Shooto’s first fight card of 2020 will feature two title fights. Mitsuhiro Toma makes the first defence of his featherweight title against Takashi Nakayama while Yohei Komaki and Koha Minowa face off for the vacant strawweight belt.
Toma (12-8-2) won the title in 2018 and successfully defended it for the first time at Shooto 30th Anniversary Tour in Osaka last year. He has fought 22 times for the promotion and been on the roster since 2012.
Nakayama (7-3-1) has also spent virtually his entire professional career competing under the Shooto banner. He scored back to back wins in 2019 to secure himself a shot at the featherweight title.
Meanwhile Yohei Komaki (6-3) takes on Koha Minowa (10-2) in a bout which will have the vacant Shooto strawweight title on the line. The latter has won both their previous bouts by stoppage, the most recent win came in 2018.
As previously announced the event will feature three Team Lakay representatives. Jared Almazan faces Tatsuro Taira in a flyweight bout, Jerome Wanawan takes on Junji Ito in a strawweight contest and Zephania Ngaya meets Saori Oshima in a super atomweight tournament.
Meanwhile UFC veteran Motonobu Tezuka faces Mamoru Uoi in a bantamweight bout. Another intriguing all Japanese 135lbs matchup pits Takumi Tamaru against Nobuki Fujii.
Shooto 0126, Tokyo, January 26th
Yohei Komaki vs. Koha Minowa (For vacant strawweight title)
Mitsuhiro Toma (c) vs. Takashi Nakayama (For featherweight title)
Tatsuro Taira vs. Jared Almazan (Flyweight)
Junji Ito vs. Jerome Wanawan (Strawweight)
Takumi Tamaru vs. Nobuki Fujii (Bantamweight)
Mamoru Uoi vs. Motonobu Tezuka (Bantamweight)
Saori Oshima vs. Zephania Ngaya (Super atomweight tournament quarter final)
Masato Iguchi vs. Harley Behan (Welterweight rookie tournament final)
Takahide Kobayashi vs. Takeaki Kinoshita (Featherweight)
