Nikkan Sports is reporting that Japan’s judo gold medalist and newly minted Sengoku MMA fighter Satoshi Ishii will be training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He’s recovering well from surgery to repair a minor hernia and expect to resumes training hardcore soon. There has been some concern in the Japanese fight sport [...]

The essential Japanese MMA blog Nightmare of Battle is reporting that Strikeforce may have the inside track toward signing Takanori Gomi. Affliction’s Tom Atencio indicated in a postfight interview after ‘Ultimate Chaos’ that his organization was close to signing Gomi, but that may not be the case:
From Gomi’s latest interview in MMA magazine Kamipro [...]

Sengoku is doing their own version of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ called the ‘Sengoku Gold Rush Project’. The lightweight fights aired yesterday in Japan, and the always excellent Japan MMA blog Nightmare of Battle has them linked. Here’s part 1, and you can get the rest by visiting the link underneath:

SENGOKU GOLD RUSH PROJECT [...]

Via the essential Nightmare of Battle:
A contrite Misaki has apologized to the fans and people of Japan and his status for his Sengoku fight against Nakamura is still up in the air:

Kazuo Misaki held a public apology today. He was very sorry for what had happened. He feels that he isn’t in the position to [...]

SAVSCI favorite MMA fighter/anime geek/metalhead Josh Barnett is now on Twitter. So follow him:
http://www.twitter.com/JoshLBarnett
UPDATE: …as is another SAVSCI favorite the metal-icious ‘Queen of Spades’ Shayna Baszler:
http://twitter.com/QoSBaszler

Via Nightmare of Battle:
Sengoku fighter Kazuo Misaki was found guilty of ‘interfering with a public servant’:
SENGOKU fighter Kazuo Misaki was sentenced guilty in Tokyo for interference with a public servant in the execution of his or her duties on June 25th.
On the afternoon of March 19th Misaki was found talking on his cellphone while driving. [...]

Via Nightmare of Battle:
Here’s the latest edition of the Sengoku TV show. Lots of Ishii coverage here. The first of three parts is below and you can head over to NOB for the rest:
SENGOKUG! Episode 36 @ Nightmare of Battle

Head over to the great Japanese MMA news blog Nightmare of Battle for parts [...]

Via Nightmare of Battle:
How huge is Satoshi Ishii in Japan? Huge enough to have the cover of all of the major MMA magazines in the country:

August Japanese MMA magazines @ Nightmare of Battle

While we’re on the subject of Josh Barnett–who is on a very short list of our favorite fighters have at SAVSCI–here’s a highlight clip of some of his pro wrestling matches in Japan. Josh Barnett clocking a guy in the head with the ring bell = epic win.

Here’s video clip of Josh Barnett at the Maryland Death Fest. The video starts automatically so we put it after the jump link below…:
JB also has a new blog post where he ruminates about joining the Twitter craze. Obviously, we think he should–check it out and let him know that you want him [...]