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I wanted to do this at the end of January, but it's good I didn't cause some fights got announced before I updated.
I just want to say that if anyone finds these interesting or become fans of any of these guys and wonder how you can help, word of mouth on the Internet goes a long way and just bringing these guys up in "X Y-of-the-Z" discussions or sharing fight news can help them get fans.
During contract negotiations, something that simple can be what gets a strawweight that extra $10k or what keeps them from ever affording a house.
February, 2019:
#!: Haruo Ochi
#2: Yosuke "Tobizaru" Saruta
#3: Joshua Pacio
#4: Yoshitaka "Nobita" Naito
#5: Mitsuhisa Sunabe
#6: Hayato Suzuki
#7: Alex Silva
#8: Daichi Kitakata
#9: Shinya Murofushi
#10: Ryuto "Dragon Boy" Sawada
Contenders: Pongsiri Mitsatit, Jeremy Miado, Kritsada Kongsrichai, Anthony Do, Rene Catalan
If you're interested so, here are the next 5 top fighters and a couple of little things I wrote on the division.
I just want to say that if anyone finds these interesting or become fans of any of these guys and wonder how you can help, word of mouth on the Internet goes a long way and just bringing these guys up in "X Y-of-the-Z" discussions or sharing fight news can help them get fans.
During contract negotiations, something that simple can be what gets a strawweight that extra $10k or what keeps them from ever affording a house.
February, 2019:
#!: Haruo Ochi
After three months of inactivity, the world's top strawweight has a fight in DEEP: a title-defense against flamboyant 5-1 (4 finishes), 5'7 SW prospect Namiki Kawahara. While it's not the most interesting matchup for Ochi compared to what he'd get internationally or even in Japan against the top guys in Pancrase or Shooto, with the absence of DEEP's former hyper-elite strawweights Sota Kojima, Hiroyuki Abe (did he retire?) and inaugural DEEP SW champion Kanta Sato, contractually and financially, there remains little else for Q-1 2019. Kawahara has knockout power, counter-striking skills and unorthodox striking similar to Keith Jardine and Tim Elliot, at 5'7 is one of the tallest guys in the division, and you never know when a prospect will suddenly turn into a champion in the lower divisions-- Dillashaw's proof of this-- so Ochi won't be able to just walk passed this opponent.
A former top-15 flyweight who debuted professionally at featherweight, in 2017, Ochi won his DEEP title and a high-top-10 SW ranking with a 2nd-round guillotine (a favorite of Haruo's) over Kanta Sato, who defeated Ochi via split decision in 2016 in the semi-finals of the DEEP SW title tournament. Ochi defeated 2010 Shooto FLW rookie champion "Rambo" Suzuki on top of a three-fight winning streak to earn the rematch with Sato, and defended his SW title over crafty 2011 Shooto FLW rookie champ Yuya "Monkey" Shibata in Shibata's SW debut.
In September, 2018, he made his RIZIN debut in the biggest SW match to date against King of Pancrase Mitsuhisa Sunabe, ending Sunabe's 16-fight winning streak with a highlight-reel 3rd-round KO. If RIZIN were smart, they'd capitalize on the SW talent residing in Japan, and the few free agents at SW like former top-5 SW and UFC veteran Jarred Brooks, and organize a SW Grand Prix as soon as possible. Having a legit #1-ranked fighter goes a long way in a home country, even in the lower divisions (especially in Asia). If they don't, ONE Championship's just gonna take 'em all sooner or later.
A former top-15 flyweight who debuted professionally at featherweight, in 2017, Ochi won his DEEP title and a high-top-10 SW ranking with a 2nd-round guillotine (a favorite of Haruo's) over Kanta Sato, who defeated Ochi via split decision in 2016 in the semi-finals of the DEEP SW title tournament. Ochi defeated 2010 Shooto FLW rookie champion "Rambo" Suzuki on top of a three-fight winning streak to earn the rematch with Sato, and defended his SW title over crafty 2011 Shooto FLW rookie champ Yuya "Monkey" Shibata in Shibata's SW debut.
In September, 2018, he made his RIZIN debut in the biggest SW match to date against King of Pancrase Mitsuhisa Sunabe, ending Sunabe's 16-fight winning streak with a highlight-reel 3rd-round KO. If RIZIN were smart, they'd capitalize on the SW talent residing in Japan, and the few free agents at SW like former top-5 SW and UFC veteran Jarred Brooks, and organize a SW Grand Prix as soon as possible. Having a legit #1-ranked fighter goes a long way in a home country, even in the lower divisions (especially in Asia). If they don't, ONE Championship's just gonna take 'em all sooner or later.
