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WORLD ELITE SUMO ADDS UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHT MMA FIGHTER TO ONE-NIGHT, 12-MAN PROFESSIONAL SUMO TOURNAMENT AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER ON SATURDAY, MAY 16
GEORGIAN AMERICAN NEW JERSEY RESIDENT GIORGI KVIRCHISHVILLI ENTERS THE TOURNAMENT ALONG WITH SUMO STARS FROM JAPAN AND NEW YORK CITY
TICKETS FOR THE WES LIVE EVENT ARE ON SALE NOW
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Newark, NJ – May 5, 2026 – World Elite Sumo (WES) today announced that undefeated Georgian American Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Giorgi Kvirchishvilli, will compete in the one-night, 12-man, single-elimination tournament that will headline the professional sumo wrestling live event at Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, May 16.
Tickets for the WES live event at Prudential Center on May 16 are on sale at both PruCenter.com and Ticketmaster.com.
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound Kvirchishvilli, a resident of Carteret, N.J. enters a fiercely competitive, world-class tournament field that will host fighters from the U.S., Japan, Russia, Brazil and Hungary.
Also announced today as a new tournament entrant was former Japanese sumo star Asahisho Kota.
During his stellar career, Kota reached the highest-level division among the six top divisions of professional sumo wrestling competitors in Japan, ranking among the 42 best athletes in the entire sport.
Joining Kvirchishvilli and Kota as new entrants in the tournament will be founder of sumo training camp New York Sumo Beya, James Grammer of Queens, N.Y., 12-time U.S. sumo tournament champion Dan “The Hungry Man” Kalbfleisch and fellow top 5 American heavyweight sumo Zach “Double Jeopardy” Johnson-Dunlop.
Both Kalbfleisch and Johnson-Dunlop hail from Burbank, Calif.
“With the addition of these five new athletes, the tournament field for May 16 is stacked with a group of elite sumo fighters who bring a wide range of skills and experience and, of course, the mental toughness that you need in order to succeed in our competitive sport,” said Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan, the CEO of World Elite Sumo and one of the competitors slated for action in the tournament.
Originally from Egypt, Shalan, who resides in Waldwick, N.J., is the first professional sumo wrestler in history from The Middle Eastern and African regions of the world.
A massive 6-foot-3 and 440 pounds, Johnson-Dunlop will physically be the largest fighter in the 12-man tournament field.
Kalbfleisch is a 6-foot, 285-pound athlete who, in addition to his status as a multiple-time U.S. sumo champion, is a two-time winner of professional sumo tournaments in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The brackets for the single-elimination tournament will be determined on Friday, May 15, one day before the live event.
The 12 fighters will all compete in the first stage of the bracket-style tournament, with the six first stage fight winners advancing to the next stage of the tournament.
Those winners will be joined in the quarterfinal stage of the tournament by two of the fighters who lost their respective first stage matches, but are each granted a wild card to re-enter the tournament as a result of their strong performances in the initial stage of combat.
The eight remaining sumo competitors will battle it out across quarterfinal, semifinal and championship stages of single-elimination competition until there is one tournament champion at the end of the night.
All WES tournament matches are contested in a best-of-three format, increasing competitive stakes and maintaining a rapid, exciting pace of action.
WES, the first independent professional sumo wrestling league established outside of Japan in centuries, brings together top-level athletes from around the world, featuring live taiko drumming, dramatic entrances, and an immersive fight-night production that blends athleticism, intensity, and spectacle.
Doors for the WES event open at 6:00 p.m. on May 16, and the event begins at 7:00 p.m. For more information on WES, visit www.prucenter.com or www.worldelitesumo.com.
Here is a look at each of the athletes who will compete in the WES one-night, 12-man tournament:
Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan
Nationality: Egyptian
Fighting out of: Waldwick, N.J.
Age: 33
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 340 pounds
Fighting Style: Tsuki/Oshi (thrusting and pushing) and tsuki dashi (thrusting an opponent out of the ring).
Career Accolades: Tied for the fourth fastest climb to the makuuchi, or the top tier division for sumo wrestlers in Japan and earned his first tournament championship with a perfect record of 7-0 during his first year of competing in 2012; Defeated two yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo wrestling) in back-to-back matches in 2014.
Giorgi Kvirchishvilli
Nationality: Georgian American
Fighting out of: Carteret, N.J.
Age: 35
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 265 pounds
Fighting Style: A heavy-handed wrestling stylist.
Career Accolades: The 2024 North American Grappling Association (NAGA) World Heavyweight Champion; A multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt tournament winner.
