 9th yusho with a play-off victory over Kotonowaka.

The excellent Sumo Prime Time has all the action below, showing all the decicing matches.

Kotonowaka did what he had to do by beating Tobizaru, giving him a career best 13-2 record. Tobizaru fought like hell, despite the fact a loss would make things harder for his nemesis Terunofuji (Tobizaru was also fighting for a kachi-koshi).

After Kotonowaka won, the pressure was on Terunofuji and Kirishima. And Kirishima was feeling it more than the yokozuna. To force a three-way play-off Kirishima needed to beat Terunofuji, something he had failed to do in 10 prior meetings. In their 11th bout, Terunofuji showed just why Kirishima has failed to find success against them.

Terunofuji quickly closed on Kirishima, pushed him back and then launched him into the first row. The result looked very similar to the first time they met and it goes down as a somewhat embarrassing end to the basho for a man who was hoping to win and earn promotion to yokozuna.

In the play-off Kotonowaka put up a good fight, just as he did earlier in the tournament. He’s one of the few wrestlers who can match Terunofuji for size and strength. But he lacks the grappling and judo that Teruonifuji has, so when Kotonowaka tried to turn and throw his opponent, it was a no-go.

Terunofuji blocked those advances and slowly marshalled Kotonowaka to the boundary and over.

The other must see bout of the day is Ura vs. Ryuden. Ura has struggled mightily this tournament, seemingly crushed by the expectation of his san’yaku promotion (and the elite competition he was matched up against early on). But in the last few days he seems to have relaxed and is back to doing things only he can do.

Against Ryuden he pulled off another one of his bizarre, gravity-defying finishes. Please enjoy.

Our prize winners for this tournament are Wakamotoharu (Outstanding Performance), Onosho (Fighting Spirit) and Kotonowaka (Technique Prize). In addition to scooping that prize, Kotonowaka’s 13 victories means he could be promoted to ozeki for the next tournament (I hope he is).

What’s next?

So that does it for our 2024 Hatsu basho coverage on BE. The next tournament is in March and you can expect similar coverage from me.

Between then, I’ll be on The Level Change podcast to discuss what went down this tournament and to set up the next one.

I’ll also be producing some premium content for the Sumo Stomp! Substack. That will include a deep dive on Ura’s tournament (he was the wrestler subscribers voted to get the spotlight this time around). I’ll also be doing report cards, grading all the makuuchi wrestlers.

If you want to read those pieces, in full, please pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! (which I keep as cheap as Substack will let me).

How to watch

You can stream this tournament via the Abema TV app. Live sumo on Abema comes only with a paid subscription, which costs around $8 a month. The Abema app is entirely in Japanese with no English version. Matches can also be viewed on the official Grand Sumo app. This is also entirely in Japanese with no English version. The Grand Sumo app also features unavoidable spoilers.

NHK World on YouTube may broadcast the makuuchi match-ups on a 24 hour delay.

Alternative methods to watch sumo, both live and on demand, can be found on Twitch and YouTube.

Don’t want to miss an update? Subscribe to my Substack, Sumo Stomp!, for a heads up on all my sumo content. It’s completely free and a place for fellow sumo stans to hang and chat about what’s happening in the world of sumo.

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Second ADXC event produces several exciting highlights

ADXC 2 brought together elite BJJ black belts and top MMA fighters once again, resulting in several fun matchups and a few impressive finishes. One of the most memorable moments of the night came in one of the co-main events, where UFC veteran Luana Pinheiro was testing herself against one of the best grapplers on the planet. Ffion Davies proved to be far too much for Pinheiro to handle though, as it took her less than a minute to lock up the rear-naked choke that finished the match.

Both of the main event matches went to decision, starting with two exciting gi competitors in Bruno Lima and Manuel Ribamar. Lima had already stepped up his game last year and he proved that it wasn’t a fluke by earning the unanimous decision win. The final match of the night then saw Aljamain Sterling earning a split decision win over fellow UFC veteran Chase Hooper, and the promotion also announced that they would be visiting Brazil for the first time to showcase their third event.

Full results for the event can be found here.

First BJJ matches take place in Karate Combat pit

Although Karate Combat is obviously a promotion focused on striking, the fact that they allow for limited strikes on the ground means that fans do see short grappling exchanges. That all changed this month when the promotion announced that they had created Pit Submission Series, a grappling promotion that would serve as the preliminary card for their next event. With the unique Karate Combat pit presenting a new twist, naturally there was a lot of interest around what the matches would look like.

Three of the top prospects from New Wave Jiu-Jitsu were all facing veteran competitors in the only matches of the night, although they experienced mixed results. The team started out strong with Helena Crevar submitting Caitlin Murdock with a Dead Orchard, but Luke Griffith couldn’t continue that success. He faded towards the end of his match with Vagner Rocha and lost a decision, while Dan Manasoiu had his guard passed multiple times by Max Gimenis and also lost a decision.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Gordon Ryan announces that he will not compete outside ADCC

Gordon Ryan has cemented his legacy as the best no gi grappler on the planet with a lengthy unbeaten streak that has spanned across two editions of the ADCC world championship. It’s been a remarkable feat but there has been one small problem present throughout that time: his health. He’s had to cancel several matches over the years and has spent months on end attempting to battle with recurring stomach issues that have kept him off the mats.

He only managed to have a single match in 2023 after starting the year suffering from an illness and getting surgery, before ending it with a rib injury. Now as 2024 begins he’s announced that fans will have to wait even longer to see him in action, as he will not be competing outside of ADCC 2024. It’s a huge blow to both UFC Fight Pass Invitational and Who’s Number One, where he has been part of several main events, and it’ll be interesting to see how he deals with the extended time away on his return.

ONE targeting Mikey Musumeci vs Demetrious Johnson

ONE Championship founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong was recently asked about the future of Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and he revealed that he had a very unusual challenge in mind for the MMA legend. Instead of defending his flyweight MMA belt against a new challenger, Sityodtong has apparently been trying to convince Johnson to face the reigning flyweight submission grappling champion Mikey Musumeci in some kind of mixed-rules superfight.

While this might seem like an unusual idea at first, Johnson is no stranger to mixed-rules fights and he famously submitted top Muay Thai fighter Rodtang Jitmuangnon in one back in 2022. Not only that but he also has more competitive experience with grappling than he does with Muay Thai, as he won a gold medal at brown belt at the IBJJF Master World Championship. Both Musumeci and Johnson have publicly agreed to a grappling match in the past too, so it’s not hard to see this becoming a reality.

Quick Hits

• Legendary BJJ figures Wallid Ismail and Carlson Gracie Jr both get promoted to coral belt in the same ceremony.
• Former IBJJF gi and no gi world champion Mahamed Aly won his professional MMA debut in impressive fashion, knocking out his opponent in the first round.
• MMA legend Gilbert Yvel was promoted to black belt in BJJ by Remco Pardoel and Marcelo Andreoli after more than two decades of training.
• Top UFC strawweight and former IBJJF world champion Mackenzie Dern announced that she is aiming to return to Jiu-Jitsu competition in 2024.

Technique Corner

Fundamentals of shooting

C-post escape drill from the Saddle

Spiral ride back-take drill

Meme of the week

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ONE 165 is live tonight, featuring one of the most stacked cards in ONE FC history. Unfortunately the event airs at 3 a.m. ET. But if you are staying up, you’ll be treated to Superlek vs. Takeru in kickboxing action. There’s also Kade Ruotolo defending his grappling title against Tommy Langaker. There’s also Shinya Aoiki vs. Sage Northcutt and Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Nicky Holzken.

Start date and time

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru goes down on Sun., Jan. 28, live from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The event starts at 5 p.m. locally, which is 3 a.m. ET | 12 a.m. PT. 

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru Free live stream

Fight card

Main card

• – Superlek Kiatmoo9 🇹🇭 vs. Takeru Segawa 🇯🇵; flyweight (Kickboxing)
• – Kade Ruotolo 🇺🇸 vs. Tommy Langaker 🇳🇴; lightweight (Submission Grappling)
• – Shinya Aoki 🇯🇵 vs. Sage Northcutt 🇺🇸; lightweight
• – Yoshihiro Akiyama 🇯🇵 vs. Nieky Holzken 🇳🇱; 187.25-pound catchweight 
• – Marat Grigorian 🇦🇲 vs. S. Sitsongpeenong 🇹🇭; 156.5-pound catchweight (Kickboxing)
• – Garry Tonon 🇺🇸 vs. Martin Nguyen 🇦🇺; featherweight
• – Itsuki Hirata 🇯🇵 vs. Ayaka Miura 🇯🇵; atomweight

Prelims

• – Danny Kingad 🇵🇭 vs. Yuya Wakamatsu 🇯🇵; flyweight 
• – Rade Opacic 🇷🇸 vs. Irak Azizpour 🇮🇷; heavyweight (Kickboxing)
• – Bokang Masunyane 🇿🇦 vs. Keito Yamakita 🇯🇵; strawweight
• – Hiroba Minowa 🇯🇵 vs. Gustavo Balart 🇨🇺; strawweight

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Gordon Ryan has been called “the Michael Jordan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). Ryan is a five–time ADCC World champion, two-time IBJJF No-Gi World champion, and a four-time Eddie Bravo Invitational champion. With 54 consecutive victories, and a record-breaking submission rate of 82%. He’s considered the greatest pound-for-pound no-gi grappler of all time

But in recent years Ryan has been hit with a string of health problems. A strep infection caught during Dubai trip led to ineffective antibiotics, and an extended hospital stay for an ear infection. These infections caused a relapse of Ryan’s stomach ulcers, creating more pain and weight loss. A tonsillitis surgery left him so diminished that his before and after photos went viral on social media.

Gordon Ryan suffering more stomach issues

Ryan’s health issues forced him to cancel several appearances at the end of 2023, but he had hoped to return soon.

For fans hoping to see Ryan back on the mats in the near future, however, news doesn’t look good. The black belt under John Danaher and Garry Tonon recently gave fans an update on his health on social media.

I’m taking some time – I was going to make 2 posts, but I posted the stomach update in slide 2 and 3👉. I came back for ADCC 2022, which I barely made it to with my stomach. After ADCC, I got overconfident and went ahead and started competing again, which was against my initial plan. The 4th pena camp was the hardest I ever pushed my body.

The last 2 weeks, my body shut down, and after my best camp ever, i couldn’t compete. Then, because of my stomach issues, my suppressed immune system took 45 days (on antibiotics) to clear a simple strep throat infection, which then colonized in my tonsils (also have strep and staph in my intestines), needing them to be removed. It took me 6 months to recover from that camp 😂.

What I went through these last few weeks wasn’t fun. I was bedridden for weeks without eating, stomach full with bile, spending 3-4 hours a day belching and dry heaving in the bathroom. While living that, I’ve finally accepted and came to peace with the fact that my body can’t handle the amount of pressure I put it under until my stomach and immune system is 100% better. My immune system simply can’t handle the workload of camp after camp.

I am going to attempt to, as hard as this is, not return to competition until my stomach on paper is 100% better. I don’t care how much money I lose, I don’t care what people think, I can not live like this. When people say that nothing in life matters but your health, they are absolutely right. Feeling like I have been, I’d trade it all just to be healthy. As much as it pains me, I’m going to attempt to step away from all competitions EXCEPT ADCC until my stomach is 100% healthy on paper, by the tests, and by how I feel.

Working at half better is only working on borrowed time until my body shuts down again from the workload I put on it. Taking however much time i need to get 100% healthy. I believe it will be better long term, obviously for day to day life, but also competition success and reliability as an athlete showing up. As hard as this is, I will only be competing at ADCC until my health is 100% restored, and if it’s not, no one will ever do what I’ve done, so I can be at peace with that. Love you all ❤️💔

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Gordon Ryan’s surprising PEDs stance

Unlike most athletes, Ryan is an outspoken supporter of PEDs. No hypocrisy here. Ryan “believes that allowing PEDs to make everyone “more physical” will be better for the sport and its athletes.”

“If the UFC ‘regresses’ back to the old days, this is amazing news,” Gordon Ryan wrote on social media.

“The reason people watch professional sports is almost exclusively for entertainment value. Few people who watch pro sports have any real desire to excel at those same sports, so really, they are just watching for the most entertainment.

“The higher the testosterone, the more physical the athletes are, the less prone to injury they are, the faster they recover, the longer they can compete, and the more entertaining and high paced they are,” he argued.

“The better they look, the more attention they draw, the more money they make.”

Naturally, some people speculate the PEDs are the reason for his health issues. Others disagre, popular YouTuber & PED expert Derek from “More Plates More Dates” made a whole video on Ryan’s health issues.

“I think that leaky gut is one of the things contributing to his stomach issues. I don’t think that it is a result of anadrol (PED) abuse.”

The ADCC’s no gi grappling championships take place starting August 17th in Las Vegas.

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Bloody Elbow is pleased to announce our partnership with Revgear. They have been a pioneer in the MMA gear industry and have grown into a formidable brand and true leader in the market. Revgear now have Bloody Elbow t-shirts, hoodies and hats so you can show your support for independent MMA journalism.

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Grand Sumo’s 2024 season begins this weekend with the hatsu basho or New Year’s tournament. The 15-day event goes down at the historic Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and it just might feature a new yokozuna being crowned.

Read below for my preview of the tournament and the five storylines I am most excited for.

1. Is Kirishima the real yokozuna in waiting?

Sumo has a yokozuna problem. Terunofuji, the sport’s sole yokozuna has missed most of the last two year’s tournaments due to injuries. And he seems poised to retire from the sport. Previously he said he was waiting to win another two tournaments before calling it a day, but honestly, I think what’s keeping him around is the fact that if he left there would be a giant yokozuna shaped void left in the sport. The pressure to represent that elite class of wrestler, along with the sport itself (and to a degree, Japan itself) is likely keeping Terunofuji from walking away, despite his crippling knee and back pain.

Last year, Takakeisho had a chance of ascending to the rank of yokozuna (and lifting some of the pressure of Terunofuji), but he faltered at the last hurdle.

Now, a new challenger is in position to claim the ultimate prize and become only the 74th yokozuna since the 16th century. That man is Kirishima.

Kirishima was the best rikishi on the planet last year, earning more wins in 2023 than anyone else (despite missing a few days due to injury). He won two tournaments, scooped two technique prizes and earned promotion to ozeki.

After winning the Kyushu basho in November (with aplomb) he now has a chance to win back-to-back tournaments. Doing so would give him the base qualification for a yokozuna promotion. Those two wins, along with how dominating Kirishima has looked at times (and considering there isn’t any controversy around his character or fighting style) makes me think he’s a shoe-in for the promotion if he claims the Emperor’s Cup in Tokyo this month.

Kirishima won’t have any easy path to the cup, though. Terunofuji is suggesting that he is fit enough to compete. Takakeisho and others (including Kirishima’s top frenemy Hoshoryu) will likely be hoping to spoil the party, too.

2. Can Cocaine Bear and the Peach Prince shake up sumo’s san’yaku?

The banzuke for January included two big additions to the upper-rankings. Takayasu and Ura are our new komusubi. For Takayasu (or ‘Cocaine Bear’ as someone on r/sumomemes once called him) this is a return to the san’yaku after injuries ruined his tenure as ozeki. For Ura, this is his first time reaching the upper rankings. The pink-clad Ura also becomes the first wrestler ever to make the san’yaku after clawing back from demotion all the way down to sumo’s fifth division (which was caused by injuries).

Both men getting this promotion late in their careers makes me quite rueful of what their injuries have robbed us of. I can’t help but imagine how dominating a completely fit Takayasu might have been at ozeki, especially amidst the struggles of the yokozuna and other ozeki around him at that time. And if Ura had not needed so much work to save his knees, he may have been a komusubi years ago.

Watching how both these men perform in the upper rankings at this stage of their careers will be fascinating. Based on their performances last year, I think Takayasu is likely to make more of a home there than Ura. Ura is one of the most fun wrestlers to watch in sumo, but he’s struggled against top tier opposition throughout his career.

3. Another ozeki?

Last year we had an ozeki crisis on our hands. But those days seem long ago with Kirishima, Hoshoryu and Takakeisho winning and representing the ranking in ways that are expected of them.

At times last year Takakeisho was the lone ozeki, while also dealing with injuries and a kadoban status. But in January all three ozeki are coming off kachi-koshi. All three appear healthy. And one (as we’ve already mentioned) looks prime for a yokozuna run.

And we might even have another ozeki joining their ranks soon.

Kotonowaka, the grandson of 53rd yokozuna Kotozakura, was excellent in 2023. He’s currently on a 12 tournament kachi-koshi streak, second only to Hoshoryu, and he’s coming off an 11-win performance (which earned him a Fighting Spirit Award) in Kyushu.

To earn 33 wins over three tournaments (the base qualification for ozeki), Kotonowaka will need 13 wins in January. The most he’s ever achieved is 12. However, even if he does reach that mark he may still not get the promotion, given that he took less than double-digit wins in September (he went 9-6 in his debut as sekiwake).

I don’t expect Kotonowaka (or ‘Double Boob’ on r/sumomemes) to hit 13 wins this month, but I think he’s a lock for double-digit wins, setting up a strong ozeki possibility in March. Whether it happens sooner or later, though, the 26-year-old is one of the brightest young wrestlers on the circuit and will be a fun watch this tournament.

4. How good is Onosato?

For the second time in two years we are going to have a top division debutante who is so young and inexperienced (at the pro level) that his hair hasn’t grown enough to be styled into the traditional top knot. 19-year-old phenom Hakuoho achieved that feat last year (and almost won a championship in his first ever top division tournament), before suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery.

This year Onosato does the honours. The young, but massive man, has been promoted to makuuchi after just four tournaments in Grand Sumo. In November he just missed out on a juryo championship, losing to a very motivated Kotoshoho in a play-off. But despite that he still comes to makuuchi with an impressive early career record of 34-10.

One of the main stories of 2023 was how impressive young wrestlers Hakuoho, Atamifuji and Gonoyama were, especially Atamifuji who came within two bouts of winning two championships.

Now it’s time to see if Onosato will sink or swim. At this low a ranking, I think he’ll do just fine. But it won’t be easy for him for long.

5. Can Miyagino rebound from a disappointing 2023?

69th yokozuna Hakuho, the greatest rikishi and one of the greatest athletes of all time, had his official retirement ceremony last year. When his top knot was removed he ceased being Hakuho and became the 13th Miyagino, named for the stable he is now master over.

2023 featured a lot of hype around Miyagino wrestlers with Hokuseiho and Hakuoho debuting in the makuuchi. However, it’s not gone very well for the ‘Michael Jordan of Sumo’ since then. Hakuoho impressed but was then injured and Hokuseiho has been frustrating to watch as he failed to meet his potential in his first year of top level competition. Joining Hakuoho on the injury list were the diminutive Kiho and the ever-popular Enho.

In January, those injured Miyagino wrestlers are due to return to competition. It will be interesting to see how they fare and whether Hakuho’s stable can bring home it’s first Emperor’s Cup since he himself stepped away from the ring.

For more sumo content, including deep dives and analysis on wrestlers past and present, subscribe to the Sumo Stomp! Substack today.

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Grand Sumo’s first tournament of the year is almost here. And, I have just finished my grades for the past tournament. I certainly want to have these out a lot quicker after the next tournament (he says).

I hope these have been worth the wait for you all. I’ve really enjoyed writing them and reacquainting myself with the men we’ll be watching perform very soon.

This final report card is focused on the elites. The paywall (sorry) cuts the piece off at Hoshoryu.

Hokutofuji

Rank: Komusubi 1 West
Record: 5-10
Grade: E+

Hokutofuji looked a shell of the wrestler who took the Nagoya tournament by storm in July. He tread water in the September tournament to earn an 8-7 record and promotion to komusubi. However, at the Kyushu basho he struggled mightily and appeared to be nursing some kind of lower body injury.

Being injured is bad enough, but being injured and matched against the best talent out there is a nightmare position for any wrestler, especially one who has just clawed his way up to this promotion.

Some of his explosiveness did creep out in bouts with Wakamotoharu and Abi (both of whom also struggled this tournament), but mostly he seemed to not have enough juice in his legs to power people across the clay like he had in previous appearances.

In addition to that power being sapped, the injury seemed to drain some of Hokutifuji’s enigmatic, and infectious, personality. He didn’t seem as intense and, frankly, wild as we’d expect. Him knowing he couldn’t fight to his fullest might have been a morale dampener and in many bouts he seemed to give up at the end and look quite dejected.

See this loss to Ura, below:

Ura is excellent at this hand fighting game, but you can’t tell me that the Nagoya Hokutofuji wouldn’t have fought tooth and nail to spin out of that position.

So it’s a low grade for me, but I’m hoping his low energy approach to this past basho helped preserve his health and that we see him back to his explosive best in January.

Abi

Rank: Komusubi 1 East
Record: 6-9
Grade: D

There are no secrets with Abi. He knows what he’s good at. His opponent’s know. We know. And Abi seems fine with that. He continues to play his game of thrust, thrust, pull down/side-step with a decent amount of henka thrown in to add a little spice.

His sumo is very hit and miss and that has resulted in his records this year being around the 8 win mark, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, but never by much.

With Abi, distance is key. If he can dictate the range where the fight takes place he has a good chance of winning. If his opponent controls the distance (and, specifically, deprives him of it) his chances diminish.

See how he gets this win against Shonannoumi. He gets his hands up high and fully extends his arms. That distance created by his fully extended arms means there is a lot of room for Shonannoumi to lean into… and then fall through as Abi steps away (something made easier by all that space).

Against Hokutofuji, Abi doesn’t get his arms straightened out. Hokutofuji does not relent from the throat thrusts and keeps coming forwards. That means Abi is not able to extend his arms and push him back to create space. If he can’t find space with his arms, Abi tries to find it with his feet, by moving backwards. But that only helps the surging Hokutofuji, who gobbles up more of that space in between them and leaves Abi with nowhere to go but out.

I think success against Abi is down to character more than anything. You have to accept that you’re going to get hit in the face and throat and be ready to either slip those strikes or walk straight through them. When Abi is ranked high, like he was here, he’s always going to find more guys who don’t care about getting hit in the face.

Kotonowaka

Rank: Sekiwake 2 East
Record: 11-4, Fighting Spirit Prize
Grade: A

Kotonowaka is becoming a bit of a silent assassin in makuuchi. He’s on a 12 basho kachi-koshi streak (second only to Hoshoryu) and he is now working on an ozeki run. He had been quietly putting up numbers this year as a komusubi, but I feel like the Kyushu basho was one of his loudest tournaments to date.

He looked dynamic throughout the basho mixing power and very high fight IQ to score wins off some excellent opponents. His win over Takakeisho was masterful (see that in the Takakeisho section) and this katasukashi on Daieisho was fantastic.

The fact Daieisho wasn’t able to move Kotonowaka off the tachiai says a lot. Kotonowaka has an impressive ‘armour of fat’, but he’s also got a lot of muscle hiding underneath. He’s able to stop Daieisho here without bending his knees, meaning a lot of the strength he’s using to stop one of the most forceful pushers in the game is coming from just his back and shoulders.

Kotonowaka’s intelligence is on full display in this bout, too. He quickly isolates Daieisho’s right shoulder for the swing down. This makes me think he had this move planned from the get-go and that it’s a product of scouting Daieisho (someone he’s done well with in the past and has already beaten by hikiotoshi and hatakikomi).

I think this sekiwake is going to make more noise in January and he’s the most likely candidate for a new ozeki in the first half of 2024.