#2: Yosuke "Tobizaru" Saruta
In what was the perhaps the closest-contested fight in MMA history, "Tobizaru", perhaps the physically-strongest fighter in the division, fought tooth-and-nail against the explosive, scrappy Wushu-styled kickboxer and 1 champion Joshua Pacio, and gained the third championship belt of his career: a 2009 Shooto rookie championship, a SW Shooto World Title, and a 1 belt.
Although Pacio's kickboxing and deceptive grappling skills were on full display, Pacio's mass abundance of kicks-- many at Saruta's head-- and ability to control the striking being his strongest argument for winning, two of the three judges decided that Yosuke's powerful takedowns, top control, ground-and-pound, and occasional large hooks on the feet were enough to warrant the belt.
Although "Tobizaru" would seem like an obvious choice for 1's inaugural March 31st trip to Japan, up to 13 rounds of fighting is a lot to ask for and it's likely Yosuke, a student of Kenji Osawa at his HEARTS gym (Osawa was in his corner you'll notice), needs to rest, although you never know when an impromptu high-level SW match will pop up. It's one of the exciting things about the division.
Chatri Sityodtong announced a rematch between Saruta and Pacio, but no other details have been revealed and in case something happens, a chance to avenge his 2015 defeat to 6th-ranked Hayato Suzuki would be enticing, as would a match with the winner of March 8th's Nobita Naito vs. Rene Catalan match. With 1's partnership with Shooto that was announced in January, allowing for ONE-Shooto co-promoted VTJ events that will allow the Shooto champs (which Saruta still is, according to shooto-mma.com) to defend their belts, there are also possible matchups with top~20 SWs Hiroba Minowa, Ken Asuka or a rematch with Junji Sarumaru. Powerful Thai wrestling champion Kritsada Kongsrichai also waits in ONE.
Yosuke "Tobizaru" Saruta vs. Joshua "The Passion" Pacio
Although Pacio's kickboxing and deceptive grappling skills were on full display, Pacio's mass abundance of kicks-- many at Saruta's head-- and ability to control the striking being his strongest argument for winning, two of the three judges decided that Yosuke's powerful takedowns, top control, ground-and-pound, and occasional large hooks on the feet were enough to warrant the belt.
Although "Tobizaru" would seem like an obvious choice for 1's inaugural March 31st trip to Japan, up to 13 rounds of fighting is a lot to ask for and it's likely Yosuke, a student of Kenji Osawa at his HEARTS gym (Osawa was in his corner you'll notice), needs to rest, although you never know when an impromptu high-level SW match will pop up. It's one of the exciting things about the division.
Chatri Sityodtong announced a rematch between Saruta and Pacio, but no other details have been revealed and in case something happens, a chance to avenge his 2015 defeat to 6th-ranked Hayato Suzuki would be enticing, as would a match with the winner of March 8th's Nobita Naito vs. Rene Catalan match. With 1's partnership with Shooto that was announced in January, allowing for ONE-Shooto co-promoted VTJ events that will allow the Shooto champs (which Saruta still is, according to shooto-mma.com) to defend their belts, there are also possible matchups with top~20 SWs Hiroba Minowa, Ken Asuka or a rematch with Junji Sarumaru. Powerful Thai wrestling champion Kritsada Kongsrichai also waits in ONE.
Yosuke "Tobizaru" Saruta vs. Joshua "The Passion" Pacio
#3: Joshua Pacio
While it wasn't the result he wanted, Pacio solidified himself even further as a world-class fighter in his valiant split-decision defeat to Yosuke Saruta. Pacio's abbundance of kicks to the legs, body and even head of "Tobizaru" outscored Yosuke in the "damage" section of 1's scoring I believe, but it wasn't enough to overcome Saruta's powerhouse Japanese-submission-wrestling skills reared in Shooto.
Pacio won his title with a hard-fought, closely-contested decision victory over "Nobita" Naito, who handed Pacio his first pro defeat in 2016, to cap off a four-fight winning streak that included a highlight-treel KO of former-top-10 SW Roy Doliguez and a Submission-Of-The-Year contender against then-top-10 SW Pongsiri Mitsatit. He also holds victories over inaugural ONE SW champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and current-top~15 SW Kritsada Kongsrichai. Two weeks prior to his ONE debut, he won a four-man, one-night tournament sponsored by his gym, Team Lakay, bringing his record to 9-0 (all finishes). He holds 14 finishes in his 16 victories, very high for any division but especially SW.
