UFC veteran and former PXC bantamweight champion Michinori Tanaka has signed with Pancrase, according to reports in Japan. The 28 year old is set to make his promotional debut against Vladimir Leontiev on March 17th.
Tanaka (12-3) signed for the UFC as an undefeated PXC champion. But his stint in the Octagon wasn’t entirely successful, he lost three fights out of five and served a nine month suspension after failing a drug test.
He is coming off a submission win at Grandslam 6 last year but did not fight at all in 2018 after seeing two ACB bouts fizzle out. Tanaka has been matched with the relatively inexperienced Leontiev (2-1), a Russian who has never fought a three rounder before.
As previously announced the card will be headlined by a bantamweight title bout between Kenta Takizawa and Rafael Silva and will also feature a flyweight fight between Rilley Dutro and Shohei Masumizu.
It will also feature Salimkhan Sadulloev who made a big impression at Pancrase 301 as well as up and coming featherweight Yoshinori Horie.
Pancrase 303, Shinkiba, March 17th
Kenta Takizawa vs. Rafael Silva (For Pancrase Bantamweight Title)
Rilley Dutro vs. Shohei Masumizu (Flyweight)
Yutaka Kobayashi vs. Ukyo Abe (Lightweight)
Michinori Tanaka vs. Vladimir Leontye (Bantamweight)
Yoko Higashi vs. Jung Seo Yoon (Bantamweight)
Yoshinori Horie vs. Hanzo Tanaka (Featherweight)
Salimkhan Sadulloev vs. Hiroto Uesako (Lightweight)
Ryuichi Miki vs. Taiki Akiba (Flyweight)
Yusuke Ogikubo vs. Tatsuyuki Nakamura (Flyweight)
Yoko Higashi vs. Seo Yoon Jung (Bantamweight)
Yuki Baba vs. Chihaya Yoneyama (Bantamweight)
Ryo Iseki vs. Mitsuhiro Taki (Bantamweight)
