For the Sabres’ middleweight representative, martial arts life began at six years when Kazuhiro Hamanaka started wrestling after being inspired by the sport’s practitioners in the LA Olympics.

“Wrestling is what I first watched, first saw on television.  In my hometown of Aomori, Japan, wrestling is the most popular of the martial arts. I liked the aggressiveness and the action. I liked the combat,” says Hamanaka.

After Kazuhiro pursued wrestling and then incorporated the fighting style in his MMA game, his successful career led Sabres’ coach, Ken Yasuda, to invite Hamanaka to join the Tokyo-based IFL team. “Ken suggested it to me; he said they were starting a team in an American league, and I said that, yes, I wanted to be a part of it.  I guess I needed to get the American Dream.”

Although Kazuhiro still calls Tokyo home, he spends time training in Japan and America, doing six days a week: sparring for two hours’, and two to four hours of groundwork and other skills training. Kazuhiro says he has many trainers for wrestling, but Fujimoto, the Montreal Olympic champion, is his main trainer, whilst Kosaka in Japan and Samio Stewart in the U.S. assist him with his striking techniques.

 Ken Yasuda also helps Hamanaka with dieting and other aspects of his training: “Ken is very important to my dieting: I am fighting at 185 this year after 205 last year.  I have been in the U.S. now since January 16 and I will be working out here now, so having Ken as a model to follow, a mentor who knows the Japanese traditions but also knows how they work in the U.S., has been important.”

Kazuhiro, do you incorporate a lot of weight training in your weekly workouts?

“Yes, three days a week - squats, snatch and dead lift.”

Are you able to train with the other Sabres members at all?

“Since I arrived in the U.S. two weeks ago I have been training here full-time with my teammates.”

Do you feel the current Sabres team is a very strong team?

“Very strong, and very helpful. We are very strong together.”

What are your strengths?

“I think I am strong at my striking, takedowns, groundwork and submissions.”

What are your interests outside MMA?

“I like spending time with friends, meeting people and driving cars.”

Do you study tapes of your opponents?

“Yes, but I think it is more important for me to fight my own fight, do my own techniques and not worry about what the other fighter does too much.”

You’ll be fighting Shane Johnson on February 2; what do you know about him?

“He is a good fighter, I have trained some with him when he was on the team (Johnson was a member of the Sabres in 2006).  But I am a good fighter too.”

Do you expect this match to go straight to the canvas?

“Yes, I think it will.  I may have to go to ground’n’pound.”

Will cardio be a factor in your fight?

“Yes, cardio and aerobic training will be the most important.”

Kazuhiro, is there anything you'd like to add?

“I am looking forward to showing my best performance to everyone.”