An immediate rematch with Saruta was announced by Chatri Sityodtong, but its yet to see if it will or won't come to fruition.
Pacio won his title with a hard-fought, closely-contested decision victory over "Nobita" Naito, who handed Pacio his first pro defeat in 2016, to cap off a four-fight winning streak that included a highlight-treel KO of former-top-10 SW Roy Doliguez and a Submission-Of-The-Year contender against then-top-10 SW Pongsiri Mitsatit. He also holds victories over inaugural ONE SW champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and current-top~15 SW Kritsada Kongsrichai. Two weeks prior to his ONE debut, he won a four-man, one-night tournament sponsored by his gym, Team Lakay, bringing his record to 9-0 (all finishes). He holds 14 finishes in his 16 victories, very high for any division but especially SW.
An immediate rematch with Saruta was announced by Chatri Sityodtong, but its yet to see if it will or won't come to fruition.
#4: Yoshitaka "Nobita" Naito
After losing his SW title in a closely-contested September decision against Joshua Pacio, whom was submitted by "Nobita" in 2016, Naito-- the top SW in the world just a few months ago-- has a return fight announced that has title-implications for the winner against surging Filipino Wushu champion Rene Catalan. It will take place in Yangon, Myanmar, and will be Naito's second trip to the area (first was vs. Pacio I). Nobita is sure to be the favorite, but, stylistically, Rene is a very calculated, well-rounded fighter that is completely capable of forcing Naito to play his game.
"Nobita", nicknamed after the famous long-running Japanese cartoon, didn't start training until he was 24 and had no athletic background before this, being a comic book and cartoon fan and being motivated by the series he read and watched to do something cool with his life. And it turns out being a nerd doesn't mean you're without athletic talent, as Nobita has developed one of the best submission wrestling games in the sport and has one of the best single-leg games in the world, showing his ability to execute single-legs against the cage (a difficult maneuver to do, as the fencing props fighters up as the shooter is trying to get them to sprawl), often against fighters stronger than him. He's had a very Ippo-like career, maybe he's a giant-cocked virgin, too.
Nobita's boxing's nothing like Ippo's, preferring slick straight punches thrown with accuracy, usually to help set up his shoots. He trains with Hiromasa Ogikubo, hence the submission wrestling skill.
Prior to joining 1, Nobita was the Shooto world champion with two title defenses and holding an undefeated 10-0 record, defeating then-#1-SW Shinya Murofushi, FLW legend Yuki Shojo, then-top-3 SW Junji Sarumaru, and Ryuto Sawada. For anyone more interested in his Shooto history, he won the 2012 Shooto SW Rookie King tournament, defeated former high-level SW rankers Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi and Takeshi Sato, along with 2017 Shooto Infiniti League champ Tadaaki Yamamoto, who was a top-10 SW at the time of the fight. An early opponent of his, Takafumi Ato, is currently 9-8 and riding a two-fight-knockout streak in Pancrase, including a 15-second KO of a 4-0 ZST prospect, so he may become a notable figure in Pancrase soon and another noteworthy feather in Nobita's cap.
"Nobita", nicknamed after the famous long-running Japanese cartoon, didn't start training until he was 24 and had no athletic background before this, being a comic book and cartoon fan and being motivated by the series he read and watched to do something cool with his life. And it turns out being a nerd doesn't mean you're without athletic talent, as Nobita has developed one of the best submission wrestling games in the sport and has one of the best single-leg games in the world, showing his ability to execute single-legs against the cage (a difficult maneuver to do, as the fencing props fighters up as the shooter is trying to get them to sprawl), often against fighters stronger than him. He's had a very Ippo-like career, maybe he's a giant-cocked virgin, too.
Nobita's boxing's nothing like Ippo's, preferring slick straight punches thrown with accuracy, usually to help set up his shoots. He trains with Hiromasa Ogikubo, hence the submission wrestling skill.
