Ganryujima 10: 16 Man Grand Prix - September 17 (OFFICIAL DISCUSSION)

Ganryujima 10
September 17, 2018
Maihama Amphitheater
Urayasu, Japan

Participant:
Katsunori Kikuno (Karate)         vs.(Shoot Boxing) Naoyuki Taira
Main Card  | Superfight | Openweight

Amaramend Boldo (Sumo)         vs, (kickboxing) Shoma Shibisai
Main Card  | Superfight | Openweight

Hideki Sekine (Jiu Jitsu)             vs,    (Sumo) Shinichi Suzukawa
Main Card  | Superfight | Openweight

Shota Hara (Karate)                  vs, (Brawler) Tatsuya Nakazawa
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

YUSUKE(Aikido)                        vs,(Pro Wrestling) Ryuta Hasumi
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Kazunori Kato (Kudo)                vs,                  (Judo) Kei Suzuki
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Keisuke Okuda (Pro Wrestling)   vs,          (Karate) Zenmaru Hirai
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura (MMA)    vs, (Sambo) Takatoshi Minagawa
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Taishi Nakajima (Sumo)             vs,    (Karate) Norimasa Iwasaki
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Shigeaki Kusayanagi (MMA)        vs,                   (Karate) KENGO
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

Kuntap Charoenchai (Muay Thai) vs,        (Systema) Akira Sit Lek
Main Card  | GP Opening Round | Openweight

After delays and event postponement, moat fights are back. Ganryujima returns on September 17th and are bringing back the tournaments with a large 16-man bracket, featuring a number of representatives of various martial arts. Also announced were a trio of super fights to round out the card.

Katsunori Kikuno will face Naoyuki Taira in the main event .

Kikuno has reinvigorated his career since moving to Ganryujima, recording a perfect 6-0 record with 1 no contest. He won the previous tournament in 2016, culminating in a liver kick KO over Michihiro Omigawa in the finals. Recently Kikuno has challenged Muay Thai and Taekwondo, announcing his Olympic aspirations for the latter. The Okinawa Kenpo Karateka has tried just about everything in combat sports and continues to succeed in his late 30’s.

Taira was one of the original Shoot Boxers and competed in shoot style wrestling under the RINGS and BattlARTS banners. He is the founder of the Strapple chain of gyms which has produced current talents such as Ryo Hatta, Shooto Watanabe, and Hikaru Aono. The titular character of the manga “Grappler Baki”, is heavily based on Taira, from appearance to fight style. The tournament taking place at this event was based around the competitions from the series so it only makes sense that they would want Taira competing. At 54 years old, Taira’s return is unexpected and he has as tough of a challenge as he could want in Kikuno.