Professional Sumo League Coming To Chicago This Fall

CHICAGO — Professional sumo is coming to Chicagoland this fall as a new league makes the city one of the first stops of its inaugural season.

Sumo Championship League will hold a competition at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave in Rosemont. The Chicago area event follows the league's Oct. 10 debut in Austin, Texas, and precedes a Dec. 19 stop in Ontario, California. Tickets for the Chicago event are on sale.

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The league announced Tuesday its inaugural roster of 45 athletes from nine countries. Athlete participation will vary by event, with the field for Chicago to be announced ahead of the tournament.

Among those on the inaugural roster is Samuel Rodriguez III, of Calumet City. Rodriguez, who weighs 215 pounds, won gold in the middleweight division at the 2025 Rollertown Sumo Tournament. He also served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army and works as an electrical engineer.

The roster includes world champions, national titleholders, continental medalists and veterans of sumo and other combat sports. It also features athletes who have helped grow the sport internationally as coaches, club founders and federation leaders.

The Chicago competition will be the second event of Sumo Championship League's inaugural season. The league said competitors will battle for victories, prize money and championship positioning as it builds toward its first annual championship in late 2027.

"Every great sports league is ultimately defined by its athletes, and today we are proud to introduce the competitors who will help define the future of professional sumo," league Chairman and CEO Stuart Snyder said in a statement to Patch.

Snyder said the roster ranges from world champions and longtime pioneers of the sport to emerging international competitors.

"Each athlete has their own story that we look forward to sharing with audiences," Snyder said.