DEEP 71 Impact - February 28 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION)

Deep 71 IMPACT
February 28, 2015
Differ Ariake
Tokyo, Japan


Main Card:
Ken Hasegawa (9-0)        vs.       (24-19) Ryuta Sakurai  
Main Event | Middleweight | 185 lbs (84 kg)
Keita Nakamura  (28-6)   vs.    (9-1) Yoshiyuki Katahira  
Main Card | Welterweight | 170 lbs (77 kg)
Shigetoshi Iwase (14-16)  vs.      (11-3) Naoto Miyazaki  
Main Card | Lightweight | 155 lbs (70 kg)
Satoko Shinashi (31-2)     vs.        (0-1) Emi Yamamoto  
Main Card | Women Atomweight | 100 lbs (45 kg)
Yuki Okano (8-7)              vs.            (6-0) Kimihiro Eto  
Main Card | Lightweight | 155 lbs (70 kg)
Luiz Andrade I (17-16)      vs.    (22-10) Ken Hamamura  
Main Card | Lightweight | 155 lbs (70 kg)

At DEEP 71 Impact in Tokyo in February 28, 2015, Ken Hasegawa will drop to the middleweight division to take on warhorse Ryuta Sakurai.

Hasegawa has had a stellar two years in MMA. The 27-year old has cemented his prodigy status by winning the DEEP Openweight title and defending it twice against Hirohide Fujinuma and then Middleweight Champ Kazuhiro Nakamura. Hasegawa was then signed with Titan FC on AXS television in the US and made his successful debut with a Unanimous Decision over Matt Thompson, a fighter with three times as many fights as him.

Now Hasegawa has racked up an undefeated record of 9-0-1 and will drop to a more career-definining weight of 84 kgs. His first fight in the division will be against longtime division kingpin Sakurai.

Sakurai first won the DEEP Middleweight title ten years ago, during a period where he was showcased in both DEEP and PRIDE. During the last two years, he’s also moved into Poland’s KSW with a revenge match against Mamed Khalidov that was unsuccessful, and going 2-2 in the process. He is now 24-19-6, having fought the best in the division to get there. Hasegawa’s break into the middleweight division won’t be an easy one.
K-Taro is back at welterweight to face Nagisa Katahira in a battle of old prospect versus new. K-Taro has dominated top competition in the division and at lightweight for eleven years, with only one recent loss coming at PXC in a surprisingly un-K-Taro-like performance. Meanwhile, Katahira has only lost once in his short 3 year career, and his recent decision over fellow prospect KAZ set him up for the opportunity to swim in the deep end of the adult pool with K-Taro.

Also announced on the card, hot flyweights Haruo Ochi and Kota Ishibashi will definitely put on a thriller in their assault on the rankings. DEEP stalwart Shigetoshi Iwase will take on prodigy Naoto Miyazaki, former title challenger to Satoru Kitaoka.

In a women’s flyweight match, returning legend Satoko Shinashi will take on young and developing Emi Yamamoto in a very lopsided matchup. Ken Hamamura won the Gladiator belt, now he comes back to the DEEP to face fellow gatekeeper Luiz. Kickboxing killer Juri Ohara will take on hard-hitting Yusaku Fujisawa and someone will end up face planting.

I think I'm attending this, with CREAM17, and Keita Nakamura's dad. (Assuming that CREAM17 hooked up my ticket from the elder Nakamura, as he promised ).

The card seems to be coming together pretty well.

DEEP needs to bring in real international talent to test their fighters with.

At the last KUNLUN all the Chinese fighters got mopped because the org brought in quality international talent.

Leaving for the show in about an hour and a half. Probably stop and grab a bottle of bourbon on the way. Mr. Nakamura (Keita's dad) is holding my ticket.

Have fun nodogoshi

Shinashi vs. Yamamoto is a terrible match up

Heretic wrote:Shinashi vs. Yamamoto is a terrible match up

I was at Deep 69 and she fought a fucking 0-0 15 year old from Korea. I was sure the age was a typo. It wasn't. Then at the Deep NYE show she fought someone who was 1-0. Now she's taking on an 0-1 fighter.

It's a good thing I don't give have a shit about WMMA.

nodogoshi bring us back more stories of drinking with fighter's fathers!

I got proper drunk with Cream, Keita's dad, and his sister.

Then I fell asleep on the train home. And had to camp out on a bench in the cold. It's 4:37 now and I'm on the first train. Almost home.