Photo from http://www.sherdog.com/
Article by Cuki Alvarez

TRENCH TECH's head instructor, Tetsuji Kato will be leaving for Japan next week Friday and will be fighting and representing Saipan as part of the undercard for SHOOTO JAPAN's 20th Anniversary.

Kato, who holds a professional MMA record of 20 wins and 8 losses has been living and training local MMA enthusiasts on Saipan for the last 5 years.

"He was invited by the Shooto organization for the May 10th event and will be pitted against BJJ Black belt and fellow Japanese combatant, Kenichiro Tohgashi from the Parestra Hiroshima BJJ Academy".

Tohgashi holds an MMA record of 14 wins and 7 losses and is a southpaw fighter who has fought many times in SHOOTO. Kato for his part was the former WORLD SHOOTO ORGANIZATION's welter weight champion of Japan in 2002. Since moving to Saipan in 2004, Kato has fought only a hand full of times with his last fight taking place in September of 2007 where he fought STRIKEFORCE light weight CHAMPION, Gilbert "EL NINO" Melendez and lost by decision.

"Kato has been training very hard this past month doing six- 5 minute rounds of hard sparring everyday at the TRENCH TECH gym from monday to Saturday in preperation for this upcoming fight". He is doing what he needs to do and has really been working his sthamina and conditioning to the extreme.! He is ready for war and I know he will represent Saipan well!"

Kato will be one of the undercard match ups with Tohgashi in the 155lbs division. The event will take place at the Tokyo Krakuen in the JCB Hole Sporting Center. The semi main will feature PRIDE FC and HERO'S Superstar Takanori Gomi of RASCAL fight team and the MAIN event will feature SHOOTO LIGHT WEIGHT CHAMP Rumina Sato.