Prior to joining 1, Nobita was the Shooto world champion with two title defenses and holding an undefeated 10-0 record, defeating then-#1-SW Shinya Murofushi, FLW legend Yuki Shojo, then-top-3 SW Junji Sarumaru, and Ryuto Sawada. For anyone more interested in his Shooto history, he won the 2012 Shooto SW Rookie King tournament, defeated former high-level SW rankers Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi and Takeshi Sato, along with 2017 Shooto Infiniti League champ Tadaaki Yamamoto, who was a top-10 SW at the time of the fight. An early opponent of his, Takafumi Ato, is currently 9-8 and riding a two-fight-knockout streak in Pancrase, including a 15-second KO of a 4-0 ZST prospect, so he may become a notable figure in Pancrase soon and another noteworthy feather in Nobita's cap.
#5: Mitsuhisa Sunabe
Although the 3-divisional King of Pancrase-- inaugural champ in all three of the divisions-- and former #1 SW hasn't had any fights announced since his 3rd-round KO loss against DEEP champion Haruo Ochi in RIZIN, he had an exhibition match in Tenkaichi Challenge (an Okinawan MMA org) in his hometown of Okinawa against a welterweight-sized BJJ practitioner. With his loss in RIZIN, Sunabe's SW options in Pancrase are limited to rematches with Tatsuya So and Daichi Kitakata, unless Pancrase manages to hang onto URCC champion Anthony Do or wants to give one of their prospects a chance against the champion, like 4-0 2018 Pancrase Neo-Blood champ Ryosuke Noda.
Sunabe, an Okinawa native who was an accomplished collegiate wrestler in Japan prior to fighting, began his MMA career at featherweight-- the lowest division in Pancrase at the time-- but defeated SW GOAT Rambaa Somdet in his sophomore fight at flyweight in DEEP, an ominous event considering Sunabe's historicity in the division. After being competitive with- but ultimately losing in key matches against larger opponents (Yoshiro Maeda, Miki Shida, Daichi Fujiwara), bringing his overall record to 8-4, Sunabe dropped down to FLW in 2008 and after beating top-15 opponents Takuya Eizumi and Isao Hirose in succession to win- and defend his inaugural FLW King of Pancrase, Sunabe lost his title in a close decision against rival- and current Shooto FLW title contender Kiyotaka Shimizu, whom Sunabe defeated prior to Eizumi.
After earning a rubber match with Shimizu, which ended in a draw, Sunabe lost their fourth matchup, bringing his record to 1-2-1 against the longtime King of Pancrase, and Sunabe dropped down to Pancrase's new Super-SW division (120-lbs.) and went on to win the inaugural 120-lb King of Pancrase title, the innaugural 115-lb King of Pancrase after that, and went on a rarely-seen-in-JMMA 16-fight winning streak. That streak included wins over SW greats Noboru Tahara (2nd) and Hiroyuki Abe (x2), in addition to rankers (then- or future-) Daichi Kitakata, Ryo Hatta, Tatsuya So, Seiji Ozuka, and, his most recent victory, former-#1 SW Shinya Murofushi.
Sunabe, an Okinawa native who was an accomplished collegiate wrestler in Japan prior to fighting, began his MMA career at featherweight-- the lowest division in Pancrase at the time-- but defeated SW GOAT Rambaa Somdet in his sophomore fight at flyweight in DEEP, an ominous event considering Sunabe's historicity in the division. After being competitive with- but ultimately losing in key matches against larger opponents (Yoshiro Maeda, Miki Shida, Daichi Fujiwara), bringing his overall record to 8-4, Sunabe dropped down to FLW in 2008 and after beating top-15 opponents Takuya Eizumi and Isao Hirose in succession to win- and defend his inaugural FLW King of Pancrase, Sunabe lost his title in a close decision against rival- and current Shooto FLW title contender Kiyotaka Shimizu, whom Sunabe defeated prior to Eizumi.
After earning a rubber match with Shimizu, which ended in a draw, Sunabe lost their fourth matchup, bringing his record to 1-2-1 against the longtime King of Pancrase, and Sunabe dropped down to Pancrase's new Super-SW division (120-lbs.) and went on to win the inaugural 120-lb King of Pancrase title, the innaugural 115-lb King of Pancrase after that, and went on a rarely-seen-in-JMMA 16-fight winning streak. That streak included wins over SW greats Noboru Tahara (2nd) and Hiroyuki Abe (x2), in addition to rankers (then- or future-) Daichi Kitakata, Ryo Hatta, Tatsuya So, Seiji Ozuka, and, his most recent victory, former-#1 SW Shinya Murofushi.
