Quarterfinal Seeds Announced for Sengoku Asia Bantamweight Tournament

After being cut down to four just a week ago, Sengoku Raiden Championships' 2010 Asia Bantamweight Tournament is back to being an eight-man race.

As planned, the promotion today announced the addition of four "recommended" fighters, one each from smaller Japanese promotions Pancrase, Shooto, Cage Force and ZST. They join four previously decided quarter-finalists, each of whom has already won two tournament bouts.

Pancrase will donate its bantamweight champion, Manabu Inoue (9-5-1), who is also booked for a September 5 title defense against Tashiro Nishiuchi. Meanwhile, rival organization Shooto sends WEC veteran and former 143-pound ace Akitoshi "Ironman" Tamura (14-9-2).

Former ZST title challenger Shunichi Shimizu (17-6-9) also enters the mix, along with experienced (though inactive) Cage Forcer Taiyo Nakahara (10-6).

Pairings for the tournament quarterfinals - set to take place at SRC 15 on October 20 - were not announced, but here's how the field looks now:

Manabu Inoue (9-5-1 / U.W.F. Snakepit)
Shintaro Ishiwatari (9-3-3 / Gutsman Shooto Dojo)
Taiyo Nakahara (10-6 / Wajutsu Keishukai Gods)
Shoko Sato (9-3 / Sakaguchi Dojo)
Shunichi Shimizu (17-6-9 / Uruno Dojo)
Jae Hyun So (6-8 / Team Posse)
Wataru Takahashi (12-13-4 / Laughter7)
Akitoshi "Ironman" Tamura (14-9-2 / Tsudanuma Dojo)

Despite sharing common opponents, none of the eight remaining competitors have previously met in the ring.