Japan’s MMA legend scouts for fighters at YawYan Gym

By: 11 years ago

THE YAW-YAN ArDigma Cebu Inc. will have a chance to showcase its elite fighters in the international stage after the prestigious K-1 Martial Arts Entertainment of Japan visited its headquarters last Saturday.
MMA and kickboxing legend of Japan, Taishin Kohiruimaki, stopped by the YawYan ArDigma Cebu Inc. headquarters along Sanciangko Road, downtown Cebu City to scout for potential fighters he can pit in the K-1 Max, the longest running kick boxing tournament in the world.
Kohiruimaki, during his visit, said he is looking for fighters who he can match up against European fighters.
“I heard that there are good fighters here (Yaw-Yan gym), so I came here to check it out,” Kohiruimaki said.
K-1 is known to have been the stepping stones for MMA superstars who are now fighting in Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) such as American superstar Jon Jones and future Hall-of-Famer Anderson Silva of Brazil.
Fighters who caught Kohiruimaki’s attention are Yaw-Yan Fighting Challenge Championship (YFCC) junior lightweight champion Renan “Limbas” Noblefranca, unbeaten Jordan “Labuyo” Balcita and middleweight Trestle “Jun Minion” Tan.
“He is impressed after he saw Renan and Jordan’s fight tapes. He will also get Tan to fight in the bigger divisions,” Yaw-Yan Cebu ArDigma Founder and CEO Master Benigno “Ekin” R. Caniga, Jr. said. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL