DEEP revealed first four fights for the upcoming DEEP 61 show at Korakuen Hall.
DEEP featherweight champion, Kazunori Yokota, who won a submission award at Abu Dhabi Warriors by defeating Anatoly Safronov in November, is going to defend his belt against SHOJI.
These two fighters met back in DEEP 54 and Yokota won via unanimous decision. Since this fight, in February of last year, Yokota captured a title, and also, SHOJI won three straight fights. Therefore, it was just natural for DEEP to do this re-match for 145 lbs title.
Also, in this show, DEEP is going to crown two new champions.
A bout between UFC / PRIDE vet Kazuhiro Nakamura and RYO is going to determine who would fill a vacant spot and become sixth DEEP middleweight champion.
In addition, the final of Mega-Ton tournament between Ken Hasegawa and Hirohide Fujinuma will be held and this one is going to decide the champion at open-weight class. This title has been vacant since Levan Razmadze relinquished the belt last year.
Finally, there is going to be 135 lbs tournament final between DJ taiki and Toshiaki Kitada. The winner of this bout will get a right to challenge Yoshiro Maeda for DEEP bantamweight title.
DEEP 61
Saturday, February 16th, 2013
At Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Doors Open – 17:30
Fight Starts – 17:40
Confirmed Cards (Subject to Change):
DEEP Featherweight Title Bout 5 min / 3R
Kazunori Yokota (Japan / Freelance) vs SHOJI (Japan / KIBA Martial Arts)
DEEP Middleweight Championship Bout 5 min / 3R
Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan / Yoshida Dojo) vs RYO (Japan / Run's End / ZERO-ONE MAX)
DEEP Bantamweight Title Fight Qualifier – Tournament Final Bout 5 min / 3R
DJ taiki (Japan / Freelance) vs Toshiaki Kitada (Japan / Paraestra Chiba)
DEEP Mega-Ton Tournament Final Bout 5 min / 3R
Hirohide Fujinuma (Japan / NEXUSENSE) vs Ken Hasegawa (Japan / Kingdom Ehrgeiz)
Ticket Prices:
VIP – 15,000 yen
SRS – 10,000 yen
A – 8,000 yen
B – 6,000 yen
Report by Shu Hirara
Photo courtesy of Bout Review (www.boutreview.com)