Shooto produced a typically spectacular show for its latest Korakuen Hall instalment with fight fans in attendance on Sunday despite the extended state of emergency in Tokyo. In the main event 18-year-old prodigy Yamato Nishikawa submitted top-ranked lightweight Nobumitsu Osawa in a breathtaking display.
Nishikawa then called out current Shooto lightweight champion Yuki Kawana for a title shot. Osawa, who is best known for his loss to Tofiq Musayev at Rizin 14 in 2018, was surprisingly outfought by his teenage foe who cemented his place as one of his country’s top emerging prospects.
Osawa landed a couple of calf kicks in the early exchanges, causing Nishikawa to switch stance. The teenager pressed forwards looking to get the fight down and decided to pull guard. The Rizin veteran scored with some ground and pound while his opponent looked for a triangle.
Keisuke Takazawa (Fightgraph）
Switching stance
Nishikawa was switching stance again at the start of the second but he succeeded in getting the fight down, even if the teenager did end up eating a punch for his trouble. He briefly had Osawa’s back but the position was reversed and the protegee found himself on the bottom.
It is a position Nishikawa is very comfortable in and he locked his legs around Osawa’s head and began to attack with elbows. Time was not on the teenager’s side as he looked to lock in the triangle choke but with seven seconds remaining in the round his opponent tapped.
The win was Nishikawa’s ninth in a row and he extends his record to 14-3-5. Osawa drops to 13-6 with the former Shooto welterweight champion well beaten by the teenage prospect.
Keisuke Takazawa (Fightgraph）
Best of the rest
Japanese legend Caol Uno (34-21-5) came undone against Taison Naito (11-8) who stopped the 46 year old in round two. Former flyweight King of Pancrase Kiyotaka Shimizu (24-15) was overwhelmed for all three rounds by the undefeated Yuto Uda (5-0).
Shooto 0516, Tokyo, May 16th
Yamato Nishikawa def. Nobumitsu Osawa via Submission (Triangle Choke) At 4:53 of Round 1
Taison Naito def. Caol Uno via KO (Punch) at 4:59 of Round 2
Yuto Uda def. Kiyotaka Shimizu Via Decision (Unanimous)
Kenji Kato def. Kaito Sakamaki via TKO (Punches at 4:43 of Round 3
Hayato Ishii vs. Yasuyuki Nojiri Ended In A Draw (Unanimous)
Kota Onojima def. Takahiro Ichijo via Decision (Unanimous)
Yamato Hiranuma def. Daisuke Murayama via Decision (Unanimous)
Megumi Sugimoto def. Mikiko Hiyama via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:31 of Round 1
Miku Nakamura def. Kyu Kitano via TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 3:07 of Round 2
Yuki Onoyuki vs. Chihiro Sawada ended in a Draw (Unanimous)
Norika Ryu def. Momoka Hoshuyama TKO (Punches) at 1:47 of Round 2