Wakamotoharu

Rank: Sekiwake 1 West
Record: 6-9
Grade: D-

I wish I knew what was wrong with Wakamotoharu. He’s one of my favourite rikishi to watch, but not like this.

He looked lackadaisical in Kyushu. It was almost like he didn’t want to be there. So many of his losses ended with him turning from his opponent, lightly stepping out the ring or being somewhat agreeably thrown down.

He’s not usually like this. Wakamotoharu is one of the most intense, and brutal, wrestlers on the circuit. He’ll get embroiled in fire-fights with thrusters and do terrifying sacrifice throws with grapplers on the edge of the ring (which make me wince every time).

But in Kyushu he looked like a different person. I didn’t read any reports of him being hurt and he wasn’t wearing any kind of strapping. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the kind of person who would keep an injury hidden to not tip off an opponent.

If he was healthy, though, this performance has to be chalked up to a mental issue. Which, to me, is more concerning. If something was on his mind, my only hope is that it was nothing major and that it can be recovered from here in the New Year.

Wakamotoharu did suffer a big let down in his career in 2023, losing out on a shot at an ozeki promotion and then faltering at each opportunity to start a new run. Coming up short (despite winning nine bouts in two previous tournaments to this one) might have lead to Wakamotoharu just wanting to close out the year and turn over a new leaf in 2024.

I don’t take pleasure in recapping Wakamotoharu’s failings from this basho, but look below. If are sloppy enough to dangle an arm and let Abi, of all people, pull off a throw, something’s not right.

Daieisho

Rank: Sekiwake 1 East
Record: 9-6
Grade: B-

Like Wakamotoharu, Daieisho stumbled when given the chance to earn an ozeki promotion this year. He also stumbled in a play-off with Kirishima in March in a bout that could have dramatically shifted sumo’s narrative for 2023.

In Kyushu he was good, but not good enough, again.

Daieisho is a monster against the lower ranked wrestlers, but he struggles to find ways to win against ozeki and sekiwake class opponents.

Against the rank-and-filers he mostly just runs over his opponents. So I was actually quite pleased to see him utilize a little more craft in this bout with Gonoyama:

In this bout he does a great job of reacting to the straw on his right foot when Gonoyama hits him with that big double hand thrust. Daieisho treats the straw like lava and shows off how nimble he can be along the boundary.

In Kyushu he went 1-2 against ozeki. He beat Takakeisho, which is a rare thing (‘Keisho was checked out at that point, though) and fell to Kirishima and Hoshoryu. He’s 8-18 against Takakeisho over his career. Against Kirishima he’s got a 6-10 record. Against Hoshoryu he’s 4-6.

In his bout with Kirishima, the eventual champ shows how strong he is, standing up to the thrusting power of Daieisho. This win is more about Kirishima’s brilliance than Daieisho’s failings. Watch as Kirishima thrusts across Daieisho’s body. On the finishing sequence he uses his left arm to strike the right side of Daieisho’s chest. This twists Daieisho’s body and causes Daieisho to stick out his left leg. With his legs so far apart he is an easy target for a slap down.

If Daieisho wants to get past sekiwake he’ll need to do things against higher ranked wrestlers that have me fawning over him like I did Kirishima here.

Hoshoryu

Rank: Ozeki 2 East
Record: 10-5
Grade: A-

Hoshoryu looked mostly back to his best in Kyushu, rebounding from a slightly shaky aki basho. His 10-5 is a great record and very ozeki-like. However, he didn’t feel like a major threat to win the tournament, with Atamifuji and Kirishima streaking just ahead of him.

Even so, it has to go down as a very successful second ozeki basho for the Golden Boy. Hoshoryu, when he’s fit and calm, is a difficult opponent for any wrestler. He can push you forwards, and out, and he can make you pay when you push him back, too.

His judo is the best in all of sumo. His technical ability to execute a throw in any situation is bolstered by his keen mind for grappling and his ability to sense the exact moment to trigger a throw attempt.

See how against Asanoyama he his pulled to the side by his very strong opponent, but as his right foot is swiped across the ground he recognizes when it lands in the perfect position to trigger the throw.

To read the rest of this article head on over to Sumo Stomp! now.

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UFC star Aljamain Sterling unhappy with loss, slams BJJ rules

Fury Pro Grappling 8 was the final big professional grappling show of the year and as usual, they booked a number of UFC veterans to compete on the card. There was plenty of BJJ action and some exciting submission finishes throughout the card, with one of the most notable moments coming towards the end of the night. Pat Sabatini locked up a beautiful Suloev stretch very early in his match with Niko Price, forcing him to tap with one of the best submission finishes of the night.

All of this led up to a BJJ main event that was incredibly anti-climactic. Aljamain Sterling was competing against grappling veteran Kevin Dantzler and neither man was willing to venture outside their gameplan. Dantzler wanted to play guard and Sterling wanted to wrestle, so a lot of the match was Sterling standing over an opponent on his back and asking him to get up. Dantzler won the decision, likely based on the only submission attempt of the match, and Sterling was clearly unhappy with it as he went on a rant about BJJ rules and scoring.

Full results of the event can be found here.

New bantamweight champion emerges at Medusa 5

Medusa has quickly become the biggest female-only grappling promotion on the planet and Eddie Bravo has guided his brainchild to huge success. They finished 2024 with their 5th event, featuring a 16-woman bantamweight combat jiu-jitsu tournament. It was the same division they hosted a tournament in for their last event, so the reigning champion Alex Enriquez was the obvious favorite. She won her first round match against Gillian Noll but was injured in the process, and had to drop out of the bracket at that point.

Although that was unfortunate for her, it proved to be a great win in retrospect as Noll re-entered the bracket in her place and put on amazing show. Noll submitted her next opponent and then beat both of the other top contenders for the title, Peyton Letcher and Jennifer Rivera, in EBI overtime. By winning the promotion’s bantamweight combat jiu-jitsu title she also set up an incredibly interesting rematch with Enriquez, that the promotion will almost certainly look to book in 2024.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Ryan Aitken retains Combat Jiu Jitsu middleweight world title

Medusa 5 wasn’t the only major combat jiu jitsu event in the last few weeks, as Eddie Bravo also put together another edition of the CJJ world championships. This time it was taking place in the middleweight division, and Ryan Aitken was the returning champion after a great performance in 2021. There was a ton of tough opponents waiting for him, but he managed to turn in another vintage performance to defend his title.

Aitken submitted Sean Fallon in the opening round and beat top contender Chris Wojcik by ride-time in EBI overtime in the quarter final. His last two opponents ended up being a pair of rematches from his last title-winning performance in 2021, with Derek Rayfield standing in his way first. He submitted Rayfield with a heel hook before facing off with another top 10th Planet representative, Kyle Chambers. With his final win coming in EBI overtime, Aitken took home the title once again.

Full results for the event can be found here.

BJJ superstars set to compete at ONE 165

ONE Championship has become known for pushing submission grappling by building their own divisions and allowing elite grapplers to develop as MMA fighters at their events. The best examples of both of those approaches are on full display at ONE 165, which promises to be an exciting card from start to finish. The first fight to be announced was the long-awaited fun fight between Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki and UFC veteran Sage Northcutt.

The second MMA fight announced for the event is a battle between two of the promotion’s top featherweight contenders, ADCC veteran Garry Tonon and former two-division champion Martin Nguyen. There will also be a submission grappling world title on the line in a rematch of one of the best grappling matches of 2023. Kade Ruotolo will be attempting to defend his lightweight title for the second time against one of the best grapplers in Europe, Tommy Langaker.

Quick Hits

• ADCC announced their first ever Youth Championship for the day before ADCC 2024, featuring 192 elite young prospects competing across 24 different brackets.
• Igor Tanabe put Shinsho Anzai opponent to sleep at RIZIN 45, moving to 5-0 in his professional MMA career with every fight ending in the first round.
• Famous English personal trainer and author James Smith was promoted to brown belt in BJJ by Ryan Walsh at Garage Jiu Jitsu Wollongong.
• The IBJJF announced a series of changes to their rules for the 2024 season, making minor amendments to stalling rules and straight ankle-locks for brown belts and above.

Technique Corner

The Fireman’s carry

Peruvian Necktie

Smash pass to the Truck, to Back control

Meme of the Week

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Grand Sumo’s first tournament of 2024 is a little over a week away. But before we get into all the great bouts and storylines that tournament is bound to throw up, we still have some time to continue our analysis of the previous event.

Below is my report card for the upper half of the maegashira who competed in Kyushu in November. This cohort includes Atamifuji, who fell short (again) and a couple of higher ranked folks who slightly disappointed.

Check them out below and let me know what you think in the comment section!

Atamifuji

Rank: Maegashira 8 West
Record: 11-4, Fighting Spirit Prize
Grade: A-

Atamifuji is no fluke. The youngster is surely san’yaku bound after this highly impressive start to his career. He’s been able to earn back-to-back 11-4 records since promotion back to makuuchi thanks to a devastating mix of power and technique, which is aided by his incredible physical profile.

He’s just so wide. His frame traps wrestlers in front of him and makes it very hard for them to find an angle of escape. Atamifuji makes that even harder by how he moves his feet and finds the angle needed to keep his opponent in front of him. He’s also excellent at not moving his feet, too. He can root himself to a spot and just cancel out his opponent’s pushing power.

Watch how the bigger Shonannoumi is incapable of making Atamifuji take a step backwards. Shonannoumi is also incapable of moving Atamifuji’s arms from his armpits, too, making his attempts to go for a throw completely futile. While Shonannoumi is trying to react he’s forced back with every step Atamifuji takes.

But Atamifuji doesn’t just settle for force outs. His rock solid arm positioning can be converted to throw attempts of his own. See how he takes down Myogiryu when the veteran tries to circle away.

Atamifuji’s Achilles Heel at this point in his career is pressure. He’s wilted in each of the last basho when faced with an opportunity to win it all. In September he choked against Takakeisho. In November he seemed frightened to face Kirishima.

He earns a high grade for the bulk of his work across the basho from me. But if he wants accolades that actually matter, he’ll need to get his nerves under control and fight the Kirishima and Takakeishos of this world like he does that Shonannoumi and Myogiryus.

Endo

Rank: Maegashira 8 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: E

Endo’s 2023 ended with a dud of a performance in Kyushu. His 5-10 followed 9-6 and 10-5 records last time out. I feel like he was a casualty of his rank in this tournament. He got off to a 0-6 start against opponents all ranked M9 and higher. It wasn’t until he was matched with the lower half of the maegashira that he was able to score a few wins.

He didn’t appear to be hurt in this tournament (at least not any more than anyone else). He just seemed rash in his decision making and not strong or quick enough to recover from his mistakes.

Below you can see him miss a charge on Shonannoumi and then fail to get his feet planted or body turned enough to prevent being forced out.

At 33 I think Endo (a once highly touted prospect) has peaked and will continue to tread water around M10 in 2024.

Kinbozan

Rank: Maegashira 7 West
Record: 8-7
Grade: C

Kinbozan continues to show flashes of being a very good wrestler. One of his go to moves has become what we see against Onosho below, where he turns his body into a matador’s cape and slides his feet one way while slinging his arms (and his opponent) the opposite way.

This move speaks to Kinbozan’s creativity and ability to react very quickly. He showed off those qualities in this win over Sadanoumi below, too.

Sadanoumi looks to have Kinbozan dead to rights on the straw, but somehow Kinbozan is able to turn him and throw him behind him, without moving his feet. This shows incredible strength, balance and flexibility.

Other than his rookie campaign in makuuchi in March (where he didn’t face anyone in the san’yaku), we’re yet to see Kinbozan display all these qualities on a consistent enough basis to challenge for a title. I think he’s close to that and I can see him making a komusubi promotion sometime in 2024.

Hokuseiho

Rank: Maegashira 7 East
Record: 7-8
Grade: D-

After I gave him his flowers for the aki basho Hokuseiho back-slid in Kyushu. In this tournament we were faced with the frustrating Hokuseiho we saw in past losing record tournaments, where he over-relied on his size and tried to stall his way to victory.

Those attempts to gas out opponents resulted in giving his opposition time to plan moves that could trip, push or elevate Hokuseiho to earn wins.

During the tournament he fell victim to the embarrassing fork-lift manoeuvre twice, once from Tsurugisho and once from Nishikigi.

Both were able to do this because Hokuseiho is far too upright in the clinch. If he actually leaned into his opponents and positioned his feet back, it would be extremely hard for wrestlers to grab his belt and do much with it if they could reach. Moving his feet back would also make him less susceptible to trips, too.

The stalling routine also lacks any kind of intensity (something we see all successful wrestlers utilize each and every bout). At worst it’s a sign of laziness and at best it speaks to some kind of anxiety or discomfort.

His lack of intensity, and inability to rise to an occasion, was obvious on the final day of the tournament where he faced Ura in a Darwin match. Ura, who dives in low every bout, should have been squashed by the massive Hokuseiho.

Instead, Hokuseiho just made himself a target for Ura’s opening charge and looked for a clinch immediately. In the clinch he tried to set up a kimedashi (which would have been very difficult to pull off given how heavy Ura’s lower half is).

If you’re going to try and win with a kimedashi, though, you need to lock your arms onto your opponent like iron vices. Hokuseiho didn’t do that to Ura. Ura was able to yank out an arm and use that limb to attack one of Hokuseiho’s. Two arms usually beat one in sumo and Ura was able to spin Hokuseiho to get him off balance and then tip him over off the edge of the dohyo.

Hokuseiho has all the natural gifts you need to be an elite rikishi, but we’re still waiting to see if his mental game (and effort) can catch up to those and make him a serious contender in the sport.

Takanosho

Rank: Maegashira 6 West
Record: 5-6-4
Grade: E

This was another tournament where Takanosho struggled when matched against the upper half of the maegashira. He was 5-5 when he bowed out due to injury in Kyushu, with losses coming to mostly higher ranked opponents (excluding Atamifuji).

Takanosho’s sumo is very aggressive. Aggression is great, but it needs to be combined with control otherwise you’re just doing to be eating dirt in every other bout. That’s exactly what happened to Takanosho in Kyushu. In too many bouts he barrelled forwards hoping for the best, often with his head down.

See how easy it was for Nishikigi to slip past that over-committed push below, with a simple hop to the side (on an injured leg).

Takanosho has been demoted to M12 for January, his lowest ranking since 2019.

Shonannoumi

Rank: Maegashira 6 East
Record: 7-8
Grade: D+

Kyushu may not have represented a step backwards for Shonannoumi, but it certainly wasn’t a step forwards. I was very high on him when he came onto the scene and notched 10-5 in his debut makuuchi tournament. I’m enamoured with his speed and size combination and love who he can swiftly change arm positions, with enough force to disarm and sometimes put down opponents (like he does to the leaning Takanosho here).

This was his second 7-8 record in a row. In both his past two performances he was 7-7 on the last day and failed to clinch kachi-koshi. He doesn’t seem to present the same kind of nerves we see with Atamifuji in high pressure bouts. It feels a little more like carelessness and a lack of aggression have spelled disaster for Shonannoumi on his last two Day 15s.

In this tournament he met Gonoyama on the last day, a wrestler who brings aggression and intensity to every bout (to a fault, sometimes).

His loss to Gonoyama looked a lot like his loss to Kinbozan (which I featured earlier in this piece). Shonannoumi gets stuck looking for a hold, focusing on Gonoyama’s upper half, and neglects the part of the battle that happens below the belt. See how Gonoyama’s legs are driving forwards and Shonannoumi is stuck up-right and unable to dig his heels in to prevent a push out.

I’m not ready to write off Shonannoumi. I just need to see him sit down on his power more and put more weight into his pushing.

Midorifuji

Rank: Maegashira 5 West
Record: 9-6
Grade: B

I could write about Midorifuji all day. When he’s winning, he’s an absolute joy to watch. And he’s won more than lost this year. After an impressive 10-5 record in March he was promoted up to M1, but struggled mightily against the elites, going 6-9 and then 4-11. After being demoted he banked another 10-5 record and then, in Kyushu, he looked good again, notching a 9-6 record.

During his struggles he seemed to lose his way, unable to impose his exciting brand of sumo against the giants he goes up against in makuuchi. But in the last two tournaments, he’s looked back to his best — beating much bigger guys with his formidable arsenal of pull downs.

He dropped many opponents with hikiotoshi at Kyushu, but what I really loved was how he was able to use the threat of his pull downs, trips and throws to pressure his opponents and get them in dangerous situations where he could push and force them out.

See how he handles Endo below. Endo, like everyone else in the division, knows where Midorifuji is dangerous, so he is hyper focused on blocking a throw attempt. Often you see wrestlers over-commit to throws when they get this deep and then get pushed face first into the clay. But Midorifuji is so smart in recognizing that Endo has skipped out of range and he’s humble enough not to continue to dig for the throw. Instead he switches tactics and goes for the path of least resistance, a push out versus his off-balance opponent.

His strength in pushing looked much improved this tournament, too. See how he was able to drive Shonannoumi out (while staying on his feet):

And Midorifuji was also able to pad his record with an occasional henka, too. Kinbozan never stood a chance here.

The fact Midorifuji doesn’t do this move 9 out of 10 times (despite how good he is at it and how appropriate it would be for a man of his size) really speaks to how diverse Midorifuji’s game is. The fact he doesn’t rely on henka and will instead take a hit and then work for a katasukashi or hikiotoshi also speaks a lot about his personality. More often than not he doesn’t turn from a challenge, he takes it on, with his chest out and then works to find a way through it. That’s part of why, for me, Midorifuji is so easy to cheer for.

Onosho

Rank: Maegashira 5 East
Record: 3-12
Grade: F

Onosho is like a few other wrestlers in that his fatal flaw is that he usually operates in linear movements, not lateral. He goes forwards hard and that can be enough to knock some people out. But it also makes it very likely that, if you get out the way, Onosho is going to keep on trucking and send himself out the ring.

That’s exactly what happened versus Midorifuji.

Onosho, like Takanosho and Hiradoumi, seems to lack humility in believing that they can push anyone backwards and out and that they’d rather fall flat on their faces trying to prove that than take an alternative approach.

3-12 is Onosho’s worst record in an injury free basho since 2020. It has resulted in a demotion down to M14 in January and puts him at risk of relegation should he under-perform again.

Nishikigi

Rank: Maegashira 4 West
Record: 7-8
Grade: C-

Nishikigi continued to deal with a calf injury throughout his time in Kyushu. You can see in the video below that his left calf is purple with bruises. This gif also shows you how this particular injury has been a nightmare for Nishikigi and his brand of sumo.

During his yusho-run in Nagoya Nishikigi was stopping everyone cold off of the tachiai and then powerfully forcing them back and over. But here against Midorifuji, he’s easily pushed back by the smaller man and he seems to give up at the boundary.

Given the injury, I think 7-8 was a decent achievement for Nishikigi. I hope he’s recovered now and ready to give the san’yaku the kind of problems he did in the summer.

Gonoyama

Rank: Maegashira 4 East
Record: 8-7
Grade: C+

Gonoyama continued to impress in Kyushu. The 25-year-old now has three winning records in his first three top division tournaments. He’s benefited from a very gradual progression up the banzuke, resulting in him not being totally overwhelmed by all elite competition.

His kachi-koshi this tournament, while ranked M4, included wins over Kirishima, Takakeisho, Wakamotoharu, Tobizaru and Hokutofuji. Despite scoring wins over these big names, he remains under the radar thanks to the immensely popular Hakuoho and Atamifuji who have arrived on the scene at the same time as him.

Hakuoho and Atamifuji have had much louder performances in 2023, with both coming close to winning championships. While this has been happening, though, Gonoyama has quietly solidified himself in the top division and earned a reputation as a ferocious opponent who is never an easy out.

His sumo is nasty and thrust-heavy. He blitzes as hard as anyone off the tachiai and after contact is made he is a wolverine, throwing hands and feet until it’s over. This style overwhelms many opponents, like the more reserved Shonannoumi below.

Gonoyama does struggle when he’s forced to problem-solve in something other than a fire fight. When Ura refused to be pushed back, and responded by grabbing his belt, Gonoyama looked a little lost and didn’t know which hold to go for in that situation. Ura used that indecision to spin him around and spike him off the dohyo.

Gonoyama has been promoted to M3 this tournament, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep his kachi-koshi streak alive. If he does, then we may be looking at a young komusubi in the making.

Tobizaru

Rank: Maegashira 3 West
Record: 7-8
Grade: D+

Tobizaru continued to be consistently inconsistent at Kyushu. His wild style often translates to him being able to surprise and beat the best out there. However, his frantic and often random attacks also lead to losses against wrestlers ranked below him.

In Kyushu he didn’t manage to get a statement win over any of the big boys, like he had in recent tournaments. He did get some slick finishes over fellow strugglers, though…

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It’s taken longer than I would have hoped, but here is the first instalment of my 2023 Kyushu report card series. Getting these up late is pretty true to form for me. Sorry if you were hoping to read this closer to when the event wrapped up. It’s a busy time of year, though, and much of my sumo writing/energy was taken up with my Takakeisho deep dive (which I really enjoyed).

But now let’s look at some wrestlers other than ‘The Angry Hamster’. As always the first of these report cards is dedicated to the bottom half of the maegashira. This cohort threw up some surprising performances in Kyushu.

Sumo grades for the 2023 Kyushu Basho

Kitanowaka

Rank: Maegashira 17 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: E-

I was very high on Kitanowaka before this one, so I was pretty disappointed with his performance in Kyushu. I liked the varied game I’d seen in juryo and I thought he had a physical profile that would cause problems for a lot of guys. But it was too much too soon for Kitanowaka and he struggled in pretty much every bout.

His five wins came against juryo bound Nishikifuji, Roga and Tohakuryu and injury replacements Aoiyama and Oshoma.

This bout with Takarafuji is a good example of what we saw from him in Kyushu. He wasn’t strong enough to push guys back and wasn’t smart enough with his grappling, or quick enough on his feet, to get out of the way when that failed.

Nishikifuji

Rank: Maegashira 16 West
Record: 6-9
Grade: D-

Nishikifuji has been terrible in 2023 so I’m sure he’s glad to see the back of it, even if he’s going to start the new year in the second division. In 2023 he had a combined record of 33-57 and ten of those wins came at one basho, which looks like a fluke now considering the rest of his performances.

I don’t think he knows what kind of wrestler he wants to be, which is concerning since he’s 27 years old and over 40 basho into his career. He managed 6-9 in this tournament (aided by a fusen) with his best wins coming over Tsurugisho and Hiradoumi.

I feel like Nishikifuji wilts under pressure. So makuuchi (and maybe sumo in general) is not a good place for him. See how Onosho smashes him backwards below (this came after a nervy Nishikifuji false started twice). He poked the bear in this bout (pushing Onosho all the way off the ring in the first false start) and was powerless when Onosho ratcheted up his intensity.

You’d expect better from a wrestler who trains with a murderer’s row over at Isegahama heya.

Roga

Rank: Maegashira 16 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: E

Like with Kitanowaka, I thought Roga would be able to hold his own in makuuchi. However, when he got there he looked too small and raw to make much impact at this level.

This loss against Nishikifuji (who I have already established is not very good at high level sumo) is pretty embarrassing for the Russian. He gets pushed back by one of the least imposing wrestlers in the division and leaves his hands out in no-man’s land, leading to a pretty easy drag down.

It’s back to the drawing board for him in 2024. I’d like to see him work on his mobility so he can convert those pushes back to the boundary into opportunities for him to slip free of an opponent and find an angle to win.