#6: Hayato Suzuki
The former Japanese collegiate wrestling champion's MMA career has gone swimmingly, earning a gaudy 20-1-2 since beginning his career in 2012, and won his SW debut in 2017 with a dominant first-round submission over currently-3rd-ranked Joshua Pacio. Although his SW career hit a speedbump when he was submitted by Jiu-Jitsu champion Alex Silva in a minute, he's rebounded with an impressive three rear-chokes in a row, most recently against ranker Pongsiri Mitsatit.
Arguably the largest fighter in the division, Suzuki has used his size to great advantage in his new division, holding a big strength advantage over all his opponents (so far) and maximizing the skills he has with wrestling his opponents to the ground and advancing to their backs. While an injury prevented him from rematching Joshua Pacio, he's still the top contender in ONE Championship and having a 2015 victory over current champion and #2-ranked SW Yosuke Saruta on his resume, he'll be very confident going into his next fight no matter what it is. It'll be interesting to find out who truly is the strongest SW in the world should Suzuki-Saruta II happen.
I think he was a Grachan champion, but I'm not sure.
He also beat another very physically-strong former ranker in Shooto Brazil champ and (I think) Nova Uniao fighter Yago Bryan.
Arguably the largest fighter in the division, Suzuki has used his size to great advantage in his new division, holding a big strength advantage over all his opponents (so far) and maximizing the skills he has with wrestling his opponents to the ground and advancing to their backs. While an injury prevented him from rematching Joshua Pacio, he's still the top contender in ONE Championship and having a 2015 victory over current champion and #2-ranked SW Yosuke Saruta on his resume, he'll be very confident going into his next fight no matter what it is. It'll be interesting to find out who truly is the strongest SW in the world should Suzuki-Saruta II happen.
I think he was a Grachan champion, but I'm not sure.
He also beat another very physically-strong former ranker in Shooto Brazil champ and (I think) Nova Uniao fighter Yago Bryan.
#7: Alex Silva
2018 didn't go as planned for the first Brazilian to become the top SW in the world, as he lost the #1-SW position he held for several months in a May rematch to Nobita Naito, whom he defeated in December, 2017 via unanimous decision to secure his top-SW spot, then lost against currently-#2-ranked Shooto and ONE champ Yosuke Saruta. This has led to him getting passed by a man he submitted in a minute in Hayato Suzuki; while Silva is back to the drawing board in the SW title-picture, Suzuki is on the cusp of a title-shot.
Training out of EVOLVE as one of their Jiu-Jitsu instructors, the most remarkable thing about "Little Rock", a former Jiu-Jitsu champion in Brazil (I forget the name of the tournament he won, but it's legit), is the advances in his striking he's made. Training with the dozens of Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champions teaching at EVOLVE, Silva has made the most use of his surroundings and developed one of the most slick striking games in the entire SW division. He used his striking to earn his top-SW spot in his first fight against Nobita, and it was Nobita's superior submission grappling that actually won Naito the rematch (and earn him back the #1-SW position).
Little Rock also holds victories over current-top-15 fighter Rene Catalan, former-top-10 Roy Doliguez, and just-outside-the-top~20 Robin Catalan. Although he only has 7 pro wins, they have largely been against very strong fighters-- very Joe Warren-like in his overall credentials, Alex is. Although, admittedly, Rene becoming a high-level fighter was a surprise.
Training out of EVOLVE as one of their Jiu-Jitsu instructors, the most remarkable thing about "Little Rock", a former Jiu-Jitsu champion in Brazil (I forget the name of the tournament he won, but it's legit), is the advances in his striking he's made. Training with the dozens of Lumpinee and Rajadamnern champions teaching at EVOLVE, Silva has made the most use of his surroundings and developed one of the most slick striking games in the entire SW division. He used his striking to earn his top-SW spot in his first fight against Nobita, and it was Nobita's superior submission grappling that actually won Naito the rematch (and earn him back the #1-SW position).
Little Rock also holds victories over current-top-15 fighter Rene Catalan, former-top-10 Roy Doliguez, and just-outside-the-top~20 Robin Catalan. Although he only has 7 pro wins, they have largely been against very strong fighters-- very Joe Warren-like in his overall credentials, Alex is. Although, admittedly, Rene becoming a high-level fighter was a surprise.
