Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishi headed for American Top Team
by Stefan Manojlovic on Dec 17, 2008 12:49 PM EST
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What is 'Benedict Arnold' translated into Japanese?
After flirting with DREAM, Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii has opted to pursue a career in the UFC rather than the Japanese promotion according to Fighters Only Magazine.
Quoteworthy:
"I made up my mind finally - the UFC is where I want to fight. I'm a white belt in MMA. I understand the possibility of starting from WEC. If I was an unknown judoka, I would definitely build up my MMA experience in Japan first. However, I have decided put my Judo gold medal to use. I believe my name value will attract the UFC."
Ishii was expected to make his mixed martial arts debut on New Year’s Eve at the FieLDS Dynamite!! supershow scheduled for the end of this year. He verbally agreed to sign with Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and even held a fan club celebration party on November 3.
The 22-year old Ishii was apologetic for his failure to commit, and his hero status could take a serious hit when he heads to the famed American Top Team (ATT) camp in March of 2009.
This isn't the first time Ishii has made noise in the world of MMA.
After winning his gold medal in Beijing, Ishii issued an open challenge to heavyweight deity Fedor Emelianenko. I guess he didn’t see what Fedor did to silver medalist Naoya Ogawa at PRIDE Final Conflict back in 2004.
Fedor of course smiled and went about his business, as Ishii has yet to prove that he can transition from Judo to mixed martial arts - and a few questions have been raised of his ability to strike (or be struck).
In addition, his Judo Federation doesn’t seem too keen on the idea of him making the jump from Judo to mixed martial arts, despite Ishii’s persistence.
From Tokyo's Kokushikan University program leader Kazuo Yoshimura:
"This guy turns everybody into an enemy. He'd better get out [of Japan] without delay."
Ishii is young, brash and shooting for a spot on the UFC roster.
Maybe he can audition for The Ultimate Fighter Season 10.
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I put my entire fist into his anus in that picture. You can’t see it though.
by Brandon on Dec 17, 2008 12:51 PM EST reply actions
Maybe that was inappropriate. It just came to mind when I saw the picture. Sorry
by Brandon on Dec 17, 2008 1:04 PM EST up reply actions
thats fucking grose but it made me laugh when i looked at the pic and thought of what you said
by Jared on Dec 17, 2008 2:27 PM EST up reply actions
HA HA HA HA you’re so fucking funny! How do you come up with this shit?
by tyler on Dec 18, 2008 3:30 AM EST up reply actions
hahahaha wow. And I got moderated for saying the stengths and weaknesses of Rashad and Forrest Griffin in their upcoming fight.
by RyanHobbs on Dec 17, 2008 9:11 PM EST up reply actions
What weight is this guy fighting at? If he wanted to challenge Fedor, does that mean he’s a HW?
by Graham on Dec 17, 2008 12:58 PM EST reply actions
Ishi weighs around 220lbs.He’s also 5’11 I believe.
by tyler on Dec 17, 2008 1:37 PM EST up reply actions
5’11" and a rookie to MMA! Sounds like Fedors opponents!
by JV on Dec 17, 2008 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
Haha, good one. He would definitely have to fight at 185 but there’s no one at ATT who knows how cut weight.
by NameNotRequired on Dec 17, 2008 8:04 PM EST up reply actions
JV, what Rookie has Fedor fought? Hong Man Choi was his most inexperienced opponents and he had 8 fights under his belt. Sounds like you’re another UFC fanboy who can’t get his facts straight about anything non-UFC.
by BK on Dec 17, 2008 10:37 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t think he’d have to fight at 185.I’m sure he could but seeing him his build reminds me a little of Rashad Evans so I think light heavyweight is where he’ll end up.
by tyler on Dec 17, 2008 11:40 PM EST up reply actions
goood idea to make him try out in the Ultinate fighter! If he can win he could be a big star in the future!
by matthew on Dec 17, 2008 12:59 PM EST reply actions
Yeah, because tje WEC HW division is so stacked!!! lmao!
“name Value” maybe in asia!
by kevin on Dec 17, 2008 1:07 PM EST reply actions
He may talk a lot but his athleticism and talent is ridiculous according to a lot of people who train with him. This guys are big time ADCC grapplers too. He is a serious prospect to come out of japan in a long time.
by NameNotRequired on Dec 17, 2008 8:09 PM EST up reply actions
my point was, there is no HW or LHW division in WEC, so this guy not only has to learn mma, but organizations too. just being a petty wise ass is all!
by kevin on Dec 17, 2008 8:35 PM EST up reply actions
He’s listed at 240 (108 kg) but has fought at under 100 kg before, so it sounds like Heavyweight, but Light Heavyweight may not be unreasonable.
by DCRage on Dec 17, 2008 1:20 PM EST reply actions
I love the idea of putting him on the Ultimate Fighter. There are too many talentless fools on that show to begin with. At least put on a guy with HUGE potential so we can watch him come up through the ranks.
