Shohei Ono wants a stunt at All Japan Championships

Shohei Ono, who did not take part in the All-Japan Weight Class Championships, has decided to take part in the All-Japan Open Weight Championships, considered to be the blue riband event in Japan.

Ono has competed in the All-Japan Open Weight event twice before (in 2013 and 2017) but failed in his attempts then. Will it be third time lucky for Ono?

There is no question Ono is a superb technician, and many people have seen videos of him acquitting himself quite well against Teddy Riner in training camps. Of course a randori in a training camp is different from a competition. In a real competition, there is no question Riner would have crushed him.

So, can Ono triumph over Open Weight fighters in Japan?

The last lightweight fighter to make it to the final of the All-Japan Open Weight Championships was the late, great Toshihiko Koga in 1990. He fought remarkably well in the final against Naoya Ogawa but in the end he got thrown with ashi-guruma for ippon. Ogawa was simply too big for him.

Well, Ono has often been compared to Koga (some call him this generation's Koga). So, can he do what Koga did and make it all the way to the final too? And if so, can he do what Koga couldn't, which is to win the final?

If he succeeds, Ono would have created history as the lightest player to win the All-Japan Open Weight Championships.

Olympic Champions Shinobu Sekine and Isao Okano have both won it (Sekine in 1972; and Okano in 1967 and 1969). Both of them were -80kg fighters. Ono is a -73kg fighter.

Interesting: Also Olympic Champion Naohisa Takato will compete among the heavyweights.

Check the promo video