Yamato Damashii -- The Return of Enson Inoue at ASTRA

News for the upcoming ASTRA event is slow-coming, but continues to trickle in. At a presser held in Japan, some more news was released in regards to this show, one a return and another another retirement. Makoto Takimoto, one of Hidehiko Yoshida's training partners and former PRIDE and Sengoku fighter has announced that he will not be fighting in the ASTRA event or any event for that matter. he has grown impatient waiting for big fights to come together and has grown tired of the fight game altogether.

The return, of course, will be the living Yamato Damashii himself, Enson Inoue. Inoue has had some legal issues over the past few years, including serving jail time for drug possession in Hawaii. He resides in Japan and of course has a few of his PUREBRED gyms across the world but this will be his first time in a ring competing since 2004. Fans last saw him on a big stage in PRIDE in 2002 where he was submitted by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via triangle choke.

His competition is New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen, best known for defeating Hiroshi Izumi at Sengoku 10. The bout will be contested at Light Heavyweight. Still no opponent set for Yoshida.