Asahisho Kota
Nationality: Japanese
Fighting out of: Chiba, Japan
Age: 36
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 310 pounds
Fighting Style: Prefers pushing and thrusting techniques to grabbing his opponent’s mawashi (the loincloth worn by sumo wrestlers in competition).
Career Accolades: Reached the highest echelon of professional sumo competitors in his native Japan.
James Grammer
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Queens, N.Y.
Age: 34
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 330 pounds
Fighting Style: Favors oshi-zumo, a pushing style of wrestling that favors distance between a wrestler and his opponent.
Career Accolades: Placed fifth in both the open weight category of the 2025 U.S. national tournament event and the 2022 Swiss national sumo open tournament event.
Soslan “Big Bear” Gagloev
Nationality: Russian
Fighting out of: Orlando, Fla.
Age: 35
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 350 pounds
Fighting Style: Yotsu-zumo (When opponents grab each other’s belt with both hands) specialist with dominant migi-yotsu (when a wrestler secures an inside grip on the opponent’s belt with the right hand, while the left hand is outside) belt control.
Career Accolades: Competed in Japan’s top professional divisions and is known for powerful yorikiri (driving the opponent out backward while maintaining a constant grip on the opponent’s belt) force-outs and polished technique.
“Rui Junior”
Nationality: Brazilian
Fighting out of: Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
Age: 32
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 381 pounds
Fighting Style: Dominant power sumo
Career Accolades: The most decorated Brazilian champion with 22 national titles, and a 10-time South American champion. Earned 5 medals at the World Championships and served as head coach of the Venezuelan National Sumo Team for three years. A cornerstone of South American sumo, respected for both competitive dominance and leadership.
Zach “Double Jeopardy” Johnson-Dunlop
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Burbank, Calif.
Age: 43
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 440 pounds
Fighting Style: Well-known for his strong yotsu, which is when a fighter places his right hand and right shoulder against his opponent’s chest in order to force the opponent out of the dohyo.
Career Accolades: A U.S. top five nationally ranked heavyweight; a former All-American sumo classic medalist.
Allejandro “El Caiman” Santana
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Fighting out of: Miami, Fla.
Age: 36
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 360 pounds
Fighting Style: Uses aggressive push-outs and upper body striking
Career Accolades: A former NCAA Division II, dual-sport athlete in football and track and field; A leader and mentor within Florida’s sumo wrestling community.
Jared “The Long Shot” Tadlock
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Arlington, Texas
Age: 37
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 340 pounds
Fighting Style: Technical and tactical, emphasizing discipline, timing and precision.
Career Accolades: The 2022 Texas State Sumo Wrestling Champion. Placed fourth in the 2023 national sumo wrestling championship’s open weight division and placed fourth in the 2021 national sumo wrestling championship’s light heavyweight (251 pounds) division.
Edobor Konyeha
Nationality: Hungarian American
Fighting out of: Jacksonville, Texas
Age: 24
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 202 pounds
Fighting Style: Unorthodox attack style.
Career Accolades: A two-time U.S. national champion.
Joshua Ortiz
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: The Bronx, N.Y.
Age: 39
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 275 pounds
Fighting Style: A strong belt fighter, who uses throwing techniques when he grabs his opponent by the belt and is known for tsuridashi (picking up an opponent and walking him out of the dohyō).
Career Accolades: Was a U.S. Sumo Federation heavyweight competitor in 2025.
Dan “The Hungry Man” Kalbfleisch
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Burbank, Calif.
Age: 49
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 285 pounds
Fighting Style: oshi-zumo.
Career Accolades: A 12-time U.S. sumo champion, two-time Buenos Aires sumo champion and a four-time Milan sumo champion.
*All participants are subject to change*
About World Elite Sumo (WES)
World Elite Sumo is a professional combat sports league redefining sumo for a global audience. Founded by former top-division sumo wrestler Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan, WES combines tradition, discipline, and elite athletic performance with modern production, storytelling, and live entertainment.
About Prudential Center
Prudential Center is a world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Opened in October 2007, the state-of-the-art arena is the home of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) three-time Stanley Cup Champion New Jersey Devils, Seton Hall University’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball program, Professional Women’s Hockey League’s (PWHL) New York Sirens and more than 210 concerts, family shows and special events each year. Ranked in the Top 10 worldwide by Pollstar, Billboard and various other industry publications, Prudential Center is recognized as one of the premier venues in the United States, and hosts over 2 million guests annually. For more information about Prudential Center, visit prucenter.com and follow the arena on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok @PruCenter. Prudential Center is a HBSE property.
