Sengoku "Gold Rush Project" Participants Revealed

Sengoku released a full list of fighters for its "Gold Rush Project" today, and not only does the roster include more DEEP and Shooto prospects than you might have guessed (as opposed to straight up MMA neophytes) but World Victory Road's top "Sengoku training player," Shigeki Osawa, will be in the mix at featherweight. Osawa had a successful Sengoku debut last month, decisioning DEEP's Kota Ishibashi in one of the evening's unaired prelims.

These fighters will be paired up into four-man mini-tournaments - the Don Quijote-sponsored "Sengoku Gold Cup" - with those taped bouts airing on TV Tokyo's SENGOKU-G beginning in June, and the winners squaring off live at Sengoku IX in August.

In total, there are two fighters each from Wajyutsu Keisyukai, Yoshida Dojo, Team ZST and Kiguchi Dojo, while P's Lab, Gutsman, Mori Dojo and SK Absolute will all send one fighter.

Here's the full list, pictures added where available.

Bantamweight

Daisuke Endo
School: Wajyutsu Keisyukai Suruga
Pro MMA Record: 3-3
Birthdate: 11-13-1982
Height: 171cm (5ft 7in)
Background: MMA

Ryosuke Komori
School: Yoshida Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 3-1
Birthdate: 1-1-1986
Height: 168 cm (5ft 5in)
Background: Judo

Takeshi Numajiri
School: Kiguchi Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 1-1
Birthdate: 4-23-1984
Height: 174 cm (5ft 8in)
Background: Wrestling

Hiroyuki Hara
School: PANCRASE P’s Lab Tokyo
Pro MMA Record: 1-1
Birthdate: 1-12-1981
Height: 169 cm (5ft 6in)
Background: Boxing

Featherweight

Shigeki Osawa
School: Yoshida Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 2-0
Birthdate: 5-2-1985
Height: 166 cm (5ft 5in)
Background: Wrestling

Takayuki Kishi
School: Team ZST
Pro MMA Record: 2-2-4
Birthdate: 2-24-1984
Height: 172 cm (5ft 8in)
Background: MMA

Makoto Sannai
School: Gutsman Shooto Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 1-1
Birthdate: 5-11-1982
Height: 173 cm (5ft 8in)
Background: MMA

Toru Harai
School: Mori Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 5-1-1
Birthdate: 8-10-1986
Height: 170 cm (5ft 7in)
Background: Judo

Lightweight

Koji Ando
School: Wajyutsu Keisyukai Tokyo
Pro MMA Record: 2-0-2
Birthdate: 3-9-1985
Height: 177 cm (5ft 10in)
Background: Judo

Ikuo Usuda
School: Kiguchi Dojo
Pro MMA Record: 4-0
Birthdate: 4-25-1980
Height: 168 cm (5ft 5in)
Background: Wrestling

Kota Okazawa
School: Team ZST
Pro MMA Record: 5-1-2
Birthdate: 11-29-1986
Height: 173 cm (5ft 8in)
Background: Jiu-Jitsu, Judo

Kohei Maruyama
School: SK Absolute
Amateur MMA Record: 2-0
Birthdate: 4-5-1987
Height: 173 cm (5ft 8in)
Background: Sambo

Dap to NOB for some translational help.