Eleven match-ups have been confirmed for DEEP Tribe Tokyo Fight, another installment of Japan-based DEEP’s which is set go down this Sunday, October 20, at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
This will be DEEP’s third and final event in the month of October, following Osaka Impact 2013 and Tokyo Impact Wave 6.
The main event of DEEP Tribe Tokyo Fight is set to serve as the retirement match-up for former PRIDE vet Ryo Chonan, who will contest for the Welterweight strap against current champ Dan Hornbuckle (24-6). This will be the Japanese icon’s last shot at a championship belt, following his brief stint as DEEP’s Middleweight champ back in 2007.
Chonan (21-13) has had a well-illustrated career over the years, having been in the MMA scene for over a decade, fighting in famed promotions such as PRIDE, the UFC, and DREAM. He’s well noted for his heel-hook submission win over Anderson Silva (pictured) during his stint in PRIDE, and remains as only one of three fighters to ever finish “The Spider”.
At 37, the Japanese vet will be in for one last battle, as he goes head-to-head with Hornbuckle. The American Top Team native will be looking to play spoiler in Chonan’s final match-up, as he looks to upset both his opponent and the home crowd by retaining his strap.
Hornbuckle, 32, is a veteran of Bellator MMA, and once the owner of an incredible 19-1 run, which was halted by none other than current Bellator MMA 170-lbs champ, Ben Askren. With notable wins over Justin Wilcox, Brent Weedman, Akihiro Gono and Yuya Shirai, Hornbuckle is a fighter that is certainly one to be taken seriously.
Speaking of Yuya Shirai (23-13), the 33-year-old former DEEP Welterweight champ is set to feature in the night’s co-main event, opposite Akihiro Murayama (14-5-8). With a resume that includes bouts with the likes of Che Mills, Paul Daley, Riki Fukuda and Jason High among others, Shirai remains as one of the more experienced 170-lbs fighters on the DEEP roster. He’s on a 2-3 run in his past five outings, dropping defeats to Fabricio Monteiro at ONE FC 3, Tommy Depret at GLORY: Brussels and the aforementioned Hornbuckle at DEEP 62 Impact.
He won’t be in for an easy outing though as Murayama will be determined to keep his current 7-fight unbeaten streak alive. A Shooto and Pancrase vet, the 33-year-old is set to make his promotional debut on Sunday.
Elsewhere on the card, former UFC competitor Yusuhiro Urushitani (20-6-6) returns to action in his native country for the first time in two years as he contests Matheus Nicolau (7-1-1) in his DEEP debut. Once regarded as the world’s best Flyweight fighter, Urushitani was last seen at ONE FC 9: Rise to Power, where he gained a controversial split decision victory over Team Lakay’s Rey Docyogen. That bout took place following the 37-year-old’s release from the UFC, where he dropped two consecutive setbacks against Joseph Benavidez and John Lineker in his stint with the promotion.
Nicolau, meanwhile, is a member of Nova Uniao, one of Brazil’s famed MMA fight camps. With high-quality training partners like UFC champs Renan Barao and Jose Aldo alongside him, Nicolau is no slouch by any standards. The Brazilian suffered a TKO loss in his last outing though and will be hoping to get back in the win column soon enough.
Elsewhere, former ONE FC competitor Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (12-3. 1 NC) takes on Young Choi (16-9-2) at Middleweight, while former Pancrase, DREAM and WEC vet Yoshiro Maeda (30-13-4) contests Mamoru Yamaguchi (26-8-3) at 135-lbs.
Keep it locked to Fight Sport Asia for more news and updates with regards to DEEP’s fight cards, events, results and more.
As it stands, here’s the final line-up (courtesy of the folks at Tapology) heading into Sunday’s DEEP Tribe Tokyo Fight:
MAIN CARD
- Dan Hornbuckle vs. Ryo Chonan (For DEEP Welterweight title)
- Yuya Shirai vs. Akihiro Murayama
- Yoshiro Maeda vs. Mamoru Yamaguchi
- Yoichiro Sato vs. Hiroshi Niisato
- Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Matheus Nicolau
- Takenori Sato vs. Ismael de Jesus
- Yusuke Sakashita vs. Luke Mori
- Yoshiyuki Nakanishi vs. Young Choi
- Kenji Osawa vs. Seiji Akao
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Shotaro Yabe vs. Ten Sato
- Tsuyoshi Takahashi vs. Satoshi Usui
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