Sumo tournament Pro Era V is set for Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — A professional sumo tournament is coming to Orlando next month, with a hometown MMA fighter among the first competitors announced.

World Elite Sumo will hold its “Pro Era V” event Saturday, Nov. 21, at Caribe Royale Orlando. The one-night tournament will feature 12 competitors in an open-weight field, allowing wrestlers of different sizes to face each other.

Tickets are on sale through VBO Tickets, according to organizers.

World Elite Sumo was founded by former top-division sumo wrestler Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan. Organizers describe it as the first professional sumo league outside Japan.

The first three announced competitors are tournament champion Hidenoumi “The Iron Wall” Takuya of Japan, Power Slap competitor Makini “Big Mak” Manu and Orlando-based MMA fighter Brennen Moorefield.

Makini Big Mak Manu Makini Big Mak Manu (right) delivered a strong performance in his professional sumo wrestling debut at World Elite Sumo on September 26. (Enrique Santiago/World Elite Sumo)

Orlando fighter joins the field

Moorefield, 31, was born and raised in Orlando and trains at Fusion X-Cel Performance.

According to the league, the former high school football player and wrestler began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu before moving into MMA, where he won his first three bouts by first-round knockout.

In his professional sumo debut, Moorefield defeated an experienced opponent who outweighed him by 150 pounds, organizers said.

At 5 feet 10 inches and 230 pounds, Moorefield is considerably smaller than the other two announced competitors.

Takuya, 34, stands 6 feet tall and weighs 350 pounds. A former wrestler in Japan’s top sumo division, he won the league’s Sept. 26 tournament in Santa Cruz, California, defeating three opponents.

Manu, 32, is a 6-foot, 400-pound former professional football player who also competes in Power Slap. He made his professional sumo debut at the September tournament, winning his opening matchup against a competitor weighing nearly 500 pounds.