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Sentoryū Henri

Sentoryū Henri

Henry Armstrong Miller (born July 16, 1969) is a former sumo wrestler, raised in St. Louis, Missouri, who competed under the shikona Sentoryū Henri (戦闘竜 扁利). The first wrestler from the US mainland to reach the top makuuchi division, he made his professional debut in 1988 and reached a highest rank of maegashira 12 before retiring in 2003. He last competed in MMA as recently as 2013, losing to Kazuhiro Nakamura.

Sentoryū Henri
戦闘竜 扁利
Personal information
BornHenry Armstrong Miller
(1969-07-16)July 16, 1969
Tokyo, Japan
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight136 kg (300 lb)
Web presencewebsite [14]
Career
StableTomozuna
Record403-303-99
DebutJuly 1988
Highest rankMaegashira 12 (September, 2000)
RetiredNovember, 2003
Championships1 (Makushita)
1 (Jonokuchi)
  • Up to date as of November 2007.
Henry ″Sentoryū″ Miller
BornHenry Armstrong Miller
(1969-07-16)July 16, 1969
Tokyo, Japan
Other namesSentoryū
NationalityAmerican
Japanese
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight300 lb (136 kg; 21 st 6 lb)
DivisionSuper Heavyweight
Heavyweight
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofTokyo, Japan
TeamTeam Fighting Dragon
RankMaegashira in Sumo
Years active7 (2004-present)
Kickboxing record
Total3
Wins1
By knockout1
Losses2
By knockout2
Draws0
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins6
By knockout5
By submission1
Losses16
By knockout13
By submission2
By decision1
Draws0
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record [15] from Sherdog

Early life

He was born in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, the son of a Japanese mother and African-American father.[1] He was born on the same day that the Apollo 11 lunar mission left Earth and his middle name was given to him by his father in honor of Neil Armstrong.[1] He lived on Yokota Air Base until the age of six, when he moved with his family to St Louis, Missouri. He grew up in Ferguson.[1] His dream of becoming a professional football player was ended by a knee injury in his senior year of high school, but he had also been wrestling since elementary school and he had qualified for the state championships. After graduating in 1987 he returned to Japan to try professional sumo.

Sumo career

He joined the Tomozuna stable of wrestlers, also the home of future ozeki Kaio. He was given the shikona of Sentoryū, meaning "fighting war dragon" but also a play on words for his hometown of St Louis.[2] He was relatively small at 174 cm and 94 kg when he made his debut in July 1988. He won the yusho or tournament championship in his first official tournament in the jonokuchi division in September 1988, defeating a fellow American, Shinnishiki from Los Angeles.[2] In 1991 he reached makushita for the first time but injury problems meant he did not establish himself in the division until 1993. In November 1994 he became a sekitori for the first time but lasted only two tournaments in the jūryō division before being demoted.

It took Sentoryū more than four years of hard toil in the unsalaried makushita division (including a change of name to Kaishinzan in 1997) before he could win promotion back to the second division in July 1999, after an unbeaten 7-0 yusho in May. His final day victory over the former amateur champion Kototamiya (the future ozeki Kotomitsuki) was regarded as one of the high points of his career.[3]

After reverting to the name Sentoryū, a strong 13-2 record in March 2000 sent him to the top of the jūryō division. With an 8-7 mark in May 2000, he finally achieved his goal of promotion to the top makuuchi division in July.[4] It had taken him 72 tournaments from his professional debut to reach makuuchi, which is the slowest amongst foreign-born wrestlers.

Sentoryū came through with a winning record of 8-7 in his debut but was then demoted after only recording a 5-10 score in September 2000. He had to withdraw from the following tournament in November and missed the January 2001 basho. Nevertheless, he managed to hold his own in jūryō, and had one more visit to the top division in January 2002. However, he suffered a serious injury and was unable to compete in the March and May 2002 tournaments, falling all the way back to makushita. He refused to give up and fought his way back to sekitori status in September 2003, becoming the fifth oldest wrestler to return to jūryō in the postwar era at 34 years, 1 month. However, another injury convinced him to retire at the end of the year, in the same tournament as Musashimaru. His great fighting spirit, despite all his injuries, won him many admirers.[5]

He defeated Asashōryū in their only meeting in November 2000, when both were in the jūryō division. He also had three wins over Kotomitsuki in their four meetings.

Fighting style

Sentoryū favoured pushing and thrusting techniques, winning most of his matches by oshi dashi (push out), hatakikomi (slap down) or hikiotoshi (pull down).

Mixed martial arts career

Since his retirement from sumo, Sentoryū has tried his luck at mixed martial arts.[6] His debut was for PRIDE in April 2004. He has six wins and sixteen losses in his 23 fights to date.[7] He styles himself Henry "Sentoryu" Miller. He made an agreement with World Victory Road and fought Yoshihiro Nakao. On 25 December 2010 he faced Yoichi Babaguchi (former sekiwake Wakashoyo) in the first ever K1 fight between former sekitori.[3] There was an edge to the match because Miller blamed Babaguchi for an injury he sustained in a sumo bout between the two in November 1994 (his debut juryo tournament).[3] Miller won the match in the first round.[8]

Sumo career record

Sentoryū Henri[[CITE|9|http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=138]]
Year in sumoJanuary
Hatsu basho, Tokyo
March
Haru basho, Osaka
May
Natsu basho, Tokyo
July
Nagoya basho, Nagoya
September
Aki basho, Tokyo
November
Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka
1988xxx(Maezumo)East Jonokuchi #51
6–1–PPP
West Jonidan #119
4–3
1989West Jonidan #89
4–3
West Jonidan #59
5–2
East Jonidan #22
2–5
East Jonidan #56
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
West Jonidan #126
6–1
East Jonidan #52
3–1–3
1990West Jonidan #72
5–2
East Jonidan #25
6–1
West Sandanme #66
6–1
East Sandanme #18
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
East Sandanme #78
5–2
East Sandanme #44
6–1
1991East Makushita #60
1–2–4
West Sandanme #35
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
West Sandanme #35
6–1
East Makushita #55
3–3–1
East Sandanme #6
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
East Sandanme #6
2–5
1992West Sandanme #34
2–5
West Sandanme #61
5–2
West Sandanme #30
4–3
West Sandanme #18
3–4
East Sandanme #33
3–4
East Sandanme #51
6–1
1993East Sandanme #5
6–1
West Makushita #34
4–3
West Makushita #23
4–3
West Makushita #16
4–3
East Makushita #12
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
East Makushita #12
5–2
1994West Makushita #7
2–5
East Makushita #22
6–1
East Makushita #9
5–2
West Makushita #4
5–2
East Makushita #2
6–1
East Jūryō #12
9–6
1995East Jūryō #9
6–9
East Makushita #1
3–4
West Makushita #5
4–3
East Makushita #3
4–3
West Makushita #2
0–2–5
East Makushita #37
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
1996East Makushita #37
5–2
East Makushita #21
2–5
West Makushita #40
4–3
East Makushita #31
6–1–P
East Makushita #13
5–2
East Makushita #5
3–4
1997East Makushita #8
6–1
East Makushita #2
2–5
East Makushita #14
2–5
West Makushita #29
6–1
West Makushita #12
4–3
East Makushita #10
6–1
1998East Makushita #2
2–5
West Makushita #13
1–6
West Makushita #36
6–1
East Makushita #16
4–3
West Makushita #12
4–3
East Makushita #8
3–4
1999East Makushita #14
4–3
West Makushita #11
4–3
East Makushita #9
7–0
West Jūryō #11
8–7
West Jūryō #10
6–9
West Jūryō #13
9–6
2000West Jūryō #9
7–8
East Jūryō #11
13–2–P
East Jūryō #2
8–7
East Maegashira #13
8–7
West Maegashira #12
5–10
East Jūryō #1
3–5–7
2001West Jūryō #9
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15
West Jūryō #9
9–6
West Jūryō #4
7–8
East Jūryō #6
9–6–PP
West Jūryō #2
7–8
West Jūryō #3
8–7
2002East Maegashira #15
6–9
East Jūryō #3
Sat out due to injury
0–0–15
East Makushita #1
Sat out due to injury
0–0–7
East Makushita #41
5–2
East Makushita #26
2–5
West Makushita #44
6–1
2003West Makushita #18
5–2
East Makushita #9
4–3
West Makushita #6
4–3
West Makushita #3
5–2
West Jūryō #11
4–11
West Makushita #5
Retired
2–5
Record given as win-loss-absentTop Division ChampionTop Division Runner-upRetiredLower Divisions
Sanshō key:**F**=Fighting spirit;**O**=Outstanding performance;**T**=Technique     Also shown:****=Kinboshi(s); P=Playoff(s)
Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi
Makuuchi ranks: Yokozuna — Ōzeki — Sekiwake — Komusubi — Maegashira

