is a Japanese retired

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler ('' rikishi''), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992 under the '' shikona'' of Takanofuji Tadao, achieving the rank of '' komusubi'', and afterwards turned to professional wrestling, in which he competed from 1994 to 2011, most notably in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He was also fought in mixed martial arts from 2001 to 2003, holding a notable win over

Jérôme Le Banner Jérôme Philippe Le Banner (; born December 26, 1972) is a French kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler. Le Banner fought for most of his career in K-1 and became known for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power. ...

Sumo career

He made his professional sumo debut in March 1979 at the age of 15, after leaving junior high school. He was recruited by Kokonoe stable. In 1980 he adopted the '' shikona'' of Fujinomori, before switching to Takanofuji in 1984. He first reached '' sekitori'' status in March 1985 upon promotion to the second highest '' jūryō'' division, but could manage only 4 wins against 11 losses and was demoted back to the unsalaried '' makushita'' division. After winning promotion back to ''jūryō'' in January 1986 he made his debut in the top '' makuuchi'' division only two tournaments later in May 1986. Takanofuji was ranked in the top division for 33 tournaments, winning one special prize for Fighting Spirit. His two gold stars for defeating '' yokozuna'' were both earned against Futahaguro (who, as Koji Kitao, also turned to professional wrestling). Takanofuji had the advantage of belonging to a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

that included two ''yokozuna'',

Chiyonofuji , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th ''yokozuna'' of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the gr ...

and Hokutoumi, which under sumo regulations meant he never had to face them in tournament play. However, his height of meant he had a higher centre of gravity than was ideal for a sumo wrestler, and he seemed to struggle when promoted above the mid '' maegashira'' ranks. Though he managed to reach the fourth highest ''komusubi'' ranking in July 1990 he could not maintain the rank, winning only two bouts there. He was demoted from the top division after the September 1991 tournament and announced his retirement in May 1992. His career coincided exactly with that of his stablemate Hokutoumi, who made his debut alongside him in March 1979 and also retired in May 1992. At Takanofuji's own request, it was the previous head of Kokonoe stable, ex-''yokozuna'' Kitanofuji, his long time coach, and not his successor, ex-''yokozuna''

, who performed the

topknot Topknot may refer to: * A hairstyle or haircut, historically prevalent in Asia: ** Chonmage, a traditional Japanese haircut worn by men ** Sangtu, a knot of hair that married men of the Joseon Dynasty wore in Korea ** Touji (頭髻), a traditional ...

cutting at Takanofuji's official retirement ceremony or '' danpatsu-shiki.''

Fighting style

Takanofuji's most common winning '' kimarite'' were ''yori-kiri'' (force out), ''hataki-komi'' (slap down) and ''tsuki-otoshi'' (thrust over).

Professional wrestling career

Reverting to his real name, he joined the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion in June 1993, making his debut in February 1994. Yasuda spent the majority of the 1990s as an undercard wrestler, primarily competing in opening matches or as the fall guy in tag team matches with wrestlers such as Shinya Hashimoto and Kensuke Sasaki, achieving little success. In late 2000, Yasuda, along with Kazuyuki Fujita, became somewhat of a pet project for

Antonio Inoki Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born ; February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name , a homag ...

, and both of them were sent to the United States to train in mixed martial arts. Yasuda returned to Japan soon after, and was victorious in his first fight against veteran Masaaki Satake at Pride 13. Yasuda's win helped further legitimise him as a pro wrestler in the eyes of Inoki, and this was rewarded with Yasuda reaching the semi finals of the 2001 G1 Climax, where he lost to Keiji Mutoh. After earning one win and one loss in MMA throughout 2001, Yasuda earned the biggest win of his career in December by choking out veteran Jerome Le Banner. His defeat of Jerome led to Yasuda's stock in New Japan skyrocketing almost overnight, and Yasuda soon found himself elevated from over the hill veteran to top title contender in early 2002. Yasuda earned the biggest win of his pro wrestling career on February 16, defeating Yuji Nagata in a tournament to win the vacant IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Yasuda held the title for 48 days, before dropping it to Nagata in April. In August 2002, Yasuda and

Kantaro Hoshino (born Yeo Geon-bu (여건부) on October 9, 1943 – November 25, 2010) was a Japanese born, Korean professional wrestler, manager, and promoter best known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. As a wrestler, he was half of The Yamaha Brother ...

formed their own faction, the

Makai Club Makai (born 27 August 1973, stylized as MAKAI) is a Japanese house DJ. He is well known for his collaborations with Japanese vocalists, such as "Garden of Love" with Thelma Aoyama is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinid ...

