Sherdog Prospect Watch: Tsuyoshi Kamiyama

Sudario Tsuyoshi with some HEAVY ground and pound to score the second round stoppage over the unbeaten Csukas‼️

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Tsuyoshi Kamiyama has distinguished himself as one of the rising heavyweight stars in Japan. Also known as “Sudario” or “Takanofuji,” Kamiyama is a former professional sumo wrestler who transitioned to mixed martial arts after being forced to retire by the Japan Sumo Association after striking an attendant during a practice session in August 2019. Now 6-1 as a professional mixed martial artist, the Enson Inoue protege will take on Junior Tafa at Rizin 40 “Bellator vs. Rizin.” The 25-year-old has never gone the distance in his career, with his longest fight, a submission loss to Shoma Shibisai at Rizin 28, ending at the 1:38 mark of Round 3.



The 6-foot-3 Kamiyama likes to rush and finish his foes right out of the gate, as the five first-round stoppages he recorded show. Kamiyama is more at ease on the feet than on the ground, and is particularly vicious with his punches. Yet, Kamiyama is versatile with his kicks, as he showed in his clash with Ikuhisa Minowa at Rizin 26, where he chopped down his foe before finishing the job with a few hammerfists at 3:19 of the first round. As often happens with heavy hitters, his cardio tends to wane as the fight goes into the later rounds.



In his MMA debut, Kamiyama forced a doctor stoppage of Dylan James after breaking his opponent’s nose 3:00 into Round 1. He then overcame Minowa with flying colors before smashing Kazushi Miyamoto via an eight-second knockout, unable to control himself even after the referee stopped the contest by landing standing-to-ground strikes. Kamiyama was fined 25 percent of his purse on that occasion. Kamiyama subsequently lost to Shoma Shibisai in his toughest test to date before bouncing back with a knockout at the expense of Lawdlain Saint-Ilme. In 2022, he faceplanted Hideki Sekine (12-6, 2-2 Rizin) with a punch 53 seconds into their affair before crushing Janos Csukas with a flurry of punches followed by a knee to the head of the grounded opponent in the Rizin 39 co-headliner.