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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

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 th ...

wrestler.

Career

Although born in Chiba, he grew up in

Nakano, Tokyo Nakano (, Latn, ja, Nakano-ku) is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City (, Latn, ja, Nakano-ku).

. He joined sumo in 1981, wrestling out of

Futagoyama stable is a heya (sumo), stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ichimon, group of stables. It was established on 1 April 2018 by former ''Makuuchi#Ōzeki, ōzeki'' Miyabiyama, who branched off from Fujishima stable (2010), Fujishima stable, ...

. He first entered the top ''

makuuchi , or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, 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 ...

'' 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 o ...

'' 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 o ...

'' 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 o ...

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

Japan Sumo Association The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Min ...

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 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

, a

kickboxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid Martial arts, martial art and Boxing (disambiguation), boxing type based on punch (combat), punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, norma ...

and

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

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 Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period, where they were used as a means to hide the identities of the . Given by the master to his di ...

'' (He uses the

Latin script The Latin script, also known as the Roman script, is a 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 Magna Graecia. The Gree ...

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

Konishiki Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his stage name, , is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrest ...

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. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n giant

Choi Hong-man Choi Hong-man (; 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", "Techno Goliath", "Korean Monster" and "Korean Colossus ...

in the quarter-final of the ''

K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the world ...

'' 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 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. B ...

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 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 Antonio Schembri at PRIDE 26. After losing to Ryan Gracie ...

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 armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock tha ...

. 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 fr ...

'' 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, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

Inoki Genome Federation The (IGF), also known in China as International Glory Fighting, was a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007. History Antonio Inoki founded the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) after se ...

in 2008, later changing to

Real Japan Pro Wrestling (SSPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling and martial arts promotion founded in 2005 by Satoru Sayama as (RJPW), before being renamed in 2019. The promotion runs shows every two or three months, and features both professional wrestling matche ...

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 . ''Mawashi'' ''Sekitori'' During competition For top ranked profess ...

''. His most common winning ''

kimarite is the technique used in sumo by a (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the (referee) at the end of the match, though judge (sumo), judges can modify this decision. The records of are then kept for statistical ...

'' 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 the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan. It consists of three main island groups—the Okinawa Islands, the Sakishima Islands, and the Daitō Islands—spread across a maritime zone approximately 1,000 kilometers east to west an ...

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

, KO (left hook) ,

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

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, 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, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 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 Sportspeople from Chiba (city) People from Nakano, Tokyo Sumo people from Chiba Prefecture Sekiwake Heavyweight kickboxers Japanese male mixed martial artists Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Martial artists from Tokyo Professional wrestlers from Tokyo Japanese male kickboxers Mixed martial artists utilizing Sumo Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling 20th-century Japanese sportsmen