[div class=”notice” class2=”icon”]The following is from an article on LiverKick.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div]
Hiroya, the one time “next Masato” of K-1, is planning a move to MMA. Nightmare of Battle reports that Hiroya will begin training MMA this year, possibly traveling overseas to train starting in the summer. The 19 year old will not entirely give up on his K-1 aspirations for the moment, but will look to broaden his options by taking part in MMA.
If you’ve only recently started watching K-1, you may not even know Hiroya, but the young fighter was, just a few years ago, a major part of the company’s plans. At just 15 he started competing in various special rules fights for K-1 MAX. The plan was for fans to watch this young fighter develop from a very early age so that by the time he was older and a champion, fans would be strongly connected with him and he would be able to step into Masato’s shows as the face of K-1 MAX.