#8: Daichi Kitakata
A 19-8-1 (1) SW known for his physical strength (he's a little like a SW-Kawajiri), Kitakata rebounded from a 2016 loss to Mitsuhisa Sunabe (a title-shot) with three successive victories, two being submissions. He unofficially holds a 10-2 record at SW-- one of his arm-triangles was ruled a no-contest due to Kitakata missing weight-- the losses being against divisional elites Hiroyuki Abe and Mitsuhisa Sunabe. He's also garnered notable wins over Kanta Sato, Shinya Murofushi and Ryo Hatta. Although he only fought once in 2018, he made the most of it when he ended Hiroaki Ijima's undefeated 3-0 SW streak with a front choke submission less than a minute into the second round..
With Sunabe's loss and Kitakata's three-fight winning streak, it may seem that Sunabe's time with RIZIN is up for this year and a rematch is on the horizon. However, with Okinawan Karateka Tatsuya So having entered the SW discussion in Pancrase at the end of 2018 with his win over Hiroaki Ijima, depending on what everyone's situation is with time schedules, other fights might be presented first.
With Sunabe's loss and Kitakata's three-fight winning streak, it may seem that Sunabe's time with RIZIN is up for this year and a rematch is on the horizon. However, with Okinawan Karateka Tatsuya So having entered the SW discussion in Pancrase at the end of 2018 with his win over Hiroaki Ijima, depending on what everyone's situation is with time schedules, other fights might be presented first.
#9: Shinya Murofushi
It's been rough for Murofushi over the years. After struggling for years to be the top fighter in his division-- a goal he came close to after defeating onetime-elite SW and training partner of Rambaa Somdet, "ATCH Anarchy" Atsushi Takeuchi, but fell short of several times after in key fights against former divisional elites "Heat" Takeshi, Noboru Tahara and Mikihito Yamagami-- the lanky and well-rounded submission expert finally became the Shooto world champion with a 2014 first-round submission over longtime top-5 SW Junji Sarumaru.
Since then, Murofushi's gone 3-3 (exacerbated by his career-long tendency to occasionally take a year between fights for whatever reason), following up his title-winning effort against Sarumaru with a competitive late-5th-round submission loss to currently-third-ranked Nobita Naito, and defeating strong-but-unranked opponents Takuya Eizumi [was in the top-15 shortly before, not at the time of the Shinya fight], Rildeci Dias and Seiji "Oz" Ozuka. He's also lost a clear-cut decision to eighth-ranked Daichi Kitakata and, most recently, suffered a 2nd-round knockout to current fourth-ranked Mitsuhisa Sunabe in an attempt to usurp the King of Pancrase.
Though the Sunabe fight was very competitive, with Murofushi's sharp knees and kicks on full display, along with his crafty guardwork, willingness to scrap, and his Shooto-reared mastery of the fundamentals of every element of shootfighting, a Sunabe slam ended the fight. The knockout loss (quite a statement in the sport's most unforgiving division) combined with the activity of fighters above him may mean this stroke of luck that led to Murofushi becoming a top-10 figure again is the last time we see him in the top-10. However, with Murofushi's skills, another two wins could either secure him a longtime spot in- or catapult him up these rankings just as easily.
Since then, Murofushi's gone 3-3 (exacerbated by his career-long tendency to occasionally take a year between fights for whatever reason), following up his title-winning effort against Sarumaru with a competitive late-5th-round submission loss to currently-third-ranked Nobita Naito, and defeating strong-but-unranked opponents Takuya Eizumi [was in the top-15 shortly before, not at the time of the Shinya fight], Rildeci Dias and Seiji "Oz" Ozuka. He's also lost a clear-cut decision to eighth-ranked Daichi Kitakata and, most recently, suffered a 2nd-round knockout to current fourth-ranked Mitsuhisa Sunabe in an attempt to usurp the King of Pancrase.
Though the Sunabe fight was very competitive, with Murofushi's sharp knees and kicks on full display, along with his crafty guardwork, willingness to scrap, and his Shooto-reared mastery of the fundamentals of every element of shootfighting, a Sunabe slam ended the fight. The knockout loss (quite a statement in the sport's most unforgiving division) combined with the activity of fighters above him may mean this stroke of luck that led to Murofushi becoming a top-10 figure again is the last time we see him in the top-10. However, with Murofushi's skills, another two wins could either secure him a longtime spot in- or catapult him up these rankings just as easily.
