Yoshiaki Yatsu had his right leg amputated.
Former Amateur wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist and NWA International Tag Team Champion Yoshiaki Yatsu had his right leg amputated on June 25th. The news about Yatsu was first shared by Dave Meltzer during the July 2nd edition of Wrestling Observer Radio and additional details were provided in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
The 62-year old Yatsu last wrestled for DDT Pro Wrestling in early June and also wrestled for the promotion in April. Before venturing into professional wrestling, Yoshiaki competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics and won a Japanese National Championship in the super heavyweight division in 1986.
After stepping away from the amateur wrestling ranks to pursue a career in pro wrestling, it was not long before Yatsu became a spotlighted wrestler in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He also formed a team with Riki Choshu, who recently retired from in-ring competition.
In the early 2000s, Yatsu had two MMA fights for Pride Fighting Championships and he was on the losing end of both of those bouts.
Yoshiaki Yatsu has been in the wrestling business for nearly 40 years and at the age of 62, the two-time Tokyo Sports award winner has put the final touches on his in-ring career.