, a group of wrestlers primarily with MMA backgrounds who worshipped Antonio Inoki like a god. Yasuda was viewed as the leader of the group, and in early 2003 he partnered up with his second in command

Kazunari Murakami (born November 29, 1973) is a Japanese professional wrestler and retired mixed martial artist currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah. Murakami is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) during the late 1990s and early 2000s, ...

to enter the IWGP Tag Team Championship #1 Contender Tournament. Despite losing to Jim Steele and Mike Barton in the final, an injury to Steele would give the title shot to Murakami and Yasuda who unsuccessfully challenged Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Masahiro Chono on February 16. Having retired from MMA, the aging Yasuda's position in the New Japan card began to fall again, and in late 2004 he left the promotion. After leaving New Japan, he started making sporadic appearances for ZERO-ONE and

Hustle Hustle or The Hustle may refer to: Film * ''Hustle'' (1975 film), an American crime film starring Burt Reynolds * ''Hustle'' (2004 film), an American television film about Pete Rose * ''Hustle'' (2008 film), a film starring Bai Ling * ''The H ...

. In October 2007 he reportedly attempted to commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, using a yeontan. A friend however, interrupted the alleged attempt. He was hospitalized with fears of possible

brain damage Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...

, but this proved not to be the case and he eventually made a return to wrestling. Speaking to '' Tokyo Sports'' Yasuda later denied attempting suicide, saying the poisoning was accidental. On January 11, 2011, Yasuda announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He wrestled his final match on February 4, 2011, in which he was defeated by

Genichiro Tenryu , better known as is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and professional wrestling promoter. At age 13, he entered sumo wrestling and stayed there for 13 years, after which he turned to Western-style professional wrestling. "Tenryu" was his ...

Mixed martial arts career

Though very past his prime physically, Yasuda made his transition to mixed martial arts as a NJPW representative in March 2001. He had his debut at the PRIDE 13 against similarly retired kickboxer and karate champion Masaaki Satake. Yasuda received damage and bled from his face, but he nullified most of Satake' attacks by rushing him through sumo techniques against the ropes every time they were separated. At the end, the unanimous decision was given to Yasuda for controlling the fight. Yasuda returned to MMA in the

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

Andy Hug Memorial event, taking on

Rene Rooze Rene Rooze (born 26 January 1969) is a Dutch former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Biography and career As a member of Team Aerts, he was an active fighter competing in mainly European events and accumulating (as of 2004) a kickboxing rec ...

in a special rules match, but he lost via head kick KO at the third round. He would be more successful in December 2001, when he fought popular K-1 player Jerome Le Banner at an Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event: Yasuda managed to take him down and submit him by pressing his forearm against Le Banner's throat, getting the biggest win of his MMA career. He would later lose to fellow NJPW wrestler Kazuyuki Fujita in a Universal Fighting-Arts Organization event. Yasuda then fought superheavyweight kickboxer Jan Nortje, but he had to retire from the match when he hurt a leg seriously. His last fight was a rematch against Rooze, losing the fight again, this time by TKO.

Family

Yasuda's daughter Ayami was born in 1987 and is a model.

Championships and accomplishments

:* Hustle Hardcore Hero Championship ( 1 time) :*

Hustle Super Tag Team Championship was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion managed by Nobuhiko Takada. Hustle can be described as an industry experiment to market the sports entertainment style of professional wrestling in Japan. History Booked primarily by Nobuhiko T ...

( 1 time) - with

:* Hustle King Hashimoto Memorial Six-Man Tag Tournament (2006) - with

Masato Tanaka is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) in Japan where he was a one-time FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Champion and a one-time WEW World Heavyweight Champion and in Ext ...

& Shinjiro Otani * New Japan Pro-Wrestling :* IWGP Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) :*IWGP Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2002) * Pro Wrestling Illustrated :*PWI ranked him #150 of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 2002

Sumo career record

Mixed martial arts record

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Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

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