Micah Parsons Takes On Sumo Wrestler In Tokyo

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During the NFL offseason, Micah Parsons is trying out some other, less conventional athletic pursuits.

While on a tour of Asia alongside Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Dallas Cowboys edge rusher went one-on-one — twice —with a sumo wrestler in Tokyo. In his first attempt, Parsons was easily tossed out of the circular dohyo.

Stroud taunted the All-Pro linebacker with a "too small" celebration followed by a cradling baby gesture, which the wrestler then imitated. But Parsons wasn't going out like that.

"Run it back," he responded. "I’m about to hit legs every day."

Sure enough, after a hard-fought second battle, Parsons forced his giant opponent out of the circle.

While sumo might have been a new endeavor for the Cowboys star, Parsons is no stranger to the wrestling ring. The 24-year-old was a wrestler growing up and considered going back to the sport as a senior in high school while Penn State was recruiting him for football. But even though he ultimately chose football, Parsons is always looking for non-traditional ways to improve his performance.

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Last off-season, he started boxing to enhance his game. 

"I would say I'm a lot more dangerous, especially inside, working inside, especially when [offensive lineman are] getting on you a whole lot faster vs. the outside," Parsons told The Dallas Morning News about his new boxing regimen. "So I feel like it really helped my inside rushes and things like that."

Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys

Micah Parsons

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

And maybe there's something to that. In 17 games last season, the three-time Pro Bowler logged career highs in sacks (14) and QB hits (33). He also finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker T.J. Watt and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.

And now that he has experience in the sumo ring, pushing those 300-pound offensive linemen around should be a breeze.