Takinawa’s Illness Stalls Commencement of Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament

It has been released to the media earlier today that the prolonging of the highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament as of recent is due to the ongoing illness suffered by the President of the Tournament, Sadahura Takinawa. 

The Committee released the following via newswire this morning:

“We have kept President Takinawa’s illness under the radar over the past several weeks as we did not want to draw away from the attention we have been receiving regarding the tournament, from competitors and fans around the world.  We have discussed in lengths how best we could proceed; Takinawa advised that we appoint an interim President to allow the Tournament to get underway, but we rejected that idea.  

This is not like any other fighting competition in the world.  We pride ourselves on the honor of our people, the sportsmanship of our competitors, and the unrelenting loyalty and respect of our fans. Takinawa founded this Tournament, and to host it while he is bedridden and ill would be an injustice to the Tournament and to martial arts in general.  So we thank our competitors and fans for their continued patience as we work to getting the Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament underway, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.”

Since last summer the Committee has been anxious to get the tournament underway, but has been forced to acknowledge various problems surrounding the fighters involved. 

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn, Muay Thai specialist Aaron Seamans and Argentina’s Bosch, amongst several other top combatants. 

This unique tournament is one of a kind, as it encompasses all of the diversified martial arts and boxing disciplines across the world, and brings the most elite fighters in each discipline together to compete in a winner take all, single elimination tournament with the grand prize being the purse of $1 million and eligibility to fight in any tournament worldwide.

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE FIGHTING TOURNAMENT TO ISSUE ENTRY FEE FOR COMBATANTS

For the first time since the birth of the Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament, there will be an entry fee for the combatants to secure their spot.  Following months of varied delays and postponements due to a variety of reasons—including issues with fighters’ visas, reports of underground fighting, fixed fights and more—the Committee has brought upon this announcement.

“We have gone above and beyond to bring this tournament into fruition, and have dealt with one obstacle after another,” said Sadahura Takinawa, President of the Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament.  “After exploring various options to eradicate these ongoing issues involving our international fighters, we have decided that the best course of action is to issue an entry fee so that the fighters will have to put money out of their pockets to reserve their spot within the tournament, and to show that they are serious and ready for competition.   To ensure the fighters will take this seriously, the entry fee will be a substantial amount, though we cannot disclose the specific number at this time.  

We will continue with this tournament as one of the most highly regarded fighting competitions in the world, and will not tolerate the ongoing disgrace that some of the fighters have bestowed upon it.   This fee will go into effect immediately, and any fighters’ who are unable to meet the financial obligations will be forced to withdraw their name from the competition.”

Since last summer the Committee has been anxious to get the tournament underway, but has been forced to acknowledge various problems surrounding the fighters involved. 

“Our Committee Chair has been anxious to sound the gong to get this started, and has been nothing short of disgusted at the progression of the drama,” said Takinawa.  “We have dealt with such lies, ongoing accusations, and deceit from fighters who are regarded as world champions, and it has left a bad taste in our mouths.  Issuing this entry fee was a last resort, but a necessary one.”

The Committee has gone on to announce the entry deadline fee for the fighters to reserve their spot is March 15, and upon all of the fighters paying their way, each combatant will have 30 days to prepare for the tournament, and will need to be in Tokyo within two weeks of the deadline. 

This unique tournament is one of a kind, as it encompasses all of the diversified martial arts and boxing disciplines across the world, and brings the most elite fighters in each discipline together to compete in a winner take all, single elimination tournament with the grand prize being the purse of $1 million and eligibility to fight in any tournament worldwide.

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX NOTES TWO FIGHTERS ELIGIBILITY IN QUESTION

Last week it was announced that the annual, highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament was set to begin on March 22, but today information was released by the tournament committee that the eligibility status of two of the fighters set to compete is in question.

“Information has surfaced regarding whether or not two of our esteemed combatants will be able to enter our country, as they have faced issues in the past regarding fighting competitions,” said .Sadahura Takinawa, Committee President.  “While we cannot release the names until we are able to full utilize our resources and draw a conclusion to these claims, we are hopeful that this will not further the delay of the commencement of the tournament.”

Takinawa continued that in the event that the fighters are not granted eligibility and are not able to compete, then two replacement fighters will be called up to take their slots.

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, amongst several other top combatants. 

“This is not an average MMA or boxing match; this is one of the most revered freestyle fighting tournaments in the world, and we will go above and beyond to ensure the success of it,” said Takinawa.  “We owe it to the fighters who have qualified, and of course to the fans around the world.”

This unique tournament is one of a kind, as it encompasses all of the diversified martial arts and boxing disciplines across the world, and brings the most elite fighters in each discipline together to compete in a winner take all, single elimination tournament with the grand prize being the purse of $1 million and eligibility to fight in any tournament worldwide.

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX HOLDING FIGHTER MEETINGS, SET TO BEGIN MARCH 22

Following a handful of unexpected occurrences prohibiting the commencement of the renowned Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament to end 2012, the committee has announced that they have been conducting fighter meetings with the handful of selected combatants and that competing will begin promptly on March 22. 

