Aoki at Dream / Photo: publicity
On March 14, while Japan fell victim to earthquakes and tsunamis, Jiu-Jitsu black belt Shinya Aoki (26w, 5l) cried.
But there was joy and the hope of better days in his tears. On that day of woe, the Strikeforce fighter made a touching post on his blog, which in loose translation said:
Some years ago, I was just a little person of 22 or 23 years of age, and Dream Stage Entertainment, the company that owned Pride, hired me to become a great fighter. From there on, many people helped me. Now, I am the father of a little person. I’m here, very happy and crying as I look into my son’s eyes. Today I am a fighter, and I must fight for all those people who supported me,” wrote the Yuki Nakai black belt.
On March 14, while the world cried and felt lament for Japan, the baby Aoki was born. It is for him – and for the other inhabitants of the country – that Shinya Aoki plans to put on a gala exhibition this Saturday, against Lyle Beerbohm.
So far Shinya has only has one fight at Strikeforce, a 2010 fight he lost to Gilbert Melendez by judges’ decision. It’s time to be reborn. That’s why it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him. The father is ready to put on a Jiu-Jitsu show this Saturday.
Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Daley
Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley
Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Gegard Mousasi vs. Keith Jardine
Shinya Aoki vs. Lyle Beerbohm
Preliminaries
Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Robert Peralta
Brett Albee vs. Virgil Zwicker
Joe Duarte vs. Saad Awad
Herman Terrado vs. AJ Matthews
Rolando Perez vs. Edgar Cardenas
Casey Ryan vs. Paul Song