On Sun., Aug. 23, 2009, Ryo Chonan made his homecoming to the Japanese DEEP organization by taking on Jutaro Nakao in the main event at “DEEP – 43 Impact” at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. In the first round, Chonan picked Nakao apart with powerful leg kicks. In rounds two and three, Chonan took Nakao to the canvas and used ground and pound attacks to grind out a unanimous decision. It was a sweet victory for Chonan who was released by the UFC following a loss to T.J. Grant back in April.
There were two titles on the line at “DEEP – 43 Impact.” Takafumi Otsuka upset the champ Dokonjonosuke Mishima by unanimous decision to take home the featherweight title, and in his first bantamweight title defense Masakau Imanari defeated Tomohiko Hori also by unanimous decision.
