The Shootor's Legacy 1 event was held at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, as reported on MMA-Japan by Kris Hartrum, an event that saw the crowning of Yoshihiro Koyama as the new Pacific Rim champion at welterweight. As expected in the co-headlining bout, the Pacific Rim lightweight title-holder Taiki Tsuchiya was victorious too, smashing former King of the Cage champion Tony Hervey early and further consolidating his rank in the absence of the all-conquering world champion of the division. However, do not expect a forthcoming unification bout; Tsuchiya admitted after his fight that he had intended to challenge the mercurial Hatsu Hioki, but that after seeing him topple the monstrous Marlon Sandro at Sengoku’s Soul of Fight to claim another title, the Shooto contender and Asian champion did not feel confident in his chances of winning that particular match-up just yet.
How refreshingly honest. Don’t worry lad; if I were a featherweight, I wouldn’t be challenging a guy who just beat Sandro either… not to mention that he destroyed Tsuchiya’s mentor Rumina Sato prior to that, before comfortably bettering recent JMMA departure Michihiro Omigawa (even though the Sengoku judges felt otherwise), and the relieving Lion Takeshi of his Shooto strap. Tsuchiya is still relatively new to the sport, and has real promise; there will be time aplenty for him to take on The Child of Shooto somewhere down the road.
Right now, the 9-2 Pacific Rim lightweight champ would be crushed. He is riding the crest of a moderate wave, on a six-fight win streak, and the Shooto commission had best let him ride a Tsunami before throwing him to the current best featherweight in a country that rules the featherweight division.
Yoshihiro Koyama took the rematch in style to become the secondary – or Asian – champion of Shooto’s welterweight class, as he blitzed Shinji Sasaki in quick fashion. The first fight was a case of wrestling stifling catch style submission, but this time out the now 15-5 Koyama relied in his striking, dropping Sasaki with a stiff jab and finishing with a flurry of ground and pound. Quite a marked improvement, and a statement of his personal progression. Bizarrely enough though, the Pacific Rim title win actually halts a two-fight losing streak for Koyama, after an ill-advised venture up to Shooto’s middleweight division where he lost to Kotetsu Boku and Adam Lynn.
Former Shooto World Featherweight (132lbs) champion Masakatsu Ueda tore through an overmatched Ralph Acosta. Whether or not the win will earn Ueda an expected rematch with the man who toppled him, Shuichiro Katsumura, it is not known, but he certainly did not harm his case for title aspirations by demolishing the hapless Acosta with grapple-rape in round 1, and a D’Arce choke in the second.
“Krazy Bee” fighter Kotetsu Boku earned a unanimous decision over Yukinari Tamura, to keep his #1 ranking with the Shooto commission and keep him in line for a shot at his old Pacific Rim welterweight title, won on this card by a man he had previously beaten, Koyama. Yusuke Endo, the man with whom Boku lost his previous tilt at the Asian title, was also victorious on the Shootor’s Legacy 1 card, beating Daisuke Sugie by majority decision in an even fight. Endo beat Boku but then lost to Willamy Freire, in the oh-so-hectic Shooto welterweight division.
So what now for the notables from the Shootor’s Legacy 1 card:
WHAT NEXT:
Koyama: the new Shooto Pacific Rim welterweight champion will of course be looking at a shot at the world title. When Willamy Freire returns to action, having not fought since defeating Endo on the stacked May 30th card, this would make a fine fight for Shooto world honours. If not? Fellow victor and recent Pacific Rim champ and world title challenger Yusuke Endo would be a fine opponent, as would fellow former Asian champion and also a victor on the card, Kotetsu Boku.
Tsuchiya: the Shooto Pacific Rim lightweight champion was under no illusions about his current ability to dethrone the Shooto world lightweight champion Hatsu Hioki. With that in mind, should Hioki hang onto his Shooto crown despite finding success in more prominent JMMA orgs, Taiki should be matched up with other ranked contenders, to build up another potential star. Five more fights, and who knows where he will be? Who knows where Hioki will be? Give Tsuchiya a fight with Lion Takeshi, see if he sinks or swims. Failing that, Moon Wolf; who wouldn’t love him to leapfrog back into the rankings and get closer to a title shot once Hioki inevitably moves on.
Endo: back in the winners’ circle, Endo was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the Shooto welterweight title proper back in May, when he lost to Willamy Freire (who has been inactive since, and was stripped). Both a fight with Koyama for the Pacific Rim belt, a rematch with Freire should he return in time, or a rematch with Kotetsu Boku.
Boku: the Krazy Bee man is back on form. Now on a four-fight win streak since his loss to Endo (whom he previously drew with) he is primed to either rematch Endo, or face another top 10 Shooto ranked opponent. For those thinking Endo would be ahead of Boku in the running to get a shot at either the world title or the Pacific Rim belt won by Koyama, think again; Boku actually holds the #1 ranking at the moment in Shooto’s welterweight top 10.
Ueda: He did himself no harm whatsoever with his dominance of Acosta. Either a shot for his old Shooto World Featherweight championship, or another fight against either a contender or another overmatched opponent should be next for Masakatsu-san. I would hope it would be the former.
Now all that remains is for this event to come online. Come on, internet savvy Japanophiles, lets have it.
Fletch
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