“We had several issues arise these last few months, involving fixed fights, issues with Visa’s and more, and as much as it was to our dismay, we chose to postpone the exclusive tournament until all of the kinks were worked out,” said Committee President Sadahura Takinawa. 

Over the past few weeks the Committee had flown in a few of the participants in to conduct an intense investigation to ensure that the fighters were not carrying any personal baggage or illegal activity into the tournament. 

Some of the fighters who are going to participate have been flown to meet with the Committee to go through the investigative process, but were provided with the top training environments.  Following the conclusion of the investigation the fighters will be sent back to their respective countries to finalize their training leading up to the tournament. 

In exchange for participating in the investigation to ensure they were clear to fight in the prestigious tournament, the Grand Prix Committee provided top training camps for the warriors, and they had a chance to meet with the heads of the association.

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, amongst several other top combatants. 

“This is not an average MMA or boxing match; this is one of the most revered freestyle fighting tournaments in the world, and we will go above and beyond to ensure the success of it,” said Takinawa.  “We owe it to the fighters who have qualified, and of course to the fans around the world.”

This unique tournament is one of a kind, as it encompasses all of the diversified martial arts and boxing disciplines across the world, and brings the most elite fighters in each discipline together to compete in a winner take all, single elimination tournament with the grand prize being the purse of $1 million and eligibility to fight in any tournament worldwide.

TWO FIGHTERS FOUND GUILTY IN JAPANESE GRAND PRIX FREESTYLE FIGHTING INVESTIGATION

In a follow-up to a very thorough investigation conducted by the prestigious committee behind the Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament, two fighters have been found guilty of participating in arranged fights and have been banned from competing in this year’s tournament and any subsequent tournaments hosted by the Japanese Grand Prix. 

Brazil’s Cristiano Rua and Hungary’s Attila Wellisch have been found to have competed in an array of arranged fights leading up to the tournament, and committee President Sadahura Tanikawa is pushing to have both fighters stripped of their rights to compete in any sanctioned tournaments around the world.

“These fighters have brought great shame and dishonor to our tournament we hold in the highest regard,” said Tanikawa.  “We individually handpicked each competitor based on their skill, professionalism and level of class they display inside and out of the fighting circuit, and to discover this devastating information is detrimental to our whole organization."

Tanikawa continued that he is going to pursue criminal charges against the fighters to send a message to any fighters around the world participating in arranged fights. 

With the announcement of this news, the Japanese Grand Prix committee has officially ended their investigation into the allegations, and although there has been no determined commencement date, the committee is optimistic that the tournament will be underway soon.

“The tournament will remain on hold until we are able to select fighters for the two slots of the fighters who were banned,” said Tanikawa. “There is more money involved in this purse than any other tournament in fight sports history, and going forward, we will not tolerate any immoral or ethical actions, and we hope this ban sends a message to any fighters who participate in any wrongful doings.”

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world. Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn, France’s Savate Militec and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, as well as several other decorated fighters.

With the tournament set to begin in just a few weeks, fight fans worldwide can get excited to know that the ultimate freestyle fighting champion will soon be crowned, and will have the opportunity to enter any fighting competition around the world.

The exact date of the commencement of the tournament will be released within a few weeks.

Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament Set To Commence In A Few Weeks

Following recent accusations surfacing regarding arranged fights amongst a few of the competitors in the highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament, the committee has announced that upon completion of their investigation, the tournament is expected to begin within a few weeks.

 “One of the three fighters who was mentioned in arranged fights have been cleared, and we are following protocol and looking to conclude our investigation shortly about the other two,” said Japanese Grand Prix committee President Sadaharu Tanikawa.  “We don’t take these accusations lightly.  We are conducting a thorough investigation, and that is why we are unable to set a specific date.  These investigations take a while, and we want to make sure we do it right.  This tournament is held in a much higher regard than any other competition around the world, and we will do everything in our power to maintain the high level of respect and honor associated with it.”

Although he would not release which individual fighter has been cleared, he did state that he is confident that the other two remaining fighters will too be cleared to participate in the tournament. 

The tournament was supposed to get underway earlier this month, but following the surfacing of the varied allegations, Tanikawa immediately put it on hold. 

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn, France’s Savate Militec and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, as well as several other decorated fighters.

With the tournament set to begin in just a few weeks, fight fans worldwide can get excited to know that the ultimate freestyle fighting champion will soon be crowned, and will have the opportunity to enter any fighting competition around the world.

 More information will be provided as it is released by the Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting committee. 

Japanese Grand Prix Tournament To Ban Any Fighters Found Guilty In Arranged Fight Case

The Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament committee has released a statement regarding their recent investigations into the alleged arranged fights that some of its competitors were accused of partaking in.

