Four-time BJJ World Cup champion Leonardo Santos has suffered a neck injury during training and has been forced out of his anticipated title elimination match with Yoshida Dojo rising star Maximo Blanco at Sengoku Raiden Championship 15. Stepping in on just over one week's notice will be former welterweight and middleweight King of Pancrase Kiuma Kunioku.
In 2002, Kunioku held both the welterweight and middleweight Pancrase crowns and during his 66-fight career has picked up significant victories over UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, Genki Sudo, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Masakatsu Funaki but since a 2004 TKO loss to Kazuo Misaki has slipped somewhat, going 4-7-2 in his last 13 outings.
Santos defeated Kunioku with a quick rear-naked choke back at Sengoku 12.
Sengoku Raiden Championship 15 - Oct. 30, Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Hiroshi Izumi vs. James Zikic
Kazunori Yokota vs. Brian Cobb
Maximo Blanco vs Kiuma Kunioku
Masanori Kanehara vs Doo Ho Choi
Kazuo "Yoshiki" Takahashi vs. Chang Seob Lee
SRC Welterweight GP Series 2010 Semifinals
KTaro Nakamura vs. Takuya Wada
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Taisuke "Gouten" Okuno
SRC Bantamweight Asia Tournament 2010 Quarterfinals
Akitoshi Tamura vs. Shoko Sato
Manabu Inoue vs. Jae Hyun So
Taiyo Nakahara vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari
Shunichi Shimizu vs. Wataru Takahashi
In 2002, Kunioku held both the welterweight and middleweight Pancrase crowns and during his 66-fight career has picked up significant victories over UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, Genki Sudo, Frank Shamrock, Guy Mezger and Masakatsu Funaki but since a 2004 TKO loss to Kazuo Misaki has slipped somewhat, going 4-7-2 in his last 13 outings.
Santos defeated Kunioku with a quick rear-naked choke back at Sengoku 12.
Sengoku Raiden Championship 15 - Oct. 30, Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan
Hiroshi Izumi vs. James Zikic
Kazunori Yokota vs. Brian Cobb
Maximo Blanco vs Kiuma Kunioku
Masanori Kanehara vs Doo Ho Choi
Kazuo "Yoshiki" Takahashi vs. Chang Seob Lee
SRC Welterweight GP Series 2010 Semifinals
KTaro Nakamura vs. Takuya Wada
Yasubey Enomoto vs. Taisuke "Gouten" Okuno
SRC Bantamweight Asia Tournament 2010 Quarterfinals
Akitoshi Tamura vs. Shoko Sato
Manabu Inoue vs. Jae Hyun So
Taiyo Nakahara vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari
Shunichi Shimizu vs. Wataru Takahashi