After a long and successful career in the local Brazilian MMA scene, Shyudi Yamauchi will finally make his international debut, albeit in his adopted hometown of Curitiba. The Bantamweight grappler will meet Werlleson Martins in the Brave 8: The Rise of Champions preliminary card, on August 12th. And he’s hoping to use the Brave platform to expand and establish his family’s values and visions on martial arts.
Shyudi Yamauchi hopes to use Brave’s platform to expand family’s values and visions on martial arts
Cousin of Featherweight standout Goiti Yamauchi, Shyudi began to train in 2002, after his uncle and current head trainer brought back Pride FC videos from Japan. The Brave newcomer says those tapes changed his life forever and he began, together with Goiti, to train hard and they started a family tradition of breeding martial artists. Now, he hopes to establish that work ethic and respect to martial arts in the rest of the world with the help of Brave’s platform – Brave 8: The Rise of Champions will be broadcast to 84 countries and 800 million households.
“I’m really excited for my Brave debut. It is indeed a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to fight for a top international promotion, one that had a true platform for me to expand my family’s values and visions for martial arts. We are hard workers and we treat martial arts as a way of life, not just a job. I want to make sure everyone who watches us is inspired by how we lead our lives. And Brave has the exact platform for that. I want Brave fans to get to know me. Hopefully, I can be an example for them”, says Shyudi, unfazed by the comparisons with his cousin.
“I know people always connect my name with Goiti’s and I’m fine with it. We train together and we always push each other to the limit. My success is his and I know Goiti’s achievements are mine too. So I have no problem with that comparison. We’ve been training since we were kids and that’s normal”, claims.
A notorious grappler, Yamauchi will make his Brave debut against another fighter known for his strength on the ground in Martins. However, Shyudi guarantees he’ll look to get things to the floor as he isn’t afraid of engaging in a jiu-jitsu battle with anyone.
“I’ve been training jiu-jitsu since 2002 and I’m a black belt. I’ve fought other grapplers in MMA before and I’ve even submitted some of them. So I’m very confident in my grappling, and if things go to the ground I’ll be sure to go for submissions”.
On August 12th, Brave lands in Curitiba for Brave 8: The Rise of Champions. While there, the promotion will crown two new champions. Local hero Klidson Abreu battles undefeated prospect Timo Feucht for the Light Heavyweight title. On the co-main event, Brave’s biggest stars will collide as Lebanon’s Mohammad Fakhreddine and Englishman Carl Booth face off for Brave’s Welterweight World Title. In November, the promotion goes back to Bahrain in great style as Brave rounds off the International Combat Week with a stacked card of its own alongside the IMMAF World Championships.