One-night, 12-man sumo wrestling tournament has a complete lineup of fighters for the event at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The event was originally scheduled to take place on April 18.
World Elite Sumo announced the completion of a lineup of fighters, including a second Puerto Rican competitor – Joshua Ortiz from The Bronx, N.Y. – for its one-night, 12-man professional sumo tournament on Saturday, May 16 at Prudential Center in N.J.
The event was originally announced as taking place on April 18 in the same venue. The promotion announced that it needed to move the date back to May 16 due to some of the fighters not being able to prepare in time for the April date.
Standing at a modest 5-foot-7, the 39-year-old Ortiz weighs 275 pounds and is a strongman competitor who won the “Summer Solstice Viking Battle” heavyweight showdown in 2024.
Ortiz trains at both New York Sumo Club as well as at Mount Vernon Barbell in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Last week, World Elite Sumo announced another Puerto Rican – 36-year-old Alejandro “El Caiman” Santana, a 6-foot-1, 360-pound sumo who resides in Orlando, Fla. where he runs a sumo training center.
Santana was an NCAA Division II football player and track and field athlete.
According to World Elite Sumo’s announcement, Santana is known for his upper body striking ability and for being able to rack up points in competition by pushing his opponents out of the dohyō, or competition circle.
Tickets for the WES live event at Prudential Center on May 16 are on sale at both PruCenter.com and Ticketmaster.com.
The 12 athletes who will compete in the WES one-night, 12-man tournament are as follows:
Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan
Nationality: Egyptian
Fighting out of: Waldwick, N.J.
Age: 33
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 340 pounds
Fighting Style: Tsuki/Oshi (thrusting and pushing) and tsuki dashi (thrusting an opponent out of the ring)
Career Accolades: Tied for the fourth fastest climb to the makuuchi, or the top tier division for sumo wrestlers in Japan and earned his first tournament championship with a perfect record of 7-0 during his first year of competing in 2012; Defeated two yokozuna (the highest rank in sumo wrestling) in back-to-back matches in 2014.
Soslan “Big Bear” Gagloev
Nationality: Russian
Fighting out of: Orlando, Fla.
Age: 35
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 350 pounds
Fighting Style: Yotsu-zumo (When opponents grab each other’s belt with both hands) specialist with dominant migi-yotsu (when a wrestler secures an inside grip on the opponent’s belt with the right hand, while the left hand is outside) belt control
Career Accolades: Competed in Japan’s top professional divisions and is known for powerful yorikiri (driving the opponent out backward while maintaining a constant grip on the opponent’s belt) force-outs and polished technique.
Robert “The Samoan Bulldozer” Fuimaono
Nationality: Samoan
Fighting out of: Kansas City, Mo.
Age: 34
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 390 pounds
Fighting Style: Heavy power sumo with dominant forward pressure and strength-based control
Career Accolades: A four-time U.S. National Champion and a three-time USA National Team representative. Represented the U.S. at the 2019 World Sumo Championship, the 2022 World Games and the 2023 World Combat Games.
“Rui Junior”
Nationality: Brazilian
Fighting out of: Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
Age: 32
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 381 pounds
Fighting Style: Dominant power sumo
Career Accolades: The most decorated Brazilian champion with 22 national titles, and a 10-time South American champion. Earned 5 medals at the World Championships and served as head coach of the Venezuelan National Sumo Team for three years. A cornerstone of South American sumo, respected for both competitive dominance and leadership.
Alejandro “El Caiman” Santana
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Fighting out of: Miami, Fla.
Age: 36
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 360 pounds
Fighting Style: Uses aggressive push-outs and upper body striking
Career Accolades: A former NCAA Division II, dual-sport athlete in football and track and field; A leader and mentor within Florida’s sumo wrestling community.
Jared “ParHammerTime” Parham
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Coppell, Texas
Age: 34
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 260 pounds
Fighting Style: A body-grappling focuses yotsu-zumo style emphasizing morozashi (double inside underhooks) and gaburi-yori (driving torso pressure) with quick, explosive throws.
Career Accolades: Winner of multiple titles, including the 2024 Mighty Eagle Team Tournament, the 2025 Texas Classic Openweight Tournament and the 2025 Olympia Sumo Tournament.
Jared “The Long Shot” Tadlock
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Arlington, Texas
Age: 37
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 340 pounds
Fighting Style: Technical and tactical, emphasizing discipline, timing and precision
Career Accolades: The 2022 Texas State Sumo Wrestling Champion. Placed fourth in the 2023 national sumo wrestling championship’s open weight division and placed fourth in the 2021 national sumo wrestling championship’s light heavyweight (251 pounds) division.
Edobor Konyeha
Nationality: Hungarian American
Fighting out of: Jacksonville, Texas
Age: 24
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 202 pounds
Fighting Style: Unorthodox attack style
Career Accolades: A two-time U.S. national champion
Joshua Ortiz
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: The Bronx, N.Y.
Age: 39
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 275 pounds
Fighting Style: A strong belt fighter, who uses throwing techniques when he grabs his opponent by the belt, and is known for tsuridashi (picking up an opponent and walking him out of the dohyō)
Career Accolades: Was a U.S. Sumo Federation heavyweight competitor in 2025
Matt Kramer
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Bayonne, N.J.
Age: 40
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 250 pounds
Fighting Style: Utilizes power and pushing techniques rather than throws and trips; Relies on his significant physical strength
Career Accolades: Placed third in both the heavyweight and open weight classes in the 2025 “Empire Cup” sumo tournament.
Mark Jones
Nationality: American
Fighting out of: Daytona Beach, Fla.
Age: 37
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 350 pounds
Fighting Style: Uses oshi dashi (frontal force out); chest-to-chest wrestling more so than belt wrestling; known for being aggressive from the outset of a match
Career Accolades: A former, two-time amateur sumo champion; the 2021 North American placed fifth at the 2023 world championship tournament in Japan where he represented the U.S. in the event
Sensho Hideki
Nationality: Mongolian
Fighting out of:
Age: 42
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 305 pounds
Fighting Style: A yotsu-zumo wrestler, who prefers a hidari-yotsu (when a wrestler secures an inside grip on the opponent’s belt with the left hand, while the right hand is outside); utilizes yorikiri and uwatenage (an overarm throwing technique) Career Accolades: A two-time tournament champion who holds a strong career win-loss-draw record of 300-250-41