#10: Ryuto "Dragon Boy" Sawada
The Shooto prospect, Abe Ani Fight Club coach and Megumi Fujii protege is beginning to live up to his potential, having taken the victory he earned over former top-5 strawweight and flyweight great Yuki Shojo in 2015 and keep himself ranked for almost four years straight, despite a string of setbacks against divisional elites and Shooto world champions "Nobita" Naito, "Ken Asuka" and current #6-ranked Yosuke Saruta.
Since leaving Shooto and signing with the entry-promotion of the biggest strawweight promotion in the world-- Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series-- Ryuto has earned the first back-to-back first-round finishes of his career, most recently against 4-1 Filipino strawweight Ismael Bandiwan. While if he keeps winning a full-blown ONE contract will await him-- it looks like he might not grow enough to really be built for flyweight, so his dreams of UFC gold will have to wait until they create a men's strawweight division in 5 or 10 years-- he may find himself officially in the promotion in his next bout. With the ONE-Shooto partnership, it seems inevitable.
He notably has victories over Anthony Do, Masayoshi Kato, and Shooto rankers "The Skinny Zombie" Takamasa Kiuchi, Takahiro Kohori (who had an extremely entertaining Round Of The Year contender against Koki Naito in December), Tateo Iino, and Itchaku Murata.
Since leaving Shooto and signing with the entry-promotion of the biggest strawweight promotion in the world-- Rich Franklin's ONE Warrior Series-- Ryuto has earned the first back-to-back first-round finishes of his career, most recently against 4-1 Filipino strawweight Ismael Bandiwan. While if he keeps winning a full-blown ONE contract will await him-- it looks like he might not grow enough to really be built for flyweight, so his dreams of UFC gold will have to wait until they create a men's strawweight division in 5 or 10 years-- he may find himself officially in the promotion in his next bout. With the ONE-Shooto partnership, it seems inevitable.
He notably has victories over Anthony Do, Masayoshi Kato, and Shooto rankers "The Skinny Zombie" Takamasa Kiuchi, Takahiro Kohori (who had an extremely entertaining Round Of The Year contender against Koki Naito in December), Tateo Iino, and Itchaku Murata.
Contenders: Pongsiri Mitsatit, Jeremy Miado, Kritsada Kongsrichai, Anthony Do, Rene Catalan
If you're interested so, here are the next 5 top fighters and a couple of little things I wrote on the division.
The next 5: Tatsuya So, Hiroba Minowa, Junji Sarumaru, Marcus Paulo Amaral, Ken Asuka
Dejdamrong vs. Miado II
The return of Ken Asuka
A RIZIN SW Grand Prix?
Dejdamrong vs. Miado II
In what may be the most exciting SW fight of February, former Lumpinee stadium champion and inaugural ONE SW champion is getting a chance to avenge his part in the 2018 SW upset of the year against giant Filipino boxer Jeremy Miado, who has become one of the most devastating knockout punchers in the SW division in only two fights.
In their first fight, Miado had lost two in a row against the experienced Robin Catalan-- who used his wrestling to win a decision-- and a TKO los against Pongsiri Mitsatit, who has maybe a fourth as many Muay Thai matches as Dejdamrong and nowhere near the accolades. So, adding in Dejdamrong's status as a former-top-5 fighter and that his losses were against better opponents, Dej' was an obvious favorite. However, few people recall that Miado was outstriking both Catalan and, for the first 6 minutes, Pongsiri (until Pong decided to start attacking Miado's body in the clinch, quickly tiring him out). And with minor adjustments in Miado's style, he tightened up and streamlined his hook-uppercut combinations and massive knockout power emerged, as he not only knocked out Dejdamrong, but mirrored the feat against then-top~20 SW Peng Xue Wen.
In a reversal of fortune, Miado has emerged as the big favorite this time around, but given the skills of Dejdamrong, what may happen in the rematch is anyone's guess. If Dejdamrong decides to go Muay Khao [like countryman Pongsiri Mitsatit did against Miado, and like Dej has against Rene Catalan, Robin Catalan and, most recently, Himanshu Kaushik] this time instead of the entertaining Muay Mat style he usually uses, the fight may turn out very different.