Churanoumi

Rank: Maegashira 15 West
Record: 9-6
Grade: C+

Churanoumi was the only makuuchi newcomer to bank a kachi-koshi in Kyushu. And he looked alright doing it. Nothing he did was terribly eye-catching, but he showed a compact strength and some wits on route to scoring wins over some of the gate-keepers of the division.

He got victories over Takarafuji, Sadanoumi, Tamawashi, Endo and Midorifuji in his maiden top division tournament. That’s pretty darn good. He’s 30 years old, so we’re probably seeing his ceiling here.

I enjoyed his win over Takarafuji a lot. See below how he lifts his leg to block Takarafuji from spinning and potentially escaping the okuridashi. I feel like his no nonsense game might serve him well in his next promotion and we might see him lingering around the lower maegashira ranks for much of 2024.

Tohakuryu

Rank: Maegashira 15 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: F

Of the makuuchi newbies, Tohakuryu was the worst. I hate to be so negative in this post, but Tohakuryu is very frustrating to watch. He’s a one trick pony, but unlike some other one trick ponies, his trick hardly ever works.

He was able to fool enough folks in juryo in the previous tournament with his lean forwards, hop back, push down routine. But most makuuchi guys weren’t buying it. They figured out quickly that if you don’t rush forwards, he can’t pull off his move, and if you grab hold of him, he has no defense against being thrown down or out.

See Tamawashi refuses to take the bait and, instead, manhandle him below.

Ichiyamamoto

Rank: Maegashira 14 West
Record: 11-4, Fighting Spirit Prize
Grade: B-

Psuedo-Abi Ichiyamamoto was the surprise of the tournament. He ended up with a shot of winning the basho in the final few days (which probably surprised him, too). He got there thanks to a pressure game fuelled by long thrusts, which he parlayed into either a hatakikomi or a push out.

He probably has the skinniest legs all all sekitori. He tries to make up for the lack of muscle there with speed, using his pins to peddle guys out. See how his foot speed to surprises Tomokaze below.

His lack of lower body strength often hampers his ability to halt other wrestler’s pushes, though. At the business end of the basho he was exposed by Daieisho, who blasted through him with ease.

However, in the last few days he did get quality wins over Ryuden and Kinbozan to show his 11-4 record wasn’t earned solely from beating up guys he’d just seen in juryo.

His record in Kyushu, which also earned him the Fighting Spirit Prize, is the best achievement of Ichiyamamoto’s career. However, I think he’ll struggle after getting promoted up the banzuke.

Tomokaze

Rank: Maegashira 14 East
Record: 7-8
Grade: C

Tomokaze was also promoted to makuuchi in Kyushu, though he has been here before. In a five tournament run in 2019 he picked up a pair of kinboshi for wins over Kakuryu. A long injury lay-off after those sent him all the way down to the jonidan. Making it all the way back to the top division is a tremendous achievement and shows a lot of grit and determination. In Kyushu he showed off some powerful sumo at times, too. Below you can see him stave off the rejuvenated Tamawashi before giving the old man the slip along the boundary.

He lost his shot at a winning record after losing to Myogiryu (who had no skin in the game at that point). The make-kochi mars his basho a little, but he still showed he has the ability (and toughness) to hang in the lower ranks of the makuuchi.

Tsurugisho

Rank: Maegashira 13 West
Record: 9-6
Grade: B-

Tsurugisho had another one of his Jekyll & Hyde tournaments in Kyushu, this time getting off to a rough start before finishing strong. The reverse was true in September.

When he’s on Tsurugisho is an extremely hard out, a man who knows how to use his bulk and girth to block advances and squash the opposition. Below he locks up Tomokaze and, thanks to how heavy and solid his trunk is, he is able to block Tomokaze from moving him back. With a strong grip on the belt he’s then able to sling Tomokaze down to the ground. However, look how much he relies on his back muscles for this move. This is a theme, with him.

A lot of his throws and lifts are all upper body, with very little hip or leg action. This was most noticeable on Day 14 when he wrenched out Mitakeumi and then was doubled over in pain.

If he keeps this kind of sumo up, he’s not going to last much longer. His knees already look battered (which is why he probably can’t rely on them for lifting power), so I’d hate to see his back also give out.

Takarafuji

Rank: Maegashira 13 East
Record: 6-9
Grade: C

The first of my ‘three gatekeepers’, Takarafuji narrowly missed out on a winning record in Kyushu. Takarafuji was who he has been most of the year, a wily veteran who can still pose problems with his guile and speed. In all but one tournament this year he’s been around the eight win mark.

At 36 he’s still got plenty of hand and foot speed and his reactions remain sharp. Here he is fooling the slow-twitch Oho with thrusts forward, deflections and an eventually circle to the left. I’m sure he would have preferred an extra two wins, but not getting them won’t hurt him in the long-run. He’ll take a bump back in the banzuke and will probably get kachi-koshi in January.

Tamawashi

Rank: Maegashira 12 West
Record: 9-6
Grade: B

Tamawashi succeeded in erasing memories of his nightmarish 2-13 aki basho with an energetic and clinical performance in Kyushu. He looked very strong off the tachiai all tournament long, either getting good jumps on his opponents or getting into position to absorb a charge and recoil with power.

Against Tsurugisho below, you can see him respect his opponent’s charge, bracing himself, and turning slightly to not get run over. Circling to the left also succeeds in breaking Tsurugisho’s grip on the belt. After he turns away from Tsurugisho’s power he drives his hand under the chin and uses it to steer his opponent back and out.

The nodowa technique was really working for the division’s oldest man this tournament. That was great to see after the aki basho where he could not get anything to work for him.

Oho

Rank: Maegashira 12 East
Record: 8-7
Grade: C

Oho is a very hard wrestler to figure out. At times he looks strong and methodical, while at other times he seems slow and predictable. This Day One win over Hiradoumi was one of his best showings in the tournament.

He hits Hiradoumi hard off the tachiai, snapping his opponent’s head back. He then goes after him, hunting down the upper part of his chest, eliciting more of those whiplash reactions. Once he has Hiradoumi on the edge, he powers forwards to deny space for an escape and uses his knee to block an exit on his right side.

This 8-7 is his best record since going 11-4 in May (when he was ranked M16). He struggled this year each time he was ranked higher than M10. He’s M11 for the January tournament, so I expect to see him around the eight win mark again.

Hiradoumi

Rank: Maegashira 11 West
Record: 9-6
Grade: B+

The Kyushu crowd was incredible this tournament (they get an A+ from me!). The crowd were especially loud for their local fighters. Hiradoumi was one of the recipients of that fanfare and he really seemed to feed off of it.

He’s already an intense competitor, sometimes overly so, but in Kyushu he was able to find a good balance of aggression and control. That helped him go on a seven bout win streak mid-basho and lock in his best record of the year (he also got a 9-6 in May) and the best since his last appearance in Kyushu (10-5).

His game is pretty one-dimensional, based around a strong tachiai (where he often leads with his head) and then a quick establishment of the hidari-yotsu (left hand inside, right hand outside) grip. After he gets his grip, he frog-hops like his life depends on it. It can be very effective when he is able to get his opponent stuck in an upright position with little room to move his feet back.

The move went perfectly for him against Ryuden, see below:

Against Churnoumi he didn’t even need to get the grip locked in, his aggressive forward charge was enough to get the job done.

Hiradoumi’s game falls apart a little when opponents force him to move laterally. But in Kyushu he was able to avoid a lot of those bouts be being so dynamic off the opening clash. I think the crowd, who pumped him up each and every warm-up, can take some credit for that.

Sadanoumi

Rank: Maegashira 11 East
Record: 8-7
Grade: B-

Hiradoumi’s stablemate Sadanoumi is also from Kyushu and he also benefited from a raucous crowd reception. Like Hiradoumi, Sadanoumi is a wrestler who brings intensity to every bout, though he’s usually more measured than his younger teammate.

He banked his second 8-7 record in a row in November, clinching the record on the last day (just like he did at the aki basho).

I think Sadanoumi is probably the last person you want to face in a Darwin match…

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Excitement from start to finish at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 was supposed to be one of the biggest grappling events of the year with the return of Georges St-Pierre to combat sports after 6 years away and a main event match between Gordon Ryan and Mason Fowler. Unfortunately for fans, both of these men were unable to compete in the end. St-Pierre withdrew along with his opponent Nick Diaz, while Gordon Ryan was struck by injury and withdrew from all of his matches for the rest of 2023.

The show still went ahead with an updated card featuring some fantastic matches regardless of the last-minute changes to the lineup. Mason Fowler submitted his replacement opponent Haisam Rida and Nicky Rodriguez beat three-time ADCC world champion Yuri Simoes in the co-main event, with both men angling for matches with Gordon Ryan. Victor Hugo scored a huge submission win over Dan Manasoiu, and Nicholas Meregali submitted Felipe Pena after a flawless performance in the main event.

Full results for the event can be found here.

First modern US National Catch Wrestling champions crowned

The American Catch Wrestling Association made a huge step towards bringing the sport back to prominence this past week, as they hosted the first US National Championship in modern history. The promotion managed to attract around 90 entrants across 10 different weight classes and there were some impressive grapplers competing. Although there were only two women’s divisions, there were plenty of matches in each one and both champions had some tough opponents.

Perhaps the most notable name standing on top of the podium was Travis Wiuff, who won gold in the over 214lbs division. Wiuff is an MMA veteran with over a hundred professional fights under his belt and appearances for both the UFC and Bellator during his career. Legion Jiu-Jitsu BJJ black belt Sloan Clymer won the under 214lbs division, but Steven Ramos put on the most impressive performance of the day by dominating the under 174lbs division.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Team Modolfo wins AIGA Champions League 2023

Although 2023 was just the second season of the AIGA Champions League, the promotion reached a whole new level this year. This was mainly down to the fact that ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim decided to put together a star-studded Team Modolfo to compete in the year-long tournament. With several ADCC medalists representing his team they were always going to be the favorite to take home the title, and that’s exactly what they did.

Team Modolfo stormed to victory in the semi-final, winning all 7 of their matches against Battle Force and booking their place in the final against Acai Republic. Although Acai Republic wasn’t quite as packed with elite talent, they still had several top competitors representing them. That showed in the final match as they made things hard for Team Modolfo, but impressive performances from the likes of Dante Leon and Dan Manasoiu meant that they still won the season.

Full results for the semi-final can be found here.

Full results for the final can be found here.

First members of ADCC Hall of Fame 2024 class announced

The ADCC Hall of Fame was introduced in 2022 and the promotion inducted a whole group of legends as part of the inaugural class. With ADCC 2024 a little under 8 months away, they have now started to announce the elite competitors who will make up the next class of inductees. The first inductee to be revealed was Xande Ribeiro, a two-time champion who has more matches and more wins at the ADCC world champions than anyone else.

Interestingly, his brother Saulo Ribeiro was also inducted back in 2022 and the pair are now the first brothers to be members of the ADCC Hall of Fame. The second inductee for 2024 has also been named as Jean Jacques Machado, the three-time medalist at 77kg who held an 11-4 record at ADCC with 9 submission wins. He is also known his work as a coach as well as a competitor, as he was responsible for developing the skills of 10th Planet founder Eddie Bravo.

Quick Hits

• Top UFC flyweight Miranda Maverick was promoted to black belt in BJJ after earning a silver medal at brown belt in the IBJJF No Gi World Championship.
• ONE Championship announce top featherweight fight for ONE 165, as ADCC veteran Garry Tonon faces off with Martin Nguyen.
• Former IBJJF gi and no gi world champion Mahamed Aly has announced that he will be making his professional MMA debut at PCS 4: Bud Light Fight Night on January 20th, 2024.
• Gabrieli Pessanha’s coach, Marcio de Deus, revealed that the 6-time IBJJF world champion is preparing to make the transition to no gi competition in 2024.

Technique Corner

Helicopter choke from Turtle

Two counters to the Over-under pass

Closed guard with overhook to Armbar, or Sweep

Meme of the Week

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The event will get less hype with Georges St-Pierre and Gordon Ryan both pulling out, but UFC’s BJJ venture is still putting on a damn good card with several elite grapplers at UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 (UFC FPI 5).

The card is now headlined by gi world champ Nicholas Meregali, who will continue his no gi career against Ryan’s longterm rival in Felipe Pena.

Two other intriguing heavyweight match ups are also going to be featured, with B-Team star Nicky Rodriguez taking on reigning ADCC champion Yuri Simoes, and recent ADCC trials winner Dan Manasoiu going against BJJ world champ Victor Hugo.

The sleeper pick and underrated match to watch is definitely Nicky Ryan’s bout against Jonnatas Gracie, which is probably guaranteed to be an entertaining and technical affair.

Mason Fowler, Gordon Ryan’s original opponent on the card, will now face B-Team’s Haisam Rida. With this being a Fight Pass card, they again included UFC vets, with Hannah Goldy and Vagner Rocha also slotted in the card.

Join us starting on Sunday, December 10 starting at 8 p.m. ET for some entertaining BJJ action.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 recap

Nicholas Meregali won the main event, but it wasn’t very entertaining as his opponent Felipe Pena just tried to stall for several minutes of the match. Pena was deducted 6 points for passivity and 1 for a guard pull, but in the overtime period he still didn’t show any urgency to try to win. In the end, the BJJ star in Meregali got the back, and Pena quickly tapped before the one-handed rear naked choked was even locked in.

Best performers of the night are the other two heavyweights in Nicky Rodriguez and Mason Fowler. Rodriguez absolutely dominated Yuri Simoes from the regular period, where they didn’t count the points, to the OT frame as he got slick takedowns and a lot of dominant positions over the reigning ADCC champion.

Mason Fowler, who was supposed to face Gordon Ryan, dominated late replacement Haisam Rida, controlling him from side mount and north south before finishing with a kimura.

Both Rodriguez and Fowler called for a match with Gordon Ryan next, with Nicky Rod asking for each men to put up $50,000 of their own money in a winner take all BJJ match.

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 full results, video highlights

Nicholas Meregali def. Felipe Pena by submission (tapped before rear naked choke was fully locked)

Nicky Rodriguez def. Yuri Simoes by points

Mason Fowler def. Haisam Rida by kimura

Victor Hugo def. Dan Manasoiu by americana

Jonnatas Gracie def. Nicky Ryan by points

Elisabeth Clay def. Luiza Monteiro by heel hook

Vagner Rocha def. Victor Silveiro by short choke

Aaron Wilson def. Christian Guzman by triangle armbar

Hannah Goldy def. Amanda Mazza by armbar

Achilles Rocha def. Andy Varela by points

How to watch UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5: Start time, free live stream for first BJJ matches

UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5, as the name suggests, will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass. The event happens on Sunday, December 10 starting at 8 p.m. ET, but there will be a free live stream of the earlier matches on the YouTube embed below.

We are aiming to offer the best grappling and technique writing of any MMA news site. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

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ADCC champs announced in lineups for the AIGA Champions League Final

The AIGA Champions League Final is getting closer and the full lineups for all four teams competing at the event have now been announced. Battle Force and Acai Republic qualified from the first quarter-final, while Team Modolfo and Universal Fighters qualified from the second quarter-final. It’s set to be a fantastic team grappling event as there are multiple ADCC world champions and other incredible talents competing.

Team Modolfo are the obvious favorites as ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim has put together a team that includes the likes of Giancarlo Bodoni, Diogo Reis, and Dan Manasoiu. They aren’t invincible though, and they actually lost a round to Universal Fighters during the quarter-final group stage. Acai Republic also have top competitors like Devhonte Johnson, Kennedy Maciel, and Johnatha Alves; while Battle Force also impressed in their quarter-final matches.

The full list of competitors for all four teams can be found here.

Aljamain Sterling stars in Fury Pro Grappling 8 main event

There’s another great event on the horizon, as Fury Pro Grappling have announced that they’ll be keeping up tradition with another end-of-year event. On December 30th, they will be staging their 8th event and it will feature several UFC veterans testing their grappling skills. The main event is attracting the most attention, as former bantamweight world champion Aljamain Sterling will be taking on Kevin Dantzler in a very tough matchup.

Both Chris and Kyle Daukaus are also matched up at Fury Pro Grappling 8, and they’re both facing current UFC fighters. Chris is going to have a real handful in the co-main event, as he’ll be facing off against top-fifteen heavyweight fighter Alexandr Romanov. Kyle is actually booked for a rematch of a fight he won a little over a year ago, as he’ll be facing middleweight veteran Eryk Anders. The rest of the card will see Pat Sabatini facing Niko Price and Fatima Kline taking on Cindy Ung, among other fun matches.

Australia’s top competitors gather for Subversion 4: Ascension

Subversion might have only staged a handful of events but they’re having a big impact on the professional grappling circuit in Australia already. Their fourth event, Ascension, took place just recently and they crowned their first champion in the main event. Josh Saunders became the promotion’s first heavyweight champion by winning a decision in a tough and grueling match against fellow ADCC Trials winner Roberto Frias.

The co-main event featured one of the top proponents of catch wrestling, Harry Grech, and he lost a decision to Tito Carle. Caio Tamura and Ryan Walsh had an incredibly exciting match together, although it was Tamura who managed to get the submission win by locking up a rear-naked choke. One of the other matches on the card featured two of the top female grapplers in Australia, Nikki Lloyd-Griffiths and Fran Bavaro. Lloyd-Griffiths got the nod from the judges in the end after another entertaining match.

Full results for the event can be found here.

WNO 21 delivers as much action as promised

Who’s Number One 21 came and went, producing plenty of memorable moments along the way. Mica Galvao defended his welterweight title with another classic performance against Kody Steele, submitting him with a rear-naked choke. Galvao’s teammate Diogo Reis also put his title on the line but he wasn’t able to leave with the belt wrapped around his waist. He was right in the middle of an exciting match with Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira when he suffered a knee injury and was forced to submit.

Some of the most interesting moments came earlier on in the card, starting with teenage prodigy Helena Crevar getting her biggest win yet over ADCC veteran Julia Maele. Another talented young prospect made a great impression too, as Owen Jones won a decision in an exciting match with Dominic Mejia. Gi specialist Tainan Dalpra made his no gi debut at the event too, submitting WNO veteran Troy Russell with an armbar after a flawless performance.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Quick Hits

• Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen was promoted to purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu by the Valente brothers after training for just two years.
• Top-selling UK Rapper and Brit Award winner Tinie Tempah won a gold medal in a blue belt division at the English BJJ Open.
• BJJ legend Marcelo Garcia announced that he has now returned to training after recovering from his battle with Cancer.
• Wagner Moura, best known for playing Pablo Escobar on ‘Narcos’, was promoted to BJJ brown belt by Rigan Machado.

Technique Corner

Closed guard to Rubber guard, to Armbar

Standing Guillotine counter-throw to Von Flue choke

Omoplata sweep to mount, to Armbar

Meme of the Week

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What went from for Takakeisho at the 2023 Kyushu basho?

Before the Kyushu basho got underway I asked you all which rikishi you’d like to receive the first ever ‘Sumo Stomp! Spotlight’. The winner of that poll would be someone I watched extra closely during the tournament and would analyze in a dedicated article after the fact (this one!).

Takakeisho won that poll. And you can see why. He was heading into the tournament on the heels of his second Emperor’s Cup victory of the year. His championship clinching bout at the autumn tournament may have been controversial, but I still think he looked fantastic throughout that event.

It was believed that a win in Kyushu could give ‘The Angry Hamster’ a strong case for promotion to yokozuna. But that didn’t happen, did it…

At times, in Kyushu, Takakeisho looked dominant, but at other times he looked rather ordinary. That combination conspired for a mediocre record and little chance we see Takakeisho ascend to yokozuna status any time soon (or maybe ever).

So what went wrong? Why wasn’t a seemingly healthy Takakeisho able to follow up his electric showing at the aki basho?

Let’s try and figure it out.

We’re going to go day by day here and pay close attention to the technique and strategy that featured in each bout. Hopefully we’ll be able to identify a pattern and come to a conclusion on why Keisho looks so average at times this tournament.

Day 1

We don’t need to look too deeply to figure out how Takakeisho got off to a 1-0 start in Kyushu. Against Hokutofuji he got an early jump on his opponent, leaving the blocks before Hokutofuji could put both hands down. The gyoji didn’t have a problem with it, so it is what it is.

Despite hesitating for a split second, Takakeisho’s early start enabled him to hit Hokutofuji (who was especially vertical because he didn’t have time to lean into contact) square in the chest and drive him back to the straw.

Hokutofuji was able to power off his back foot (which was quite remarkable) and look for some open space. But Takakeisho kept hold of him and, despite almost crossing up his own feet, was able to lead Hokutofuji back to the boundary. Once he sorted his feet out he was able to get the last push he needed to secure the win.

Day 2

Takakeisho’s day two win over Shodai was superb. It followed the same routine as the win over Hokutofuji, except Shodai showed more resistance than Hokutofuji and forced the bout into a third phase.

In the first phase, Takakeisho again got a good start (not an early one, though) and was able to hit Shodai square in the chest. Shodai’s height made that easier for Takakeisho. The push forced Shodai back to the straw and, like Hokutofuji, he pushed off his back foot and looked for space; side-stepping to the left. when Hokutofuji tried this, Takakeisho was able to stick close to him and maintain forward momentum. Shodai was able to prevent this, though.

When he hopped to the side he also pushed back and was able to stop Takakeisho from stealing a march on him. After he backed up Takakeisho, Shodai advanced, squaring his feet and pushing up against Takakeisho’s thrusts. This nullified Takakeisho’s forward pressure.

Takakeisho sensed Shodai had the upper hand in a shoving match at this point, so he did something quite brilliant. He timed one of Shodai’s surges forwards and then feinted a push before hopping to the side. As soon as he landed, he swept his left foot back all the way to the straw. He did this to discover exactly where he was in the ring and how much real estate he had to work with for what he had planned next.

Watch his feet from that point on. He brought his right foot back in line with his left, so both heels were touching the straw. Then he side stepped to the right twice, with the second one including a 90 degree spin, landing perfectly in the extra space allowed by the toku-dawara.

The spin was a result of him changing his body shape to evade Shodai’s push and force his opponent to dive to the ground. He lead Shodai to this point of the ring to do this, knowing he would have that extra foot space on the landing.

The fight IQ, body/ring awareness and timing involved in this sequence was astonishing. Takakeisho gave Shodai his best shot off the tachiai but then recognized he couldn’t win a fire-fight and instead adjusted and lead his opponent into a trap.

Day 3

Takakeisho got to 3-0 with a quick and relatively simple win over Ura (someone he holds a 14-3 record over). Takakeisho went first, again, in the tachiai. But this time he used that advantage to get set and catch/halt Ura’s opening drive. Then he blitzed him back and out. He kept his feet low to the ground and struck off center on Ura’s chest, forcing Ura’s body to twist and make him off balance. Ura tried to dance away along the boundary, but Takakeisho was too quick and denied him the space he needed to escape.

It’s not quite a fist pump at the end there, but it did look like Takakeisho celebrated this victory a little. That kick at the end reminded me of the dreaded bat flip in baseball.

After this trio of wins Takakeisho was feeling confident. And why not? He’d beaten three good wrestlers and hadn’t looked in danger of losing.

Day 4

I noted that Takakeisho came out for this bout with a slight smile on his face, which I took as a sign of confidence. In retrospect maybe it was over-confidence.

I think Takakeisho was expecting the same fight out of Meisei that he had got in the aki basho, one where they traded blows until he got to the boundary line and deftly side-stepped and swiped Meisei down.

