Henry Armstrong Miller (born July 16, 1969) is a former sumo wrestler, raised in St. Louis, Missouri, who competed under the shikonaSentoryū Henri (戦闘竜 扁利). The first wrestler from the US mainland to reach the top makuuchi division, he made his professional debut in 1988 and reached a highest rank of maegashira 12 before retiring in 2003. He last competed in MMA as recently as 2013, losing to Kazuhiro Nakamura.
Sentoryū Henri
戦闘竜 扁利
Personal information
Born
Henry Armstrong Miller (1969-07-16) July 16, 1969 (age 53) Tokyo, Japan
He was born in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan, the son of a Japanese mother and African-American father.[1] He was born on the same day that the Apollo 11 lunar mission left Earth and his middle name was given to him by his father in honor of Neil Armstrong.[1] He lived on Yokota Air Base until the age of six, when he moved with his family to St Louis, Missouri. He grew up in Ferguson.[1] His dream of becoming a professional football player was ended by a knee injury in his senior year of high school, but he had also been wrestling since elementary school and he had qualified for the state championships. After graduating in 1987 he returned to Japan to try professional sumo.
Sumo career
He joined the Tomozuna stable of wrestlers, also the home of future ozekiKaio. He was given the shikona of Sentoryū, meaning "fighting war dragon" but also a play on words for his hometown of St. Louis.[2] He was relatively small at 174 cm and 94 kg when he made his debut in July 1988. He won the yusho or tournament championship in his first official tournament in the jonokuchi division in September 1988, defeating a fellow American, Shinnishiki from Los Angeles.[2] In 1991 he reached makushita for the first time but injury problems meant he did not establish himself in the division until 1993. In November 1994 he became a sekitori for the first time but lasted only two tournaments in the jūryō division before being demoted.
It took Sentoryū more than four years of hard toil in the unsalaried makushita division (including a change of name to Kaishinzan in 1997) before he could win promotion back to the second division in July 1999, after an unbeaten 7-0 yusho in May. His final day victory over the former amateur champion Kototamiya (the future ozeki Kotomitsuki) was regarded as one of the high points of his career.[3]
After reverting to the name Sentoryū, a strong 13-2 record in March 2000 sent him to the top of the jūryō division. With an 8-7 mark in May 2000, he finally achieved his goal of promotion to the top makuuchi division in July.[4] It had taken him 72 tournaments from his professional debut to reach makuuchi, which is the slowest amongst foreign-born wrestlers.
Sentoryū came through with a winning record of 8-7 in his debut but was then demoted after only recording a 5-10 score in September 2000. He had to withdraw from the following tournament in November and missed the January 2001 basho. Nevertheless, he managed to hold his own in jūryō and had one more visit to the top division in January 2002. However, he suffered a serious injury and was unable to compete in the March and May 2002 tournaments, falling all the way back to makushita. He refused to give up and fought his way back to sekitori status in September 2003, becoming the fifth oldest wrestler to return to jūryō in the postwar era at 34 years, 1 month. However, another injury convinced him to retire at the end of the year, in the same tournament as Musashimaru. His great fighting spirit, despite all his injuries, won him many admirers.[5] He had spent 20 tournaments as a sekitori, by far the most successful career by anyone from the contiguous United States.[6]
He defeated Asashōryū in their only meeting in November 2000, when both were in the jūryō division. He also had three wins over Kotomitsuki in their four meetings.
Fighting style
Sentoryū favoured pushing and thrusting techniques, winning most of his matches by oshi dashi (push out), hatakikomi (slap down) or hikiotoshi (pull down).
