Aonishiki defeats Hoshoryu to become Ukraine's 1st tournament winner

(english.kyodonews.net 11-23-25)

FUKUOKA - Ukrainian sensation Aonishiki clinched his maiden elite-level championship and virtually guaranteed his promotion to ozeki Sunday with a tie-breaking playoff victory over yokozuna Hoshoryu to win the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.

The 21-year-old sekiwake has risen through the ranks at a record pace, is the first sumo wrestler from his country to win the Emperor's Cup, achieving the feat in just his 14th tournament.

Aonishiki forced the playoff by defeating ozeki Kotozakura and finishing the scheduled portion of the 15-day meet tied at 12-3 with Hoshoryu, who picked up a forfeit win following the injury withdrawal of fellow yokozuna and joint overnight leader Onosato (11-4).

With his title-clinching victory at Fukuoka Kokusai Center, Aonishiki also stayed unbeaten in his four career matches against the 26-year-old Hoshoryu, nephew of Mongolian former yokozuna Asashoryu, including their scheduled bout the previous day.

"I'm genuinely happy," Aonishiki, whose real name is Danylo Yavhusishyn, said of the title. "It's something I've always been aiming for and I'm really happy to have achieved it."

Aonishiki is the first champion ever from Ajigawa stable, while Ukraine becomes the sixth foreign country to produce a sumo grand champion winner after the United States, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Estonia and Georgia.

"It's pure joy. I'm sure he prepared well for the day's bout despite many different pressures," said his stablemaster Ajigawa, former sekiwake Aminishiki. "He was able to show on the dohyo what we've been working on."

Had Aonishiki lost to Kotozakura (8-7), the tournament would have ended with the anticlimactic crowning of Hoshoryu as champion without the yokozuna competing on the final day.

Onosato's Nishonoseki stable earlier in the day announced that the five-time Emperor's Cup winner had dislocated his left shoulder a day before Saturday's loss to Kotozakura that left the two yokozuna and Aonishiki tied for the lead.

In his do-or-die battle with Kotozakura, Aonishiki gave up a belt grip but held firm and stayed low before toppling his much larger opponent with a sensational "uchimuso" inner thigh propping twist down.

Returning to the ring after only a brief interval, the young sekiwake kept Hoshoryu away from his belt at the initial charge and slipped behind the yokozuna to execute a rear throw down.

"This was my first playoff, so I just wanted to make sure I got it right and finish with no regret," Aonishiki said. "I'm always a little nervous but I was able to focus on my style of sumo."

The new champion was told during his victory ceremony interview that the Japan Sumo Association will discuss promoting him to ozeki at an upcoming meeting, signaling his likely elevation to the second-highest rank for January's New Year tournament.

"I'm happy," said Aonishiki, who moved to Japan in April 2022 to escape the war that is still raging in his home country. "But there's one more rank above ozeki and I'll be doing my best to get there."

Aonishiki won his first Outstanding Performance Prize as well as his third Technique Prize, tying Onosato's record of winning at least one prize in each of his first five meets in the elite makuuchi division.

For two-time Emperor's Cup winner Hoshoryu, the frustrating loss marks the second time in a row he has been denied the championship in a playoff, following his defeat to Onosato at September's Autumn tournament in Tokyo.

Onosato remained at three championships for 2025 and five for his career, but finished the year with the most wins in makuuchi. The powerhouse from Ishikawa Prefecture will miss sumo's winter regional tour but is expected to be back after a month of treatment and recovery.

In other action from the final day in Fukuoka, former ozeki Kirishima (11-4) solidified his case for promotion from No. 2 maegashira back to the three "sanyaku" ranks below yokozuna by pushing down No. 3 maegashira Ura (8-7), securing his third Fighting Spirit Prize in the process.

Another former ozeki, veteran komusubi Takayasu, narrowly held onto his place at sanyaku by improving to 8-7 with a hard-fought win against talented No. 5 maegashira Yoshinofuji, previously known as Kusano, who finished at 9-6 and won his second Technique Prize.

