(Enomoto pounds his way to victory. Image by Taro Irei for Sherdog)
Last weekend, Zurich’s Yasubey Enomoto (6-1) registered the biggest win of his career with a first round TKO victory over decorated grappler and respected MMA veteran Sanae Kikuta (28-7-3) at Sengoku Raiden Championships 13.
“I was very happy how the fight was going,” enthused Enomoto, beaming after his outstanding victory. “I did not expect that I could stop his takedown attempts so easily because he’s a very good Judoka and an ADCC champion.”
Indeed, Kikuta hadn’t been defeated in an MMA ring since 2003, making Yasubey’s achievement all the more outstanding.
“It’s my biggest victory so far, and I was very nervous before the fight because I hadn’t fought for almost a year, and to fight straight after a loss against an opponent like this is not easy for the head.”
However, the 170-pounder readily admits that ‘Everything went perfect,’ and the fight went as he hoped it would. “We trained a lot of stand up and on my back during the whole training camp,” noted the 26 year-old. “I was a little concerned I couldn’t train wrestling too much because of a back injury and a shoulder injury though; that’s why I was training a lot on my back.
“I thought he’d want to go to the ground with me because that’s his usual gameplan,” he continued. “I never thought the fight would go so fast. I expected three very hard rounds.”
All it took was 3:57 before Enomoto emerged victorious though, and now big doors have been opened for the exciting Welterweight.
“For me, Japan is the place to be,” stated the well-rounded ‘Enomoto Dojo’ fighter. ” You can’t tell me any shows that have more spirit than the ones in Japan. The market is now not so good over there but it’s been my biggest goal to fight in Japan since I started fighting.
“A dream came true last night to get the opportunity to fight in my father’s home country,” flowed Yasubey. “Plus, I never thought that my first fight in Japan would be one of the main events at a big show like Sengoku. I hope they will invite me back in the near future.”
Now for Enomoto, to keep improving is the key if he is to achieve his goals. “This was my first test at a big show against a very tough opponent,” admitted Yasubey. “I don’t know what the future brings, but I will train hard to get better and better each day, but I still have 1,000,000 things to learn to become a Samurai Master.”
Keep an eye out for Enomoto, who has the potential to do big things in MMA given the correct chances.
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