Abu Dhabi set to host UAE’s first international professional sumo competition
Egyptian champion Ramy El-Gazar represents the Arab world
ABU DHABI – Abu Dhabi is set to witness the UAE’s first international professional sumo competition when the All-Star Sumo Competition takes over Space42 Arena this Saturday.
Elite wrestlers from Japan, Mongolia and Egypt will compete across 36 bouts, bringing championship experience and decades of professional competition to the UAE capital. The event, hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has sold out ahead of its debut.
The nine-wrestler field features competitors weighing between 140kg and 250kg, with several having hundreds of professional bouts behind them. Alongside the action inside the ring, spectators will experience traditional elements of sumo, including the formal ring-entering procession and pre-bout rituals that have shaped the sport over centuries.
Star lineup
Japan’s Ichi is the most decorated wrestler in the field. Standing 193cm tall and weighing 230kg, he spent 10 years in Japan’s professional ranks, reached the sekiwake rank and won the Emperor’s Cup, the highest prize in Japanese professional sumo.
Japan’s Hiroki is the heaviest competitor, measuring 193cm and weighing 250kg. A two-time divisional champion, he spent 12 years competing in Japan’s professional elite division.
The Japanese contingent also includes Fumiya, who stands at 170cm and weighs 230kg. A competitor in both sumo and judo, he is the shortest wrestler in the lineup and is noted for his lower centre of gravity, which can provide an advantage against taller opponents.
Fumiya has described sumo as a tactical contest involving pushing, pulling, sidestepping and grappling, with competitors required to read their opponent’s movements rather than rely solely on physical strength.
Mongolia’s Mendee enters the competition as a World Sumo Champion and US Sumo Open champion. His compatriot Tora has recorded 825 career matches, the highest total among the competitors.
Japan’s Waka has 763 career matches, while Mongolia’s Zorig, at 140kg, is the lightest wrestler in the lineup. Two-time World Sumo Championships silver medallist Jaagii completes the international field.
Arab representation
Egypt’s Ramy El-Gazar is the only Arab wrestler competing at the event. The 193cm, 220kg athlete is a 10-time Egyptian national sumo champion and US Sumo Open champion, while also working as a professional chef away from the ring.
El-Gazar said representing Egypt and the Arab world was a significant honour and described his participation as carrying the Egyptian flag into the sumo ring.
He also highlighted the difference between watching sumo from a distance and experiencing it live, pointing to the sport’s combination of speed, power, technique, discipline and tradition.
The Egyptian champion hopes the Abu Dhabi competition will help create opportunities for further sumo events in the Middle East and encourage more Arab athletes to take up the sport.
Ancient rituals
The competition will feature more than the bouts themselves, with audiences able to see traditional elements of the sport at close range. These include the dohyo, the ring where matches take place, along with the dohyō-iri ring-entering ceremony, foot-stamping, salt-throwing and other pre-bout rituals associated with sumo.
The event is being coordinated in collaboration with USA Sumo, with organisers aiming to maintain professional competition standards while preserving the traditions of the sport.
Andrew Freund, director of All-Star Sumo and founder of USA Sumo, said bringing the competition to Abu Dhabi would introduce the sport to a new audience while supporting its international growth.
The press conference ahead of Saturday’s event featured Ichi, Hiroki and El-Gazar alongside Freund and James Taku Leung, head referee of All-Star Sumo.