No. 8 maegashira Ichiyamamoto won his second Fighting Spirit Prize after going 11-4.

https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/65480

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"Bai Fut Sow" or "Buddha Breathing"

(from Master Z's facebook page)

The "Bai Fut Sow" or "Buddha Breathing" exercise is a powerful Qigong practice that combines breath control, posture, and mental focus to cultivate internal energy. The triangle formation with the hands is a classic mudra, symbolizing balance, harmony, and unity.

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Kung-Fu Works: Creates strength, health, longevity and fitness.

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Tanner Buchanan Explains How ‘Cobra Kai’ Changed His Fitness Mindset Along With Strong Nation (Exclusive)

(hollywoodlife.com 10-27-25)

Cobra Kai came to an end earlier this year, but Tanner Buchanan is holding the memories he made and his acquired martial arts skills close to his heart. In an exclusive interview with Hollywood Life, the 26-year-old actor shared that he keeps in shape through the high-intensity, boot camp-style group exercise course STRONG Nation.

“What I like about it is you can kind of do it anywhere,” Tanner said while explaining how the exercise program fits into his work schedule. “If you can’t make it to a class, I know that they have some classes online that you can always take. And funny enough, with my career, I travel so much, and, and I’m not able to get to the gym a lot, which is not a great thing for me, as I usually have to stay in shape quite a bit.”

Tanner is no stranger to fitness. On Cobra Kai, he played Robby Keene for all six seasons. He began with almost no martial arts experience — which he jokingly called “non-existent” — but ended up performing “95 percent” of his own stunts in the final season, he told Hollywood Life. Tanner also finished the show with lifelong friendships, calling Ralph Macchio and William Zabka the “adopted dads” of the younger cast members. And as fans know, Tanner is engaged to co-star Mary Mouser.

While recollecting his favorite emotional Cobra Kai scene, Tanner recalled Robby’s tearful season 6 locker room conversation with his dad, Johnny (played by William), as the character reflects how karate changed his life.

“I remember that last moment … I was crying and getting emotional just because I knew it was that one last scene [before the show ended],” Tanner recalled. “And I do remember a sweet moment from Billy when he hugged me in the scene. And then, when they called ‘Cut,’ he kind of gave me like a little kiss on the forehead, and he was like, ‘First off, that was amazing. Second off, this has been such an amazing experience to be able to share with you.’ So, then I had to pull it back together, and I was like, ‘No, no, no, I can’t cry anymore.'”

An actor’s lifestyle comes with a hectic itinerary, so Tanner chose STRONG Nation to help him stay fit. The course provides students with a combination of body weight, muscle conditioning, cardio and plyometric training synced to original music reverse engineered to match every move, which Tanner noted “keeps your mind off actually working out.”

The intense course promises a calorie-burning experience along with toning arms, legs, abs and glutes. STRONG Nation differs from other exercise courses through its relationship of moving in sync to the music, which includes fast-paced rhythms such as EDM, techno, house, drum, dubstep hip-hop and fusion genres. As a result, students stay focused on their moves rather than tediously counting each rep. While moves like burpees, squats and lunges can seem daunting, STRONG Nation partnered with some of the most famous music producers, including Timbaland, Krewella and Steve Aoki, to make sure students can enjoy their workout while working up a sweat.

Since the STRONG Nation program works with Tanner’s schedule, he can focus on upcoming projects, such as his role in the upcoming supernatural horror Hide and Don’t Speak. The film follows six teens that “play a terrifying viral Japanese game in which the players summon a vengeful spirit for a deadly round of hide-and-seek,” according to its synopsis.

“It’s definitely a horror that I was surprised no one had even done yet,” Tanner teased, adding that the film will “get your heart pumping, that’s for sure.”

https://hollywoodlife.com/2025/10/27/cobra-kai-tanner-buchanan-fitness-regimen-with-strong-nation/