During the San Diego installment of Sumo + Sushi on Friday, February 27, Ajay Thakore, who also goes by Ace Rogers and AJ “Ace” Thakore, seemingly purchased the “Get In The Ring” add-on that allows audience members to step onto the dohyo for a supervised bout with a wrestler. When asked where he was from before entering the ring, Thakore responded, “fucking San Diego,” then told the crowd he was “too drunk for this fucking shit,” drawing loud cheers as the room leaned into the chaos.
As Thakore charismatically removed his Versace Barocco silk button-up shirt as required for the wrestling portion, tripping in-ring along the way, the announcer agreed that he seemed too intoxicated for the event, joking that this is why they make people sign waivers beforehand. He then asked Ace whether he had any sports or martial arts background, and Thakore replied, “a lot of cocaine,” a line that hit like a punchline and landed as a headline. He then pulled off his hat, revealing green hair, mimed snorting motions for the crowd, and selected 25-year-old Ruru as his opponent, described at the event as a massive sumo talent who has practiced the discipline since childhood.
The bout itself was brief and decisive, with Thakore giving a clown-like attempt before being flattened and pinned as Ruru laid atop him to close out the moment. When AJ arose, he raised his hand in victory and seemingly mouthed "I fucking won!". Thakore ended the encounter posing for photos with Ruru as he displayed double middle fingers. SanDiegoVille was on site during the sumo showdown and obtained video of the full encounter, see below.
The spectacle also reignited a familiar question that tends to follow Thakore wherever he pops up in public: is any of this real, or is it performance art designed for the algorithm. That skepticism has lingered since 2024’s viral TMZ clip showing former UFC champion Chuck Liddell falling into San Diego Bay from the bright blue Lamborghini-branded yacht associated with Thakore, a moment that some viewers openly speculated looked staged even as it ricocheted across social media.
Thakore’s notoriety in San Diego began in late 2021 after La Jolla’s American Pizza Manufacturing publicly accused him of orchestrating an unusual harassment campaign that allegedly included floods of negative online reviews, decal-covered vehicles repeatedly parked outside the business, and a plane flying overhead with banners disparaging the pizzeria. Thakore and a related business entity later sued, arguing they were engaging in a protected boycott, and the pizzeria countersued, with the dispute continuing to generate filings and local chatter.
His name surged again in March 2024 after a confrontation at Seaforth Boat Rental was captured on video, showing a man identified in public reporting as Thakore allegedly threatening a young dock worker during a dispute over docking access. A second clip appeared to show the man pulling down his pants and making lewd gestures toward people on the dock, and the incident later became the basis for ongoing legal conflict, including an indecent exposure charge and a civil suit.
Court records show Joseph Holt, the Seaforth dock worker involved in the viral encounter, filed a civil lawsuit against Thakore and Gopher Media LLC in San Diego Superior Court, case number 25CU012644C, which is currently listed as stayed. In the complaint, Holt alleges that Thakore threatened him during the docking incident and later exposed himself in public, and the pleading lays out multiple causes of action including assault and emotional distress-related claims; Thakore has not been adjudicated liable in the matter, and allegations in the complaint remain claims to be proven.
Beyond that dock dispute, Thakore has been tied to a web of civil litigation involving other local businesses, including a separate legal fight connected to La Jolla’s Nautilus Tavern that has featured competing allegations from both sides. In one of the more widely discussed offshoots of his public persona, Thakore’s social media presence oscillates between villain-coded bravado and self-styled generosity, a whiplash that keeps him permanently news-adjacent even when he isn’t trying to be. He currently has over 250,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 50k on TikTok.
That context is what made Friday night’s Sumo + Sushi moment feel less like a one-off drunken stunt and more like a live reenactment of the identity Thakore has built in San Diego: part spectacle, part provocation, and part lightning rod. Even his most innocuous public appearances have a way of becoming a referendum on his history, and the Del Mar crowd’s cheers suggested many attendees either didn’t know the backstory or didn’t care.
Sumo + Sushi continues its San Diego run through the weekend at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, with the “Get In The Ring” add-on remaining one of the event’s most buzzed-about upsells. If Friday’s finale is any indication, the real wildcard isn’t the wrestlers, it’s which local character decides to buy their way onto the dohyo next.
Originally published on February 28, 2026.
Originally published on February 28, 2026.
