Two of Japan’s most popular kickboxers, YA-MAN and Minoru Kimura, are set to face off in a 72 kg bout, wearing smaller 4 oz gloves, on October 5.
YA-MAN hasn't fought under kickboxing rules for nearly a year, with his last appearance being a first-round stoppage of Breaking Down owner and fan-favorite mixed martial artist Mikuru Asakura. Prior to that, YA-MAN was able to capture the RISE World Open Finger Glove Championship with a second-round knockout of Hiroto Yamaguchi. These two performances were enough to transform a relatively unknown fighter to the most popular kickboxer in Japan since Takeru and Tenshin Nasukawa.
On the other side of the ring will be Minoru Kimura, who’s been involved in a number of high-profile bouts, as well as a number of high-profile controversies, including two positive drug tests. Although the Brazilian-Japanese fighter hasn’t recorded a win under kickboxing rules in nearly four years, with a pair of no-contests and a pair of losses, he has notched two victories under Ganryujima rules. The 31-year-old is furthermore one of the hardest punchers in the sport today and retains the chance to win the fight at any point of the fight – especially in the smaller gloves.
The fight will be available for worldwide viewing on Abema TV. There are currently no other confirmed fights scheduled for the event.
