Official Shooto Rankings - June 2009

The International Shooto Commission released its current rankings on Thursday.

Here they are, along with notes on who's done/doing what. Let me know if I missed any upcoming fights.

Photos by Daniel Herbertson.

Flyweight (-52kg / 114.6 lbs.)

Champion: vacant

1. → Rambaa "M-16" Somdet (6-2 / Thailand / M-16 Muay Thai)
2. → Noburo "Shinpei" Tahara (6-3-1 / Japan / Hajimail STF)
3. → "Heat" Takeshi Sato (8-6-1 / Japan / Wajyutsu Keisyukai RJW)
4. → Shinya Murofushi (5-2-1 / Japan / Submit Shizuoka)
5. → Atsushi "ATCH Anarchy" Takeuchi (6-4-2 / Japan / Paraestra Tokyo)
6. ↑ Hiroyuki Abe (5-1 / Japan / K'z Factory)
7. ↓ Takehiro Harusaki (5-5-1 / Japan / Chokushin Kai)
8. ↓ Hiroaki Yoshioka (5-9-2 / Japan / Paraestra Izumi)

- Abe (#6) enters the rankings thanks to a win over Harusaki (#7) on May 20th, Abe's first fight in almost a year.

- "Shinpei" Tahara (#2) TKO'd Murofushi (#4) at Shooting Disco 9 on June 6th.

- "Heat" (#3) and "ATCH" (#5) will clash on July 19th - that should be a wild one.

- Yoshioka (#8) moves to the bottom of the heap due to inactivity.

Bantamweight (-56kg / 123.5 lbs.)

Champion: → Shinichi "BJ" Kojima (10-3-5 / Japan / Katsumura Dojo)
2nd champion - since 10/14/2006 - 2 defenses

1. → Ryuichi Miki (9-2-3 / Japan / Gutsman Shooto Dojo)
2. → Yasuhiro Urushitani (15-4-6 / Japan / Wajyutsu Keisyukai RJW)
3. → Junji Ikoma (12-10-4 / Japan / Chokushin Kai)
4. → Yuki Shoujou (8-5-2 / Japan / X-One Gym Shonan)
5. → Mamoru Yamaguchi (20-5-3 / Japan / Shooting Gym Yokohama)
6. → Jussier "Jussiê Formiga" da Silva (2-0 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
7. → Yusei Shimokawa (5-4 / Japan / K'z Factory)
8. → Jesse Taitano (4-3-2 / USA / Ground Fu - Spike22)
9. → Masatoshi Abe (8-2-1 / Japan / Abe Ani Combat Club)
10. → Yasuhiro Akagi (6-4 / Japan / Alive)

- No change this month. Champion "BJ" will defend his title against South American champ Formiga (#6) at Korakuen Hall on July 19th.

Featherweight (-60kg / 132.3 lbs.)

Champion: → Masakatsu Ueda (9-0-2 / Japan / Paraestra Tokyo)
5th champion - since 3/28/2008 - 1 defense

1. → Eduardo "Dudu" Dantas (7-1 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
2. → Marcos "Louro" Galvao (6-3-1 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
3. → Hiromasa Ogikubo (6-0-2 / Japan / Paraestra Matsudo)
4. → Koetsu Okazaki (5-1-1 / Japan / Cobra Kai MMA Dojo)
5. → Atsushi Yamamoto (12-6-1 / Japan / Krazy Bee)
6. → So Tazawa (8-4-3 / Japan / Gutsman Shooto Dojo)
7. → Junya "Kodo" Kudo (7-2-2 / Japan / Shooting Gym Kobe)
8. → Tetsu "Hadairo" Suzuki (8-7-3 / Japan / Wajyutsu Keisyukai Iwate)
9. → Daniel Lima (8-3-2 / Australia / Five Rings Dojo)
10. → Kenji Osawa (15-8-2 / Japan / Wajyutsu Keisyukai A3)

- No change this month. Dantas (#1) will attempt to do what teammate Marcos Galvao (#2) could not - topple divisional kingpin Ueda - on July 19th.

Lightweight (-65kg / 143.3 lbs.)

