| 若翔洋 俊一 Wakashoyo Shunichi |
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|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Yoichi Babaguchi March 8, 1966 Tokyo, Japan |
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) |
| Weight | 164 kg (360 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Futagoyama |
| Record | 496-444-57 |
| Debut | May, 1981 |
| Highest rank | Sekiwake (May, 1993) |
| Retired | November, 1997 |
| Yūshō | 1 (Jūryō) 1 (Sandanme) |
| Sanshō | Fighting Spirit (2) |
| * Career information is correct as of August 2008. | |
Wakashoyo (born 8 March 1966 as Yoichi Babaguchi) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, kickboxer and former sumo wrestler.
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Although born in Chiba, he grew up in Nakano, Tokyo. He joined sumo in 1981, wrestling out of Futagoyama stable. He first entered the top makuuchi division in 1991 and made his sanyaku debut in March 1993 from komusubi rank. Unusually, he came through with a winning record (which included a win over new yokozuna Akebono), and was awarded his second successive special prize for Fighting Spirit. After the tournament he was promoted to sekiwake, which was the highest rank he was to achieve. He retired in November 1997 and became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Otowayama. However, the retirement of his former stablemate, Wakanohana in March 2000 meant that his elder name was needed by the former Takamisugi (who had been borrowing Wakanohana's), and Wakashoyo had to leave the sumo world.
He then signed with K-1, a kickboxing and mixed martial arts organization, fighting under his old shikona (He uses the Roman alphabet, appearing as "WAKASHOYO" rather than using the Japanese characters. The Sumo Association requested that Konishiki do the same thing in his post-sumo career). He made his debut in a kickboxing bout against fellow newcomer, South Korean giant Choi Hong-man in the quarter-final of the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul on March 19, 2005. Wakashoyo was knocked down twice in the first round; he was not able to recover from the second one. On July 36, 2005, he entered Hero's, the mixed martial arts series promoted by K-1, against kickboxing legend Peter Aerts in an MMA bout at Hero's 2. He was again knocked out in the first round. Wakashoyo returned to the promotion against Kazuhiro Hamanaka at Hero's 5 on May 3, 2006 and was submitted with an arm lock.
In 2008, he began using his real name, Yoichi Babaguchi, as his fighting name. However, he reverted to the name Wakashoyo in December 2010 for a kickboxing match with fellow former sekitori Sentoryu. Out of shape in his first match in over two and a half years, he lost in the first round.[1]
During his sumo career Wakashoyo favoured yotsu-sumo, or grappling techniques. He preferred a hidari-yotsu, or right hand outside, left hand inside grip on his opponent's mawashi. His most common winning kimarite was yori-kiri, or force out, but he also liked using kotenage, or armlock throw.
| year in sumo | January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | x | x | x | x | East Maegashira #13 3–12 |
(Juryo) |
| 1992 | West Maegashira #15 6–9 |
(Juryo) | East Maegashira #11 5–10 |
(Juryo) | West Maegashira #13 10–5 |
East Maegashira #4 8–7 |
| 1993 | West Maegashira #3 10–5 F |
West Komusubi 10–5 F |
East Sekiwake 7–8 |
West Komusubi 7–8 |
East Maegashira #1 5–10 |
West Maegashira #5 8–7 |
| 1994 | West Komusubi 6–9 |
East Maegashira #2 4–11 |
East Maegashira #10 2–13 |
(Juryo) | (Juryo) | (Juryo) |
| 1995 | East Maegashira #15 8–7 |
West Maegashira #12 9–6 |
East Maegashira #4 3–12 |
East Maegashira #15 11–4 |
East Maegashira #4 7–8 |
West Maegashira #4 5–9–1 |
| 1996 | Sat out due to injury 0–0–15 |
East Maegashira #10 6–9 |
West Maegashira #14 4–11 |
(Juryo) | (Juryo) | (Juryo) |
| 1997 | (Juryo) | (Juryo) | (Juryo) | (Juryo) | (Makushita) | West Makushita #13 Retired 1–1–5 |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s) P=Playoff(s) |
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| Kickboxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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0 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest |
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| Mixed martial arts record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 win (1 submission), 5 losses, 1 draw
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest |
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