The reigning Greco-Roman World champion is crossing over into mixed martial arts this New Year’s Eve. Japan’s Shinobu Ota is fresh off a gold medal performance in Kazakhstan, where he dominated the 63 kg weight class. It marked Ota’s first medal at that level since the 2016 Olympic Games, where he made a run to the finals at 59 kg.
Although the Tokyo Olympics are around the corner, it’s possible that Ota is making the transition to MMA full-time, given his placement on the national ladder. 63 kg is not an Olympic weight class, and the next closest class of 60 kg is manned by two-time World champion Kenchiro Fumita, who defeated Ota in 2018.