Desouza Marcel meets Makoa Cooper for the vacant Shooto world welterweight title on Nov. 29 at Korakuen Hall, with Naito Shoki vs. Toma Yoshinao deciding the strawweight challenger.
What we know
- The world welterweight title is vacant because former champion Ryuichiro Sumimura retired.
- The welterweight title bout is five rounds of five minutes; Marcel is ranked No. 1 and Cooper No. 2.
- The Naito Shoki vs. Toma Yoshinao strawweight bout is three rounds and decides the next challenger to champion Koyuru Tagami.
- Professional Shooto 2026 Vol.7 is on Nov. 29 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, streamed on U-NEXT.
- The card also has two Infinity League 2026 bantamweight bouts, Takumi Yoshimura vs. Rui Sekine and Yuki Takeda vs. Reo Hitomi, plus Yuto Umeki vs. Naoki Urushida at strawweight.
Reported, not confirmed
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Ray Cooper III, Makoa Cooper's brother, is booked against Hidenari Saijo at Lemino Shooto 10 on Nov. 8.
Gong Kakutogi
A teenager from Japan and a son of Hawaiian MMA royalty will fight for the vacant Shooto world welterweight title on Nov. 29, the headline of five bouts announced for Professional Shooto 2026 Vol.7 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. The card streams on U-NEXT.
The belt is open because Ryuichiro Sumimura retired. Gong Kakutogi describes him as the first fighter to win titles in Shooto, Pancrase and Deep. His last opponent was Desouza Marcel, the No. 1 contender, who knocked him out in May with a left hook and ground strikes. Marcel debuted as a pro in September 2025 and, per Gong Kakutogi, would be champion at just 19.
Makoa Cooper, ranked No. 2, is the son of Hawaii veteran Ray Cooper and the brother of two-time PFL tournament winner Ray Cooper III. He became Destiny MMA welterweight champion in Hawaii in February 2023, then entered the rankings on his first trip to Japan in April by beating Hidenari Saijo by decision. His father lost a Shooto world welterweight title fight in July 2004 to Jake Shields, so this is the family's first title bout since then.
The co-feature is a rematch. No. 1 Naito Shoki and No. 2 Toma Yoshinao fight over three rounds to decide the next challenger to strawweight champion Koyuru Tagami. Toma shut Naito out on the scorecards in September 2025, but Naito's later win over Takaya Hatakeyama flipped their rankings. Toma has won two straight and beat Tagami in 2022, before Tagami was champion. A win for Naito would make him and his brother, former strawweight champion Nobita Naito, the first brothers to hold Shooto world titles.
The Infinity League bantamweight tournament also returns with two third-round bouts. Takumi Yoshimura, with 4 points, faces Rui Sekine, with 1, while table-topper Yuki Takeda, with 5, meets Reo Hitomi, with 4. Yuto Umeki fights Naoki Urushida at strawweight. Watch the league standings after these two fights, which could start to thin the bantamweight field.
The belt is open because Ryuichiro Sumimura retired. Gong Kakutogi describes him as the first fighter to win titles in Shooto, Pancrase and Deep. His last opponent was Desouza Marcel, the No. 1 contender, who knocked him out in May with a left hook and ground strikes. Marcel debuted as a pro in September 2025 and, per Gong Kakutogi, would be champion at just 19.
Makoa Cooper, ranked No. 2, is the son of Hawaii veteran Ray Cooper and the brother of two-time PFL tournament winner Ray Cooper III. He became Destiny MMA welterweight champion in Hawaii in February 2023, then entered the rankings on his first trip to Japan in April by beating Hidenari Saijo by decision. His father lost a Shooto world welterweight title fight in July 2004 to Jake Shields, so this is the family's first title bout since then.
The co-feature is a rematch. No. 1 Naito Shoki and No. 2 Toma Yoshinao fight over three rounds to decide the next challenger to strawweight champion Koyuru Tagami. Toma shut Naito out on the scorecards in September 2025, but Naito's later win over Takaya Hatakeyama flipped their rankings. Toma has won two straight and beat Tagami in 2022, before Tagami was champion. A win for Naito would make him and his brother, former strawweight champion Nobita Naito, the first brothers to hold Shooto world titles.
The Infinity League bantamweight tournament also returns with two third-round bouts. Takumi Yoshimura, with 4 points, faces Rui Sekine, with 1, while table-topper Yuki Takeda, with 5, meets Reo Hitomi, with 4. Yuto Umeki fights Naoki Urushida at strawweight. Watch the league standings after these two fights, which could start to thin the bantamweight field.
- Summary
- Desouza Marcel meets Makoa Cooper for the vacant Shooto world welterweight title on Nov. 29 at Korakuen Hall, with Naito Shoki vs. Toma Yoshinao deciding the strawweight challenger.
- Key points (one per line)
- Marcel vs. Cooper for the vacant world welterweight title at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Nov. 29
Naito Shoki vs. Toma Yoshinao is a rematch to pick the next challenger to strawweight champion Koyuru Tagami
Two Infinity League bantamweight bouts and one more strawweight fight also announced
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Gong Kakutogi | https://gonkaku.jp/articles/25245
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