“Sumo vs. Judo” as Kazuhiro Nakamura Faces Henry Miller in Open Weight Fight at Deep 63 Impact

Deep 63 Impact is set for the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Aug. 25. It will be headlined by a good old-fashioned “freak show” style match-up, as reigning middleweight champion Kazuhiro Nakamura goes up against heavyweight veteran Henry Miller.

Nakamura (18-11) is a 3rd Dan Judoka, while Miller (6-15-1) comes from a Sumo background. Both have been around since the Pride era. The American has been competing at heavyweight and even super heavyweight and will have a massive size advantage in this open weight fight.

The bout has been billed as “Sumo vs. Judo,” but while Nakamura has three straight wins, Miller is on a six-fight losing skid. The disparity in recent form could be negated by the immense difference in weight, which will appeal to any Japanese fans who have fond memories of seeing Ikuhisa Minowa defeat enormous opponents during the Dream days.

The card also features two title bouts with Ken Hasegawa (6-0) making the first defense of the Megaton (open weight) title that he won in February. He takes on Hirohide Fujinuma (12-4-2). Both men have won six straight fights, giving this match-up immense significance for the heavyweight landscape in Japan.

The other title match features Yuki Motoya (7-3), who will be defending the flyweight belt he won with a head-kick knockout of Akira Kibe last year. He takes on Tatsumitsu Wada (9-7-2-1), who has successfully turned his career around after losing his first five fights.

Also on the card is former lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno (20-5-2), who will be looking for a fourth consecutive first-round knockout win when he takes on Yong Jae Lee (7-3). The Korean is part of a contingent of three fighters from Road FC that are all facing Japanese opponents.

It seems Doo Ho Choi is UFC bound and won’t be fighting for the Deep featherweight title anytime soon, but two potential challengers for the strap currently owned by Kazunori Yokota will go head to head on Aug. 25.

Takahiro Ashida (9-1-2) is riding a six-fight winning streak and will be looking to take a step closer to a shot at Yokota when he takes on Katsunori Tsuda (6-2-1). The card also features a welterweight match-up between the unbeaten Kokichi Katahira (6-0-1) and Sanshiro Nakakura (2-0), who only made his professional debut in January.