· B.J. Kojima Relinquishes Shooto Bantamweight Title

Shooto’s Bantamweight Champion Shinichi “B.J.” Kojima has officially announced that he will be relinquishing the promotions 123 pound title. Kojima has held the title since October 2006.

Kojima (10-4-5) was last seen in action in July at “Shooto - Revolutionary Exchanges 1: Undefeated,” losing a non-title decision to Nova Unaio prodigy Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva (3-0). He suffered an ACL injury during the bout, prolonging a title shot for Jussier, whose management was eventually unable to reach a deal with Shooto.

According to Kojima, the healing process is taking much longer than expected. He was unable to give a definite time-line for his return, but expects to be back in action in the latter half of the year.

Shooto officials say a new champion could be crowned as soon as March 22 on “The Way of Shooto: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon” event to be held at Korkuen Hall in Tokyo. While no contenders were named, Mamoru Yamaguchi, the man Kojima took the belt from, is expected to be compete for the title. Yamaguchi is ranked third in the Shooto 123 pound rankings and has rifled off three consecutive wins since his return to MMA last October.