Takakeisho tried that same finishing manoeuvre here, but far too early, perhaps believing he could swat down Meisei anywhere he pleased. He went for the side step on the second charge forwards from Meisei (excluding the tachiai).

Meisei was able to stay on his feet by sliding out a stabilizing leg and then turning his foot back towards the conflict. Meisei deserves immense credit for what happened next. He blocked Takakeisho’s next charge, utilizing his foot against the straw. He then waded forward to give himself some room before executing a beautiful evasive move.

Meisei sensed Takakeisho coming in and he didn’t step to the side, he leaped! Takakeisho lurched forward, but there was no body there to stop his momentum. He was forced to do a little hop to stabilize himself and Meisei then went in for the kill, getting close in the clinch and denying Takakeisho any space to prevent the yorikiri.

That was Meisei’s best win of the tournament (which ended with a terrible 4-11 mark).

All the good things we saw with Takakeisho’s ring awareness in the Shodai win are reversed here. If he knew where he was when he attempted that side-step, that’s a poor decision. If he didn’t, then it speaks to a lack of focus. Either way, that brings him down to earth and puts him at 3-1.

Day 5

On Day 5 Takakeisho met Takayasu. The former ozeki had struggled mightily with injuries this year, but he looked much better this tournament. In Kyushu he managed a 10-5 record which will most likely land him back in the san’yaku.

Coming off a loss, Takakeisho opted for a henka here to get his tournament back on track. I’m fine with the move personally, but I imagine many will sneer at this bout and consider it as un-ozeki-like behaviour. I believe rikishi need to be ready for everything, though, including an opponent who won’t plow head on into you in the opening clash.

Takayasu did well initially, to avoid being pushed all the way to the straw or completely taken down. Takakeisho then did a great job of rushing his opponent and being light on his feet to anticipate Takayasu’s next move. Takayasu moved to his left on this occasion and Takakeisho was able to respond with his right arm, blocking Takayasu from moving too far to the side. That arm prevented Takayasu from squirting away while Takakeisho executed the all out dive for the win.

I think Takakeisho got a little lucky here. The underhook on Takayasu is a good move and he did well to shift his direction when he saw Takayasu step left. But a more slippery opponent, like an Abi or Tobizaru, could have stayed in along the side as Takakeisho crashed down.

It’s not a high quality win, but it gets Takakeisho to 4-1.

Day 6

Tobizaru has historically given Takakeisho more problems than most. Including this match, Takakeisho has a 5-6 record versus the Flying Monkey and he had lost the previous five bouts they’d shared.

Tobizaru’s ability to create space and escape tight corners is a nightmare for Takakeisho, whose best work happens when he can get hands on his opponent and drive through them.

Tobizaru started this bout with a henka, but Takakeisho recognized it quickly and was able to pull a lot of momentum out of his tachiai. After Tobizaru bounced back and started his herky-jerky offence, where he feints all kinds of attacks to draw his opponent into a mistake, Takakeisho was incredibly patient. He let Tobizaru have that space initially and used a wide variety of striking techniques to prevent Tobizaru from pushing him back or touching his belt.

He used some heavy slaps to the face to break up Tobi’s concentration, and light swipes on his hands to nullify potential grabs. When Tobizaru tried to thrust, Takakeisho pushed his hands up, redirecting the force upwards so he wasn’t pushed back.

One of Takakeisho’s defensive thrusts pushed Tobizaru a step back and that’s when Takakeisho took the initiative. He followed him back and searched for Tobizaru’s mawashi with his left hand, while swiping him with the right. I think this was to get Tobizaru to back off and step further back towards the boundary.

Tobizaru did step back, but Takakeisho then hit him with a hard slap across the face with his left hand. With Tobizaru’s head turned, Takakeisho put two hands on his chest and pushed him almost over the line. He then hit him with a lighter slap.

At this point Tobizaru has no idea where the next hand from Takakeisho is going to land. Takakeisho decided to follow the slap with another two handed push, which put Tobizaru right on the straw. Tobizaru, sick of getting hit in the face, turned his back to his opponent, inviting an easy okuridashi win for Takakeisho.

I really like this performance by Takakeisho. He was intelligent in blocking the henka attempt and then showed great defence and patience while he waited for an opportunity to impose his will on Tobizaru.

And when he got that chance, he didn’t miss. I think he channelled some of his past losses into the viciousness of those slaps and the hardest one seemed to take Tobizaru’s focus completely off the bout.

Day 7

This is where the basho went off the rails for Takakeisho. …

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The 2023 IBJJF No Gi World Championship happens Thursday to Saturday, December 7-9, 2023, and it is set to feature several jiujitsu champs and stars.

Even if we don’t count the bigger number of BJJ athletes joining all of the masters divisions, this event will feature about 240 adult black belts. Some of the notable names include recent ADCC trials winners Elijah Dorsey and Jacob Couch, along with top pros and champions like Diego “Pato” Oliveira, Gianni Grippo, Jansen Gomes, Oliver Taza, Tommy Langaker and others.

On the women’s side of things, it will feature BJJ world champs such as Ffion Davies, Mayssa Bastos, Tammi Musumeci, Jessa Khan and Kendall Reusing.

It’s also worth noting that last year’s iteration of this event had a drug testing fiasco where five BJJ athletes were suspended for failing or refusing to take a drug test at the 2022 No Gi World Championships. With grappling’s lax rules on PEDs, and IBJJF now being known as one of the rare grappling orgs that (barely) test, athletes this time around should conceivably be more ready for it.

Either way, there should be a lot of high level grappling starting Thursday. So join us for three days of top level BJJ, starting from December 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET, with the event concluding on Saturday.

2023 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship – live results, video highlights

With the volume of results from this IBJJF event, please use the navigation tools above. You can keep returning to this post this weekend as we update it with results and highlights from the event.

Men’s Brown Belt results and recap

Making the biggest impact at brown belt was clearly Luke Griffith of New Wave, who won both the ultra heavyweight and absolute divisions, finishing every opponent en-route to double BJJ gold. In the women’s side of things at brown belt, Australian BJJ standout Nadia Frankland also won double gold.

BROWN / ROOSTER (122.60LB)

Gold: Kaimoni Richhavath Operana

Silver: Richard Wetherell

Bronze: Robiel Zerazion Tesfaldet, Santiago Guerra

BROWN / LIGHT-FEATHER (136.00LB)

Gold: Marcos Antonio Gomes Guedes

Silver: Cameron Jacob Mellott

Bronze: Mourece Noah Ramirez, Mustafa Sadiq

BROWN / FEATHER (149.00LB)

Gold: Yigit Hanay

Silver: Kauan Prado Batista

Bronze: Jeffrey Michael Campbell, Cameron Graeme Donnelly

BROWN / LIGHT (162.60LB)

Gold: Austin Bashi

Silver: Henrique Camargo Barreto

Bronze: Ryan James Mangan, Shanty Cerdas Barahona

BROWN / MIDDLE (175.60LB)

Gold: Fabyury Khrysthyan Texeira Freitas

Silver: Dominic Edward Ramos

Bronze: Devon Chad Coetzee, Matheus Aguiar Chedid

BROWN / MEDIUM-HEAVY (188.60LB)

Gold: Dory Raymond Aoun

Silver: Mateusz Piotr Mazur

Bronze: Joab de Oliveira Camara, Maxim Cote

BROWN / HEAVY (202.00LB)

Gold: Takeshiro Tanino Kauan Yuuki

Silver: André Fernando Vieira Soares

Bronze: Gabriel Aguiar Costa, Sebastian Bishoy Morcos Attard

BROWN / SUPER-HEAVY (215.00LB)

Gold: Marcin Jan Maciulewicz

Silver: Philippe Lucas Geyer

Bronze: Borys Borysenko, Vincent P Corrado

BROWN / ULTRA-HEAVY

Gold: Luke Michael Griffith

Silver: Damon Derek Ramos

Bronze: Matt Lim, Wyatt Beau Doblado

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BROWN / OPEN CLASS

Gold: Luke Michael Griffith

Silver: Marcin Jan Maciulewicz

Bronze: Fabyury Khrysthyan Texeira Freitas, Philippe Lucas Geyer

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Men’s Black Belt results and recap

Day 1 of men’s black belt saw Roberto Jimenez stand out as a potential two-division winner after he dominated the field of competitors to reach the Day 2 semifinal rounds at heavyweight, and finals at absolute. He faces Elder Cruz in his division, and Roosevelt Sousa at open weight. Semifinal rest of the match ups are also set, with featherweight looking interesting with BJJ pros Diego Pato and Gianni Grippo on other sides of the bracket.

Day 2 saw Roberto Jimenez take bronze at heavyweight, but complete his incredible run with a nice comeback victory to take gold at open-weight.

Elder Cruz took BJJ gold at that stacked heavyweight bracket, while Diego Pato and Tommy Langaker also shined to win their divisions.

BLACK / ROOSTER (122.60LB)

Finals: Everton Celio Teixeira def. Riki Yoshinaga by points

Gold: Everton Celio Teixeira

Silver: Riki Yoshinaga

Bronze: Christopher Duyquan Tran, Lucas de Souza Castro

BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (136.00LB)

Finals: Edwin Ocasio def. Zach Kaina by decision

Gold: Edwin Ocasio

Silver: Zachary Kaima’alili Kaina-Kokubun

Bronze: Rodnei Barbosa Gabriel Jr., Shoya Ishiguro

BLACK / FEATHER (149.00LB)

Finals: Diego Pato def. Gianni Grippo by points

Gold: Diego Oliveira Batista

Silver: Gianni Paul GrippoAlliance 

Bronze: José Julián Espinosa Flores, Marco Vinicius Mendes Brito

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BLACK / LIGHT (162.60LB)

Finals: Lucas Valente def. Deandre Corbe by advantages

Gold: Lucas Sette C. Valente Tobias

Silver: Deandre Villarama Corbe

Bronze: Daniel Sathler Campos, Danilo Soares Moreira

BLACK / MIDDLE (175.60LB)

Finals: Tommy Lilleskog Langaker def. Michael Anthony Perez by points

Gold: Tommy Lilleskog Langaker

Silver: Michael Anthony Perez

Bronze: Fabio Murat Caloi, Luiz Paulo Carneiro Medeiros

BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (188.60LB)

Finals: Ronaldo Pereira de Souza Júnior def. David Salem Garmo by decision

Gold: Ronaldo Pereira de Souza Júnior

Silver: David Salem Garmo

Bronze: Rafael Lopes Paganini, Sebastian Rodriguez Williams

BLACK / HEAVY (202.00LB)

Finals: Elder Alexander Cruz def. Adam Wardzinski by advantages

Gold: Elder Alexander Cruz

Silver: Adam Wardzinski

Bronze: Roberto Francisco Jimenez, Vegard Arentz Randeberg

BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY (215.00LB)

Finals: Javier Zaruski Saul def. Vinicius Ferreira Gazola by triangle choke

Gold: Javier Zaruski Saul

Silver: Vinicius Ferreira Gazola

Bronze: Helton José M. da Silva Junior, Vinicius Alves Lessa Paula

ADULT / MALE / BLACK / ULTRA-HEAVY

Finals: Roosevelt Souza def. Heikki Jussila by face crank

Gold: Roosevelt Souza

Silver: Heikki Jussila

Bronze: Daniel Ribeiro da Conceição, Gabriel de Oliveira Haddad Duarte

BLACK / OPEN WEIGHT

Finals: Roberto Jimenez def. Roosevelt Souza by RNC

Gold: Roberto Jimenez

Silver: Roosevelt Souza

Bronze: Elder Cruz, Vinicius Ferreira Gazola

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Women’s Black Belt results and recap

After the first day, most of the female favorites advanced to the finals such as Mayssa Bastos, Rafaela Guedes, and Alex Enriquez. Ffion Davies is also gunning for double gold in Day 2, as she advanced both in the lightweight and open weight finals. Light featherweight finals look particularly interesting as well, with Tammi Musumeci set to face Jessa Khan on Day 2. The rest of the finals matches are below.

On Day 2, Ffion Davies shined, winning double gold, including a dominant performance in her weight and a nice comeback victory in the absolute finals. Tammi Musumeci beat Jessa Khan by a wide margin, and Mayssa Bastos continued her dominance to take BJJ gold in their respective divisions as well.

FEMALE / BLACK / ROOSTER (103.00LB)

Finals: Mayssa Bastos def. Mariana Rolszt by Junny Lock

Gold: Mayssa Caldas Pereira Bastos

Silver: Mariana Cabral Rolszt

Bronze: Amber Rymarz-Freitas, Faye Cherrier

FEMALE / BLACK / LIGHT-FEATHER (114.00LB)

Finals: Tammi Musumeci def. Jessa Khan by points

Gold: Tammi Alana Musumeci

Silver: Jessamine Jada Khan

Bronze: Dorothy Dao, Mara Kelly

FEMALE / BLACK / FEATHER (125.00LB)

Finals: Alex Enriquez def. Adele Fornarino by points

Gold: Alexandria L. Enriquez

Silver: Adele M. Fornarino

Bronze: Jessica Mallely Crane, Raquel Ferreira da Silva

FEMALE / BLACK / LIGHT (136.00LB)

Finals: Ffion Davies def. Amanda Bruse by points

Gold: Ffion Eira Davies

Silver: Amanda Dean Bruse

Bronze: Joanna Christine Trindade, Julia Maele

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FEMALE / BLACK / MIDDLE (147.00LB)

Finals: Gabi McComb def. Thamara Ferreira by points

Gold: Gabrielle McComb Lima

Silver: Thamara Ferreira Silva

Bronze: Caitlin Huggins, Deise dos Santos Leonanjo

FEMALE / BLACK / MEDIUM-HEAVY (158.00LB)

Finals: Elizabeth Katherine Mitrovic def. Salla Mari Simola by points

Gold: Elizabeth Katherine Mitrovic

Silver: Salla Mari Simola

Bronze: Graciele Del Fava de Carvalho, Jordan Elizabeth Patrick

FEMALE / BLACK / HEAVY (169.00LB)

Finals: Andressa Mezari Cintra def. Rafaela Ribeiro Guedes by armbar

Gold: Andressa Mezari Cintra

Silver: Rafaela Ribeiro Guedes

Bronze: Luciana Mota Castelo Branco, Maria Malyjasiak

FEMALE / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY

Finals: Kendall Reusing def. Mikaela de Lima by armbar

Gold: Kendall Marie Reusing

Silver: Mikaela Barros de Lima

Bronze: Danielle R Walker, Rachel Anne Robinson

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FEMALE / BLACK / OPEN CLASS

Finals: Ffion Davies def. Gabi McComb by RNC

Gold: Ffion Eira Davies

Silver: Gabrielle McComb Lima

Bronze: Ane N. Svendsen, Maria Malyjasiak

2023 World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Championship – live stream, how to watch, start time

The 2023 No Gi Worlds will happen starting from December 7, until Saturday, December 9.

The event can be streamed live on FloGrappling, starting at Friday night, 12:30 p.m. ET all the way through early Saturday morning. If they put a free live stream of some of the earlier rounds on YouTube, it will be posted here once it’s available.

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Giancarlo Bodoni replaces Gordon Ryan at WNO

There’s a lot of changes in the WNO 21 card, biggest being Gordon Ryan pulling out of the main event (and another one hosted by UFC) as he’s out until 2024. Stepping in on short notice is his teammate and ADCC champion Giancarlo Bodoni, who will face Lucas Barbosa in a rematch of the 2022 ADCC finals.

Also a late chance on the prelims, Caleb Tackett has pulled out of his match with Estevan Martinez, and has been replaced by Reese LaFever.

Despite losing Gordon Ryan, this WNO event still is a pretty stacked card and will be topped by three title bouts, including the new main event in light heavyweight champ Pedro Marinho defending against BJJ star and former Bellator champ Rafael Lovato Jr. Apart from Bodoni vs. Barbosa, the rest of the card still features some of the best BJJ stars today such as Mica Galvao, Diogo Reis, Diego Pato, Tainan Dalpra, and more.

Join us Thursday, November 30 starting at 8 p.m. ET for live results, and highlights from WNO 21.

WNO 21 full results, recap, and video highlights

WNO 21 main card

Pedro Marinho (C) def. Rafael Lovato Jr. by decision [LHW title]

Former Bellator champion Rafael Lovato Jr. has gone back to his BJJ roots, and even at 40-years-old, still competes at a very high level. Marinho got two nice early takedowns, but the vast majority of the match was spent on the feet wrestling and hand-fighting, where Lovato was the aggressor and tried to wear on him. It was close and competitive, but the early work was enough for the judges to award Marinho with the win.

Mica Galvao (C) def. Kody Steele by RNC [WW title]

This match delivered as promised. Both guys put on a very high paced and thoroughly entertaining match, but Mica Galvao was a bit more technical in just about every aspect. He even landed a front headlock throw against the suplex king, and had several nice choke attempts, before getting the back and finishing with a rear naked choke.

Galvao earned himself another $1000 submission of the night bonus from WNO. After the contest, he faced off against Nicky Ryan, who he is penciled to face in February.

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Diego ‘Pato’ Oliveira def. Diogo ‘Baby Shark’ Reis (C) by knee injury [FW title]

This was shaping up to be a really fun, back-and-forth, highly technical match, but unfortunately Diogo Reis injured his knee trying to pass. Anti-climactic end, and a terrible way to lose the belt for “Baby Shark.”

Giancarlo Bodoni def. Lucas Barbosa by decision

Terrible, terrible match, where nothing really happened, just hand fighting and collar ties for almost the entire 15-minute match. Bodoni came in on one week notice to step in for Gordon Ryan, and Barbosa had a full camp supposedly for a 30-minute match, but was still the one to gas out early.

Luke Griffith def. Roosevelt Souza by heel hook

Nice heel hook finish against a really good submission hunter as well.

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Helena Crevar def. Julia Maele by decision

The 16-year-old Crevar didn’t get the finish, but was active at looking for submissions and also got good position by the end. Good performance for the BJJ prodigy from Danaher’s squad.

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Tainan Dalpra def. Troy Russell by armbar

A great no-gi showing for one of the best athletes in the gi. Dalpra got a pretty slick arm drag to takedown, before smoothly passing to mount and then getting the armbar.

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WNO 21 prelims

Owen Jones def. Dominic Mejia by decision
Reese Lafever def. Estevan Martinez by decision
Nick Mataya def. Ian Butler by Kimura
Mia Funegra def. Janice Russell by armbar

WNO 21 live stream, how to watch, start time for tonight’s BJJ card

Topped by three title bouts, this pro grappling event will happen Thursday night, November 30, in Austin, Texas.

The event can be streamed live on FloGrappling, and YouTube, with a free live stream of the prelims and the first couple of matches below starting at 8 p.m. ET.

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Preview

The 2023 Grand Tournament of Sumo wraps up in Kyushu this month. And there are a number of compelling stories that could get neatly wrapped up as the 2023 season closes. Chief among those is the saga of Takakeisho, who in January looked to be the most likely contender for next yokozuna. However, after injuries hit it was only in September that he was able to regain his stride and put himself back on track for that promotion. If he wins this tournament he’ll be a shoe-in for sumo’s most hallowed promotion.

There’s a lot of fascination around the other two ozeki who will be competing at the tournament, too; Kirishima and Hoshoryu. Both were promoted this year after winning Emperor Cups. And both have been underwhelming since then. However, both showed signs of getting back to their usual crafty and exciting selves at the tail end of the aki basho.

For more storylines at play heading into the Kyushu basho check out my full preview here.

The Kyushu basho starts on Sunday, November 12 and runs until Sunday, November 26. All the results for the makuuchi (top division) will be recorded here, as well as highlights and analysis.

Introduce yourself in the comments, ask questions about sumo, and weigh-in on what happens this tournament. And if you want more sumo content, including in-depth analysis, please sign up for my Substack Sumo Stomp!

Banzuke

Results, Highlights and Analysis

Day 1

Results

• Kitanowaka def. Nishikifuji via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
• Churanoumi def. Roga via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Tohakryu via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tsurugisho def. Tomokaze via uwatenage (overarm throw)
• Tamawashi def. Takarafuji via oshidashi*
• Oho def. Hiradoumi via tsukidashi (thrust down)*
• Sadanoumi def. Kotoeko via yoritaoshi*
• Ryuden def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Atamifuji def. Myogiryu via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Kinbozan def. Endo via oshidashi
• Hokuseiho def. Takanosho via yorikiri
• Shonannoumi def. Midorifuji via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Onosho def. Nishikigi via oshidashi
• Abi def. Gonoyama via oshidashi*
• Kotonowaka def. Tobizaru via oshidashi
• Takayasu def. Wakamotoharu via uwatenage*
• Daieisho def. Meisei via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Hoshoryu def. Shodai via tsukidashi
• Kirishima def. Ura via yoritaoshi*
• Takakeisho def. Hokutofuji via oshidashi

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

All three ozeki looked like men on a mission on Day 1. Hoshoryu, Kirishima and Takakeisho all notched impressive, no fuss, wins to start their Kyushu campaigns.

Takakeisho took it to Hokutofuji with a ruthless charge off the tachiai, which prevented the new komusubi (who has beaten him in the past two encounters) from getting set or being able to fight back with any intensity before being pushed out.

Both Hoshoryu and Kirishima also came off the blocks quickly and went for shoving attacks to get quick wins (over Shodai and Ura respectively). Clearly they wanted to get that first win of the basho out the way as soon as possible and show they weren’t feeling nervy in their second and third tournaments as ozeki.

Match of the day for me was the long duel between Midorifuji and Shonannoumi. Midorifuji caught Shonannoumi with his patented under shoulder swing down move the first time they met (at the last basho). And this was a fascinating battle with Midorifuji looking for the grip and angle to pull of the move again. Shonannoumi showed great patience and strength to keep his hands in the right place and grind down Midorifuji before he was able to secure the win.

Day 2

Results

• Kitanowaka def. Roga via sukuinage (beltless armthrow)*
• Tohakuryu def. Nishikifuji via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Churanoumi via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)
• Tomokaze def. Takarafuji via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tamawashi def. Tsurugisho via oshidashi
• Sadanoumi def. Oho via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Kotoeko def. Hiradoumi via oshidashi*
• Ryuden def. Myogiryu via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Atamifuji def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Hokuseiho def. Endo via uwatenage (over arm throw)*
• Takanosho def. Kinbozan via oshidashi
• Shonannoumi def. Onosho via yorikiri*
• Midorifuji def. Nishikigi via yorikiri*
• Tobizaru def. Hokutofuji via okuridashi*
• Daieisho def. Gonoyama via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Kotonowaka def. Takayasu via oshidashi
• Wakamotoharu def. Meisei via yorikiri
• Takakeisho def. Shodai via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Hoshoryu def. Ura via oshidashi
• Kirishima def. Abi via oshidashi

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Takakeisho is looking really good. After pushing out Hokutofuji on Day 1 (which some are grumbling about over an alleged early/false start for ‘Keisho), the most senior ozeki got a big win over Shodai.

In the win he showed off his awesome pushing power, but also his reaction speed and deft footwork. That combination was enough to back down Shodai, make a wall and then side-step at just the right moment.

Both Hoshoryu and Kirishima got wins on Day 2, both against men who embarrassed them in the last tournament. I think the ozeki jitters are well and truly over for these two now.

Hoshoryu pushed Ura off the entire dohyo with relative ease. And Kirishima plowed through Abi, avoiding his opponent’s signature thrust to the throat.

Bout of the day for me was Daieisho vs. Gonoyama.

The first time these two ever met was in September. In that bout Daieisho steamrolled his mini-me, as if determined to prove that no young pusher-thruster was going to supplant him as one of the best to utilize that style.

