VTJ Flyweight Tournament Semifinals Set for June 28 in Osaka

The eight-man flyweight tournament, which got underway in February, will reach its penultimate stage at VTJ 5th on June 28 when the four remaining fighters meet at the Bodymake Coliseum in Osaka with a spot in the final on the line.

Ryuichi Miki (16-6-4) won a unanimous decision over Yoshiro Maeda. The reigning Shooto 123-pound champion has been handed a tough draw against Czar Sklavos (9-3), who is one of two foreigners in the tournament.

Sklavos took less than two minutes to submit seasoned Japanese veteran Mamoru Yamaguchi in his quarterfinal. That performance was sufficient to have him immediately instilled as the tournament favorite among some of the Japanese fans.

Hiromasa Ogikubo (11-3-2) squeezed past Takeshi Kasugai courtesy of a majority decision in his quarterfinal match-up. His reward for that win is a spot against Kana Hyatt (13-12) in the final four.

Hyatt is currently riding a four-fight win streak and the Hawaiian, who decisioned Freddy Arteaga in the opening round, will be looking to build on his recent momentum and cause a major upset by defeating the Shooto veteran.

At present, only four fights are confirmed for the card, with bantamweights Yusaku Nakamura (7-4-1) and Kenji Yamamoto (6-2) set to collide and Yasuaki Kishimoto (15-6-2) set to meet Shinji Sasaki (13-8-2) in a lightweight match-up.

VTJ 5th
Bodymaker Coliseum, Osaka
June 28

Ryuichi Miki vs. Czar Sklavos
Hiromasa Ogikubo vs. Kana Hyatt
Yusaku Nakamura vs. Kenji Yamamoto
Yasuaki Kishimoto vs. Shinji Sasaki