In their first fight, Miado had lost two in a row against the experienced Robin Catalan-- who used his wrestling to win a decision-- and a TKO los against Pongsiri Mitsatit, who has maybe a fourth as many Muay Thai matches as Dejdamrong and nowhere near the accolades. So, adding in Dejdamrong's status as a former-top-5 fighter and that his losses were against better opponents, Dej' was an obvious favorite. However, few people recall that Miado was outstriking both Catalan and, for the first 6 minutes, Pongsiri (until Pong decided to start attacking Miado's body in the clinch, quickly tiring him out). And with minor adjustments in Miado's style, he tightened up and streamlined his hook-uppercut combinations and massive knockout power emerged, as he not only knocked out Dejdamrong, but mirrored the feat against then-top~20 SW Peng Xue Wen.
In a reversal of fortune, Miado has emerged as the big favorite this time around, but given the skills of Dejdamrong, what may happen in the rematch is anyone's guess. If Dejdamrong decides to go Muay Khao [like countryman Pongsiri Mitsatit did against Miado, and like Dej has against Rene Catalan, Robin Catalan and, most recently, Himanshu Kaushik] this time instead of the entertaining Muay Mat style he usually uses, the fight may turn out very different.
The return of Ken Asuka
Former Shooto world champion and top-10 SW Ken Asuka returned after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, and did great in his return match as he knocked down- and submitted the 2016 Pancrase Neo-Blood SW champion Yuya Kodama in the second round. Ken Asuka won the 2013 Shooto Rookie King SW tournament by defeating crafty Shooto grappler Sho Nishida, and earned victories over former SW rankers Tateo Iino (x2), Macho the Butterfly, and ATCH Anarchy, in addition to a 3-0 Ryuto Sawada. U
nfortunately, he got KO'd by longtime SW knockout artist Junji Sarumaru after this, but rebounded impressively with wins over a 13-8 FLW and, most importantly, won the vacant Shooto world title with a highlight-reel KO of currently-#10th-ranked Ryuto Sawada. With the pederastic direction the Shooto SW division's taken lately, the return of a former champion accompanied with Junji Sarumaru's winning streak and the ONE Championship partnership is a welcome surprise.
nfortunately, he got KO'd by longtime SW knockout artist Junji Sarumaru after this, but rebounded impressively with wins over a 13-8 FLW and, most importantly, won the vacant Shooto world title with a highlight-reel KO of currently-#10th-ranked Ryuto Sawada. With the pederastic direction the Shooto SW division's taken lately, the return of a former champion accompanied with Junji Sarumaru's winning streak and the ONE Championship partnership is a welcome surprise.
A RIZIN SW Grand Prix?
It's unlikely, but I think this is something RIZIN would benefit greatly from. One of the things they have in their favor is a relationship with the legit #1 fighter in a division, Haruo Ochi. People usually become fans of sports for one of two reasons, spectacle and meritocracy. Hopefully both happen at once, like with the UFC today and Pride and Shooto in the early-00s and the UFC and Pancrase in the 90s, but a meritocracy by itself Is enough to draw in a Lot of people. Japan has that right now with the strawweight division, and there are a lot of good, open fighters available (like Jarred Brooks) that they can build a grand prix around.
RIZIN has a great relatioship with DEEP already so every top guy in DEEP is ready for it, and all the fighters in Pancrase are great and looking for something interesting. Not to mention that just the name of the tournament would draw in a lot of notable flyweights looking to drop down and lure in some of the top Shooto guys away from the ONE allure.
The Strawweights are also the only division in JMMA that's consistently beating the best foreign opposition they can find, which is still a big sign of accomplishment in Asia, and it's the problem RIZIN's facing with their LW Grand Prix already. Marketing out that fact would help create some new stars, and it would work better than trying to find more wannabe-Yakuza to market or figuring out a new position to put Tenshin in. And a SW Grand Prix would be better than a FLW Grand Prix for RIZIN, so there's that.
RIZIN has a great relatioship with DEEP already so every top guy in DEEP is ready for it, and all the fighters in Pancrase are great and looking for something interesting. Not to mention that just the name of the tournament would draw in a lot of notable flyweights looking to drop down and lure in some of the top Shooto guys away from the ONE allure.
The Strawweights are also the only division in JMMA that's consistently beating the best foreign opposition they can find, which is still a big sign of accomplishment in Asia, and it's the problem RIZIN's facing with their LW Grand Prix already. Marketing out that fact would help create some new stars, and it would work better than trying to find more wannabe-Yakuza to market or figuring out a new position to put Tenshin in. And a SW Grand Prix would be better than a FLW Grand Prix for RIZIN, so there's that.
