His father, who can often be seen spectating his son's judo and MMA matches, still fishes for bluefin tuna at over 70 years of age.

Instead of using his judo techniques to his advantage during his debut, Izumi attempted to trade punches with the world-class striker.

After his poor performance in his debut, Izumi began turning his mixed martial arts career around.

2010, against former PRIDE veteran and Dream Super Hulk Tournament Champion Ikuhisa Minowa by TKO.

Izumi then earned a title shot at Gegard Mousasi for the Dream Light Heavyweight Championship, but lost by TKO.