He has six wins and sixteen losses in his 23 fights to date.[9] He styles himself Henry "Sentoryu" Miller. He made an agreement with World Victory Road and fought Yoshihiro Nakao. On 25 December 2010 he faced Yoichi Babaguchi (former sekiwakeWakashoyo) in the first ever K-1 kickboxing match between former sekitori.[3] There was an edge to the match because Miller blamed Babaguchi for an injury he sustained in a sumo bout between the two in November 1994 (his debut juryo tournament).[3] Miller won the match in the first round.[10]
^ abcLefton, Brad (17 June 1997). "Sentoryu from Sen-to-Ru-I-Su Our Town's Henry Miller Is a Really Big Man as Sumo Wrestler in Japan". St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
^ abSharnoff, Lora (1993). Grand Sumo. Weatherhill. p. 170.
^ abcGunning, John (24 December 2010). . Daily Yomiuri Online. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010.
^"Akebono wins despite last day upset". BBC News Online. 2000-07-23. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
^Pourquie, Bastian (December 2003). "Rikishi that have retired". Le Monde du Sumo. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
^Gunning, John (24 January 2020). "Sentoryu embodied colorful sumo nickname". Japan Times. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
Sentoryū Henri's official biography (English) at the Grand Sumo Homepage
Official website
Professional MMA record for Sentoryu Henri from Sherdog
March 08, 2023
sentoryū, henri, this, japanese, name, surname, sentoryū, henry, armstrong, miller, born, july, 1969, former, sumo, wrestler, raised, louis, missouri, competed, under, shikona, 戦闘竜, 扁利, first, wrestler, from, mainland, reach, makuuchi, division, made, professi. In this Japanese name the surname is Sentoryu Henry Armstrong Miller born July 16 1969 is a former sumo wrestler raised in St Louis Missouri who competed under the shikona Sentoryu Henri 戦闘竜 扁利 The first wrestler from the US mainland to reach the top makuuchi division he made his professional debut in 1988 and reached a highest rank of maegashira 12 before retiring in 2003 He last competed in MMA as recently as 2013 losing to Kazuhiro Nakamura Sentoryu Henri戦闘竜 扁利Personal informationBornHenry Armstrong Miller 1969 07 16 July 16 1969 age 53 Tokyo JapanHeight1 75 m 5 ft 9 in Weight136 kg 300 lb Web presencewebsiteCareerStableTomozunaRecord403 303 99DebutJuly 1988Highest rankMaegashira 12 September 2000 RetiredNovember 2003Championships1 Makushita 1 Jonokuchi Up to date as of November 2007 Henry Sentoryu MillerBornHenry Armstrong Miller 1969 07 16 July 16 1969 age 53 Tokyo JapanOther namesSentoryuNationalityAmericanJapaneseHeight5 ft 9 in 175 cm Weight300 lb 136 kg 21 st 6 lb DivisionSuper HeavyweightHeavyweightStanceOrthodoxFighting out ofTokyo JapanTeamTeam Fighting DragonRankMaegashira in SumoYears active2004 2013Kickboxing recordTotal3Wins1By knockout1Losses2By knockout2Draws0Mixed martial arts recordTotal23Wins6By knockout5By submission1Losses16By knockout13By submission2By decision1Draws0No contests1Other informationMixed martial arts record from Sherdog Contents 1 Early life 2 Sumo career 2 1 Fighting style 3 Mixed martial arts and kickboxing career 4 Sumo career record 5 Kickboxing record 6 Mixed martial arts record 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly life EditHe was born in Tachikawa Tokyo Japan the son of a Japanese mother and African American father 1 He was born on the same day that the Apollo 11 lunar mission left Earth and his middle name was given to him by his father in honor of Neil Armstrong 1 He lived on Yokota Air Base until the age of six when he moved with his family to St Louis Missouri