Since the division was introduced in professional Shooto in 2003, it has been slow to develop, typically with few fighters advancing from the amateur ranks to the pros, and fewer fighters actively competing once they've obtained their professional licenses. However, this is something that has slowly begun to change, as more and more flyweight fighters have made their presences felt on Shooto cards.
However, in the last several months, the division has made huge strides. February saw the division gain its first Class A flyweight competitor in "ATCH Anarchy" Atsushi Takeuchi (Pictures), and March saw Takehiro Harusaki (Pictures) earn his Class A promotion as well. Shooto officials hope to have enough Class A competitors by late 2008 to sanction a world flyweight title fight.
Given how the division has been progressing, it appears as though the third Class A flyweight will be 2006 rookie champion Shinya Murofushi (Pictures), who has looked sensational through his first three pro bouts after a sterling amateur career. Standing between Murofushi and that Class A promotion is veteran opponent Kenichi Sawada (Pictures).
In the skills department, the fight looks fairly mismatched. Murofushi is a grappling ace, having submitted his way through the amateur ranks en route to an amateur Shooto championship win in 2005, and continuing that trend through his first two pro fights. Very tall for the 115-pound division, Murofushi stands at 5' 9" and looks more like a posterboy for Marfan's syndrome than Shooto's developing flyweight class.
His size makes him extremely hard to deal with in the grappling department, as he has the ability to simply drag his opponents to the mat with his leverage advantage, and should he end up on the bottom, his long legs and high work-rate make him both extremely awkward and threatening. Sawada, on the other hand, is a ho-hum grappler for the most part, and has poor defense off of his back, where he is susceptible to giving up position off the scramble, or just getting flat out pounded as was the case against Noboru Tahara.
The success Sawada has had seems largely predicated on the fact that he is tough and willing to mix it up in the ring. While not a great striker, Sawada can pick his punches, and can deliver some knees inside. However, these kinds of results have come against fighters of comparable size, and not a fighter like Murofushi, who will be able to hit Sawada from across the ring. Furthermore, Murofushi has developed some stand-up ability of his own, as evidenced by his crushing KO win over Tiger Ishii in March with a wicked knee strike.
Sawada is not as miserable as his record portrays, due the fact that a handful of his losses have come to 123-pounders, and the fact that he's shown improvement in his most recent fights. After parting ways with his former employer before his last bout with Takehiro Harusaki (Pictures), Sawada said his job loss would allow him to focus on fighting, and bring out his potential. He responded by taking Harusaki, considered one of the better 115-pounders, to a split decision which some felt he won. However, this is of little consequence, as Sawada is representative of the nascence of the 115-pound class, where fighters can often be competitive on accord of mediocre skill level and above-average gameness. Murofushi is perhaps the first in what figures to become a line of legitimate, highly skilled fighters who have serious skills, to compliment their toughness.
While there are still unanswered questions about Murofushi, such as whether or not he can take a punch, they're not likely to be addressed in this bout. Unless Sawada's unemployment has spearheaded a monumental metamorphosis, Murofushi would hold virtually every advantage in this bout. His size, reach and developing skills on the feet should be enough to dictate the bout from there, and if not, he should have the ability to take it to the ground, where he most certainly has the physical and technical tools to overwhelm Sawada.
Sawada is certainly tough, and if he is continuing to improve, he may see the final bell. However, Murofushi takes this, and more than likely by submission whenever he chooses.