Three All-Japan Battles Added To Stacked ONE SAMURAI 4 Card In Tokyo
One of the year’s most anticipated cards just gained some serious local flavor. Three all-Japan matchups have been officially added to ONE SAMURAI 4 on Saturday, October 17, at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
The new bouts join a lineup already headlined by a pair of World Title fights and the semifinals of the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament. Leading the additions is a lightweight MMA showdown between Shozo “Great Teacher” Isojima and Kota Abe.
Isojima, a judo-based powerhouse from Mie Prefecture, holds a 7-2 record with two stoppages on the global stage. He announced himself with a bonus-winning TKO of Nicolas “El Paisa” Vigna at ONE Fight Night 36.
Back-to-back losses to reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo and Adrian “The Phenom” Lee followed. He answered in July at The Inner Circle 21, surviving an early knockdown to stop former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang.
Building on that statement win, he now aims to become a consistent force and chase rematches with the men who beat him on his way toward 26 pounds of gold.
Abe, a 28-year-old Tribe Tokyo MMA product, knocked out Hero Marco Manguray in the third round of his ONE debut at The Inner Circle 10 in April to move to 6-1. Facing Isojima represents the sternest assignment of his career.
Flyweight MMA newcomer Yu Takeuchi brings a perfect 4-0 record and relentless wrestling pressure from Toikatsu Dojo. He meets Ryoto Nishiyama of Paraestra Hachioji, who returns quickly after a first-round knockout of Geun Ho Son at ONE Friday Fights 168, armed with sharp counter-striking and dangerous submission skills.
Debutants Yoshinari Fukushima and Masaki Takeura complete the trio in a 10-minute lightweight submission grappling contest. A standout performance would send a message in a division ruled by ONE Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo.
Together, the three contests add genuine home-grown firepower to a card that already promised plenty. Here are the bouts added to ONE SAMURAI 4:
- Shozo Isojima vs. Kota Abe (MMA, lightweight)
- Yu Takeuchi vs. Ryoto Nishiyama (MMA, flyweight)
- Yoshinari Fukushima vs. Masaki Takeura (submission grappling, lightweight)
READ MORE: Jonathan Haggerty Credits Hard Work And Coach Christian Knowles Ahead Of ONE SAMURAI 4
Recent posts
