Former world and Olympic champion judoka Hidehiko Yoshida said Tuesday he will fight Brazil's Royce Gracie in a mixed martial arts match at Tokyo's National Stadium in late August.
Yoshida, who retired from competitive judo in April, will become the first Olympic gold medalist from Japan to step into the mixed martial arts ring when he squares off Aug. 28 with Gracie, the leading practitioner of Gracie jujitsu.
"I hope to be able to show the things I've learned in judo," the 32-year-old Barcelona Olympic champion said. "There are a number of differences between judo and jujitsu, but I don't think they're that big. If I win, I think it will be good for judo worldwide."
The rules of the bout have not been set, but mixed martial arts normally allow punching, kicking and a number of submission holds and other techniques.