Naoyuki Kotani and Kohei Yasumi have been confirmed as additional members of Sakuraba's team for QUINTET FIGHT NIGHT 7 in TOKYO at Korakuen Hall on July 13 (Tue). Also, THE BODY RIDE has been confirmed as the sponsor for TEAM SAKURABA (temporary name) and the team will compete under the team name of TEAM THE BODY RIDE.
The "Arm Bar Trio" of Daisuke Nakamura, Shutaro Debana, and Tomoshige Sera, personally selected by General Producer Sakuraba to join TEAM THE BODY RIDE, has been announced. In selecting the remaining two players, Sakuraba thought that it would be necessary to have players with good defensive skills in order to win within the QUINTET rules, instead of gathering only those with good offensive skills like the Arm Bar trio, and selected Naoyuki Kotani and Kohei Yasumi for their good defensive skills. Sakuraba has high hopes for Kotani and Yasumi, as they not only have good defensive but also good offensive skills and know what they need to do for the team. With the participation of Kotani and Yasumi, TEAM THE BODY RIDE has become a well-rounded team that Sakuraba is very satisfied with. We hope that you will keep an eye out for their fights.
TEAM THE BODY RIDE members
Message from QUINTET's General Producer Sakuraba
"I chose three players with great offensive skills (Nakamura, Debana, and Sera), and thought about who to choose for the remaining two players, but since it would be difficult to win within the QUINTET rules even if I had five players with great offensive skills, I wanted to include players with good defensive skills as well. I asked Naoyuki Kotani and Kohei Yasumi to join the team. Both players have strong defensive and offensive skills, and they know how to fight for the team, so I have high expectations for them. As you can see from the members of the team, I think our overall strength as a team is quite high. I hope they do well and win the championship!"A special singles match will be held between Shoya Ishiguro and Yuki"SUBMISSION"Takahashi. Ishiguro is the older brother of Haruki Ishiguro of CARPE DIEM, who won the QUINTET FN6 women's tournament and also competes for CARPE DIEM. He has been eager to participate in QUINTET for a long time, and this will be his first time to compete.
Special Singles Match (64kg contract）
Message from Shoya Ishiguro
"I am Shoya Ishiguro from CARPE DIEM. I have been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for 12 years and haven't lost a fight since I became a black belt the year before last. This is my first grappling match, and I am very honored to be able to fight on such a big stage. My opponent, Yuki"SUBMISSION"Takahashi, is a strong grappling fighter as his name suggests, but I'm confident in my grappling as well, so I'm really looking forward to it. I will do my very best, so please support me!"Message from Yuki"SUBMISSION"Takahashi
"I am Yuki"SUBMISSION"Takahashi from Wajitsukeishukai hearts / Imanari Jiu-Jitsu. This will be my first time competing in QUINTET. I have no experience in Jiu-Jitsu, and although I participate in Shooto, I don't do MMA-style ground fighting. I am a non-Jiu-Jitsu grappler with slightly different techniques that include elements of modern grappling. I hope you will enjoy the technical and competitive discussion on how the match will unfold with Ishiguro, a highly accomplished jiu-jitsu fighter. I'm happy to be able to have a special singles match on the stage that I've watched since before I entered the martial arts world. I'll do my best."The opening match will be between Koya Okazaki and Kazuki Hagiwara. Okazaki is the head instructor at CARPE DIEM Aoyama, and was the runner-up in the black belt lightweight division of the ALL JAPAN Brazilian JIU-JITSU Championship last year.
Opening Match (73kg contract）
Please check out the announcement by Producer Kazushi Sakuraba about this event.
7.13 QUINTET FIGHT NIGHT 7 in TOKYO is less than a month away. Tickets are now on sale exclusively on eplus.
