In the beginning, both fighters land low kicks. Rumina Sato toakes the kick but comes back with three solid kicks to the leg, then Augusto
Frota Guimaraes's expression changes. Then Frota slips when he throws a punch, and Rumina nails a jumping knee that slices Frota's forehead. It happens when Frota is about to get up from the ground so it could be called a foul under the Shooto rules but referee Wakabayashi doesn't stop the action, and Frota's corner doesn't complain so the fight continues. Rumina quickly gets to the half-mount, then to the mount position, obviously going for the kill. Rumina gets the back-mount, and goes for a Mata Leon (rear naked choke) and that is when referee Wakabayashi steps in for a doctor's check.
Then it is all over. The doctor calls the stoppage, and its a TKO win for Rumina.
After the fight, Lion Takeshi, with a Shooto world title belt stepped into the ring, "Rumina-san was the reason why I started Shooto so I want to beat him and become a true champion" asking Sustain head Sakamoto to match Rumina as his challenger in the upcoming title bout scheduled for May 18th at Korakuen Hall. Rumina replied, "If I am allowed to, then I would like to fight him" but when the ring announcer said, "The fight is confirmed! Rumina kept his cool, "That is something we shouldn't decide now. This should be decided by the ranking committe (of the Shooto commission." And on top of this, back stage, Rumina said, "That was like pro-wrestling. I don't want to see that in Shooto."
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Rumina got the win but not in a convincing manner. |
In the May 18th show, number one ranked Antonio Calvalho is taking on number eight ranked Hatsu Hioki. Akitoshi Tamura ranks second, Rumina is third, Katsuya Toida sits on the fourth spot followed by Tenkei Fujimiya in the fifth. The March rankings will be decided in April. Therefore, as Rumina pointed out, he did win this bout but it was against a fighter that is not even ranked in Shooto's world ranking. On top of this, Frota could file the complaint about that jumping knee shot so there is a possibility that the official outcome of this bout might even change at a later date.
Another factor is that Rumina just came back from a long absence due to a knee injury, and he dislocated his left shoulder just three weeks before this fight. In addition, Rumina did defend Frota's low-kick but "it was the type of pain where I thought my leg was broken." Shooto's charisma is already the age of Christ, now 33-years old, with a 14-year pro MMA career under his belt. If he ever gets to fight in the title fight, it may well be his last chance for the belt so it makes sense for him to want proper time to prepare for the fight. Maybe Rumina was thinking about all of this when he pointed out the rankings and the committee. Rumina actually sometimes trains with Lion, "He is tough. In the striking department, he has got the edge over myself." His body knows that if he is facing Lion in the ring, it needs to be tuned up once again. In the ring, Rumina knows that you can't fight with words, nothing but his body and mind. No one knows this better than Rumina Sato.
Other Photos & Official Results
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