Shooto Matchups Announced

Leading Shooto promoter Sustain has further solidified the lineup for "The Way of Shooto 3" bill, adding a strong trio of bouts to the May 30 bill at JCB Hall in Tokyo.

The card will now see former Shooto world champions Akitoshi Tamura and Masakatsu Ueda square off in a bantamweight bout, and another former Shooto titlist, Ryota Matsune, returns from a three-and-a-half-year hiatus to meet Shooto legend Rumina Sato at a 137-pound catchweight. In a lightweight bout, Yoshihiro Koyama will take on Kotetsu Boku.

Ueda lost his Shooto world 132-pound title and unbeaten record in March, when he was submitted in the second round by veteran Shuichiro Katsumura in a considerable upset. Tamura, a former Shooto king at 143 pounds, is coming off of a split decision loss to Charlie Valencia in the WEC cage in January.

Shooto's biggest star, Sato snapped a four-fight losing streak in October, punching out Team Quest product Cory Grant at "Vale Tudo Japan 2009." Matsune, who reigned at 132 pounds in pro Shooto from August 2003 to February 2006, has suffered a string of knee injuries that have limited his activity. Since 2004, "The Shooto Junkie" has stepped in the ring just twice.

Koyama is coming off a lopsided beating over Yutaka Ueda in January. A week after Koyama's victory, Boku earned a unanimous decision win over Tony Hervey at "KOTC: Toryumon" in Okinawa.

Three world title fights were previously announced for "The Way of Shooto 3." In the main event, two of Japan's top featherweights will square off when Shooto world 143-pound champion "Lion Takeshi" Takeshi Inoue defends his title against Sengoku standout Hatsu Hioki.

Also, Ryuichi Miki and Yasuhiro Urushitani will meet for a third time with the Shooto world 123-pound title at stake, and world 154-pound titlist Willamy "Chiquerim" Freire will make the first defense of his title against former victim Yusuke Endo.