MMA Fighting · Nov 22, 2015
Tsuyoshi Kosaka won't be Fedor's next opponent, facing James Thompson instead
Esther Lin, MMA FightingTsuyoshi Kosaka, a Japanese pro wrestler who was the only fighter to have beaten Fedor Emelianenko before 2010, has been crossed off the list of potential opponents for Emelianenko's comeback fight on New Year's Eve.
The 45-year-old former judoka was announced to be facing James Thompson (20-15,1 no-contest) over New Year's weekend on one of the two Rizin debut shows at the Saitama Super Arena in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Rizin will have shows on Dec. 29 and Dec. 31 at the old home of the Pride Fighting Championships, in an attempt to rebuild the major league MMA scene in that country. Emelianenko headlines the Dec. 31 show.