Wakashoyo Shunichi (born 8 March 1966 as Yoichi Babaguchi) is a Japanese

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and former

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.

Career

Although born in

Chiba Chiba may refer to: Places China * (), town in Jianli County, Jingzhou, Hubei Japan * Chiba (city), capital of Chiba Prefecture ** Chiba Station, a train station * Chiba Prefecture, a sub-national jurisdiction in the Greater Tokyo Area on ...

, he grew up in

Nakano, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.Futagoyama stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, created in 2004 when Takanohana Kōji took over the running of Futagoyama stable from his father Takanohana Kenshi. Formerly of the Nishonoseki ''ichimon'' or group of stables, it became the leader of a breakawa ...

. He first entered the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' division in 1991 and made his ''

sanyaku The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'' debut in March 1993 from ''

komusubi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' rank. Unusually, he came through with a winning record (which included a win over new ''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'' Akebono), and was awarded his second successive special prize for Fighting Spirit. After the tournament he was promoted to ''

sekiwake , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

'', which was the highest rank he was to achieve. He retired in November 1997 and became an elder of the

Japan Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active ...

under the name Otowayama. However, the retirement of his former stablemate, Wakanohana in March 2000 meant that his elder name was needed by the former

Takamisugi Takamisugi Takakatsu (born 1 March 1961 as Takashi Kanao) is a former sumo wrestler from Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi''. He is now the head coach of Tokiwayama stable, renamed from Chiganoura stable. Career Kanao ...

(who had been borrowing Wakanohana's), and Wakashoyo had to leave the sumo world. He then signed with K-1, a

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

organization, fighting under his old ''

shikona A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' co ...

'' (He uses the

Latin script The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern Italy ...

, appearing as "WAKASHOYO" rather than using the Japanese characters. The Sumo Association requested that

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), professionally known as is an American former sumo wrestler.Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second- ...

do the same thing in his post-sumo career). He made his debut in a kickboxing bout against fellow newcomer,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n giant

Choi Hong-man Choi Hong-man (Korean language, Korean: 최홍만, Hanja: 崔洪萬; born October 30, 1980), often anglicised to Hongman Choi, is a South Korean kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and former ssireum wrestler. In Asia, he is called "Che Man", "Te ...

in the quarter-final of the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

'' on 19 March 2005. Wakashoyo was knocked down twice in the first round; he was not able to recover from the second one. In July 2005 he entered

Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex'' ...

, the mixed martial arts series promoted by K-1, against kickboxing legend

Peter Aerts Peter Aerts (born 25 October 1970) is a Dutch semi-retired kickboxer. Known for his devastating high kicks, which earned him the nickname "The Dutch Lumberjack", he is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight kickboxers of all time ...

in an MMA bout at ''Hero's 2''. He was again

knocked out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the first round. Wakashoyo returned to the promotion against

Kazuhiro Hamanaka is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He fought for the Tokyo Sabres in the International Fight League. Career Hamanaka began his mixed martial arts career in 2003 with a victory over Nino Schembri, Antonio Schembri at PRIDE 2 ...

at ''Hero's 5'' on 3 May 2006 and was submitted with an

arm lock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

. In 2008 he began using his real name, Yoichi Babaguchi, as his fighting name. However, he reverted to the name Wakashoyo in December 2010 for a kickboxing match with fellow former ''

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a ''rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: ''makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fract ...

'' Sentoryu. Out of shape in his first match in over two and a half years, he lost in the first round. Babaguchi, under his Wakashoyo name, started his career in

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007. History Antonio Inoki left New Japan Pro-Wrestling, a promotion he founded in 1972, to start the IGF. The first IGF show was held on J ...

in 2008, later changing to

Real Japan Pro Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling and martial arts promotion founded in 2005 by Satoru Sayama as , before being renamed in 2019. It runs shows every two or three months, and feature both pro wrestling activities and a variety of martial arts ...

in 2011.

Fighting style

During his sumo career Wakashoyo favoured ''yotsu-sumo'', or grappling techniques. He preferred a ''hidari-yotsu'', or right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's ''

mawashi In sumo, a is the loincloth that (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a as part of the ring entry ceremony or . For top ranked professional , it is made of silk and comes in a var ...

''. His most common winning ''

kimarite ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the ''gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The rec ...

'' was ''yori-kiri'', or force out, but he also liked using ''kotenage'', or armlock throw.

Sumo career record

Kickboxing record

, colspan=10 align=center, 0 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw , - , Loss , align=center, 0–6–1 , Sentoryū , TKO (3 knockdowns) , Survivor: Round 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–5–1 , Noboru Tadashi , TKO (low kicks) , Utsunomiya Utsunomiya Vol.2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:46 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–4–1 , Masami Ueno , KO , Chikusei Fighting Dream , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–3–1 , Atsushi Hamada , KO (right low kick) , Dragon Moero , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 , Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2–1 , Gen Shiyo , KO (right low kick) , New Japan Kickboxing Association: Titans Neos II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 , Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–1–1 , Mr. Kamikaze , No decision , Ryukyu Kamikaze Spirit , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Okinawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city o ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, KO (left hook) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, South Korea , 2005 Seoul Grand Prix quarter-final bout. , -

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 1–6–1 , Kyoshiro Kawada , KO (punches) , Kingdom Ehrgeiz: Majors vs. Indies , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–5–1 , Hirohide Fujinuma , TKO (punches) , Deep: 47 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:17 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–4–1 ,

Yusuke Kawaguchi (born August 14, 1980) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, who fights in the heavyweight division. He is the former DEEP Megaton Champion, and has also fought in DREAM, M-1 Global and KSW. Judo Yusuke Kawaguchi came ...

, TKO (punches) , Deep: Megaton Grand Prix 2008 Semifinal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:16 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–3–1 , Kintaro Tsurukame , Submission (punches) , Deep: Megaton Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–3–1 , Kengo Watanabe , TKO (punches) , GCM: Cage Force EX Western Bound , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 , Tottori, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–2–1 ,

, Submission (kimura) , K-1: Hero's 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 0–1–1 , Soichi Nishida , Draw , GCM: D.O.G. 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , K-1: Hero's 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

*
Sumo recordProfession MMA record for Wakashoyo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shunichi, Wakashoyo 1966 births Living people Japanese sumo wrestlers Sumo people from Chiba Prefecture Sekiwake Heavyweight kickboxers Japanese male mixed martial artists Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Tokyo Japanese male kickboxers Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling