Che Mills and Denis Kang confirmed for Hidehiko Yoshida's retirement event; VIP seats sold out for 'Astra'

"Astra," the upcoming retirement event for the Japanese judoka-turned-MMA star, Hidehiko Yoshida, has generated massive interest since it was announced earlier this month.

The event, hosted by J-Rock - a sports and entertainment management company that houses Yoshida and other fighters from his dojo - will take place on April 25 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo. There is no word yet on whether the event will be televised in North America.

At a press conference held on Friday, February 26, Takahiro Kokuho, the head of J-Rock, announced that the 164 VIP seats that went on sale for 100,000 yen have sold out.

In the wake of this intense publicity, fans and media have held their breath for the announcement of the fighter who will grace the ring in the main event opposite Yoshida.

For an update on the selection of Yoshida's opponent, Kokuho revealed that he and J-Rock have managed to narrow down the list of candidates. Nonetheless, the selection process has been difficult, as numerous fighters have expressed their wish to step up to the role. He said that he hopes to finalize and announce Yoshida's opponent by the time the Winter Olympic ends.

When asked what kind of a fighter would fill the bill for Yoshida's opponent in the farewell bout, Kokuho stated: "I have said earlier that I want a 'meaningful opponent' for him. For example, if we were to choose a younger opponent, someone like Satoshi Ishii, who will lead the future of MMA would be ideal.

If he were to try to avenge one of his losses, the opponent needs to be someone whom he absolutely must defeat in order to retire. Also, Yoshida is thinking about something along the line of 'Let's go Japan!' as the theme of the event, so he could face someone of his generation who still has an active career."

As for other fighters participating in the event, J-Rock has previously named four fighters from Yoshida dojo - Kazuhiro Nakamura, Makoto Takimoto, Michihiro Omigawa, and Tatsunao Nagakura. The additional participants who have been announced at the presser include Yuya Shirai, Che Mills, and Denis Kang.

Yuya Shirai, a veteran of DEEP, recently captured the promotion's welterweight title with a victory over Seichi Ikemoto. He made his debut in DREAM as a participant in the promotion's welterweight grand prix last year, and lost to the eventual semi-finalist, Jason High, in the preliminary round. Shirai, who has had close personal and professional ties to Yoshida, will face Che Mills in a welterweight showdown.

Mills, a native of Gloucester, England, has cut his teeth in the now defunct Cage Rage. He has garnered recognition among MMA fans for having defeated the DREAM welterweight champion, Mariusz Zaromskis twice. Against Shirai, he will make his Japanese debut and look to bounce back from his loss against the recent Bellator signee, Jim "Judo" Wallhead.

Pride and UFC veteran, Denis Kang, is scheduled to face Vernon White in the W-1 event next month in Montreal. He will opt for a quick turnaround to fight in Astra in April. Though his opponent has yet to be named, Kokuho stated that there is a possibility that he will be matched up with the fellow Pride and UFC veteran, Kazuhiro Nakamura.