Champion: → "Lion" Takeshi Inoue (16-3 / Japan / Shooting Gym Yokohama)
8th champion - since 11/29/2008 - 1 defense

1. → Akitoshi Tamura (14-7-2 / Japan / Tsudanuma Dojo)
2. → Hatsu Hioki (19-3-2 / Japan / Alive)
3. → Hideki Kadowaki (13-9-2 / Japan / Wajyutsu Keisyukai Tokyo)
4. ↑ Savant Young (9-8 / USA / Bodyshop Fitness Team)
5. ↑ Hiroshi "Iron" Nakamura (7-3-4 / Japan / Tokyo Yellow Mans)
6. ↑ Renan Barão (14-1 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
7. ↑ "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura (10-4-1 / Japan / STGY)
8. → Rumina Sato (24-14-2 / Japan / roots)
9. ↓ Antonio Carvalho (10-4 / Canada / Franco Martial Arts)
10. ↓ David Lejenas (6-4 / Sweden / Hilti NHB)

- "Wicky" (#7) re-enters the rankings thanks to his win on May 10th, getting back on the winning track after being eliminated from the first round of DREAM's Featherweight Grand Prix.

- Carvalho (#9) slips all the way from #4 due to inactivity, while Bao Quach has been removed from the rankings.

- The "Son of Shooto" Hioki (#2) next fights in the Sengoku FWGP semis (and presumably finals) on August 8th.

Welterweight (-70kg / 155.3 lbs.)

Champion: → Takashi Nakakura (11-3-1 / Japan / Shooting Gym Osaka)
9th champion - since 5/3/2008 - 0 defenses

1. ↑ Willamy "Chiquerinho" Chiquerim (13-1 / Brazil / Nocaute Fight)
2. ↓ Yusuke Endo (12-3-2 / Japan / Gokita Gym)
3. ↑ Kenichiro Togashi (9-6-5 / Japan / Paraestra Hiroshima)
4. ↑ Takanori Gomi (30-5 / Japan / Rascal Gym)
5. ↓ Bendy Casimir (19-5-2 / France / Haute Tension)
6. ↑ Mizuto Hirota (11-3-1 / Japan / Gutsman Shooto Dojo)
7. ↑ Koutetsu Boku (14-5-2 / Japan / Krazy Bee)
8. ↓ Ganjo Tentsuku (9-4-2 / Japan / Purebred Omiya)
9. ↓ Hamid Corassani (6-2 / Sweden / GBG MMA)
10. ↓ Grzegorz Tredowski (8-4-2 / Poland / Team Beast of the East)

With his impressive win over Endo, the South American champ "Chiquerinho" rightfully assumes the #1 spot this month. He should be next in line for Nakakura, who remains champion despite his non-title loss to Takanori Gomi and subsequent attempt to return the belt to the commission. Gomi himself enters at #4 thanks to the win, though all signs point to the "Fireball Kid" looking to compete Stateside.

- Although his TKO of Mitsuhiro Ishida at "Shooto Tradition Final" was controversial, Hirota (#6) moves up two spots as he prepares to challenge Satoru Kitaoka in August. Boku (#7) trails right behind, up from #9 after getting his first "W" since 2007 on the same card.

Middleweight (-76kg / 167.5 lbs.)

Champion: → Shinya Aoki (20-4, 1 NC / Japan / Paraestra Tokyo)
8th champion - since 2/17/2006 - 1 defense

1. → David Baron (16-3 / France / Haute Tension)
2. → Xavier Lucas (6-1-1 / Australia / Mach 1)
3. → Wim Deputter (18-4 / Belgium / Exit BJJ)
4. → Niek Tromp (4-2-2 / Netherlands / Team Duncan)
5. → Igor "Chatubinha" Fernandes (6-3 / Brazil / Reconvacao)
6. → Zelim Felican (2-1 / Belgium / Golden Gloves)
7. → Roemer Trumpert (7-6 / Holland / Tatsujin Dojo)
8. → Hernani Perpetuo (7-1 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
9. → Akihiro Yamazaki (11-2-1 / Japan / Submit Shizuoka)
10. → Tommy Depret (4-2 / Belgium / Golden Glory)

Light Heavyweight (-83kg / 183 lbs.)

Champion: → Siyar Bahadurzada (14-4-1 / Afghanistan / Golden Glory)
5th champion - since 7/15/2007 - 0 defenses

1. → Leandro "Batata" Silva (13-5 / Brazil / Nova Uniao)
2. → Akihiro Murayama (9-4-5 / Japan / Gutsman Shooto Dojo)
3. → Andre Santos (17-1 / Brazil / Team Nogueira)
4. → Sauli Heilimo (13-3-1 / Finland / Team Scandinavian)
5. → Grazhuydas Smailis (8-4 / Lithuania)
6. → Masashi Yozen (5-2-1 / Japan / Shooting Gym Osaka)
7. → Nathan Schouteren (13-7-2 / Holland / Vechtsport Center de Groot)
8. → Petras Morkevicius (17-8-3 / Lithuania)
9. → Rolandas Agrba (3-3 / Lithuania)
10. → Shiko Yamashita (10-4-3 / Japan / Paraestra Sapporo)