ORLANDO, Fla. — Before the sun is up, there is garage full of large human beings practicing one of the oldest sports in the world so they can compete for a modern audience.
Allejandro Santana is the head of operations for World Elite Sumo, and getting these guys under one roof takes some coordination.
What You Need To Know
World Elite Sumo wrestlers are in the Orlando area practicing for upcoming events
Sumo Fight Club 2 will be held Sunday at Addition Financial Arena on the UCF campus
The sumo wrestlers come together from all over the country
One of the competitors, Soslan Gagloev, has been a pro sumo wrestler for more than 20 years
“All of us have jobs,” Santana said. “Soslan (Gagloev) owns his own construction business. Rob (Fuimaono) works in all kind of logistics in Kansas City. So, it’s really difficult.”
The wrestlers are in the Orlando are getting ready for matches and training and living with their opponents for the week.
World Elite Sumo has multiple upcoming matches, with the earliest happening on Sunday, March 1 at Addition Financial Arena on UCF’s campus.
Soslan Gagloev has been a professional sumo wrestler for more than 20 years.
His skill comes from breathing, controlled movements and, of course, power.
He has a nickname that’s hard to forget.
“Big, big bear. In Russia, there is a lot of Bears. In America, trust me, they’re going to find a nickname,” said Gagloev, explaining how he got his nickname, “Big Bear.”
He now wrestles for World Elite Sumo, testing his skills against some of the best young talent in the United States.
“I hope a lot of kids are going to enjoy and a lot of people start knowing what it means to sumo. We started 20 years ago, but right now, we’re getting that benefit so we can teach somebody else,” Gagloev said.