He grew up in Ferguson 1 His dream of becoming a professional football player was ended by a knee injury in his senior year of high school but he had also been wrestling since elementary school and he had qualified for the state championships After graduating in 1987 he returned to Japan to try professional sumo Sumo career EditHe joined the Tomozuna stable of wrestlers also the home of future ozeki Kaio He was given the shikona of Sentoryu meaning fighting war dragon but also a play on words for his hometown of St Louis 2 He was relatively small at 174 cm and 94 kg when he made his debut in July 1988 He won the yusho or tournament championship in his first official tournament in the jonokuchi division in September 1988 defeating a fellow American Shinnishiki from Los Angeles 2 In 1991 he reached makushita for the first time but injury problems meant he did not establish himself in the division until 1993 In November 1994 he became a sekitori for the first time but lasted only two tournaments in the juryō division before being demoted It took Sentoryu more than four years of hard toil in the unsalaried makushita division including a change of name to Kaishinzan in 1997 before he could win promotion back to the second division in July 1999 after an unbeaten 7 0 yusho in May His final day victory over the former amateur champion Kototamiya the future ozeki Kotomitsuki was regarded as one of the high points of his career 3 After reverting to the name Sentoryu a strong 13 2 record in March 2000 sent him to the top of the juryō division With an 8 7 mark in May 2000 he finally achieved his goal of promotion to the top makuuchi division in July 4 It had taken him 72 tournaments from his professional debut to reach makuuchi which is the slowest amongst foreign born wrestlers Sentoryu came through with a winning record of 8 7 in his debut but was then demoted after only recording a 5 10 score in September 2000 He had to withdraw from the following tournament in November and missed the January 2001 basho Nevertheless he managed to hold his own in juryō and had one more visit to the top division in January 2002 However he suffered a serious injury and was unable to compete in the March and May 2002 tournaments falling all the way back to makushita He refused to give up and fought his way back to sekitori status in September 2003 becoming the fifth oldest wrestler to return to juryō in the postwar era at 34 years 1 month However another injury convinced him to retire at the end of the year in the same tournament as Musashimaru His great fighting spirit despite all his injuries won him many admirers 5 He had spent 20 tournaments as a sekitori by far the most successful career by anyone from the contiguous United States 6 He defeated Asashōryu in their only meeting in November 2000 when both were in the juryō division He also had three wins over Kotomitsuki in their four meetings Fighting style Edit Sentoryu favoured pushing and thrusting techniques winning most of his matches by oshi dashi push out hatakikomi slap down or hikiotoshi pull down Mixed martial arts and kickboxing career EditSince his retirement from sumo Sentoryu tried his luck at mixed martial arts 7 He was recommended for PRIDE in April 2004 by Chiyotaikai Ryuji who saw Akebono Taro make such transition a year before 8 He has six wins and sixteen losses in his 23 fights to date 9 He styles himself Henry Sentoryu Miller He made an agreement with World Victory Road and fought Yoshihiro Nakao On 25 December 2010 he faced Yoichi Babaguchi former sekiwake Wakashoyo in the first ever K 1 kickboxing match between former sekitori 3 There was an edge to the match because Miller blamed