Krush 193: Oiwa defends lightweight title vs. Kodama; Nagano meets Ohira for vacant belt

Two Krush belts are on the line on Oct. 31, and one of the title fights is built on a champion who nearly walked away. Tatsuya Oiwa says that after losing to Samuel Nagasawa in May he thought about quitting and giving up the lightweight belt. Nagasawa then went on to become K-1 champion, which made the loss sting more. Oiwa felt his defeats outside title fights had cheapened the Krush title.

What changed his mind, he says, was Kenshin Kodama's constant calling for the fight. Oiwa feels no anger toward him, only thanks, but he insists the fight itself is separate from gratitude. He wants to rebuild the belt's value and show that a Krush champion is strong.

Kodama, 24, has waited a long time for this. He says the one-month delay from the originally planned September date was frustrating at first, since sponsors had booked flights and friends could not attend. He now thinks it helped. His hard training began around June, and he reports better power, speed and reactions with no injuries, unlike his last three or four camps. His teammates Nagano and Ohira trained at separate times, so his coach Daiguji took him sparring at outside kickboxing gyms, boxing gyms and a university boxing club. Kodama says winning is the minimum and he wants a fight worthy of a title match. He has no MMA plans yet and will think about what comes next after the fight.

Oiwa is 34 and Kodama about ten years younger. Kodama's last Krush fight was a unanimous decision over Shoji Otani in September 2025, and he says injuries kept him out afterward.

In the co-main event, Nagano and Ohira meet in the bantamweight tournament final, with the winner becoming Krush's tenth bantamweight champion. Nagano, 22, has no knockout wins on his record and says he will rely on a decision. Ohira, 21, has four knockouts, and Nagano says he is ready to turn that power against him. Ohira says he sees himself as the challenger and will attack from the first round.

Both title fights are three three-minute rounds with one extension round if needed. The result of each will decide who holds the belts, and for Oiwa it will show whether the champion who nearly left can still defend it.

 

[MMA-TV Newsroom]

Which Krush 193 title fight at Korakuen Hall is the better matchup: Oiwa vs. Kodama at lightweight, or Nagano vs. Ohira for the vacant bantamweight belt?