Olympic gold medalist judoka Hidehiko Yoshida founded Yoshida Dojo three years ago in Chiba, a Japanese city of nearly 1 million people which rests on the shores of Tokyo Bay, about 25 miles east of Tokyo.

Much in the fashion of American Top Team and its affiliate network, the judo-centric fight academy has expanded, and now has clubs in several Japanese locales. The main J-Rock Workout studio -- named after Yoshida’s management company -- is located in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward and plays host some of Japan’s top MMA fighters, including ranked featherweight Michihiro Omigawa and fiery lightweight prospect Maximo Blanco.Rin

Yoshida himself retired from fight sport this April after a storied career, having faced the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Royce Gracie and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in the ring of the now-defunct but still-beloved Pride Fighting Championships. Yoshida’s final opponent, fellow MMA veteran and judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura, today plays a central role in the operation of Yoshida Dojo.