After building a championship run and a following in Korea, Takahiro Komakine has declined a new Black Combat contract and plans to continue his career in Japan.
One of Black Combat’s most recognizable Japanese fighters appears to be moving on.
Takahiro Komakine better known as “Tank” has declined a new contract with Black Combat and plans to continue his career in Japan, according to comments made during the promotion’s latest Blackbox episode.
The news came as Black Combat begins building toward its massive Gocheok Dome event—and after the promotion had apparently hoped to bring back one of Komakine’s most familiar rivalries.
The original plan?
Tank vs. Viper III.
Instead, Black Combat received a very different answer.
Black Combat Wanted the Trilogy
During the episode, the conversation initially centered around whether Sung Woong Kim, better known as “Viper,” deserved a place on the Gocheok Dome card.
The case for Viper eventually became clear. Despite an uneven record, he has been one of Black Combat’s most loyal personalities, consistently generates interest and is coming off a performance that earned him Fight of the Night.
Black Combat wanted to reward that loyalty with a major opportunity.
And there was one fight that made plenty of sense.
Tank.
Komakine and Viper are tied 1-1, with each man owning a finish over the other. With Black Combat preparing its biggest event yet, a trilogy fight offered an established rivalry with unfinished business.
According to the promotion, an offer was officially sent to Komakine.
Then the response arrived.
Tank Says No—and Turns Down a New Contract
Black Combat revealed that Takahiro Komakine declined the Viper fight.
But that wasn’t the biggest surprise.
According to the promotion, Tank also informed them that he would not renew his Black Combat contract and intends to continue his career in Japan.
The announcement caught the Blackbox panel off guard.
Turning down Viper was one thing. Walking away from Black Combat altogether was another.
The panel noted that Komakine’s existing two-year agreement was reaching its conclusion, meaning his departure comes at the end of his contract rather than in the middle of an existing deal.
For a fighter who became such a significant part of Black Combat’s flyweight division, it’s a notable ending to his run with the promotion.
From Japanese Import to Black Combat Champion
Tank’s time in Black Combat became much more than a handful of appearances from a visiting Japanese fighter.
He eventually climbed all the way to the top of the division, becoming Black Combat flyweight champion and establishing himself as one of the promotion’s most successful international fighters.
Along the way, Korean fans embraced him enough that the Blackbox crew specifically referenced the affection he received in Korea, even noting how fans began treating him as one of their own.
Black Combat also says Komakine was compensated significantly better during his run with the promotion than he had been previously and was given the opportunity to compete frequently—something the panel described as important to him as an active fighter.
That’s part of what made his decision so surprising to the promotion.
Tank wasn’t leaving after failing to establish himself.
He was leaving after becoming one of Black Combat’s most recognizable Japanese success stories.
Why Is Tank Going Back to Japan?
That’s the question Black Combat spent much of the episode trying to answer.
But there’s an important distinction.
Takahiro Komakine’s own reason for leaving was not provided in the episode.
Instead, the Blackbox panel offered several possibilities.
One was simple: home.
The panel compared the situation to Korean fighters wanting to build their careers in Korea. Japan has a much larger established combat sports ecosystem, and organizations such as RIZIN offer Japanese fighters the opportunity to build recognition in their home market.
The panel suggested that the appeal of becoming a bigger name in Japan could naturally be attractive to Komakine.
They also wondered whether Tank simply needed another goal.
After accomplishing so much in Black Combat, including a championship run, perhaps there was something appealing about starting another pursuit back home.
RIZIN was discussed as a possible ambition, but the episode did not announce that Komakine has signed with RIZIN or any other Japanese promotion.
For now, the only information Black Combat presented as Tank’s decision is that he plans to move on and compete in Japan.
Black Combat Clearly Has Mixed Feelings
As the conversation continued, it became obvious that Black Combat wasn’t entirely indifferent about losing him.
The promotion believes it played a major role in building Tank’s profile.
The panel looked back at Takahiro Komakine’s connection to DEEP and argued that he arrived without significant name recognition before Black Combat invested in developing his character, increasing his exposure and turning him into a fighter Korean fans cared about.
Their analogy was colorful.
Black Combat described fighters as “ingredients” and the promotion as the “chef.”
In Tank’s case, they believe they took a difficult ingredient and turned it into something valuable.
Now that value can potentially follow him somewhere else.
There was some obvious frustration behind those comments.
At the same time, the panel acknowledged the fundamental reality of the situation: Tank has reached the end of his contract, and choosing a different direction is his decision to make.
A Black Combat Chapter Comes to an End
Tank’s departure also leaves Black Combat with an immediate matchmaking problem.
Viper was being positioned for a significant Gocheok Dome opportunity, and completing the trilogy with Takahiro Komakine would have provided an easy story to sell.
That’s no longer happening.
Black Combat discussed other possibilities—including Amazon Kid—but no replacement opponent for Viper was confirmed during the episode.
For Komakine, meanwhile, the bigger question is where Japan takes him next.
Black Combat’s panel mentioned the scale and popularity of RIZIN while discussing why returning home might appeal to him, but there was no announcement of his next destination.
So for now, there is no RIZIN signing.
No confirmed return to DEEP.
No next opponent.
Just the end of one chapter.
Takahiro Komakine came to Black Combat, became one of its most prominent Japanese fighters, reached the top of its flyweight division and built a following far from home.
Now, instead of running it back with Sung Woong Kim “Viper” under the lights of Gocheok Dome, Tank has chosen something different.
He’s heading back to Japan.
And whatever comes next will begin outside the Black Combat cage.
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