In their second bout, Gonoyama gave a better account of himself. He engaged in a furious back and forth with the sekiwake with both men hitting the dirt at the exact same time.

In the rematch, Gonoyama got a little too ahead of himself. After some good thrusts and blocks, he dove from too far away on Daieisho, who elected to evade instead of meet head-on (and improvement for him).

Day 3

Results

• Nishikifuji def. Roga via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Churanoumi def. Kitanowaka via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
• Tomokaze def. Tohakuryu via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Tsurugisho via yoritaoshi*
• Takarafuji def. Oho via tsukiotoshi
• Tamawashi def. Hiradoumi via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Ryuden def. Sadanoumi via uwatenage (over arm throw)
• Mitakeumi def. Kotoeko via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Myogiryu def. Endo via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Atamifuji def. Kinbozan via yorikiri
• Shonannoumi def. Hokuseiho via yorikiri
• Midorifuji def. Takanosho via hikiotoshi
• Gonoyama def. Onosho via oshidashi
• Nishikigi def. Abi via yorikiri
• Wakamotoharu def. Tobizaru via yorikiri*
• Daieisho def. Takayasu via oshidashi
• Kotonowaka def. Meisei via osakate (backward twisting over arm throw)*
• Kirishima def. Shodai via yorikiri
• Takakeisho def. Ura via oshidashi*
• Hoshoryu def. Hokutofuji via hatakikomi (slapdown)

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Another great day for the ozeki as they tore through their opponents with ease. Kirishima powerfully took out Shodai. Hoshoryu, deftly foiled Hokutofuji and Takakeisho dominated Ura.

Joining those three in hot starts to begin the November tournament are Daieisho, Kotonowaka Atamifuji, Ichiyamamoto, Shonannoumi, Ryuden and Tamawashi.

Daieisho looks like a man possessed this tournament. He pushed out Takayasu on Day 3.

Tamawashi, who had a brutal run in the last tournament, looks superb so far in Kyushu. This day he schooled the over eager Hiradoumi.

Atamifuji is showing us all that his performance last time out was no fluke. The aki basho runner-up is yet to break a sweat in Kyushu. He beat Kinbozan on Day 3, showing textbook technique. Watch how he gets his head in the middle of Kinbozan’s chest and drives him back like a freight train.

Bout of the day for me was this wild, and long, back and forth between Kotonowaka and Meisei.

Day 4

Results

• Kitanowaka def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Churanoumi def. Nishikifuji via oshidashi
• Ichiyamamoto def. Tomokaze via oshidashi*
• Roga def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Tamawashi def. Sadanoumi via oshidashi*
• Hiradoumi def. Takarafuji via oshidashi
• Kotoeko def. Oho via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Myogiryu def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Atamifuji def. Ryuden via hatakikomi (slapdown)*
• Kinbozan def. Hokuseiho via yorikiri
• Takanosho def. Endo via yorikiri
• Midorifuji def. Onosho via tsukiotoshi*
• Nishikigi def. Shonannoumi via shitatenage (underarm throw)*
• Shodai def. Gonoyama via tsukiotoshi*
• Kotonowaka def. Abi via oshidashi
• Hokutofuji def. Wakamotoharu via oshidashi
• Daieisho def. Ura via oshidashi
• Hoshoryu def. Tobizaru via yorikiri
• Takayasu def. Kirishima via tsukiotoshi
• Meisei def. Takakeisho via yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Atamifuji is a star. His bout with Ryuden today is my bout of the day. In this match Atamifuji showed off his incredible combination of strength and mobility as Ryuden took him to the brink a couple of times, only for the youngster to fight back and claim the win. The performance was impressive, but just listen to the crowd. This kid is already one of the most popular rikishi on the scene, and you can see why.

Runner-up for bout of the day for me was the wild slapping exchange between Kotoeko and Oho, which ended with both men rolling on the dirt.

The big story from this day is that Hoshoryu now stands alone as the only ozeki with a perfect record. He survived a tricky Tobizaru test and was able to get an oshidashi after the Ape Man blocked a number of trip/throw attempts.

Kirishima lost to Takayasu after a bit of a slip. And Meisei bested Takakeisho with a fine evasive manoeuvre on the edge of the ring.

Hoshoryu and Atamifuji are joined at the top of the standings by Daieisho, Kotonowaka, Tamawashi and Ichiymamoto.

Tamawashi looks reborn in Kyushu and is firing opponents off the ring. This day he yeeted Sadanoumi. He looks a completely different wrestler from the one who went 2-13 last time out.

Ichiyamamoto is coming off a second division championship and he’s looked good so far, against mostly wrestlers he faced down in the juryo.

Day 5

Results

• Tohakuryu def. Roga via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Kitanowaka via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Nishikifuji def. Tsurugisho via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)
• Churanoumi def. Takarafuji via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Tomokaze def. Tamawashi via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Hiradoumi def. Ryuden via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Mitakeumi def. Sadanoumi via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Oho def. Myogiryu via hatakikomi
• Atamifuji def. Kotoeko via yorikiri*
• Shonannoumi def. Endo via yorikiri*
• Midorifuji def. Kinbozan via hikiotoshi
• Onosho def. Hokuseiho via oshidashi
• Nishikigi def. Takanosho via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Tobizaru def. Shodai via oshidashi*
• Hokutofuji def. Abi via oshidashi
• Kotonowaka def. Daieisho via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Wakamotoharu def. Ura via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Takakeisho def. Takayasu via oshidashi*
• Hoshoryu def. Gonoyama via oshidashi*
• Kirishima def. Meisei via hatakikomi

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Hoshoryu vs. Gonoyama has to be the bout of the day. The official video below doesn’t do it justice. Prior to this bout, which is not included here, the pair stared each other down for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Hoshoryu clearly wanted Gonoyama to get set first, but the youngster (who is making only his thrid top division appearance) didn’t want to yield to the ozeki. So Hoshoryu refused to get set. Eventually, Gonoyama obliged (after it sounded like the crowd was getting frustrated, the gyoji may have also muttered something to him, too).

Once the bout finally happened, Gonoyama channelled his frustration into a stiff thrust to Hoshoryu’s throat. Hoshoryu, who looked more angry than I’ve ever seen him, took the blow and fired back with thrusts of his own, eventually getting Gonoyama to fall off the dohyo. Afterwards, Hoshoryu stared down at his defeated opponent – long enough that it was reminiscent of his uncle’s antics.

If that had happened, Tobizaru vs. Shodai would have been bout of the day. Tobizaru brought his typical brand of chaos to that bout, forcing a torinaoshi which then lead to a rear push out on the former ozeki.

Some other notable results included Midorifuji (who is 4-1 now) pulling off a slick henka on the hard charging Kinbozan, Hiradoumi blasting through Ryuden and Kotonowaka getting a rare katasukashi to give Daieisho his first loss of the basho.

Takakeisho and Kirishima all got back to winning ways on Day 5, Takakeisho treated Takayasu to a salt shower after a diving shove out.

Day 6

Results

• Tomokaze def. Kitanowaka via uchigake (inside leg trip)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Nishikifuji via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Roga def. Takarafuji via shitatehineri (twisting under arm throw)*
• Tsurugisho def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Churanoumi def. Tamawashi via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Ryuden def. Oho via yorikiri*
• Myogiryu def. Kotoeko via yorikiri
• Hiradoumi def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri
• Sadanoumi def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Kinbozan def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Takanosho def. Onosho via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Midorifuji def. Endo via yorikiri*
• Nishikigi def. Hokuseiho via tsuridashi (frontal lift out)*
• Ura def. Meisei via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Abi def. Wakamotoharu via kotenage*
• Shodai def. Daieisho via hatakikomi
• Kotonowaka def. Hokutofuji via oshidashi*
• Gonoyama def. Kirishima via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Takakeisho def. Tobizaru via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Takayasu def. Hoshoryu via Komatasukui (over thigh scooping body drop)*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

There were a lot of fun matches on Day 6, with thrilling (and often rare) finishes. Here are some of my favourites.

Abi went off-script and threw down Wakamotoharu.

Ura survived a big push from Meisei to finally score a win.

Nishikigi channeled Tochinoshin to pull off a forklift move on Hokuseiho.

And Takayasu responded to the throw attempts of Hoshoryu with a crafty ankle pick.

My bout of the day was Midorifuji beating Endo. Midorifuji looks to have really figured out how he can get wins in makuuchi not only inspite of his stature, but because of it. Watch how he expertly turns himself into a tripping hazard for Endo and uses that to unsettle and finish his opponent.

With losses for Hoshoryu and Atamifuji, we’re left with just Kotonowaka and Ichiyamamoto at the top with 6-0 records. Kotonowaka beat Hokutofuji and is looking like a real threat to win this thing. Ichiyamamoto (who I should start calling Pseudoabi) pushed Nishikifuji out, but is yet to face a mid-tier wrestler this tournament.

Day 7

Results

• Tomokaze def. Roga via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Tsurugisho def. Churanoumi via uwatenage (over arm throw)
• Takarafuji def. Kitanowaka via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Oho def. Nishikifuji via hatakikomi
• Sadanoumi def. Ichiyamamoto via yorikiri*
• Ryuden def. Kotoeko via yoritoashi (frontal crush out)
• Mitakeumi def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tamawashi def. Myogiryu via oshidashi
• Hiradoumi def. Atamifuji via yorikiri*
• Shonannoumi def. Takanosho via hatakikomi
• Hokuseiho def. Midorifuji via uwatenage*
• Endo def. Onosho via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Nishikigi def. Kinbozan via yoritaoshi
• Takayasu def. Meisei via hatakikomi*
• Ura def. Kotonowaka via tottari (arm bar throw)*
• Shodai def. Wakamotoharu via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)
• Daieisho def. Hokutofuji via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)
• Hoshoryu def. Abi via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Kirishima def. Tobizaru via sukuinage
• Gonoyama def. Takakeisho via yorikiri*

Quick Analysis

Gonoyama is becoming one of the stories of the tournament, after his spirited loss to Hoshoryu (which resulted in Hoshoryu getting a dressing down for grandstanding by both officials and his head coach), he has beaten Kirishima and now Takakeisho. Takakeisho blasted through Gonoyama the first time they met, but the young rikishi seems to be really working hard to show the veterans he not only deserves to be in makuuchi but also deserves some respect. Him beating Takakeisho (at Takakeisho’s own game) is my bout of the day.

The other bout I have to discuss is Hokuseiho vs. Midorifuji which took almost seven minutes to complete! Hokuseiho has been embarrassed both times he’s fought Midorifuji in the past, with the smallest man in the division either throwing down or pushing out the tallest man in the division.

This time Hokuseiho looked intend on preventing such a spectacular defeat and he fell back on his crutch of stalling and leaning to try and tire an opponent. This lasted an eternity against Midorifuji. So long the referee broke the action so both men could take a water break.

When they resumed, Midorifuji was totally exhausted and when he went for a highlight reel throw he didn’t have the strength to pull it off. Instead Hokuseiho was able to squash the attempt and land on top.

After Day 7 we have no more undefeated wrestlers. Kotonowaka lost to Ura (who actually looked like Ura today). And Ichiyamamoto lost to hometown fave Sadanoumi.

Day 8

Results

• Kitanowaka def. Aoiyama via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Churanoumi def. Tomokaze via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Takarafuji via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Oho def. Roga via oshidashi
• Tamawashi def. Tohakuryu via kotenage (arm lock throw)*
• Sadanoumi def. Nishikifuji via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
• Hiradoumi def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri*
• Endo def. Kotoeko via uwatehineri (twisting over arm throw)
• Ryuden def. Hokuseiho via shitatedashinage (pulling underarm throw)
• Mitakeumi def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Atamifuji def. Takanosho via kotenage*
• Kinbozan def. Onosho via tsukiotoshi
• Midorifuji def. Myogiryu via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*
• Tobizaru def. Meisei via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*
• Takayasu def. Ura via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Abi def. Daieisho via hikiotoshi
• Shodai def. Kotonowaka via yorikiri*
• Gonoyama def. Wakamotoharu via oshidashi
• Asanoyama def. Takakeisho via shitatenage (underarm throw)*
• Nishikigi def. Hoshoryu via kotenage
• Kirishima def. Hokutofuji via okuridashi (rear push out)

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Takakeisho and Hoshoryu both dropped bouts on Day 8 to make this an extremely even playing field as we head to the second half of the tournament.

Takakeisho lost to Asanoyama, who had been sitting out nursing a plethora of injuries up until this point. Takakeisho has had Asanoyama’s number since the former ozeki climbed back to the top division. But in this bout, Takakeisho got too rash in his attack and tried to spear Asanoyama out of the ring. However, in doing so he didn’t notice that Asanoyama had locked on a strong grasp on his mawashi. Asanoyama was able to use that grip to turn Takakeisho and secure the win as they both went into the front row.

The loss pegs Takakeisho back into the chasing pack, but he could still very well win this basho and satisfy the basic qualification for a yokozuna promotion conversation. However, the natures of his losses this tournament may count against him. We’ve seen him rolled into the seats too more than once and that is usually not what the yokozuna council want to see from a potential candidate.

My bout of the day was Kotonowaka vs. Shodai. There’s a great narrative here of the ascendant talent (Kotonowaka) taking on the descendant talent (Shodai). Though, Shodai is fighting to show the best is yet to come from him. This is taking place in Shodai’s home prefecture, too.

Their bout was a back and forth with both men looking to secure grips needed for their favoured yorikiri. Kotonowaka tried to harry Shodai with high thrusts, but Shodai made sure he didn’t stay straight in front of his opponent and fought through those strikes to get his head in the centre of Kotonowaka’s chest and power him out.

I have to give Midorifuji another shout out here. He’s been a joy to watch this tournament and seems to have really refined his game over the past few tournaments. He’s making larger and more senior wrestlers look foolish. Myorgiryu was today’s victim.

Ichiyamamoto is now leading the way with a 7-1 record. However, that will likely go down as we start shifting to record based match-making. There’s a ton of guys at 6-2 behind him (Kirishima, Hoshoryu. Kotonowaka, Ryuden, Nishikigi, Midorifuji, Tamawashi, Churanoumi).

If there’s a legit front runner in this tournament, he’s yet to reveal himself.

Day 9

Results

• Kotoshoho def. Nishikifuji via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Tsurugisho def. Kitanowaka via yorikiri
• Takarafuji def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Tamawashi via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)*
• Oho def. Tomokaze via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Hiradoumi def. Roga via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Churanoumi def. Endo via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)
• Kinbozan def. Sadanoumi via utchari (backward pivot throw)*
• Hokuseiho def. Kotoeko via yorikiri
• Takanosho def. Ryuden via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Shonannoumi def. Myogiryu via yorikiri
• Mitakeumi def. Midorifuji via yorikiri
• Atamifuji def. Onosho via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Takayasu def. Tobizaru via oshidashi*
• Meisei def. Gonoyama via tsukiotoshi
• Shodai def. Hokutofuji via oshidashi
• Ura def. Abi via hikiotoshi
• Wakamotoharu def. Daieisho via hatakikomi
• Kirishima def. Asanoyama via hatakikomi*
• Takakeisho def. Nishikigi via hikiotoshi*
• Kotonowaka def. Hoshoryu via yoritaoshi*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

My bout of the day on Day 9 is Takayasu vs. Tobizaru, but not because it was especially exciting. The reason I’ve singled it out is because it had a bizarre ending.

In their fight Tobizaru smartly decided to lead Takayasu on a chase around the inner edge of the dohyo (since he knew that if Takayasu got hands on him he would likely be thrown down). So Tobizaru flew around the ring and looked to have Takayasu in the high risk chase he wanted, but then… he bumped into the gyoji. After that collision halted Tobizaru, Takayasu was easily able to catch-up and land a bout winning push.

Tobizaru’s stare at the gyoji on the put out showed us exactly what he thought of the incident.

There were mixed results for the highest ranked rikishi this day with Hoshoryu losing to Kotonowaka (for the third time in a row). Kirishima survived a very tough test against the banged up Asanoyama and Takakeisho got back on track with a rather graceful win over Nishikigi.

Another slick finish came via Ura, who beat Abi with a level change.

Day 10

Results

• Roga def. Bushozan via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Oho def. Kitanowaka via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tohakuryu def. Sadanoumi via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Hiradoumi def. Ichiyamamoto via yorikiri*
• Ryuden def. Tamawashi via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Nishikifuji def. Kotoeko via fusen (default)
• Mitakeumi def. Churanoumi via yorikiri
• Tomokaze def. Endo via oshidashi
• Tsurugisho def. Hokuseiho via yorikiri*
• Kinbozan def. Takarafuji via oshidashi
• Atamifuji def. Shonannoumi via oshidashi*
• Takanosho def. Myogiryu via oshidashi
• Midorifuji def. Takayasu via kotenage (arm lock throw)*
• Tobizaru def. Onosho via yorikiri
• Meisei def. Shodai via uwatenage (overarm throw)*
• Ura def. Hokutofuji via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Kotonowaka def. Gonoyama via uwatenage*
• Daieisho def. Asanoyama via oshidashi
• Hoshoryu def. Wakamotoharu via yoritaoshi*
• Kirishima def. Nishikigi via okuridashi
• Takakeisho def. Abi via hatakikomi

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Lots of thrills and spill on this day. We had a number of bouts end up in the seats, one of them was my bout of the day.

Hoshoryu vs. Wakamotoharu didn’t last long, but it was hella chaotic and showed off Hoshoryu’s ability to defend pretty much anything and everything and then transition to offense of his own.

Wakamotoharu (who is having a bad basho) went straight in on Hoshoryu’s belt and tried to march him out the ring, but Hoshoryu twisted his hips and went for a throw. Wakamotoharu stepped out the way and then went for the utchari (backward twisting pivot throw). He’s pulled off this extremely dangerous manouevre before (against Shodai this year). It’s one which gaurantees a high fall and lots of pain for those involved and I wish he didn’t go to it as often as he does. The utchari failed in this bout and resulted in both men falling to the concrete below. Wakamotoharu landed first and seemed to take some of the impact on his head and face.

We gotta get some mats out there.

Takayasu vs. Midorifuji deserrves lots of praise, both men put on a show and Takayasu came close to getting Midorifuji down before the smallest man in the division pulled off a beautiful arm lock throw (while sliding backwards).

Give this man the Technique Prize already!

Elsewhere there were big wins for Kirishima, Kotonowaka and Atamifuji, which put them level on 8-2 with Ichiyamamoto (who lost to Hiradoumi today).

Takakeisho got casual win over Abi this day, too, slapping down a man who has given him trouble in the past.

Ura got a cute win on Day 10 over Hokutofuji (another top guy who is really struggling). Check out his powerful arm yanj forwards, followed up by a gentle little love pat for the okuridashi.

Day 11

Results

• Nishikifuji def. Tomokaze via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tsurugisho def. Takarafuji via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*
• Sadanoumi def. Kitanowaka via yoritaoshi*
• Mitakeumi def. Roga via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Atamifuji def. Churanoumi via oshidashi*
• Endo def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi
• Tamawashi def. Kinbozan via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Hokuseiho def. Oho via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Midorifuji def. Hiradoumi via oshidashi*
• Myogiryu def. Onosho via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Ryuden def. Nishikigi via yorikiri
• Gonoyama def. Takanosho via fusen (forfeit)
• Takayasu def. Shonannoumi via yorikiri
• Tobizaru def. Ura via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Hokutofuji def. Meisei via yorikiri
• Abi def. Shodai via oshidashi
• Daieisho def. Ichiyamamoto via hikiotoshi
• Kotonowaka def. Takakeisho via okuridashi*
• Hoshoryu def. Asanoyama via shitatenage (under arm throw)*
• Kirishima def. Wakamotoharu via yorikiri

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

With matchmaking shifting from rankings to records, the leading pack is now starting to get thinned out. After Day 11 our leaders are Kirishima, Kotonowaka and Atamifuji, all with 9-2 records.

Kirishima defeated Wakamotoharu this day (someone he trains a lot with outside of tournaments). Wakamotoharu is having a dreadful tournament, so it wasn’t a surprise to see Kirishima swallow him up and force him out without too much trouble.

Kotonowaka scored a big win over Takakeisho this day, withstanding the ozeki off the tachiai and then artfully getting around him for the rear push out.

Atamifuji continues to show he’s the real deal. He dispatched of Churnaoumi without breaking a sweat.

Behind them are Hoshoryu, Ryuden, Midorifuji and Ichiyamamoto.

Hoshoryu put in my bout of the day with his picture perfect shitatenage over Asanoyama (someone who can’t seem to help getting thrown by Hoshoryu when they meet).

Ichiyamamoto (Psuedoabi) got his first serious test of the basho this day when he met Daieisho. Daieisho was able to bring him down rather quickly and I’ll be surprised if ‘Yama’ can hang with these better wrestlers as he move to the final days of the tournament.

Day 12

Results

• Tohakuryu def. Shimazuumi via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tamawashi def. Oho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)*
• Tsurugisho def. Sadanoumi via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Hiradoumi def. Churanoumi via oshidashi
• Takarafuji def. Myogiryu via yorikiri
• Endo def. Kitanowaka via yorikiri
• Hokuseiho def. Roga via yorikiri
• Kinbozan def. Mitakeumi via oshidashi
• Shonannoumi def. Tomokaze via yorikiri
• Onosho def. Nishikifuji via yorikiri*
• Ichiyamamoto def. Nishikigi via yorikiri*
• Takayasu def. Ryuden via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*
• Gonoyama def. Tobizaru via oshidashi
• Ura def. Shodai via tottari (arm bar throw)*
• Abi def. Meisei via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Hokutofuji def. Asanoyama via oshidashi
• Daieisho def. Midorifuji via tsukitaoshi (frontal thrust down)
• Kirishima def. Kotonowaka via yorikiri*
• Takakeisho def. Wakamotoharu via oshidashi
• Atamifuji def. Hoshoryu via tsukiotoshi*

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

The future of sumo is in good hands. Even with Hakuoho (and Onosato) waiting in the wings, makuuchi has some young guns who will make sumo very fun to watch for the next decade. Atamifuji is the man to watch, in that regard, right now. And he continued to prove that on Day 12 with a win over ozeki Hoshoryu.

Atamifuji has plowed through the competition thus far this tournament, but against Hoshoryu he used some craft to get the job done. Hoshoryu tried to intimidate Atamifuji during the warm-up, but Atamifuji acted as if he was blissfully unaware.

Hoshoryu got a great jump off the tachiai and I was suprised at how quickly and how far he was able to move Atamifuji back in the first phase of the bout. However, Atamifuji stored all that forward momentum and used it against his opponent. Along the boundary, Atamofuji shifted his feet and ushered Hoshoryu into the clay. A stunning win for the 21-year-old who is now tied for the lead with Kirishima.

Kirishima also won on Day 12 in my Bout of the Day. He and Kotonowaka played out a chest match with both men locking up hands on the other’s belt. From there, Kirishima harried Kotonowaka with his leg, half-heartedly going for trips. Those were enough to make the larger Kotonowaka step evasively and once he was off balance, Kirishima surged forwards to get the yorikiri. Kirishima is so good at using his judo to score emphatetic wins, but he can also use those moves as distractions and feints to set up easier more mundance victories like this.

Takakeisho got a win today, too, to stay in the hunt (mathmatically). He side-stepped Wakamotoharu for an easier push out. Wakamotoharu doesn’t seem to be present during this basho and every bout feels like an uphill task right now.