Babaguchi for an injury he sustained in a sumo bout between the two in November 1994 his debut juryo tournament 3 Miller won the match in the first round 10 Sumo career record EditSentoryu Henri 11 Year in sumo JanuaryHatsu basho Tokyo MarchHaru basho Osaka MayNatsu basho Tokyo JulyNagoya basho Nagoya SeptemberAki basho Tokyo NovemberKyushu basho Fukuoka 1988 x x x Maezumo East Jonokuchi 51 6 1 PPPChampion West Jonidan 119 4 3 1989 West Jonidan 89 4 3 West Jonidan 59 5 2 East Jonidan 22 2 5 East Jonidan 56 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 West Jonidan 126 6 1 East Jonidan 52 3 1 3 1990 West Jonidan 72 5 2 East Jonidan 25 6 1 West Sandanme 66 6 1 East Sandanme 18 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 East Sandanme 78 5 2 East Sandanme 44 6 1 1991 East Makushita 60 1 2 4 West Sandanme 35 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 West Sandanme 35 6 1 East Makushita 55 3 3 1 East Sandanme 6 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 East Sandanme 6 2 5 1992 West Sandanme 34 2 5 West Sandanme 61 5 2 West Sandanme 30 4 3 West Sandanme 18 3 4 East Sandanme 33 3 4 East Sandanme 51 6 1 1993 East Sandanme 5 6 1 West Makushita 34 4 3 West Makushita 23 4 3 West Makushita 16 4 3 East Makushita 12 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 East Makushita 12 5 2 1994 West Makushita 7 2 5 East Makushita 22 6 1 East Makushita 9 5 2 West Makushita 4 5 2 East Makushita 2 6 1 East Juryō 12 9 6 1995 East Juryō 9 6 9 East Makushita 1 3 4 West Makushita 5 4 3 East Makushita 3 4 3 West Makushita 2 0 2 5 East Makushita 37 Sat out due to injury0 0 71996 East Makushita 37 5 2 East Makushita 21 2 5 West Makushita 40 4 3 East Makushita 31 6 1 P East Makushita 13 5 2 East Makushita 5 3 4 1997 East Makushita 8 6 1 East Makushita 2 2 5 East Makushita 14 2 5 West Makushita 29 6 1 West Makushita 12 4 3 East Makushita 10 6 1 1998 East Makushita 2 2 5 West Makushita 13 1 6 West Makushita 36 6 1 East Makushita 16 4 3 West Makushita 12 4 3 East Makushita 8 3 4 1999 East Makushita 14 4 3 West Makushita 11 4 3 East Makushita 9 7 0Champion West Juryō 11 8 7 West Juryō 10 6 9 West Juryō 13 9 6 2000 West Juryō 9 7 8 East Juryō 11 13 2 P East Juryō 2 8 7 East Maegashira 13 8 7 West Maegashira 12 5 10 East Juryō 1 3 5 7 2001 West Juryō 9 Sat out due to injury0 0 15 West Juryō 9 9 6 West Juryō 4 7 8 East Juryō 6 9 6 PP West Juryō 2 7 8 West Juryō 3 8 7 2002 East Maegashira 15 6 9 East Juryō 3 Sat out due to injury0 0 15 East Makushita 1 Sat out due to injury0 0 7 East Makushita 41 5 2 East Makushita 26 2 5 West Makushita 44 6 1 2003 West Makushita 18 5 2 East Makushita 9 4 3 West Makushita 6 4 3 West Makushita 3 5 2 West Juryō 11 4 11 West Makushita 5 Retired2 5Record given as win loss absent Top Division Champion Top Division Runner up Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key F Fighting spirit O Outstanding performance T Technique Also shown Kinboshi P Playoff s Divisions Makuuchi Juryō Makushita Sandanme Jonidan Jonokuchi Makuuchi ranks Yokozuna Ōzeki Sekiwake Komusubi MaegashiraKickboxing record EditKickboxing record 1 win 1 KO 2 lossesDate Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record NotesDecember 25 2010 Win Wakashoyo Survivor Round 6 Tokyo Japan TKO 3 knockdowns 1 1 09 1 2July 31 2010 Loss Tsutomu Takahagi Big Bang 2 The Way to Unification Japan TKO corner stoppage 2 1 09 0 2August 5 2007 Loss Taiei Kin K 1 World Grand Prix 2007 in Hong Kong Hong Kong KO right high kick 1 1 43 0 1 2007 Hong Kong Grand Prix quarter final bout Legend Win Loss Draw No contestMixed martial arts record EditRes Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location NotesLoss 6 16 