Takanofuji Tadao | |
---|---|
孝乃富士 忠雄 | |
Personal information | |
Born | Tokyo, Japan | October 9, 1963
Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
Weight | 150 kg (331 lb) |
Career | |
Stable | Kokonoe |
Record | 418-459-4 |
Debut | March, 1979 |
Highest rank | Komusubi (July, 1990) |
Retired | May, 1992 |
Special Prizes | Fighting Spirit (1) |
Gold Stars | 2 (Futahaguro) |
* Up to date as of August 2007. |
Tadao Yasuda (安田 忠夫, Yasuda Tadao, born 9 October 1963 in Ōta, Tokyo) is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler (rikishi), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992 under the shikona of Takanofuji Tadao, achieving the rank of komusubi, and afterward turned to professional wrestling, in which he competed from 1994 to 2011, most notably in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion. He also fought in mixed martial arts from 2001 to 2003, holding a notable win over Jérôme Le Banner.