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.
