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Takaya-Swanson On for WEC 37, UFC Vet Sudo Hits Mats Again

Sudo takes over Takashoku's wrestling team

His post-MMA life has prized the pen over the sword, but Genki Sudo is about to put his creative energy to use on the mat again -- though in a brand new way.

Sudo's alma mater, Takushoku University, revealed late last week that the charismatic "Neo-Samurai" will take over the reigns of their acclaimed wrestling program as head coach. Takushoku had been looking for potential coaching candidates within their alumni over the last two months following the passing of former coach and Diet parliamentary representative Kotaro Akimoto, who died on Aug. 22 after suffering a stroke.

Sudo was named the choice on Nov. 5, and will officially be announced as the team's wrestling coach on Nov. 13 at a press conference where he'll meet with the media.

At Takashoku, Sudo was an All-Japan collegiate Greco-Roman wrestling champion, and went on to an MMA career that saw him become one of Japanese's biggest combat sports superstars. Sudo retired after his New Year's Eve 2006 submission win over Damacio Page, infamously citing a message above a urinal that beckoned him to take "one step forward.” He has since focused his efforts on writing, music and even starting an amateur baseball team. Ironically, Sudo's retirement in part was influenced by lingering neck injuries sustained during his collegiate wrestling career.

Never one for a dull quote, Sudo said that he hopes to bring the sort of "change" to Takashoku's wrestling program that United States president-elect Barack Obama has preached for America.

Takashoku has traditionally been one of Japanese collegiate wrestling's "big three,” alongside Nippon Sports Science University and Yamanashi Gakuin University, the alma mater of former rival Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

However, more recently, NSSU and YGU have dominated the collegiate scene, with NSSU housing eight All-Japan collegiate champions and YGU producing three this past August. Takashoku team captain Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu, who has won the last two All-Japan collegiate freestyle championships at 145 pounds, is considered the top Japanese collegiate wrestler in either style.

I received a bit of a tip about this last week, that he had enrolled in greco-roman classes, but at the time I was under the impression that Sudo was getting back in the groove for a comeback at Dynamite. This report doesn't rule that out, but in my opinion its not an encouraging sign.