As we head to the last three days of the tournament Kirishima and Atamifuji look like the best bets to win this, by quite some distances. Kotonowaka and Ichiyamamoto are just behind with 9-3, but right now it doesn’t feel like they can keep the pace.

Bust of the day was Nishikifuji’s performance against Onosho. He’s had a terrible year and this bout kind of summed that up.

He committed two false starts. This thoroughly poked the bear (and Onosho has a mean streak, by the way). When the bout finally went off, Onosho blasted him off the ring.

Day 13

Results

• Kitanowaka def. Oshoma via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Tohakuryu def. Oho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Tomokaze def. Hiradoumi via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Churanoumi def. Sadanoumi via sukuinage (beltless arm throw)
• Mitakeumi def. Tamawashi via oshidashi
• Roga def. Myogiryu via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)
• Endo def. Nishikifuji via oshidashi
• Midorifuji def. Ichiyamamoto via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Tsurugisho def. Nishigi via utchari (bakwards pivot throw)*
• Tobizaru def. Hokuseiho via okuridashi (rear push out)*
• Atamifuji def. Takayasu via oshidashi*
• Takarafuji def. Meisei via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Kinbozan def. Shodai via oshidashi
• Ura def. Onosho via oshidashi*
• Gonoyama def. Hokutofuji via tsukiotoshi
• Abi def. Shonannoumi via hikiotoshi*
• Ryuden def. Kotonowaka via yorikiri*
• Asanoyama def. Wakamotoharu via yorikiri
• Kirishima def. Daieisho via hatakikomi
• Takakeisho def. Hoshoryu via hatakikomi*

Quick Analysis

How can you not love Atamifuji. On Day 13 he has secured, at worst, his second second place finish in a row (in only his third ever top division tournament). Of course, he could very much win this tournament (he’s one of two wrestlers with a shot of doing that now − but more on that later).

To earn this situation, Atamifuji needed to get past Takayasu. Atamifuji beat him in the last tournament (their first ever meeting) and I’m sure Takayasu remembers the bruising push down he suffered from the rising star.

In this match-up Takayasu looked fantastic and back his healthy (and highly aggressive) form. He got the drop on Atamifuji and was able to get a good grip and then push the pace with his thrusting attacks. Few wrestlers are harder to escape than Takayasu when he’s ahead of steam, his thrusts are like paint strokes, brushing you across the clay until he’s reader to send you all the way down.

But Atamifuji was able to absorb that punishment and resist being guided by some of the most powerful pushes in the game. He rode it all out and was able to find an angle to escape and secure the win. Phenomenal stuff from the 21-year-old. That’s my bout of the day.

Kirishima needed to win to keep pace with Atamifuji. And lucky for him he was drawn against Daieisho, who he owns. He’s 5-1 against Daieisho and has beat him the same way in each of those bouts. He stands up to Daieisho’s pressure, digs his heels in, pushes back, waits for the reaction and then makes space to push down the charging Daieisho.

Kirishima and Atamifuji out in front with 11-2 records. Face eachother tomorrow. That means one of them will move to a 12-2 record heading into the final day. This means no other wrestler can mathmateically win the cup now (since the closest wrestlers to them are all 9-4 and the worst the winner of Krisihima vs. Atamifuji can finish with is 12-3.

On the final day the Kirishima vs. Atamifuji winner will need to either win or see the loser lose to clinch the cup. If the loser of that bout wins and the winner loses, then we’ll have a Kirishima vs. Atamifuji play-off for the title. Fun!

A few other bouts had some pleasing finishes. Tobizaru saved his skin (for now) by out-foxing Hokuseiho.

Abi did Abi things to Shonannoumi.

Tsusugisho got an utchari over Nishikigi.

Takakeisho copied Kirishima’s homework to beat Hoshoryu.

And Ura put his head down and drove out Onosho.

Day 14

Results

• Daiamami def. Tohakuryu via okuridashi (rear push out)
• Oho def. Churanoumi via kimedashi (arm barring force out)
• Sadanoumi def. Roga via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
• Hiradoumi def. Nishikifuji via tsukiotoshi
• Ichiyamamoto def. Ryuden via hatakikomi (slap down)*
• Myogiryu def. Kitanowaka via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Tsurugisho def. Mitakeumi via yorikiri (frontal force out)*
• Takarafuji def. Endo via uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw)
• Hokuseiho def. Tomokaze via yorikiri
• Takayasu def. Kinbozan via yorikiri
• Tamawashi def. Meisei via oshidashi
• Asanoyama def. Shodai yorikiri
• Ura def. Gonoyama via yorikiri*
• Tobizaru def. Abi via oshidashi*
• Hokutofuji def.Onosho via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)
• Kotonowaka def. Shonannoumi via tsukiotoshi
• Wakamotoharu def. Nishikigi via yorikiri
• Daieisho def. Takakeisho via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)
• Hoshoryu def. Midorifuji via uwatenage (over arm throw)*
• Kirishima def. Atamifuji via yorikiri

*Must see bouts!

Quick Analysis

Wow. We were treated to a drama filled final bout on Day 14. In the last match Kirishima defeated Atamifuji to put this basho well and truly in the palm of his hand. The bout was geat, but it’s what happened before the tachiai that was so fascinating.

As they warmed up, Atamifuji refused to meet Kirishima’s gaze. We saw this when he fought Hoshoryu, and he went ahead and won the bout. It was cute that time. But after this display, I think this process hints at something heavier.

Atamifuji looked incredibly nervous today when he refused to look at Kirishima. He looked scared; not of his opponent, but of the occasion.

After going through the opening riturals (with his eyes on the floor) Atamifuji then committed a false start. I was sure he would lose after that.

We’ve seen this before. In the last tournament Atamifuji looked nervous and false started against Takakeisho. All the while, Takakeisho stared deep into Atamifuji’s soul. Atamifuji would lose that bout and then lose again to Takakeisho when they met in the play-off.

Unfortunately, when the pressure cranks up Atamifuji wilts. And he’s 21-years-old and never competed at this level before, so it’s totally understandable. But he simply won’t win a championship if he can’t get over this. I really enjoy his sumo so I hope this is something Atamifuji can get over and grow from.

If I could tell Atamifuji was nervous, Kirishima certainly could as well. As Atamifuji stalled and refused to look at him, you could see Kirishima’s confidence grow. He knew Atamifuji wasn’t going to be able to give his best effort and he could feel his hands on his second Emperor’s Cup of the year. He breathed deeply and even looked excited to get going, like he could smell blood.

When the bout went off Kirishima decided to go chest to chest with Atamifuji and he was stronger there. I don’t know how much Atamifuji’s nerves hampered his ability to push forwards, but Kirishima looked like he had super strength in being able to halt the usually powerful (and technically perfect) Atamifuji and then drive him back for a relatively routine yorikiri.

Kirishima, who feeds off pressure, will face Takakeisho (who might be checked out) tomorrow. If he wins, he’s our champ. If he loses, Atamifuji will need to beat Kotonowaka (who is working on an ozeki run and needs every win he can get) to force a play-off.

I don’t think Kirishima lets this opportunity slip. And I don’t know how much Atamifuji wants to force a big showdown.

Everything else that happened this day pales in significance compared to this bout. Plus, a few guys definitely seem to be phoning it in now they have either secured their winning or losing records.

Other exciting bouts on the day include Ura refusing to go down to Gonoyama and Hoshoryu’s gorgeous throw of Midorifuji.

Final Day

Results

• Nishikifuji def. Kagayaki via yorikiri (frontal force out)
• Hiradoumi def. Kitnaowaka via hikiotoshi (hand pull down)
• Ryuden def. Tsurugisho via yorikiri
• Oho def. Mitakeumi via oshidashi (frontal push out)
• Myogiryu def. Tomokaze via oshidashi
• Roga def. Endo via kotenage (arm lock throw)
• Ichiyamamoto def. Kinbozan via hatakikomi (slap down)
• Churanoumi def. Midorifuji via oshidashi*
• Gonoyama def. Shonannoumi via oshidashi
• Sadanoumi def. Tobizaru via yorikiri*
• Takayasu def. Tamawashi via tsukiotoshi (frontal thrust out)
• Meisei def. Tohakuryu via oshidashi
• Shodai def. Takarafuji via oshidashi
• Ura def. Hokuseiho via oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*
• Nishikigi def. Hokutofuji via hatakikomi
• Asanoyama def. Abi via tsukiotoshi
• Wakamotoharu def. Onosho via yorikiri
• Kotonowaka def. Atamifuji via hikiotoshi*
• Hoshoryu def. Daieisho via yorikiri
• Krishima def. Takaeisho via tsukiotoshi*

Quick Analysis

We have a winner. Kirishima is the 2023 Kyusuhu champion after a slightly anti-climactic final day.

Kirishima earned the win yesterday with his assured win over the young Atamifuji. This day, Atamifuji needed to rally and defeated Kotonowaka to force a play-off with Kirishima. That didn’t happen, though. His loss to the surging sekiwake Kotonowaka handed Kirishima the Emperor’s Cup before Kirishima stepped into the ring for his final bout of the year.

Atamifuji gifted Kirishima the cup after doing something similar to what cost him the title at the aki basho in September. On the heels of his yips-infested loss to Kirishima, Atamifuji put himself on auto-pilot to fight Kotonowaka. I think Atamifuji believes that, if he stops thinking, he won’t get overwhelmed with nerves. That might be true, but the lack of thought also completely sabotages his sumo.

In September this manifested in Atamifuji diving in, eyes down, and receiving a controversial henka from Takakeisho in the championship bout. This time around, he dove in with his eyes down again. Kotonowaka received him, stood him up and was able to pivot away to send Atamifuji to the ground. Usually Atamifuji is far too technically sound to fall for this, with his arms tight, his head in the centre of a chest and his feet skimming the ground perfectly.

Kirishima did his best to not crack a smile in the front row. When he got in there to face Takakeisho, he got it over quickly with a push and a side-step. Takakeisho looked pretty checked out for this one.

Kirishima wins his second Emperor’s Cup of the year and steals the lead in the race to become the next yokozuna. Fighting Spirit awards go to Ichiyamamoto (who beat Kinbozan on the last day to secure the best record of his career), Kotonowaka (who started an ozeki run with his 11th win) and Atamifuji (who fell short this time, but has all physical gifts needed to succeed in the future).

My bout of the day was the ‘Darwin bout’ between Hokuseiho and Ura, with Ura digging deep to rescue a winning-record.

That’s a wrap on this piece. Thank you so much to everyone who has checked this out (and the other posts in my first year covering sumo for Bloody Elbow).

Next up will be some premium pieces for my Sumo Stomp! Substack. Those will include report cards for every top division wrestler. I will also be doing a deep dive on how Takakeisho lost his chance to be yokozuna (he was picked by my subscribers to have an extra spotlight on him this tournament).

If you want to read those pieces, please subscribe to Sumo Stomp! I make the prices as low as Substack will let me.

How to watch

You can stream this tournament via the Abema TV app. Live sumo on Abema comes only with a paid subscription, which costs around $8 a month. The Abema app is entirely in Japanese with no English version. Matches can also be viewed on the official Grand Sumo app. This is also entirely in Japanese with no English version. The Grand Sumo app also features unavoidable spoilers.

Alternative methods to watch sumo, both live and on demand, can be found on Twitch and YouTube.

Update: NHK’s official English language service on YouTube, NHK World-Japan, has began airing all bouts from the tournament — with English commentary. These 30 minute videos air on a 24 hour delay.

Don’t want to miss an update? Subscribe to my Substack, Sumo Stomp!, for a heads up on all my sumo content. It’s completely free and a place for fellow sumo stans to hang and chat about what’s happening in the world of sumo.

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Abu Dhabi World Pro 2023 crowns BJJ champions

The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship is one of the biggest gi tournaments of the year, and 2023 was a special occasion as it marked the 15th edition of the event. There were several returning champions, most notably Gabrieli Pessanha who won the heavyweight division for the fifth year in a row. BJJ star Mayssa Bastos emerged victorious at the opposite end of the scale at roosterweight, winning her fourth title after 3 years away from the top of the podium.

Fellipe Andrew also won a title for the second year in a row, moving up to light-heavyweight this time. Meyram Maquine also retained his title with impressive performances at featherweight, while Diego Sodre did the same at lightweight. One of the most surprising storylines to emerge from the event is the growth of Jiu-Jitsu in Portugal, as both Pedro Ramalho and Bruno Lima won gold medals at welterweight and middleweight respectively.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Surprises in stacked BJJ tournament at Main Character Jiu-Jitsu 2

Main Character Jiu-Jitsu is relatively new to the professional grappling scene, but the promotion put together a fantastic welterweight tournament for their second event. In a field of 16 elite grapplers, it was 10th Planet that shone the brightest as both of the finalists were representing the affiliation. ADCC veteran PJ Barch dominated one side of the bracket, submitting his first two opponents in regulation time before submitting the third in EBI overtime and making it into the final.

On the other side of the bracket, Combat Jiu-Jitsu world champion Ryan Aitken won his first two matches before facing John Danaher student Oliver Taza in the semi-final. After beating Taza by ride-time in EBI overtime, Aitken did the same to Barch in the final match and was crowned the promotion’s middleweight champion. Elsewhere, Sophia Cassella submitted Jasmine Rocha in EBI overtime to take home the promotion’s flyweight title in the main event.

Full results for the event can be here.

Mixed results from IBJJF’s new event: The Crown

The IBJJF put together an incredible lineup for their new event, The Crown, put the end result was pretty underwhelming. What should have been a convincing argument that gi competition could be just as exciting as no gi competition didn’t quite pan out that way. The idea to schedule bronze-medal matches in four-person brackets was an unusual one to begin with, but it was made significantly weaker by the fact that only half of them even took place in the end.

In addition, the men’s ultra-heavyweight division was incredibly disappointing. One of the opening round matches ended in a double-disqualification, meaning that the other one was the only match that determined the division’s winner. On the bright side, BJJ stars Tainan Dalpra and Fellipe Andrew both put in slick performances to win at middleweight and heavyweight, while Gabrieli Pessanha extended her incredible unbeaten run in the super-heavyweight division to 107 matches in a row.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Two promotions attract top grapplers to the UK

Both Grapplefest and Enyo Grappling staged events in the UK on the same night, and both of them delivered a ton of action. Enyo is the top women’s-only grappling promotion in Europe and they put together their first team event, with a battle between the UK and Ireland as the main attraction. Although things started out relatively evenly-matched, the Irish contingent really ran away with it and team captain Rosa Walsh led them to a huge 14-3 win.

Grapplefest 17 was a more traditional fight-card with a series of matches between elite competitors, culminating in a pair of title-fights. Ashley Bendle won the vacant women’s under 55kg after winning a decision over Mara Kelly in the co-main event, and William Tackett managed to dethrone fellow ADCC veteran Eoghan O’Flanagan as the under 90kg champion in the main event. Earlier on in the night, UFC and PFL veteran Stevie Ray hit a beautiful heelhook to submit grappling specialist Shane Curtis.

Full results for Grapplefest 17 can be found here.

Full results for Enyo Grappling 5: UK vs Ireland can be found here.

Quick Hits

• Dillon Danis announced his retirement, despite initially planning a return to grappling in 2023 and only recently making his boxing debut.
• Despite not initially winning a contract on DWCS, four-time IBJJF no gi World Champion Talita Alencar will make her promotional debut at UFC on ESPN+ 91.
• After suffering a rib injury during training, Gordon Ryan has announced that he will no longer be competing at WNO 21 or UFC FPI 5 and will not return until 2024.
• Four grappling promotions; Twisted Church, Sapateiro, Finishers Sub-Only, and Enigma Invitational, have announced that they will co-promote a Quintet event in 2024.

Technique Corner

Tips to avoid being mounted

Arm saddle to Armbar

Cartwheel bodylock escape

Meme of the Week

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Gordon Ryan was originally scheduled to compete against the “Hulk” Lucas Barbosa next weekend at WNO 21, and again two weeks later on UFC Fight Pass Invitational 5 against Mason Fowler. The two events seemed to be a welcome return to activity for the decorated BJJ superstar, but unfortunately he’s now back in the sidelines again.

Gordon Ryan has pulled out of both events, with WNO confirming the news and saying they’ll soon have an announcement on a possible replacement for the November 30 event.

Ryan was already a relatively late replacement himself for UFC Fight Pass Invitational on December 9, with Georges St-Pierre previously pulling out as well due to injury.

Gordon Ryan announces he’ll be out until 2024

According to the BJJ star, he is pulling out of those two events due to a rib injury he sustained in training.

“A few days ago in training, I was performing back escapes and badly popped my rib during a misdirectional escape. After some time trying to train with it, myself and the team decided it was best to go ahead and reschedule the current matches that are planned,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram.

“In other words, I won’t be competing until next year, but I will be at the events to see all my amazing supporters and coach my team. Sorry everyone, this is just part of the game.”

BJJ great Gordon Ryan has been mostly inactive in 2023

After pulling out of multiple events due to various health issues and other factors, Gordon Ryan will now end 2023 without really being active except for one match against a pretty overmatched opponent at WNO 20.

Ryan is truly one of the most decorated grapplers in history, but he has been criticized for his inactivity and being far more selective on his matches as of late. Instead of taking on a top grappler last October, Ryan instead used that stage for his gimmick “mystery box” to sell a BJJ instructional. Barbosa and Fowler might not have been BJJ fans’ top choices, but they would’ve certainly been far better opponents than his last match, and now those are not happening either.

Perhaps it’s really just the timing of unfortunate injuries, but it’d be understandable either way if he’d feel like it’s not worth competing if he’s not at his absolute physical peak. Ryan now likely earns more in instructionals and seminars than one BJJ match, and perhaps at this point in his career, keeping that reputation and undefeated streak is more important for his legacy and bottom line. That’s not exactly be great for fans, but it’d be smart to keep his gravy train rolling as very few can ever earn that much in BJJ.

Ryan, who is still just 28, is a five time ADCC champion and three time no-gi world champ. No word yet if he plans to take matches before this, but Ryan is expected to compete at the ADCC 2024 world championships next year, where he can add more accolades to his already decorated career.

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ADCC trials season continues for the biennial submission grappling event, with the ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials happening this weekend in Singapore.

After 10 slots for the ADCC 2024 world championships have already been awarded from the previous EMEA Trials, and East Coast Trials, five more will be awarded from the top grapplers in the Asian and Oceania region.

With this ADCC event happening in Singapore it’ll be a bit of a weird time slot for those in the US, but join us starting at Friday night 9 p.m. ET all the way through early Saturday morning for some top notch grappling from the region.

ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials Quick Results

-66 kg – Gold: Ethan Thomas, Silver: Minoru Takeuchi, Bronze: David Stoilescu

-77 kg – Gold: Kenta Iwamoto, Silver: Rhys Allan, Bronze: Tomoshige Sera

-88 kg – Gold: Izaak Michell, Silver: Roberto Deb-Frias, Bronze: Kaya Rudolph

-99 kg – Gold: Declan Moody, Silver: Anton Mineko, Bronze: Benjamin Hodgkinson

+99 kg – Gold: Josh Saunders, Silver: Ricky Luzny, Bronze: Tito Carle

Women’s -55 – Gold: Adele Fornarino, Silver: Kanae Yamada, Bronze: Joyce Ip

Women’s -65 – Gold: Wang Jue, Silver: Shakira Pacana, Bronze: Kimbat Batai

Women’s +65 – Gold: Hillary Loh, Silver: Nadine Dixon, Bronze: Jyssica Lian

ADCC 2024 invites so far

After the ADCC EMEA Trials, East Coast Trials, and this Asian & Oceania trials, a total of 15 invites to the ADCC 2024 world championships have now been awarded to the tournament winners. As ADCC Trials season continue, the current list of invites that have been handed out are below:

• -66 kg: Owen Jones, Dorian Olivarez, Ethan Thomas
• -77 kg: Jozef Chen, Elijah Dorsey, Kenta Iwamoto
• -88 kg: Santeri Lilius, Jacob Couch, Izaak Michell
• -99 kg: Luke Griffith, Paul Ardila, Declan Moody
• +99 kg: Heikki Jussila, Daniel Manasoiu, Josh Saunders

ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials preview: UFC vet Sotiropoulos returns

There will be master’s and women’s divisions on this event, but much like the ADCC East Coast Trials, only the five male adult tournament winners from this event will get an invite for the 2024 ADCC world championships.

Previous winners of these ADCC trials include BJJ stars such as Craig Jones and Lachlan Giles, and it will be interesting to see who can try to follow in their footsteps and earn a slot at the big stage.

Interestingly enough, while most of the field are comprised of younger grapplers, this event will feature the return of 46-year-old UFC vet George Sotiropoulos. The Australian fighter is a two-time ADCC veteran prior to his six-year UFC stint from 2007 to 2013. Over a decade since his UFC stint that saw him win seven fights against the likes of Joe Lauzon and Joe Stevenson, Sotiropoulos goes back to his grappling roots this weekend.

Other notable competitors joining include several ADCC veterans like Kenta Iwamoto, Izaak Michell, Jeremy Skinner, Ben Hodgkinson, Josh Saunders, Roberto Dib-Frias and more.

ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials 2023 live results, video highlights

With the volume of results from this ADCC event, please use the navigation tools above.

