Hiroki eats prime rib and pineapple cake before his sumo match

Hiroki, a 6-foot-4-inch, 550-pound Japanese sumo champion, finished a $240 dinner at Momosan in Mashantucket, Connecticut, the night before the All-Star Sumo elite competition. The meal, which included All Star Ramen and two portions of every item on the sushi menu, was only half of his usual expenditure. He ate no breakfast, consumed a salad, and then ate three 14-ounce prime ribs, clam chowder, a milkshake, and a cookie monster sundae for lunch. He described himself as not being particularly hungry, despite his reputation as the heaviest sumo wrestler on earth.

Hiroki arrived at the Japanese restaurant in a high-roller limo van. He laughed until his body jiggled while pretending to sweep a basket of American junk food into his shopping bag. At the table, he drank only water and iced tea but smoked before and after the meal. He said he is gradually losing weight and has become more concerned about his mortality. He noted that sumo wrestlers live 10 to 15 years less than the average Japanese man.

The 37-year-old father of a 5-year-old daughter has spent 12 years in professional sumo in Japan, winning two divisional championships. He has since appeared in US sumo competitions and on Netflix in the series Sanctuary, where he plays a villain. He said people still bow to him on the streets, a reaction that flatters him. He also mentioned that strangers stop him to plead with him not to mess up their ears, referencing a gruesome scene in his role.

Andrew Freund, the All-Star Sumo director and interpreter, stated that the wrestlers are remarkably agile despite their size. He said people expect the athletes to waddle around, but they are flipping through the air. He noted that the matches are very acrobatic and that all of the wrestlers can do splits.

Ryo, a sumo wrestler from Mongolia, said he does not want to try NHL slapshots because it is too painful. He walked through the casino balancing on one leg and kicking his other leg over his head. Ichi, a 33-year-old wrestler from Japan, listed in the program at 510 pounds but currently at 450, said he feels like a normal person in the United States. He recently scrimmaged against Jason Kelce, who called their power insane.

Sumo rules require a wrestler to push an opponent out of the 15-foot diameter ring or make any body part besides the soles of the feet touch the ground. Punching, kicking, eye poking, hair pulling, and choking are not allowed. There are no weight classes, so wrestlers compete against athletes twice their size. Freund said the big guy is not always the one who wins because smaller athletes can manipulate the larger opponents by getting a grip on the mawashi belt.

In the championship match, Badraa, a 27-pound four-time World Sumo Champion from Mongolia, defeated Ryo, a 330-pound University Champion from Japan, in 2.15 seconds. The judges reviewed the replay and declared a rematch because it was inconclusive who landed on the mat first. The final bout lasted less than four seconds. Badraa, the smallest athlete in the lineup, won the trophy and a secret cash amount. Hiroki finished with a 4-3 record and smiled for selfies from fans.

Ichi said that if his belt fell off and his junk was revealed, he would automatically lose the match. He has not experienced this, but it has happened to others. The event featured 28 scheduled fights, with each fighter battling the other seven times. The matches were short, with none lasting more than a minute or two. Fans ate sushi and drank sake while traditional taiko drumming played. Hiroki said he refuses to retire because he wants to share sumo with people who have never seen it.