Abu Dhabi Hosts the UAE's First International Sumo Competition

Abu Dhabi is about to host something the region has never seen. The All-Star Sumo competition, the UAE's first international professional sumo event, arrives at Space42 Arena on 26 September 2026, bringing nine elite rikishi together for 36 explosive bouts. If you train at a gym, there is a good reason to watch beyond the spectacle, because sumo hides some of the most demanding strength and mobility work in sport, and a couple of its drills belong in your own warm-up.

What is happening in Abu Dhabi

Nine wrestlers, from Japan, Mongolia and Egypt, will contest 36 short bouts on the night. Headlining is Ichi of Japan, a winner of the Emperor's Cup, the highest honour in professional sumo. Alongside him are Hiroki of Japan, one of the largest active competitors in the sport, Mendee of Mongolia, a former Junior World Sumo Champion, and Ramy El-Gazar of Egypt, an internationally decorated champion and one of the most accomplished Arab wrestlers to reach this level. The event is staged with the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi, and coordinated with USA Sumo so the competition holds to professional standards.

The ceremony matters as much as the contest. The programme keeps the formal ring-entering procession and the traditional rituals performed before every bout on the dohyo, the raised clay ring. "Sumo is rarely seen live outside Japan," said Mohamad Yehya, General Manager of Space42 Arena, who added that watching it in person lets people appreciate not only the power of the sport but its discipline, traditions and the respect shown before every contest.

What a sumo body is really doing

It is tempting to read size as the whole story, and it is not. A top rikishi carries serious mass, yet moves it with balance, timing and a hip range that most gym-goers would envy. A bout is frequently over in seconds, so it becomes a pure test of explosive power off the mark, grip strength, and the ability to hold a low, braced stance while a similar mass drives into you. Heavy load, deep positions and fast feet in one athlete is exactly the combination most training plans struggle to build together. If you want to understand any of these positions before you copy them, our exercise library breaks the basics down step by step.

The flexibility is the part people miss entirely. Rikishi are known for mobility that rivals a dedicated stretching routine, which is what lets them sink into a wide, low stance and drive force up from the floor rather than straining through the back. You do not need to weigh what they weigh to want that quality, and steady mobility work is one honest way to chase it.

Sumo training exercises you can borrow

You are never going to step on the dohyo, and you do not have to. Two of the sport's oldest drills carry straight over to an ordinary gym session, and both use only your bodyweight.

1. Shiko, the leg raise and squat. Stand wide with your hands on your thighs, raise one leg high to the side, hold for a beat at the top, then lower it and sink into a deep squat before switching sides. It is the signature sumo movement, and it builds lower-body strength, single-leg balance and flexibility through the hips and groin all at once.
2. Suri-ashi, the sliding step. Bend your knees, tuck your elbows in, and glide your feet forward along the floor without lifting them, keeping your weight low throughout. It looks simple and it humbles most people quickly, because it trains footwork, hip mobility and lower-body endurance under constant tension.

Add them in gently. A handful of controlled shiko reps per side inside a warm-up, or a few lengths of suri-ashi before your main lifts, will open the hips and switch on the glutes better than most machine work. Quality beats speed every time here, and every rikishi learns these at a crawl long before adding any load. When you are ready to put that new range under a bar, a structured barbell strength class is a simple next step.

Ringside lessons for your own training

Sumo is a useful reminder that mobility and strength are not rivals. The wrestlers who look least like a textbook athlete are living proof that deep positions, heavy loads and a genuinely mobile hip can share one body. Borrow the drills, keep your own goals, and let the Abu Dhabi card be the nudge to add a little more range to leg day.

Fancy testing your own hips and legs after all that? Try GymNation with a free day pass, then fill in the enquiry form and the GymNation team will take it from there.

Sources:
gulfnews.com
khaleejtimes.com
usasumo.com

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.