Committee President Sadahura Tanikawa said the following, “Any fighter who is found guilty of participating in arranged fights will be banned from all fight sports indefinitely, and criminal charges will be filed.  We hold this prestigious tournament for only the most professional fighters of their discipline, and will not tolerate any misconduct leading up to the tournament.”

Tanikawa continued that the exact date of the tournament is not yet determined as they are waiting to conclude the total investigation prior to commencing the fighting.

The tournament was supposed to get underway earlier this month, but following the surfacing of the varied allegations, Tanikawa immediately put it on hold. 

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, America’s Bare Knuckle Boxing Champion Gunn, France’s Savate Militec and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch, as well as several other decorated fighters.

With the tournament set to begin in just a few weeks, fight fans worldwide can get excited to know that the ultimate freestyle fighting champion will soon be crowned, and will have the opportunity to enter any fighting competition around the world.

More information will be provided as it is released by the Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting committee. 

Japanese Grand Prix Tournament Put On Hold As Accusations Of Arranged Fights Come To Surface

The highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament which was expected to begin last week has been put on hold as allegations regarding arranged fights with several competitors have come to surface.

The Grand Prix committee stated that they received a certified letter listing that several of the participants in the tournament have recently competed in arranged fights, and until their investigation draws to a conclusion, the tournament has been put on hold.

Although the committee has not released any of the individual fighters’ names who have made the ‘list’, they have expressed their severe disappointment that this issue could even be a possibility. 

The following statement has been released by committee President Sadahara Tanikawa:  “We hold this tournament in the highest regards to the top fighters across the world.  It is beyond any other tournament of its kind, and we will maintain the prestigious aura surrounding it.  We are hoping to conclude our investigation within a few days so we can focus on the commencement of the tournament.”

The annual Japanese Grand Prix freestyle fighting tournament contains the top fighters in their discipline across the world.  Competing this year are Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, France’s Savate Militec and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch. 

Already sold out, fans around the world are anxious to see this competition get underway.  More information as to when the firm date of the commencement of the tournament will be released as soon as word is given from the committee.

Rumors circulate: Tournament Favorite Minowa, Bare Knuckle Fight King Gunn Questionable For Start Of Tournament

It was announced recently that there have been some questions raised as to the readiness of tournament favorite Ikuhisa Minowa and Bobby Gunn—bare knuckle boxing champion from the States. 

Minowa suffered a heartfelt loss last week at the hands of the tragic flood that took the lives of 26 people in Tokyo, one of Minowa’s elders being a victim.

Rumors have also circulated that Gunn has suffered injury during training camp and is not 100% ready to compete within a tournament of such high standards, though time will see.

In latest news Scandanavian MMA star Henrik Gustafson was arrested while flying into Tokyo for the tournament on suspicions of drug trafficking.  While no further information has been released at this time, tournament officials have immediately announced that he has been disqualified from fighting to keep the good name of the tournament.

The preliminaries for qualifying for the tournament begin next week, with the finals leading to the crowning of the champion commencing on August 9. 

The most skilled fighters in their discipline from around the world will engage in battle for the luxurious prize of $1 million dollars and the eligibility to walk on to any major fighting tournament across the world for the period of 12 months. 

“This tournament is shaping up to be quite the list of the usual suspects,” said Kazuyoshi Ishii, creator and founder of the Japanese Grand Prix Fighting Tournament.  “We have had our share of excitement this week, but it is imperative for each fighter to stay focused.  The winning fighter of this tournament will become the largest fight icon in the world, with access to countless endorsement deals worldwide and the opportunity to become a grand champion by winning all of the other major events.”

The highly anticipated tournament will begin July 30, with the finals promptly starting less than two weeks later. 

Time will tell who the ultimate warrior in the world is.

Finals of Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament To Begin August 9

The highly anticipated 2012 Japanese Grand Prix Freestyle Fighting Tournament is less than a month away from beginning its final stage.  The preliminaries for qualifying for the finals of the tournament are set to begin on July 30, with the wild card fighters around the world having a chance to secure their spot to fight for the world championship in August.

The VIP invite only fighters will begin their quest for perfection on August 9.  Tournament favorite Ikuhisa Minowa is allegedly back to tip top shape and will be looking to work his way through the competition in solidifying himself as the top fighter in the world and claim the luxurious prize of $1 dollars.

Additional special invite fighters include Japan’s acclaimed sumo champion Harumafuji, France’s Savate Militec, USA’s BKB and boxer Gunn, and Argentina’s Muay Thai Bosch. 

The tournament has already sold out in attendance and will be viewed by heads of some of the largest corporations throughout the world.  Also speculated to be in attendance are some of the most revered “connected” families in the world as this tournament garners the largest gambling syndicate ring in any known fight sport.

In addition to the purse, the winner of the Japanese Grand Prix champion will be deemed “Full Contact Champion of the World”, and have availability to enter any pro fighting tournament within the 2012 calendar year.

The 2012 Grand Prix tournament will be held from July 30- August 12 at the Yokohama Arena in Kawasaki.