-66 kg

Round of 64:

Sanjay Nambiar def. Sean He by buggy choke

Makoto Suzuki def. Jin Su Kim by rear naked choke

Yoonseo Ha def. Sopanha Moeun Lim by armbar

Omar Al Dabel def. Heewoong Kang by points 4-0

Spencer Quayle advances by walkover

Jed Foo def. Christopher Sim by points, 3-0

Tim Moore def. Daniel Ha by kneebar

Minoru Takeuchi def. Kong Kar Hoong Lam by anaconda choke

Daiki Yonekura def. Baolu Wan by heel hook

James Sargison def. Meher Grewal by rear naked choke

Jose Gabriel Arboleda def. Daniel Orehek by points 3-0

Rodrigo Costa def. Tamefusa Kotaro by points 7-2

Tatsunosuke Fushimi def. Tunku Mikael Tunku Yahaya by points, 3-0

Alikhan Igembek def. Kennosuke Shimizu by points, 3-0

Bezkat Kapashov def. Hisyam Osman by arm triangle

Michael De-Marco def. Jun M by armbar

Ali Elkheir def. Liam Urwin by points, 3-0

Toshiyasu Sagae def. Daniel Tay by armbar

Sebastian Lim def. Joshua La by points, 4-0

Kai-Ser Poh def. Glen Lee by buggy choke

Ethan Thomas def. Chanmo Sung by guillotine

Takuma Sudo def. Mykelti Klink by ankle lock

Dhai Luo def. Dylan Chan by heel hook

Arlan Yergazinov wins by walkover

Jakob Brooks def. Raphael Bardi by guillotine

Justin Wood def. Benjamin Mosses by guillotine

Josh Stolton wins by walkover

Dannierl Eyar def. Zac Arabi by points, 5-0

Aaron Blackie def. Peter Chong by points, 3-0

Shaun Loyal def. Kengo Hatanaka by points, 3-0

Round of 32:

Makoto Suzuki def. Sanjay Nambiar by choke

Yoonseo Ha def. Omar Al Dabel by points, 6-0

Spencer Quayle def. Jed Foo by rear naked choke

Minoru Takeuchi def. Tim Moore by rear naked choke

Daiki Yonekura def. James Sargison by heel hook

Rodrigo Costa def. Jose Gabriel Arboleda by guillotine

Alikhan Igembek def. Tatsunosuke Fushimi by guillotine

Bekzat Kapashov def. Michael De-Marco by points, 3-0

Ali El Kheir def. Toshiyasu Sagae by points, 2-0

Kai-Ser Poh def. Sebastian Lim by injury

Ethan Thomas def. Takuma Sudo by points, 0- -1

Arlan Yergazinov def. Dahai Luo by rear naked choke

Jakob Brooks def. Justin Wood by armbar

Josh Stolton def. Debojit Dasgupta by heel hook

Aaron Blackie def. Danniel Eyar by points, 4-2

David Stoilescu def. Shaun Loyal by ankle lock

Round of 16:

Makoto Suzuki def. Yoonseo Ha by points, 4-0

Minoru Takeuchi def. Spencer Quayle by anaconda choke

Daiki Yonekura def. Rodrigo Costa by heel hook

Bezkat Kapashov def. Alikhan Igembek by rear naked choke

Ali El Kheir def. Kai-Ser Poh by points 7-0

Ethan Thomas def. Arlan Yegazinov by guillotine

Jakob Brooks def. Josh Stolton by choke

David Stoilescu def. Aaron Blackie by heel hook

Quarterfinals:

Daiki Yonekura def. Bezkat Kapashov by points, 2-0

Minoru Takeuchi def. Makoto Suzuki by anaconda choke

Ethan Thomas def. Ali El Kheir by points

David Stoilescu def. Jakob Brooks by guillotine

Semifinals:

Minoru Takeuchi def. Daiki Yonekura by anaconda choke

Ethan Thomas def. David Stoilescu by judges decision

Bronze:

David Stoilescu def. Daiki Yonekura by rear naked choke

Finals:

Ethan Thomas def. Minoru Takeuchi by rear naked choke

-77 kg

Round of 64:

James Woonton def. Adam Akasyah by heel hook

Jayden Chelkowski def. Donggyun Kim by heel hook

George Sotiropoulos def. Yongsang Kim by armbar

Edward Smith def. Hongyu Zhu by choke

Shinji Morito def. Jayden Binnie by points, 3-0

Wanpyo Hong def. Linh Pham by points, 6-0

Aaron Khominsky def. Ian Le by ankle lock

Tomoshige Sera def. Kyungjae Kim by choke

Joshua Ber def. Z Chan by judges’ decision

Huai Qing Xu def. Ryan Paul by points, 6-0

David Macrae def. Jesse Yada by heel hook

Seiilkhan Bolatbek def. Verontino Fernando-Giovanni by guillotine

Harrison Baker def. I Hua Huang by points, 2-0

Bobby Sandhu def. Felix Chandler by rear naked choke

Nicholas Bilton def. Ahmed Hassan by rear naked choke

Omar Mannarov def. Kazunori Kamiya by choke

Yangfei Yangfei def. Zhaodong Chen by points, 5-0

Hayata Murotani def. Lih-Ren Chew by points, 6-0

Jordon Piggott def. Jediel Yew Shen by guillotine

Round of 32:

Jeremy Skinner def. James Woonton by heel hook

Jayden Chelkowski def. George Sotiropoulos by heel hook

Axyl Howie def. Edward Smith by heel hook

Rhys Allan def. Shinji Morito by judges’ decision

Siraj Soufi def. Wanpyo Hong by choke

Tomoshige Sera def. Aaron Khominsky by points

Rory Matthews def. Joshua Ber by ankle lock

Huai Qing Xu def. Brodie Greco by disqualification

David Macrae def. Burak Sarman by walkover

Seiilkhan Boltabek def. Vincent Peirce by choke

Phillip Harry Rangi Allsopp def. Harrison Baker by points, 10-0

Bobby Sandhu def. Jay Jay Wilson by walkover

Nicholas Bilton def. Rahul Raju by ankle lock

Omar Mannarov def. Hugh Boyd by guillotine

Hayata Murotani def. Yangfei Yangfei by points, 4-0

Kenta Iwamoto def. Jordon Piggot by rear naked choke

Round of 16:

Jeremy Skinner def. Jayden Chelkowski by heel hook

Rhys Allan def. Axyl Howie by points 6-0

Tomoshige Sera def. Siraj Soufi by points, 5-0

Huai Qing Xu def. Rory Matthews by points, 9-2

Seiilkhan Boltabek def. David Macrae by rear naked choke

Bobby Sandhu def. Phillip Harry Rangi Allsopp by rear naked choke

Omar Mannarov def. Nicholas Bilton by points 3-0

Kenta Iwamoto def. Hayata Murotani by ankle lock

Quarterfinals:

Rhys Allan def. Jeremy Skinner by points, 3-0

Tomoshige Sera def. Huai Qing Xu by points, 2-0

Seiilkhan Boltabek def. Bobby Sandhu by rear naked choke

Kenta Iwamoto def. Omar Mannarov by points 5-2

Semifinals:

Rhys Allan def. Tomoshige Sera by judges’ decision

Kenta Iwamoto def. Seiilkhan Boltabek by points 5-0

Bronze:

Tomoshige Sera def. Seiilkhan Boltabek by points 3-0

Finals:

Kenta Iwamoto def. Rhys Allan by rear naked choke

-88 kg

Round of 32:

Izaak Michell def. Raoul Lobo by choke

Jordan Rozman def. Devesh Thakur by points, 3-0

Stephen Halpin def. Tyrone Kingi by points, 8-0

Sousuke Oshima def. Kaan Husmek by heel hook

Kurtis Martin def. Sunghoon Jung by choke

Nemanja Bubnjevic def. Daniil Muomelov by ankle lock

Hayden Limebeer def. Matthew Sugiri by kimura

Brodie Sprlyan def. Tarkyn Loloselo by choke

Roberto Deb-Frias def. Alibi Orazbek by judges’ decision

Sejota Heske def. Gabriel Zammitt by walkover

Ruslan Israilov def. Nicholas Ooi by kneebar

Sosefo Sefokuli def. Yong Zhao Tan by choke

Lucas Kanard def. Alibek Bokayev by triangle

Isak Ivanovic def. Hesamoddin Abdi by walkover

Kaya Rudolph def. Peeyush Pandey by heel hook

Wonzik Seo def. Azamat Osmanov by kneebar

Round of 16:

Izaak Michell def. Jordan Rozman by choke

Sousuke Oshima def. Stephen Halpin by heel hook

Kurtis Martin def. Nemanja Bubnjevic by choke

Brodie Sprlyan def. Hayden Limebeer by points 7-2

Roberto Deb-Frias def. Sejota Heske by points 7-0

Ruslan Israilov def. Sosefo Sefokuli by choke

Lucas Kanard def. Isak Ivanovic by kneebar

Kaya Rudolph def. Wonzik Seo by choke

Quarterfinals:

Izaak Michell def. Sousuke Oshima by choke

Kurtis Martin def. Brodie Sprlyan by kimura

Roberto Deb-Frias def. Ruslan Israilov by judges’ decision

Kaya Rudolph def. Lucas Kanard by points 2-0

Semifinals:

Izaak Michell def. Kurtis Martin by choke

Roberto Deb-Frias def. Kaya Rudolph by judges’ decision

Bronze:

Kaya Rudolph def. Kurtis Martin by choke

Finals:

Izaak Michell def. Roberto Deb-Frias by points, 3-0

-99 kg

Round of 16:

Benjamin Hodgkinson def. Aditya Sanil by choke

Nicholas Wiles ddef. Axel Briskey by rear naked choke

Declan Moody def. Caleb Branson by choke

Jahred Dell def. Hyun Woo Kim by ankle lock

Daniel Schuardt def. Robert Panovski by knee bar

Matthew Ienna def. Andrew Wang by choke

Magomed Tsakayev def. Nathan Reddy by points, 3-0

Anton Mineko def. Leigh Burger by heel hook

Quarterfinals:

Benjamin Hodgkinson def. Nicholas Wiles by choke

Declan Moody def. Jahred Dell by triangle

Daniel Schuardt def. Matthew Ienna by heel hook

Anton Mineko def. Magomed Tsakayev by points, 3-0

Semifinals:

Declan Moody def. Benjamin Hodgkinson by armbar

Anton Mineko def. Daniel Schuardt by judges’ decision

Bronze:

Benjamin Hodgkinson wins by walkover

Finals:

Declan Moody def. Anton Mineko by points 4-0

+99 kg

Round of 16:

Alexander Hungahunga def. Nihal Nijjar by choke

Quarterfinals:

Josh Saunders def. Michael Bell by choke

Tito Carle def. Marc Grayson by points, 3-0

Ricky Luzny def. Oliver Smitch by armbar

Alexander Hungahunga def. Harry Grech by heel hook

Semifinals:

Josh Saunders def. Tito Carle by armbar

Ricky Luzny def. Alexander Hungahunga by wristlock

Bronze:

Tito Carle wins by walkover

Finals:

Josh Saunders def. Ricky Luzny by rear naked choke

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Women’s -55 kg

Round of 16:

Soojin Hong def. Rose Pham via injury

Catherine Qu def. Meryl Sebastian by judges’ decision

Joyce Ip def. Rachel Mcandrew by choke

Yumi Tamai def. Sokhouy Mab by heel hook

Kanae Yamada def. Zhu Tingting by americana

Bethanii Baron-Heeris def. Natasha Magendar by ankle lock

Quarterfinals:

Adele Fornarino def. Soojin Hong by ankle lock

Joyce Ip def. Catherine Qu by armbar

Ju Chin Shih def. Yumi Tamai by choke

Kanae Yamada def. Bethanii Baron-Heeris by choke

Semifinals:

Adele Fornarino def. Joyce Ip by heel hook

Kanae Yamada def. Ju Chin Shih by points, 4-0

Bronze:

Joyce Ip def. Ju Chin Shih by armbar

Finals:

Adele Fornarino def. Kanae Yamada by armbar

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Women’s -65 kg

Quarterfinals:

Thi Tuyet Trang Nguyen def. Yan Li by points, 3-0

Kimbat Batai def. Miki Strickland by points, 1-0

Semifinals:

Wang Jue def. Thi Tuyet Trang Nguyen by points, 3-0

Shakira Pacana def. Kimbat Batai by guillotine

Bronze:

Kimbat Batai def. Thi Tuyet Trang Nguyen by points, 7-0

Finals:

Wang Jue def. Shakira Pacana by points, 6-0

Women’s +65 kg

Quarterfinals:

Jyssica Lian def. Yimei Yang by points

Semifinals:

Nadine Dixon def. Jyssica Lian by arm triangle

Hillary Loh wins by walkover

Finals:

Hillary Loh def. Nadine Dixon by points, 5-0

ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials live stream, how to watch, start time for this weekend’s BJJ event

The Asian & Oceania trials will happen on November 25, in Singapore, and with the time difference that will be from Friday November 24 at night to early Saturday in the morning for those in the US.

The event can be streamed live on FloGrappling, starting at Friday night, 9 p.m. ET all the way through early Saturday morning. If they put a free live stream of some of the earlier rounds on YouTube, it will be posted here once it’s available.

We are aiming to offer the best grappling and technique writing of any MMA news site. If you want to see more of this kind of work, please subscribe to the Bloody Elbow newsletter and learn how you can support the site.

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IBJJF is hosting six four-man tournaments to literally crown inaugural champions and launch their new professional gi event. While most pro grappling events are no-gi these days, IBJJF will be launching another gi event called the IBJJF Crown. Tournament winners will win $15,000, and instead of a medal, they will get the aforementioned gold crown.

Featured on the line up is one of the best athletes in the gi in Tainan Dalpra, who will be competing at middleweight. Several other decorated BJJ world champions fill the other brackets. Men’s featherweight with Diego Pato Oliveira moving up in weight, along with Women’s super-heavyweight with Gabi Pessanha, will both be incredibly stacked with every competitor being IBJJF world champions.

Join us starting 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 19 for excellent BJJ action.

IBJJF Crown brackets

Men’s Featherweight

Men’s Middleweight

Men’s Heavyweight

Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight

Women’s Lightweight

Women’s Super-Heavyweight

Full IBJJF Crown results and match order

Women’s Lightweight – Nathalie Ribeiro def. Janaina Lebre via points (8-2)

Women’s Lightweight – Luiza Monteiro def. Brianna Ste-Marie via points (6-2)

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Men’s Featherweight – Samuel Nagai def. Diego Pato via advantages (2-0)

Men’s Featherweight – Isaac Doederlein def. Fabricio Andrey via ref’s decision

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Men’s Middleweight – Tainan Dalpra def. Pedro Maia via points (2-0)

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Men’s Middleweight – Andy Murazaki def. Mauricio Oliveira via advantages (1-0)

Men’s Heavyweight – Fellipe Andrew def. Francisco Lo via submission (head and arm choke), 7:30

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Men’s Heavyweight – Gustavo Batista def. Uanderson Ferreira via points (5-0)

Women’s Super-Heavyweight – Gabrielli Pessanha def. Amy Campo via advantages (1-0)

Women’s Super-Heavyweight – Tayane Porfirio def. Melissa Stricker via submission (choke from back), 5:52

Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight – Joao Gabriel Rocha vs Victor Honorio, Double DQ

Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight – Erich Munis vs Roosevelt Sousa (became finals match)

Women’s Lightweight 3rd Place – Janaina Lebre wins by default (Brianna Ste-Marie didn’t compete)

Men’s Featherweight 3rd Place – Diego Pato def. Fabricio Andrey via advantages (1-0)

Men’s Middleweight 3rd Place – Mauricio Oliveira def Pedro Maia via advantages (1-0)

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Men’s Heavyweight 3rd Place – Francisco Lo wins by default (Uanderson Ferreira did not compete)

Women’s Super-Heavyweight 3rd Place – Melissa Stricker def. Amy Campo via points (2-0)

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Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight 3rd Place – None.

Women’s Lightweight Finals – Luiza Monteiro def. Nathalie Ribeiro via points (12-0)

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Men’s Featherweight Finals – Samuel Nagai def Issac Doederlein via advantages (1-0)

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Men’s Middleweight Finals – Tainan Dalpra def Andy Murasaki via submission (triangle choke), 3:08

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Men’s Heavyweight Finals – Fellipe Andrew def. Gustavo Batista via points (11-0)

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Women’s Super-Heavyweight Finals – Gabrielli Pessanha def. Tayane Porfirio via points (2-0)

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Men’s Ultra-Heavyweight Finals – Erich Munis def Roosevelt Sousa via advantages (5-0)

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IBJJF Crown: How to watch and live stream

IBJJF Crown will happen on Sunday, November 19 starting at 4 p.m. ET.

The event can be streamed live on FloGrappling, with the earlier portions of the event likely being streamed for free on their YouTube channel.

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Tye Ruotolo becomes ONE welterweight champion

Tye Ruotolo joined his brother in becoming a ONE Championship submission grappling world champion at ONE Fight Night 16. He took on Magomed Abdulkadirov at in the co-main event, with the promotion’s vacant welterweight title on the line for the winner. In the typical Ruotolo brothers style, Tye immediately started putting a high pace on Abdulkadirov and it was clear that he was hunting for the finish right from the start of the match.

Ruotolo was able to threaten with submissions from both the top and the bottom, even coming pretty close to submitting Abdulkadirov on more than one occasion. Although he wasn’t able to get the tap, his relentless offense earned him the clear decision win and he was even awarded a $50,000 ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for his efforts. It was a dominant performance and now that he holds the welterweight belt, he’ll be looking for new challenges to face in his first title rdefense.

Full results for the event can be found here.

New champions crowned at IBJJF No Gi Euros

Most of the best no gi grapplers in Europe met in Rome to determine the 2023 class of IBJJF no gi European Champions. There were ADCC Trials winners and ADCC veterans everywhere, particularly in the middleweight division where Tommy Langaker beat Mateusz Szczecinski in the final. Heikki Jussila won the absolute division after getting a silver medal at ultra-heavyweight, while Adele Fornarino stood on top of the podium at featherweight.

The Irish contingent really impressed at the event though, as four of this year’s black belt champions came from the same small island. Shay Montague continued demonstrating that he’s one of the best roosterweights on the planet by winning a gold medal, and Marcus Phelan won a very tough lightweight division. The other two Irish champions were both women, as Mara Kelly took gold at light-featherweight and Rosa Walsh did the same at middleweight.

Full results for the event can be found here.

Debut ADXC event makes a big impact

ADXC 1 saw several of the biggest names in both BJJ and MMA making the journey to Abu Dhabi in order to compete under a unique ruleset. Although it was a grappling competition, it took place in a cage and used the same round format as professional MMA fights. The event was so stacked with talent that a number of top competitors like Dan Manasoiu and Fellipe Andrew got their submission wins on the preliminary card.

The event also featured a pair of main events, one in the gi and one in no gi. In the gi main event, Isaque Bahiense couldn’t get the finish against Gustavo Batista and ended up taking the unanimous decision win after plenty of action. The no gi main event saw MMA legend Benson Henderson take on Bellator veteran Neiman Gracie, and Gracie put on a clinical display of offensive Jiu-Jitsu in order to submit Henderson with an armbar from the back.

Full results for the event can be found here.

IBJJF announces brackets for The Crown

The IBJJF has been putting a lot of time and promotional effort into their latest event, The Crown. It’s set to feature four men’s divisions and two women’s divisions, each one with four of the best gi grapplers in those weight classes competing. With just a week left to go until the event takes place on November 19th, the IBJJF has now revealed the full brackets for each division and there are some exciting matches in the opening rounds.

There has been a last-minute change since the brackets have been released too, as Tayane Porfirio has stepped in to replace Nathiely De Jesus at heavyweight. There are big names in every division, including the likes of Gabrieli Pessanha, Tainan Dalpra, and Fabricio Andrey. With IBJJF World Champions both past and present competing in The Crown, there’s bound to be plenty of highlights generated by the time the dust settles.

Quick Hits

• Mikey Musumeci secured a partnership with social media giant Meta, the biggest brand to ever sponsor a BJJ competitor.
• Footage of a regional MMA fight went viral as one fighter attempted to attack his opponent’s legs and ended up submitting himself instead.
• Top B-Team Jiu-Jitsu competitor Damien Anderson just won his professional MMA debut in emphatic fashion at Fury Challenger Series 9.
• Owen Livesey just established himself as the biggest name in catch wrestling today, as he beat Josh Barnett at the Catch Wrestling World Championship 2023.

Technique Corner

Triangle choke escape

Scissor sweep variation

De La Riva sweep to Longstep pass, and Berimbolo

Meme of the Week

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This is the first edition of Crime Desk a new weekly feature for Bloody Elbow where I will cover the week’s stories that involve the intersections between combat sports and crime. The majority of these stories don’t make for nice reading, but we feel it’s important to share these stories with you, our readers.

For this week’s report I spoke with Michelle Simpson Tuegel, who represents two women who are suing ADCC world champion Roberto Cyborg Abreu over alleged rapes that happened around his Fight Sports gym system. Simpson Tuegel, who once represented the abuse survivors of disgraced US Gymnastics doctor Larry Nasser, filled me in on some updates regarding one case and the current fight to establish jurisdiction in Texas.

Beyond that there are updates on boxers Felix Verdejo and John Jackson, which are not for the feint of heart. There’s a number of other stories that involve crime and MMA or boxing, too.

Check them out below.

Civil Lawsuit vs. Cyborg Abreu and Fight Sports

In 2021 BJJ world champion Roberto Abreu, and his Fight Sports LLC, company were sued by two women who accused him of failing to protect them from sexual assault within his network of academies.

One of the lawsuits was filed by a former student of Abreu’s who attended a Fight Sports gym in Naples, FL. She claimed that she was repeatedly sexually abused by BJJ black-belt Marcel Goncalves, an instructor at the school, while she was a minor.

Goncalves was arrested in 2018 and charged with rape in connection to these claims. When questioned by police Goncalves reportedly admitted to having sexual intercourse with the complainant and stated he “does not know what is wrong with him.”

It is believed he has since returned to his native Brazil. There is an outstanding warrant for his arrest due to missing court dates in connection to this case.

A second woman sued Abreu, Fight Sports and Rockstar Martial Arts (a gym in Texas that is associated with Fight Sports) over a sexual assault she claims happened when she was a minor. That woman has accused Rodrigo Oliveira, another Abreu black-belt and former Rockstar instructor, of assaulting her the day before a BJJ competition in Texas. Oliveira is also believed to have returned to Brazil.

After Goncalves’ arrest in Florida, Abreu put out the following statement on social media:

“Sexual assault can never be tolerated. This week we learned of horrifying news about an individual who used to represent Fight Sports at one of our affiliate gyms. The actions of this individual do not reflect what I stand for and he will be held responsible for his actions. My heart breaks for the victim and her family. They know they have my full support. I ask that everyone give the victim and her family space and privacy, as they are going through something no one should ever have to experience.”

Michelle Simpson Tuegel represents both women and their separate lawsuits against Abreu and Fight Sports. She spoke to me about the case involving Oliveira and the current dispute with Abreu over whether the lawsuit can be litigated in Texas, specifically the Circuit Court in Harris County.

Simpson Tuegel explained that she is arguing that the court has jurisdiction for this case because, in addition to the alleged sex assault happening in Harris County, she believes Abreu and Fight Sports have had the requisite amount of business dealings in Texas to justify this jurisdiction.

Simpson Tuegel expressed that her client competing as a Fight Sports athlete in Texas, alongside her alleged attacker (who was also representing Fight Sports) is enough of an affiliation for the case can be litigated in Texas.

Abreu’s lawyers are contesting this.

Abreu’s business dealings in the state, according to Simpson Tuegel, are further evidence that Texas can litigate the case.

“[Abreu] has admitted that they made money in Texas. But they claim that it is not enough and we argue that it is enough,” said Simpson Tuegel, who said past cases have shown that only minor dealings in the state can constitute jurisdiction in Texas.

“We’ve cited examples, the other side has done the same. It’s up to the discretion of the court. Precedence has shown that it doesn’t have to be a lot [of business done in Texas to establish jurisdiction]. Because when you are travelling to Texas, making money in Texas, and sending employees and contractors to work in Texas, you have to accept that it is reasonable to expect you are subject to Texas courts.”

Simpson Tuegel also talked about her assertion that Abreu and his Fight Sports organization bear responsibility for the attack her client said she suffered.

In both cases, Simpson Tuegel argues that Abreu is responsible for bringing coaches over to the US from Brazil, who would later be accused of sexually assaulting minors. Evidence she has offered in court for this includes communications between the alleged victim’s father and Abreu where Abreu said he would “break” the visa that was allowing Oliveira to work in the US.

Bloody Elbow has viewed court filings that include a screenshot of this text message.

The lawsuit in Texas also claims that some adults working at Rockstar knew about the claims against Oliveira and failed to report them to law enforcement.

Both Florida and Texas, where these attacks are alleged to have taken place, have mandatory reporting laws where any adult is legally responsible to report suspected cases of abuse of a person under 18 to appropriate authorities.

“There’s a failure,” stated Simpson Tuegel, when discussing how her client was allegedly not protected before or after the alleged assault.

“We believe it comes from the top, this athlete and this coach were fighting under the Fight Sports banner. He was brought into the country by Cyborg, Cyborg had involvement in bringing him here and when they are fighting under that banner and Fight Sports is benefiting from these athletes fighting under this banner, when something happens like this, they have a responsibility to report. There has to a policy to protect kids in sport and we believe this client has not been protected. And this local gym (Rockstar) bears some responsibility, as does the accused, and Cyborg.”

