This was my first professional fight. We approached it very well with a smart game plan. I focused much more on pad work and less on sparring, and that worked better for me. It was also my first weight cut. It was a bit difficult, but overall it went very smoothly. This experience will definitely help me in the future. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to do a face-off, which is the only thing missing from the full professional experience. I won the fight, and afterward, my opponent and I made peace behind the scenes. We talked with the trainer over there and discussed some future plans. From where I stand now, the future of my fighting career looks to be in very good hands. OSU

Make the knee follow the same path as much as possible. Then choose a kick. Makes it hard to defend and works in sparring well. Here you see a simple set up with pads.

Jukuchou further took care of us today by eating really good Yakiniku for lunch. In the evening we did a mass sparring session with everyone to say goodbye. Jukuchou stood in front of me. I still don't get how his body moves at all... The reach on his reeks, the blocks always present, the changes from attack to attack and the rapid follow-ups are beyond me. Next we went to eat some real 'indian' curry 😬 Not the right thing to say to a half Indian... The taste was adapted for Japanese clientele. We did share one spicy dish, where I proved to be victorious again. 😁💪 Shuta will be participating in the Hoost Cup in Nagoya in June against a Brazilian fighter. Brent will have his next match in August under Tatsujin and Jukuchou will try to get him in Rizin next. Luckily he already has the rashguard. Then we said our goodbyes to the boys in the club. Aaand were suddenly taken on a sidequest to promote the Hirakata film festival organized by a horishi (irezumi tattoo artist) and Brent's next fight with local businesses... Some awkward pictures and then the night brought us some karaoke 🎤😬 And we were dropped off at the hotel by the horishi. Thank you for following us on this journey. In the upcoming weeks I'll drive in some of the other things we learned and saw. But for now, logging off. Wish us safe travels back home. OSU

After an entire day of waiting.. And waiting.. And getting nervous... And then some warning up... And then some more waiting... And then some more nerves.. They announced a ten minute break 😫 And then the fight began. Professional card. Tatsujin Rules. Clinch, throw, ground and pound. Clinch, throw, ground and pound. Clinch, throw, ground and pound. T-K-O! Brent Dupuis won his pro debut match against an experienced Taiga Striker! And can now call himself a professional fighter. Flawless fight camp. Flawless weight cut. Flawless victory. Now, we feast! And Brent didn't event use the calf kicks we trained on the calf pad. Two weeks after our last pad session my leg still hurts...

So today was probably the hardest day for Brent until now. We borrowed an electric scale from the gym which was 300 - 500grams off. Then we weighed him on it before the weigh in at the gym and took the safety margin. He was at 69,4kgs zo he decided to take two sips of water and some yoghurt. Getting him back to 70kg on the electric scale. Then we waited until the time for the weigh in. Brent made a good impression with his build and passing the weigh-in flawlessly at 69.1kg. But he also got some laughs because he didn't only eat two onigiri 🍙, but also two butaman. And because he tried to tie his belt while walking up to the stage and in the haste didn't check the way his belt was tied. So far he left a mixed impression, very kind text on him in the booklet, where he's being described as someone who already fought opponents 20kg heavier than him and having flown in from Belgium just for this fight. A very professional fighter with good muscles and a strong work ethic regarding the weight. But then also eating fatty pork and tying his belt like a brute. 😅 When we saw Shuta enter, he looked like a corpse. His weigh-in didn't go as smoothly... 100 grams too much, back to running (and almost dying). When he came back during the rules for his second weigh-in he passed and out of relief he clapped his hands really hard, only to then realize that he f*cked up. Jukuchou found it funny and was relieved for him also. We didn't eat together as planned, as Shuta had to rest up a bit before moving. Meanwhile Brent got his servings of shoyu udon, each portion bigger than the last, until he was full. Then he ate some salted potato chips to get his sodium back up. Then we decided on some doughnuts to get some fast sugars and calories in. And he bought four more butaman to be sure. Clocking out today at 73kgs. OSU