Despite the unexpected matchup with Andy Souwer in MMA rules, Yuichiro Nagashima wants everybody to focus on his cosplay walkout more than his fight. An exclusive interview with Yuichiro Nagashima.

Yuichiro Nagashima’s fight has been confirmed with the ironman Andy Souwer in MMA rules, he talked about how he wants to put on exciting fights for the fans, “Results will be either a KO win or a KO loss, I’m the one who will restart the stopped time in the Japanese fight scene”.

Your next fight has been confirmed as Andy Souwer in MMA rules, please give us your thoughts

It’s just surprising, the concept is a mystery. I thought it was going to MMA and kick boxing mixed rules. And to add to my surprise my opponent turned out to be Andy Souwer. I’ve been hearing rumors that he is going to focus on MMA so he may think I’m a pushover. For me, I’m just going to do what I can to make this an entertaining fight.

What is your impression on Andy Souwer

I grew up watching PRIDE so it’s an honor for me to just compete in the RIZIN ring, on top of that I get to face a great fighter like Souwer, so I’m out of words. When I hear Andy Souwer I think combinations up top and leg kicks down low. He is an amazing fighter who won the K-1 World MAX tournament and I learned a lot from his fights myself.

What kind of fight do you want to show in RIZIN

Japan’s fight scene on terrestrial television has been stuck in a time warp since my fight with Aoki from 5 years ago, so I have assigned myself to be the one who will rescue everybody from this time gap. In order to do so, I need to put on a fight that will reach out to people. The most important thing I care about as a professional fighter is to win by KO. Next priority is a loss by KO. Of course it would be great if the results would favor me, but the most important thing is that the fans enjoy what we deliver. I want to put on a performance where everybody will be blown away.

Why do you walkout dressed up

It’s for my identity. I used to be a shut-in and what saved me was anime. If it wasn’t for anime, I think I would have been all total disaster of a human. So for me, the way I dan express myself is through cosplay. The fight comes second. When Nagashima fights, watch his walk out, watch his cosplay. I want the crowd to be entertained the most at that point, and keep that momentum going through my fight.

Name:: TOP Presents RIZIN.1
Date:: April 17th 2016 (Sun)
OPEN:15:00 / START 16:00 (scheduled)
Venue:: Nihon Gaishi Hall
Special sponsor:: TOP INC.
Access:: Nihon Gaishi Hall
5-1-16, Higashimatabeecho Minami-ku Nagoya-shi, Aichi
[Access]
* 3 minute-walk from JR Kasadera Station
Twitter:: @rizin_PR
Facebook:: https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation

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