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest

Mixed martial arts record

Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss6-16 (1)JapanKazuhiro NakamuraKO (punch)[10]DEEP: 63 ImpactAugust 25, 201314:42Tokyo, JapanOpenweight bout.
Loss6-15 (1)AustraliaSoa PaleleiTKO (punches)K-Oz Entertainment: Bragging RightsSeptember 3, 201211:26Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Loss6-14 (1)JapanShunsuke InoueTKO (punches)HEAT 20December 17, 201111:43Tokyo, Japan
Loss6-13 (1)United StatesMyles TynanesTKO (punches)HEAT 19September 25, 201113:29Nagoya, Japan
Loss6-12 (1)JapanTakaaki ObanSubmission (rear-naked choke)Gladiator 23September 3, 201111:40Hiroshima, Japan
Loss6-11 (1)JapanTaiei KinTKO (corner stoppage)HEAT 16November 6, 201014:01Osaka, Japan
Loss6-10 (1)JapanYoshihiro NakaoTKO (punches)Sengoku Raiden Championships 12March 7, 201023:27Tokyo, Japan
Win6-9 (1)South KoreaKim Min-SooKO (punches and knees)The Khan 2November 27, 200911:12Seoul, South Korea
Loss5-9 (1)South KoreaLee Chang-SeobTKO (punches)HEAT 12November 1, 200910:53Nagoya, Japan
Loss5-8 (1)BrazilCristiano KaminishiTKO (punches)HEAT 11September 26, 200933:36Tokyo, JapanOpenweight bout.
NC5-7 (1)BrazilCristiano KaminishiNo contest (groin strike)HEAT 10July 18, 200910:54Tokyo, Japan
Win5-7JapanRyuta NojiKO (punches)HEAT 9March 28, 200911:14Nagoya, Japan
Win4-7JapanJunpei HamadaKO (punches)HEAT 8December 14, 200810:52Tokyo, Japan
Loss3-7BrazilCristiano KaminishiKO (head kick)DEEP: 29 ImpactApril 13, 200714:00Tokyo, Japan
Win3-6South KoreaKim Ji-FunKO (punch)HEAT 3March 23, 200714:58Nagoya, Japan
Loss2-6LebanonMostapha al-TurkTKO (punches)Cage Rage 18August 27, 200610:56London, England
Win2-5JapanSeiji OguraSubmission (rear-naked choke)PancraseAugust 27, 200611:37Yokohama, Japan
Loss1-5EnglandRobert BerryTKO (punches)Cage Rage 17July 1, 200611:06London, England
Loss1-4BrazilZuluzinhoTKO (knees)PRIDE 30October 23, 200511:31Saitama, Saitama, JapanSuper Heavyweight bout.
Loss1-3EnglandJames ThompsonKO (punch)PRIDE Bushido 8July 17, 200511:21Nagoya, Japan
Loss1-2JapanMakoto TakimotoDecision (unanimous)PRIDE Shockwave 2004December 31, 200435:00Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Win1-1AustraliaMal FokiKO (punches)PRIDE Bushido 5October 14, 200410:21Osaka, Japan
Loss0-1BrazilGiant SilvaSubmission (kimura)PRIDE Total Elimination 2004April 25, 200414:04Saitama, Saitama, Japan2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round.

See also

  • List of male mixed martial artists

  • Glossary of sumo terms

  • List of past sumo wrestlers

  • List of non-Japanese sumo wrestlers

References

[1]
Citation Linkwww.questia.comLefton, Brad (17 June 1997). "Sentoryu from Sen-to-Ru-I-Su Our Town's Henry Miller Is a Really Big Man as Sumo Wrestler in Japan". St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[2]
Citation Linkopenlibrary.orgSharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. p. 170.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.yomiuri.co.jpGunning, John (24 December 2010). "Saint no more: Miller seeks revenge on Christmas". Daily Yomiuri Online. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[4]
Citation Linknews.bbc.co.uk"Akebono wins despite last day upset". BBC News Online. 2000-07-23. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[5]
Citation Linkwww.lemondedusumo.comPourquie, Bastian (December 2003). "Rikishi that have retired". Le Monde du Sumo. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.pridefc.com"Henry "Sentoryu" Miller". Pride Fighting Championships. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[7]
Citation Linkwww.sherdog.com"Sherdog Fightfinder: Henry "Sentoryu" Miller". Sherdog. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[8]
Citation Linkwww.yomiuri.co.jp"Sentoryu has his revenge". Daily Yomiuri Online. 27 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[9]
Citation Linksumodb.sumogames.de"Sentoryu Henri Rikishi Information". Sumo Reference. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[10]
Citation Linkwww.tapology.comhttp://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/bouts/deep-kazuhiro-kaz-nakamura-vs-henry-sentoryu-miller
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.sumo.or.jpSentoryū Henri
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[12]
Citation Linkwww.sentoryu.comOfficial website
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[13]
Citation Linkwww.sherdog.comProfessional MMA record for Sentoryū Henri
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[14]
Citation Linkameblo.jpwebsite
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[15]
Citation Linkwww.sherdog.comMixed martial arts record
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[16]
Citation Linkwww.questia.com"Sentoryu from Sen-to-Ru-I-Su Our Town's Henry Miller Is a Really Big Man as Sumo Wrestler in Japan"
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[17]
Citation Linkwww.webcitation.org"Saint no more: Miller seeks revenge on Christmas"
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[18]
Citation Linkwww.yomiuri.co.jpthe original
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[19]
Citation Linknews.bbc.co.uk"Akebono wins despite last day upset"
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM
[20]
Citation Linkwww.lemondedusumo.com"Rikishi that have retired"
Sep 29, 2019, 1:03 PM