Gladiator 37 on Nov. 15 in Toyonaka, Osaka, has Shuya Kimura vs. Koji Nakamura for the vacant featherweight belt and Natsuki Kumazaki defending his flyweight title against Takamoto Taniguchi.
What we know
- The Gladiator featherweight title is vacant because Koki Nakagawa gave it up after a workplace accident that caused muscle ruptures and fractures in his left arm; he has five surgeries planned and aims to return.
- Natsuki Kumazaki was promoted from interim to full flyweight champion after NavE retired and vacated the title.
- Gladiator 37 takes place Nov. 15, 2026, at 176BOX in Toyonaka, Osaka.
- Jun, a former Gladiator bantamweight champion, faces Black Combat's Hwang Jun-ho in his first fight in two years and 11 months.
- Takeshi Kunigami fights Heo Seong-haeng, ranked 25th in Black Combat's featherweight division, on the second part of the card.
Gladiator 37 turns on a belt nobody lost in the cage. The featherweight title is open because champion Koki Nakagawa was badly hurt at work, and two fighters at opposite ends of their careers will fight for it at 176BOX in Toyonaka, Osaka.
Shuya Kimura (5-3) is 26 and returns to Gladiator for the first time since October 2024. He debuted in the promotion in December 2023 and won four straight by first-round KO before reaching RIZIN, where he stopped Takeshi Yokoyama in round one in March 2025. Since then he has lost three in a row: a decision to Vugar Karamov, a second-round submission to Kazunori Mashima, and a first-round doctor stoppage from an eye injury against Ryo Takagi in March 2026. He is from Tokushima, and Osaka is close to home.
Koji Nakamura (16-18-4) is 41 and has fought since 2009. He submitted Shota Taguchi with a rear-naked choke on his Gladiator debut in June, after a third-round TKO loss to Takuma Okada the year before. He has twice beaten Kwon A-sol in ROAD FC, once by high-kick KO, and is a judo-based fighter with a reputation for striking.
Nakagawa's injury is severe. He suffered muscle ruptures and fractures when his arm was caught in a machine, and he has five surgeries planned, including a graft from his thigh. He is aiming to return.
In the flyweight title fight, Natsuki Kumazaki (6-1) becomes full champion after NavE retired following his September win. Kumazaki won the interim belt in June and holds national titles in both sports and combat sambo. Takamoto Taniguchi (3-0) has finished all three pro opponents since his September debut, so a finish looks likely.
The second part features Korea's Black Combat. Nakagawa's coach Jun, a former Gladiator bantamweight champion, ends his layoff against Hwang Jun-ho, and Takeshi Kunigami faces Heo Seong-haeng. Watch whether Kimura can end his losing run in front of a home-region crowd.
Shuya Kimura (5-3) is 26 and returns to Gladiator for the first time since October 2024. He debuted in the promotion in December 2023 and won four straight by first-round KO before reaching RIZIN, where he stopped Takeshi Yokoyama in round one in March 2025. Since then he has lost three in a row: a decision to Vugar Karamov, a second-round submission to Kazunori Mashima, and a first-round doctor stoppage from an eye injury against Ryo Takagi in March 2026. He is from Tokushima, and Osaka is close to home.
Koji Nakamura (16-18-4) is 41 and has fought since 2009. He submitted Shota Taguchi with a rear-naked choke on his Gladiator debut in June, after a third-round TKO loss to Takuma Okada the year before. He has twice beaten Kwon A-sol in ROAD FC, once by high-kick KO, and is a judo-based fighter with a reputation for striking.
Nakagawa's injury is severe. He suffered muscle ruptures and fractures when his arm was caught in a machine, and he has five surgeries planned, including a graft from his thigh. He is aiming to return.
In the flyweight title fight, Natsuki Kumazaki (6-1) becomes full champion after NavE retired following his September win. Kumazaki won the interim belt in June and holds national titles in both sports and combat sambo. Takamoto Taniguchi (3-0) has finished all three pro opponents since his September debut, so a finish looks likely.
The second part features Korea's Black Combat. Nakagawa's coach Jun, a former Gladiator bantamweight champion, ends his layoff against Hwang Jun-ho, and Takeshi Kunigami faces Heo Seong-haeng. Watch whether Kimura can end his losing run in front of a home-region crowd.
- Summary
- Gladiator 37 on Nov. 15 in Toyonaka, Osaka, has Shuya Kimura vs. Koji Nakamura for the vacant featherweight belt and Natsuki Kumazaki defending his flyweight title against Takamoto Taniguchi.
- Key points (one per line)
- Shuya Kimura faces Koji Nakamura for the vacant Gladiator featherweight title at Gladiator 37 on Nov. 15
Koki Nakagawa vacated the belt after a serious workplace arm injury
Natsuki Kumazaki makes his first flyweight title defense against unbeaten Takamoto Taniguchi
Nakagawa's coach Jun returns after two years and 11 months against Black Combat's Hwang Jun-ho
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Gong Kakutogi | https://gonkaku.jp/articles/25215
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Fighters in this story
Takamoto Taniguchi
Natsuki Kumazaki
Koji Nakamura
Shuya KimuraSources
Gong KakutogiSummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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