In addition to denying he and his company bears responsibility for the alleged sexual assaults involving two of his black-belts in both Texas and Florida, Abreu has also denied he had any direct involvement with Rockstar Martial Arts and that he has never sponsored events or competitions in Texas. He asserts that his only business dealings in Texas are that he has won prize money at events in the state and that he does not have any affiliate gyms in Texas. 

Getting a court in Texas to agree to litigate this case is the first obstacle for this lawsuit. If a court agrees to hear the case, then the case can progress to discovery.

A civil lawsuit, at this stage, appears to be the only method Simpson Tuegel’s clients can pursue justice for what they claimed happened to them. It is unlikely a criminal case will reach a resolution given the status of both Rodrigo Oliveira and Marcel Goncalves.

The criminal case against Goncalves, which includes three counts of sex with a minor, is currently listed as “pending” with the Collier County Sheriff’s Department in Florida.

Oliveira was charged with trafficking a child to engage in sexual conduct by the Frisco Police Department in Texas (per the Fort-Worth Star Telegram).

“It’s my understanding that both [Oliveira and Goncalves] have returned to Brazil,” said Simpson Tuegel.

Felix Verdejo receives life sentence for murder of Keishla Rodriguez and unborn child

Last week boxer Felix Verdejo received a life sentence from a US Federal Court in San Juan, Puerto Rico for the killing of Keishla Rodriguez and her unborn child. Verdejo had been having an extra-marital affair with Rodriguez at the time of the killing.

Verdejo, a former Olympian and WBO Latino lightweight champion, was convicted of kidnapping and murder in July. During trial his friend and co-defendant Luis Antonio Cadiz said that Verdejo had pressured Rodriguez to get an abortion before deciding to kill her.

Cadiz testified that he and Verdejo ambushed Rodriguez in a vehicle and that Rodriguez injected her with fentanyl-based sedative before tying her limbs to a cement block. Rodriguez was then thrown from the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge into the San Jose Lagoon in broad daylight. Cadiz said that Verdejo later entered the lagoon and shot at Rodriguez’s body.

Verdejo is set to appeal his conviction.

In a press release W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, said that Verdejo was “unrepentant”.

“Like Verdejo-Sánchez now knows, anyone who commits cold-blooded crimes of violence in violation of federal law will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law by the Justice Department and this office.”

John Jackson files appeal in child rape, porn conviction

Former Olympian, and opponent of Jermell Charlo, John Jackson has filed an appeal against his conviction for rape and child pornography production.

The 34-year-old Jackson was arrested in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in 2019 under suspicion of raping a 15-year-old girl and capturing the incident on a cellphone.

He was convicted in 2022 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is currently incarcerated at a low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Miami, Fl.

Jackson’s appeal contends that the government committed errors in executing search warrants. The appeal also contests the prosecution’s evidence that he intended to traffic minors for the purpose of sex or that he had intended to produce child pornography.

Derrick Lewis’ reacts to recent arrest

In the week leading up to his UFC Sao Paulo main event booking opposite Jailton Almeida, Derrick Lewis was reportedly arrested for driving 136 mph in 50 mph zone.

When asked about the incident in his pre-fight press conference, Lewis didn’t take the question seriously.

“Nah, I don’t think that was me,” he said. “That guy had hair. You seen the picture? I ain’t got no hair. That ain’t me. I don’t know.”

Lewis went on to lose to Jailton Almeida by unanimous decision.

The impact of Aniah’s Law

November 8th marked the one year anniversary of the passing of Aniah’s Law in Alabama. The law, named for Aniah Blanchard, gives judges more power to deny bail to individuals accused of violent crimes.

Previously, judges could only deny bail to individuals charged with capital crimes.

The law change came after Blanchard, 19, was kidnapped and murdered in Auburn, AL. Ibraheem Yazeed has been charged with her homicide. At the time of Blanchard’s abduction Yazeed was on bail, awaiting trial, over a separate attempted murder charge.

Blanchard’s stepfather, UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, campaigned with the rest of her family to have Aniah’s Law passed in the state.

Over the last year Aniah’s Law has been used to deny bail in a number of “big cases” in the state, according to ABC 3340. It was used to deny bail to a suspect in a mass shooting at a sweet 16 birthday party in Dadeville and it was used to deny bond to a man accused of several sexual offences in Shelby County.

Opponents of Aniah’s Law claim the law gives too much power to judges and strips too many protections from people who are innocent until proven guilty.

Opponents are also concerned how the law effects Alabama’s jail population. The state’s incarceration rate is one of the highest in the US with 938 people per 1,000 living behind bars (per Prison Policy Initiative). The US average is 664.

In Other News

Bellator veteran arrested over parking lot dispute

Bellator and The Ultimate Fighter veteran Kemran Lachinov said he tried to intervene when he saw what he believed was a disabled person being abused inside a vehicle outside of a business he owns in Springfield, MA.

However, after he tried to intervene (which included going inside the vehicle), four police officers grabbed him and pinned him to the ground. He was then charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. (full story)

The incident was captured on CCTV:

Three arrested over shooting of boxer Izaac Colunga

Three people were arrested in Riverside, CA this week on suspicion of a 2019 drive-by-shooting that struck boxer Izaac Colunga. The shooting happened at a house party and left Colunga in critical condition, unable to use his arms and legs.

Colunga, who was 24 at the time of the shooting, had turned pro a year prior and had amassed a 4-0 record.

Colunga survived the shooting and was able to regain the use of his limbs. He continues to train. (full story)

Heavyweight prospect seen as ‘future Tyson Fury’ arrested

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Jared Anderson, 23, was arrested in Ohio this week and charged with improper handling of firearms in a vehicle while being under the influence of intoxicated substances. He was also charged with operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Anderson has a 16-0 record with 15 KOs. WBC champ Tyson Fury has remarked that he sees Anderson as “heir to the throne” of the heavyweight division. (full story)

JMMA veteran accused of ramming car into police station in Canada

Kultar Gill, who fought for DREAM and K-1 in the mid 2000s, is accused of ramming his car into a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) building in Langley, British Columbia. Reportedly, there was a woman hanging out of one of the car’s doors when the incident happened.

Gill has been charged with criminal negligence, causing bodily harm, aggravated assault and two counts of failure to stop.

Gill owns Mamba Martial Arts Academy in Abbotsford, BC and promotes Mamba Fight League and Mamba Fight Night events across the province. (full story)

Wrestling program facing Federal lawsuit

Kalispell Public School officials in Montana have been named as defendants in a Federal lawsuit that accuses the Glacier High School wrestling team of permitting “a culture and ‘traditions’ of hazing and assault.”

The lawsuit has been brought forward by the parent of a child who wrestled at Glacier High School. The parent alleges that their 15-year-old son witnessed older wrestlers sexually assault another teammate in a motel room during an overnight trip in February. The day after this, it is alleged, the 15-year-old was himself sexually assaulted by other wrestlers on the bus ride home.

The lawsuit accuses school officials of knowing about the tradition of older wrestlers abusing younger wrestlers and failing to protect them from the assaults. (full story)

Amateur fighter accused of kidnap and attempted murder

Jose Adolfo Espinoza-Espinoza, 38, has been charged with attempted murder after deliberation, first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, criminal extortion, obstruction of a telephone and domestic violence in Pueblo West, MT.

Espinoza-Espinoza is accused of choking his wife to the point of unconsciousness outside of their home and then violently shaking her and throwing her to the ground. Espinoza-Espinoza is an amateur boxer and MMA fighter. (full story)

Survivors of sexual assault can find support via the following organizations:

US – Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)’s National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). RAINN also has an online chat service.

Love is Respect, 1-866-331-9474. They can also be reached via online chat or by texting LOVEIS to 22522.

End Rape on Campus (EROC), 1-424-777-EROC (3762).

Canada – Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, 1-877-232-2610.

UK – UK Says No More.

Rest of the World – International Rape Crisis Hotlines.

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Grand Sumo’s last tournament of the year is upon us. The Kyushu basho gets underway this Sunday and runs for two weeks as the Japan Sumo Association looks to give out the last Emperor’s Cup of 2023. This year in sumo has been fascinating with established talents getting so close (and yet so far) to their ultimate goals and new/young contenders emerging from obscurity.

In Kyushu there are a number of reasons to tune in and burning questions I want to have answered. You can check out five of those below. Enjoy!

And, whether you like sumo or you want to learn more about it, consider subscribing to me Substack Sumo Stomp!. There you’ll find in-depth analysis and notification for when sumo content drops here on Bloody Elbow.

1. Will a new yokozuna be crowned Kyushu

Back in January Takakeisho wowed sumo fans with a thundering performance in the New Year tournament, slinging down his old High School friend Kotoshoho on the Final Day. After that victory, murmurings began over Takakeisho’s candidacy for a yokozuna promotion.

Takakeisho is a popular (but polarizin) figure in Japan and the idea of having a Japanese wrestler promoted yokozuna for only the second time since 1988 stoked a lot of intrigue into the man dubbed ‘The Angry Hamster’ by westerners. Two championship wins in a row is considered the bar for entry in the yokozuna conversation, so Takakeisho headed to the March basho on his home turf of Osaka looking for that ultimate prize.

However, the championship in Osaka eluded Takakeisho due to a knee injury suffered in a bout with Abi. Takakeisho gutted out the following the tournament to keep his ozeki rank and then sat out in July. In the last tournament, in September, Takakeisho returned and finally looked about as healthy as he did in January.

Fully fit, Takakeisho dominated the tournament, taking an 11-4 record and the championship with a slick henka over Atamifuji in a play-off.

So the yokozuna conversation has been reset and now we head to Kyushu with Takakeisho looking for a second title in a row and his best shot at becoming the next yokozuna.

In January dissenters spoke of Takakeisho’s style being too undignified to earn the yokozuna rank. One of the loudest of those voices was a Japan Sumo Association member who said Takakeisho too often looked like a squat frog on the road when he lost (very un-yokozuna-like).

Since then Takakeisho has spent less time on his face and has instead mixed some crafty slap downs and henka into his game (much to the chagrin of his boo-birds).

In Kyushu we’ll be able to see if Takakeisho has the nerve (and health) to deliver a third championship in 2023. If he does, the debate over whether he is ‘yokozuna material’ will rage to new levels.

2. Are the ozeki jitters over?

The two newest ozeki on the block, Kirishima and Hoshoryu, have had an up and down year since they secured their lofty promotions.

Kirishima’s first half of 2023 was sensational. An 11-4 runner-up performance in January was followed by a 12-3 championship win and then an 11-4 record to meet the 33 win threshold to land the ozeki promotion (and name change to Kirishima from Kiribayama).

Since then, things have been a little shaky.

Kirishima came into his first tournament as an ozeki injured, sitting out on Day 1. He struggled through the remainder of the tournament, slumping to a 6-7-2 record and kadoban status for the next tournament.

In the aki basho this September Kirishima was able to save his rank with a 9-6 record, but he rarely looked close to his top form. Whether this was injuries or nerves, we don’t know.

Hoshoryu, who used to attend the same judo school as Kirishima back in Mongolia, got his promotion to ozeki one tournament after Kirishima. And just like his rival he struggled in his first appearance under that rank.

At the aki basho the normally composed, and ruthless, Hoshoryu looked like he was second guessing himself and he lost a number of bouts in quite embarrassing fashion.

However, towards the tail end of the tournament he did seem to pull it together and was able to rescue an 8-7 record and avoid being kadoban after his first ozeki tournament.

With both men now having some ozeki experience under their belt (and both seemingly being healthy), we might just see them fight to their full potential in Kyushu. If that’s true, we could be in for a heck of a tournament. It would also be great to see them face each other while in the best possible shape (and head space).

3. Was Atamifuji’s aki basho a fluke?

21-year-old Atamifuji came into the September tournament with just one top division appearance under his belt (a forgettable 4-11 in 2022). But his second appearance in the makuuchi was a totally different story. Coming off a juryo championship win, this version of Atamifuji took the top division by storm at the aki basho.

He got off to an 11-1 start in September, with just a hiccup to Tsurugisho spoiling a perfect 12 bout run. Over that time he showed excellent power and technique, either going chest-to-chest or straight arming opponents before running them out the ring. He also mixed in a number of throws, including a picture perfect uwatenage on a shell-shocked Tobizaru.

On Day 12 nerves crept in, though. Up until that point Atamifuji seemed to just be having fun out there and not thinking about the possibility of a surprise Emperor’s Cup run.

When the number of wrestlers at the top began to thin and he saw it was pretty much between him and Takakeisho, the wheels came off a little. The first sign of this was a loss to Daieisho (who was making darn sure a youngster didn’t get the better of him).

Next he met Takakeisho. And he looked terrified. After a false start and a long time to reset, Takakeisho (who gave him a death stare throughout) blasted through the young man to take a lead heading into the last two days of the tournament.

A misstep by Takakeisho and a big win over Abi tied things up and gave Atamifuji two shots at winning his first makuuchi yusho on the final day.

His first challenge was Asanoyama, but the former ozeki was able to withstand Atamifuji’s push and get him out with a firm, and slick, yorikiri. This set up a play-off with Takakeisho.

Atamifuji looked as if he shelved his nerves for this second encounter witj ‘Keisho. However, that meant he had the guts to plow forwards and challenge, head-on, the best pusher in the game. Unfortunately for him, Takakeisho guessed he would do this and simply stepped back to win a controversial championship.

The young Atamifuji won a lot of fans at the aki basho and he has been rewarded for his performance with promotion to maegashira 8. At the Kyushu basho he will be immediately matched with a higher level of competition than he beat-up during the first half of the aki basho, so it will be exciting to see if he can cut it at a higher level or whether his last tournament was just a flash in the pan.

4. Can Hokutofuji stay in the san’yaku?

Hokutofuji remains must-see-TV. However, unlike other fun and fan-friendly talents, like Ura and Tobizaru, Hokutofuji showed this year he was a threat to win a championship.

The owner of sumo’s most famous bald spot was a beast in Nagoya, going 12-3 and losing out on his first ever Emperor’s Cup in a play-off loss to Hoshoryu. In that tournament he beat every san’yaku opponent he faced, other than Wakamotoharu. He had beaten Hoshoryu on Day 12, prior to their play-off bout.

Things didn’t go as well for Hokutofuji at the aki basho, but he still claimed a kachi-koshi and he still scored some notable wins.

He started the tournament with a Murderer’s Row schedule, being booked against all three ozeki back-to-back-to-back. And he beat them all.

He made both Takakeisho and Hoshoryu taste dirt with slap downs and then he bull-rushed Kirishima out of the ring. Losses to Daieisho and Wakamotoharu followed, but he did score a win against the newest sekiwake Kotonowaka. He also beat both komusubi in the last tournament.

That winning record has seen Hokutofuji promoted to the san’yaku himself as komusubi.

This is the fourth time Hokutofuji has been promoted to komusubi. Each previous promotion lasted just one tournament. In 2019 he went 7-8 and went straight back down to maegashira 1. Later that year he was promoted back up, but another 7-8 record sent him straight back down. In 2020 we was promoted a third time, but suffered a dreadful 4-11 record.

Since then he has been very inconsistent, yo-yo-ing up and down the maegashira ranks, going as low as M12. He started the year as M6 and may have finally shown he has what it takes to hang with the elites over a sustained run.

We’ll have to see if his sparkling 2023 form against upper ranked wrestlers continues in Kyushu (when he needs it most).

5. How will Wakatakakage look after his 10 month lay-off?

Wakaktakakage was an established sekiwake looking to put together an ozeki run this year. However, a disappointing March tournament (which started with five losses) turned into a disaster when he and Kotonowaka went smashing into the dohyo apron on Day 13.

During that incident, Wakatakakage twisted and then had the full weight of Kotonowaka land on him. This resulted in a torn ACL. Despite suffering that injury, Wakatakakage needed to shake it off, instantly, and face Kotonowaka in an immediate rematch. He won the fight and then hobbled backstage.

He was forced to sit out the next two days, meaning he ended with a 7-7-1 record.

The injury required surgery and it has kept him out of action for three straight tournaments. Those consecutive 0-0-15 records have seen the now former sekiwake demoted to the makushita division, outside of sumo’s salaried ranks.

In most other sports, an ACL injury means a year out of action and baby steps back to competition. But this is sumo we’re talking about.

Wakatakakage will likely compete in Kyushu to halt his slide further down the rankings and give himself a shot of being a top division wrestler again in 2024.

He’s been training on the exhibition circuit wearing a heavy-duty knee brace, so it doesn’t seem like he’s 100% healthy.

He and his stable must be confident that his skill-level will mean he can get through makushita bouts (which happen every other day, not every day like juryo and makuuchi) and earn a winning record while remaining relatively unscathed. It’s a risk. I hope it pays off.

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Polaris 26 happens today, November 4 with a card that mixes top BJJ stars like Craig Jones, and a couple of UFC fighters.

Join us live for this UK event starting at 11:30 a.m. ET with a free prelims stream below, and at 3 p.m. ET for the main card on UFC Fight Pass. Check below for everything you need to know about the promising BJJ event.

Polaris 26 preview: Craig Jones, two UFC fighters, and more BJJ stars

The event will be broadcast at UFC Fight Pass, and much like they did for Polaris 25 with former champ Aljamain Sterling, this event will have two UFC fighters to help create some crossover as they ease more MMA fans into the world of professional submission grappling.

BJJ star and two-time ADCC silver medalist Craig Jones will take on UFC fighter Gerald Meerschaert in the main event. Meerschaert apparently holds the record for most submissions in the UFC middleweight division, but if he actually tries to actively engage in this contest, he will likely be in over his head against the B-Team head and one of the (second) best grapplers in the world.

Also on the card, hometown favorite and British UFC star Molly McCann will switch to grappling against Julia Scardone.

Apart from the two crossover matches, there will be some really good BJJ stars featured such as the Polaris women’s title bout between no-gi champs Kendall Reusing and Leticia Cardozo, Tommy Langaker vs. Oliver Taza, and recent ADCC EMEA trials winner Owen Jones among others.

Polaris 26 full results, fight card, video highlights

Main card

Craig Jones def. Gerald Meerschaert via submission (rear naked choke)

Kendall Reusing def. Leticia Cardozo via unanimous decision

Molly McCann def. Julia Scardone via submission (arm bar)

Tommy Langaker def. Oliver Taza via unanimous decision

Owen Jones def. Bart Dubbeldam via unanimous decision

Marcin Maciulewicz def. Max Bickerton via unanimous decision

Prelims

Takadjou def. Archer Colaco via unanimous decision

Jack Hassard def. Abraham Dannan via unanimous decision

Justin Moore def. Matthew Fitz-James via submission (head and arm choke)

Sam Crook def. Mike Parry via unanimous decision (gi match)

Kerry Isom def. Jade Barker via unanimous decision

Polaris 26 live stream, how to watch

With Polaris 26 being a UK event, it happens Saturday afternoon on November 4, with the main card starting at 3 p.m. ET. The event can be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass.

The prelims will also feature nine matches and several grapplers from the UK and EU BJJ scene, which will start at 11:30 am. That will have a free live stream on YouTube.

Well, I wasn’t able to get this in there before the banzuke came out for Kyushu. Just had too much on my plate over the last week. It’s all good, though. We still have some time before the big boys head back to the dohyo for the final basho of the year.

But before we see them all do battle again, let’s just do a quick recap on how the upper ranked rikishi did last time out, at the Autumn Tournament. This is my last report card post for the aki basho, so it will be concerned with the upper rankers only. This group includes our winner and some fighters who under-performed in spite of their rank.

Let’s get into it.

Sumo Report Card: 2023 aki basho

Tobizaru

Rank: Komusubi west
Record: 6-9
Grade: C

Tobizaru was his usual frantic, chaotic and sometimes effective self in September. He was very fun to watch, as always, but this time out that did not translate into enough wins to secure the kachi-koshi.

At this point in his career, it’s pretty obvious that Tobizaru’s ceiling is komusubi and that he is just going to bounce between that ranking and high maegashira until age and/or injuries start to take their toll.

If nothing else he’s a great measuring stick to determine contenders from pretenders. He’s shown this year that he can beat anyone on his day and that you have to take him seriously, even if he’s such a joker outside of the ring.

At 31 he still has lots of speed and strength to win via conventional methods. But what makes him so unique, and special, is that he has a mind for the spectacular and bizarre that really only Ura can match (and I think Tobizaru’s bag of tricks is a little deeper than his).

Whereas Ura’s creativity flows when his body is in contact with his opposition, Tobizaru’s is more focused on what he does when he has separation from his opponent.

He loves to side-step, duck under, hop and leap to find angles and escape danger. A lot of the times he will over shoot, though, and land back in danger. This is why so many of his bouts end in close-calls.

See below how he was able to get exactly what he wants out of Wakamotoharu, but still fail to win. He finds separation (not easy versus Wakamotoharu) and then slides out to the side as his opponent is lurching forwards. Tobizaru played for this position, even though it leaves a lot up to luck. In this instance, luck wasn’t on his side.

Tobizaru was more controlled in some other matches, though. Here he is against new sekiwake Kotonowaka, showing an elusiveness that is unrivalled in all of sumo.

Wins over top guys (Hoshoryu, Meisei and Takakeisho) and entertainment value mean I can’t grade him too harshly for his 6-9 record.

Nishikigi

Rank: Komusubi east
Record: 5-10
Grade: E

This was tough to watch for Nishikigi. He tore his calf days before the tournament and it was pretty obvious that he couldn’t compete anywhere near to the best of his abilities.

In July he scored a 10-5 record and looked immovable at times. This time around, he just did not have the power he needed in that injured leg to put on the brakes or drive forwards.

That’s clear as day in his bout with Shodai.

… And Wakamotoharu.

A lower body injury is about the worst thing that can happen to Nishikigi for his brand of sumo. Hopefully it’s healed up enough now and we get to see him operate closer to the level that saw him win 14 bouts in a row across two tournaments earlier this year.

Kotonowaka

Rank: Sekiwake 2 east
Record: 9-6
Grade: B+

This was another successful showing for the 25-year-old. It was a quiet 9-6, though. Kotonowaka is such an under-the-radar talent that sometimes I forget he’s up near the top of the standings in a given tournament. I think it has something to do with how much control he has over his large, but pretty well balanced, body. In both winning and losing, we rarely see Kotonowaka spill into the crowd or land and roll awkwardly in the ring. That lack of highlight reel footage might be why I sometimes have to work hard to remember what he did in a given tournament.

I don’t want to take away from what he’s accomplishing, though. I do think he’s a very good wrestler and someone with a physical profile that can cause nightmares for just about everyone.

I think he might lack a little in aggression. The real pitbulls of the division seem able to back him down with their intensity, like what Takakeisho does below. Daieisho and Hokutofuji also scored wins off him in September.

Despite losing to those guys, though, Kotonowaka’s maiden sekiwake campaign has to go down as a big success. I feel like he could be ozeki material and quietly go on a run of double-digit victories next year.

Wakamotoharu

Rank: Sekiwake 1 west
Record: 9-6
Grade: B

Back to back 9-6 records for Wakamotoharu have him stalling out a bit in his campaign to become an ozeki. I wonder if he was suffering a bit of a hangover in this tournament after he lost his shot at ozeki in July.

I felt like Wakamotoharu continued with a more measured sumo in September, again eschewing the high risk (and back wrenching) pivoting/throwing techniques and just trying to keep it simple (and effective).

Much of his bouts looked like this one against Onosho. Strong thrusts on route to a solid grip and then beautiful foot-skimming advances to force someone out. Seven of his nine wins were yorikiri in September. He also got an oshidashi on Tobizaru (which we looked at above) and a hatakikomi on the hapless Tamawashi.