New to Sumo?

Two minutes of rules is all you need to enjoy a night of sumo.

How you win a bout

Two wrestlers meet in a circular ring called the dohyo. You win by forcing your opponent out of the ring, or by making any part of the body other than the soles of the feet touch the ground. Most bouts last seconds. There are no rounds, no scoring judges, and no draws: someone goes out or goes down.

What is not allowed

Traditional sumo bans punching with a closed fist, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking, and striking the ears or groin. Slaps with an open hand, throws, trips, and lifting your opponent out of the ring are all legal. These are traditional sumo's rules; a pro league may run its own variations.

How a pro night works

Each league runs its own format, as it has published it.

Sumo Championship League

1. 16PoolsFour pools of four. Everyone meets each rival in the pool once; the top two go through
2. 8QuarterfinalsOne bout. Four go through
3. 4SemifinalsThen best of three. The losers meet for third
4. 2FinalBest of three, like the third place match
5. 1Champion

Every finish earns season points (25 for the champion, 20 for second, 15 for third, 10 for fourth and 5 for each quarterfinalist), and the season ends at a championship in December 2027, with a best-of-five final and $100,000 in prize money.

World Elite Sumo

Twelve wrestlers in one night, single elimination, every match best of three, and one champion at the end. The schedule has every night from both leagues.

No weight classes

This is the part that surprises people: in the pro leagues, anyone can draw anyone. Every dot below is one of the wrestlers we profile.

Size is a weapon. It also gets beaten often enough to keep things interesting. See the weights page for the full field.

Five words you will hear

Ready to pick a favorite? Start with the Dohyo Data Rankings or browse all the wrestlers.