Shooto Japan Bantamweight Champion Ryo Okada will return to the promotion on March 21st when he faces Tatsuya Ando in a title fight. The bout has joined a card that is expected to take place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan in two months.
Okada’s last appearance was in RIZIN, where he lost a unanimous decision to Yuki Motoya. The bout was part of the opening round in RIZIN’s Bantamweight Grand Prix, which just wrapped up last month.
Okada will be fighting to defend his belt when returning to the promotion. His last title fight was in March 2021, when he beat veteran Takafumi Otsuka via unanimous decision.
Ando was previously Shooto Japan’s Pacific Rim Bantamweight Champion. His most recent fight was in September when he scored a second-round submission win over Hayato Ishii in a title fight.
Ando recently vacated his Pacific Rim belt so he could earn a fight against Okada.
Three other fights have also been unveiled by Shooto Japan recently. This includes matchups including Daiki Lightyear and undefeated flyweight prospect Wataru Yamauchi.
A previously announced lightweight title fight between Yamato Nishikawa and Takataro Yamada is also set for the card. Here is the updated lineup:
Bout 5: Yamato Nishikawa (16-3-5) vs. Takataro Yamada (13-6-2) (Shooto Japan Lightweight Championship)
Bout 4: Ryo Okada (17-5-3) vs. Tatsuya Ando (12-3-1) (Shooto Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 3: Hayato Ishii (15-4-3) vs. Keita Ishibashi (11-8-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Joji Goto (12-5-1) vs. Daiki Lightyear (10-8-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Yo Otake (2-8-1) vs. Wataru Yamauchi (2-0) (Flyweight)
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