10 Things You Didn't Know About Kota Ibushi
5. He's A Legit Fighter
In the early 2000s, mixed martial arts became a hugely popular sport in Japan (due largely to Kazushi Sakuraba's victories over members of the Gracie family). That boom came at the expense of pro wrestling, and many wrestlers eventually got involved in the sport - some, like Shinsuke Nakamura, did pretty well (he amassed a 3-1-1 record in his early 20s), while others like Yuji Nagata didn't (his back-to-back losses to top heavyweights Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop weakened wrestling's image).
Nearly fifteen years later, most Japanese wrestlers don't have backgrounds in combat sports, but Kota Ibushi is the exception to the rule. Ibushi has never actually had an MMA fight, but he practiced martial arts before becoming a wrestler, winning a shinkarate (similar to kickboxing) tournament in 2003. In 2006, he was scheduled to debut for kickboxing organization K-1, but his match fell through when his opponent was injured. In 2014, he competed against fellow DDT star Michael Nakazawa in a Vale Tudo-style shoot boxing match that ended in a draw.
In summary, looks are deceiving. Ibushi may be small and good-looking, but he packs quite a real-life punch (and kick).