Kota Ibushi is officially touring the United States in the summer of 2023.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and longtime leader of ‘Bloodsport’, Josh Barnett announced quite the matchup for his latest installment of the event.
IMPACT star ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey will face none other than former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi at Bloodsport 9.
Kota Ibushi Is Now a Free Agent
Following an historic run in New Japan Pro Wrestling from 2009 through 2023, Kota Ibushi would collect nearly every accolade and title possible. Ibushi would hold the IWGP World Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Intercontinental, Junior Heavyweight, Junior Heavyweight Tag, and World Tag Team Championships.
Kota Ibushi officially became a free agent on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 following a near 15-year run with the company both before and after a brief run in WWE in 2016 where he competed in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, where he was defeated by the tournament’s eventual winner TJ Perkins in the event’s semifinals.
GCW Collective 2023 Schedule
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9 takes place on Thursday, March 30 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles, California at 4:00 p.m. local time. The event will be part of GameChanger Wrestling’s annual ‘GCW Collective’ during WrestleMania 39 weekend.
Thursday, March 30
- Santino Bros Wrestling (11:00 a.m. PDT)
- Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 9 (4:00 p.m. PDT)
- DDT Pro-Wrestling (8:00 p.m. PDT)
- For The Culture (11:59 p.m. PDT)
Friday, March 31
- Jimmy Lloyd’s Degeneration-F (11:00 a.m. PDT)
- DDT vs. GCW (3:00 p.m. PDT)
- Joey Janela’s Spring Break 7 (8:00 p.m. PDT)
- Emo Fight (11:59 p.m. PDT)
Saturday, April 1
- Effy’s Big Gay Brunch: LA (11:00 a.m. PDT)
- Gringo Loco’s The WRLD on Lucha (9:00 p.m. PDT)
Sunday, April 2
- The Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame (12:00 p.m. PDT)
SEScoops will continue to provide any updates on Kota Ibushi’s free agency status as they become available.