1 Kazuhiro Nakamura KO punch 12 DEEP 63 Impact August 25 2013 1 4 42 Tokyo Japan Openweight bout Loss 6 15 1 Soa Palelei TKO punches K Oz Entertainment Bragging Rights September 3 2012 1 1 26 Perth Western Australia AustraliaLoss 6 14 1 Shunsuke Inoue TKO punches HEAT 20 December 17 2011 1 1 43 Tokyo JapanLoss 6 13 1 Myles Tynanes TKO punches HEAT 19 September 25 2011 1 3 29 Nagoya JapanLoss 6 12 1 Takaaki Oban Submission rear naked choke Gladiator 23 September 3 2011 1 1 40 Hiroshima JapanLoss 6 11 1 Taiei Kin TKO corner stoppage HEAT 16 November 6 2010 1 4 01 Osaka JapanLoss 6 10 1 Yoshihiro Nakao TKO punches Sengoku Raiden Championships 12 March 7 2010 2 3 27 Tokyo JapanWin 6 9 1 Kim Min Soo KO punches and knees The Khan 2 November 27 2009 1 1 12 Seoul South KoreaLoss 5 9 1 Lee Chang Seob TKO punches HEAT 12 November 1 2009 1 0 53 Nagoya JapanLoss 5 8 1 Cristiano Kaminishi TKO punches HEAT 11 September 26 2009 3 3 36 Tokyo Japan Openweight bout NC 5 7 1 Cristiano Kaminishi No contest groin strike HEAT 10 July 18 2009 1 0 54 Tokyo JapanWin 5 7 Ryuta Noji KO punches HEAT 9 March 28 2009 1 1 14 Nagoya JapanWin 4 7 Junpei Hamada KO punches HEAT 8 December 14 2008 1 0 52 Tokyo JapanLoss 3 7 Cristiano Kaminishi KO head kick DEEP 29 Impact April 13 2007 1 4 00 Tokyo JapanWin 3 6 Kim Ji Fun KO punch HEAT 3 March 23 2007 1 4 58 Nagoya JapanLoss 2 6 Mostapha al Turk TKO punches Cage Rage 18 August 27 2006 1 0 56 London EnglandWin 2 5 Seiji Ogura Submission rear naked choke Pancrase August 27 2006 1 1 37 Yokohama JapanLoss 1 5 Robert Berry TKO punches Cage Rage 17 July 1 2006 1 1 06 London EnglandLoss 1 4 Zuluzinho TKO knees PRIDE 30 October 23 2005 1 1 31 Saitama Saitama Japan Super Heavyweight bout Loss 1 3 James Thompson KO punch PRIDE Bushido 8 July 17 2005 1 1 21 Nagoya JapanLoss 1 2 Makoto Takimoto Decision unanimous PRIDE Shockwave 2004 December 31 2004 3 5 00 Saitama Saitama JapanWin 1 1 Mal Foki KO punches PRIDE Bushido 5 October 14 2004 1 0 21 Osaka JapanLoss 0 1 Giant Silva Submission kimura PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 April 25 2004 1 4 04 Saitama Saitama Japan 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix Opening Round See also EditList of male mixed martial artists Glossary of sumo terms List of past sumo wrestlers List of non Japanese sumo wrestlersReferences Edit a b c Lefton Brad 17 June 1997 Sentoryu from Sen to Ru I Su Our Town s Henry Miller Is a Really Big Man as Sumo Wrestler in Japan St Louis Post Dispatch MO Retrieved 30 January 2015 a b Sharnoff Lora 1993 Grand Sumo Weatherhill p 170 a b c Gunning John 24 December 2010 Saint no more Miller seeks revenge on Christmas Daily Yomiuri Online Archived from the original on 27 December 2010 Akebono wins despite last day upset BBC News Online 2000 07 23 Retrieved 2007 06 25 Pourquie Bastian December 2003 Rikishi that have retired Le Monde du Sumo Retrieved 2007 06 25 Gunning John 24 January 2020 Sentoryu embodied colorful sumo nickname Japan Times Retrieved 24 January 2020 Henry Sentoryu Miller Pride Fighting Championships Retrieved 2007 06 25 Pride The Secret Files in Japanese Kamipro 2008 Sherdog Fightfinder Henry Sentoryu Miller Sherdog Retrieved 2007 06 25 Sentoryu has his revenge Daily Yomiuri Online 27 December 2010 Retrieved 29 December 2010 Sentoryu Henri Rikishi Information Sumo Reference Retrieved 18 October 2012 FightCenter External links EditSentoryu Henri s official biography English at the Grand Sumo Homepage Official website Professional MMA record for Sentoryu Henri from Sherdog Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sentoryu Henri amp oldid 1129541990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
