The formation of World Victory Road Inc. and the Japanese MMA Association were formally announced Monday in Tokyo at a much-anticipated news conference.
The Japanese MMA Association has been devised to give mixed martial arts in Japan a legitimate, credible sanctioning body that will foster development of the sport.
Japanese Wrestling Association president and International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) vice president Tomiaki Fukuda will serve as president of the new organization.
Hiroshi Hase, a former Olympic wrestler turned puroresu superstar, and Takao Yasuda, chairman of Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, were announced as vice presidents.
Former boxing champion Yoko Gushiken, who reigned as WBA light flyweight champion in the late 1970s will be on the board of directors. The Afro and mustache worn by Shooto star Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) are homage to Gushiken, who remains considerably popular in Japan.
President Fukuda explained that the organization would help move MMA toward being an international sporting event represented in the Olympic and Asian Games, and that a potential relationship with the international amateur wrestling circuit could be forged in the future.
"I will appeal with the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) regarding this," Fukuda said.
He also stressed that in the wake of the downfall of PRIDE, the organization wanted to make its business both fair and transparent. As such, former Tokyo chief of police Yukihiko Inoue was announced as the new entity's commissioner.
The 69-year-old Inoue was thrust into the national spotlight in Japan in 1995, when he led the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in its investigation of the subway sarin gas incident. Inoue resigned from his post in November 1996 after it was revealed the Tokyo police did not release information that a police sergeant had confessed to shooting Japan's national police chief. The sergeant in question was an admitted member of Aum Shinri Kyo, the cult accused of the aforementioned gas attack in the Tokyo subway system.
It was also announced that Naoya Kinoshita would formally head World Victory Road Inc., a new MMA-focused parent company. Kinoshita is the chairman of the Kinoshita Group, a prominent Japanese company specializing in the construction and maintenance of custom-built houses and apartment complexes.
Both Kinoshita and Inoue expressed interest in establishing weight classes soon and forgoing the allowance of "soccer" kicks to the head of a downed fighter, a tactic featured in Japanese events such as Pancrase and DEEP, though no other rules-related discussion took place.
Kinoshita stated that in the absence of PRIDE, which was bought in March by UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, he and World Victory Road hoped to hold their first MMA event as soon as possible.
"I want to show more of Japan's mixed martial arts to the world and give a chance to fighters who are serious about the sport," said Kinoshita, who recalled that he started thinking of the idea when PRIDE was failing to overcome pressures from Japanese media regarding alleged Yakuza connections, and he feared that young people who were training in MMA would lose their future.
No date or place had been set for the event, nor were negotiations with prospective fighters finalized.
The new WVR boss also said that he and the WVR office would entertain fan submissions in regards to what the company's MMA event should be called.
The Japanese MMA Association has been devised to give mixed martial arts in Japan a legitimate, credible sanctioning body that will foster development of the sport.
Japanese Wrestling Association president and International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) vice president Tomiaki Fukuda will serve as president of the new organization.
Hiroshi Hase, a former Olympic wrestler turned puroresu superstar, and Takao Yasuda, chairman of Japanese discount chain Don Quijote, were announced as vice presidents.
Former boxing champion Yoko Gushiken, who reigned as WBA light flyweight champion in the late 1970s will be on the board of directors. The Afro and mustache worn by Shooto star Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) are homage to Gushiken, who remains considerably popular in Japan.
President Fukuda explained that the organization would help move MMA toward being an international sporting event represented in the Olympic and Asian Games, and that a potential relationship with the international amateur wrestling circuit could be forged in the future.
"I will appeal with the JOC (Japanese Olympic Committee) regarding this," Fukuda said.
He also stressed that in the wake of the downfall of PRIDE, the organization wanted to make its business both fair and transparent. As such, former Tokyo chief of police Yukihiko Inoue was announced as the new entity's commissioner.
The 69-year-old Inoue was thrust into the national spotlight in Japan in 1995, when he led the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in its investigation of the subway sarin gas incident. Inoue resigned from his post in November 1996 after it was revealed the Tokyo police did not release information that a police sergeant had confessed to shooting Japan's national police chief. The sergeant in question was an admitted member of Aum Shinri Kyo, the cult accused of the aforementioned gas attack in the Tokyo subway system.
It was also announced that Naoya Kinoshita would formally head World Victory Road Inc., a new MMA-focused parent company. Kinoshita is the chairman of the Kinoshita Group, a prominent Japanese company specializing in the construction and maintenance of custom-built houses and apartment complexes.
Both Kinoshita and Inoue expressed interest in establishing weight classes soon and forgoing the allowance of "soccer" kicks to the head of a downed fighter, a tactic featured in Japanese events such as Pancrase and DEEP, though no other rules-related discussion took place.
Kinoshita stated that in the absence of PRIDE, which was bought in March by UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, he and World Victory Road hoped to hold their first MMA event as soon as possible.
"I want to show more of Japan's mixed martial arts to the world and give a chance to fighters who are serious about the sport," said Kinoshita, who recalled that he started thinking of the idea when PRIDE was failing to overcome pressures from Japanese media regarding alleged Yakuza connections, and he feared that young people who were training in MMA would lose their future.
No date or place had been set for the event, nor were negotiations with prospective fighters finalized.
The new WVR boss also said that he and the WVR office would entertain fan submissions in regards to what the company's MMA event should be called.