by Nate on Dec 17, 2008 1:28 PM EST reply actions
I hope that he will eventually join the ranks of UFC heavyweight fighters and be able to make a serious impact. He’s only 5’11" though, and I’m sure that his reach isn’t that long either. As I said, I hope he can do great things in the UFC, but I can definitely see Ishii having trouble with long limbed strikers.
by Scissor Sweep on Dec 17, 2008 1:39 PM EST reply actions
5’11 220? he should drop to LHW and then maybe.. just maybe.. his gold medal in Judo will get him something. Add a dollar and it ill get him a cup of coffee.
by sp00ner1234 on Dec 17, 2008 1:45 PM EST up reply actions
I enjoyed the Benedict Arnold reference. Next up: The Strom Thurmond of MMA… i can hope anyway.
by Fidel Cashflow on Dec 17, 2008 1:56 PM EST reply actions
According to some sources he is around 240 and 5’11, so maybe its a bit rough to go down to 205, the guy is just 22 years old aswell, and about his future, a part at a TUF season would be interesting!
by Borgudd on Dec 17, 2008 2:05 PM EST reply actions
i think despite his inexperience he has chosen a sensible path in leaving Japan and going for ATT. With something like 16 black belts in BJJ down there they are monsters. I recently attended a seminar in coconut creek at the ATT headquarters with Matt Lindland, Matt Horwich, John Hackleman and Chuck Liddell in attendance to provide striking and takedown training, and i think most of the cream of the crop ATT guys were there towards the end. Ricardo Liborio (head Att trainer) is a brilliant instructor and will be able to take this guys game most definitely to the proper level to begin chllenging in the mma proving grounds. Infact, the atmosphere of the gym was great. I train at Team Nogueira down in Miami but felt very privlaged to have a day with Ricardo and his guys to see what they are doing over there. Again, the Ishii has made a great decision. Unfortunately, many of the great Japanese fighters don’t get their names out here in the states very well, save for blog sites like this that try and report details of events that we can’t get as accessibly on American television, and a lot of these guys get stuck competeing mostly under K-1 type rules which Ishii could have easily fallen into and been comfortable with just his Judo training. Good luck to him. He will feel right at home in S Florida.
by arthurzero on Dec 17, 2008 2:14 PM EST reply actions
an ultimate fighter with kimbo slice, ishi and bobby lashey.
by rain183 on Dec 17, 2008 2:48 PM EST reply actions
im slightly ignorant when it comes to judo as a martial art. correct me if i’m wrong but judo is all about leverage, base and momentum and the objective is to throw the opponent to the ground. is there any joint manipulation on the ground or is it all grappling? is there any striking involved at all? what makes judo superior to wrestling? and what makes this dude think he stands a chance as a full contact fighter when all he knows is judo with a gi on?
by jonsey on Dec 17, 2008 3:30 PM EST reply actions
with training, he will get better! he’s an olympian, and has a great base! Karo “Do you know who I am bro, overrated” is a judo guy. With a strong base and athleticism, training and coaching in other disciplines will only make him more mma viable!
by kevin on Dec 17, 2008 4:47 PM EST up reply actions
I’ve been watching some of his Judo matches on youtube. He’s damn near impossible to take down. I don’t think a good base translates to MMA success, but it’s a good start. We’ll see how he develops his striking and jits.
by RealDrew on Dec 17, 2008 5:12 PM EST up reply actions
thats what I meant, a good base is a good start IE lesner!
by kevin on Dec 17, 2008 5:16 PM EST up reply actions
he is young. i don’t think he should have a fight untill he has at least a year of solid mma training under his belt which isn’t very much.
by jonsey on Dec 17, 2008 11:18 PM EST up reply actions
Yea you can choke the guy out or Kimura him. Main purpose of judo can be thought of as standing grappling…using your wieght to throw…
The point in wrestling is to pin the guy…the point in judo is to throw them and submit them but im not sure to what extent
by What? on Dec 17, 2008 4:46 PM EST reply actions
I think you cant hurt them…point is to just make them not be able to keep attacking..pretty much imobilze them which is why the rear naked choke or kimura work great. I dont think your allowed to arm bar the guy but who knows…i still with jiu jitsu…also any judo guy other then Karo perissian in the UFC gets owned…dunno why
by What? on Dec 17, 2008 4:50 PM EST reply actions
YOu guys gotta be kidding…
Judo is wicked. Ok first off its damn near on par with wrestling for takedowns.
In the clinch its sweeps and throws are very good to have.
On the ground, escapes are at a bit lower level than BJJ and the subs are as well. But they would be light years ahead of any wrestlers ability to submit. (BJJ came from JUDO and Judo came from the original JJ from Japan)
Immobilization would be onpar with wrestlers.
Mental part, Sticking to a gameplan would be much higher than your average guy that being said with judos rules a match can be over in a second or drag out for 5 minutes… So you have to have the versatility to shift gears.
The only part aside from striking I see is most judo guys like to “Turtle on the ground, pretty much the same as a wrestler” But they have the advantage over a wrestler in this position cause they keep thier chin tucked in as not to get choked. Wrestlers keep thier head up to prevent 1/2 & 1/4 nelson type turnovers. It would be a matter of breaking the habit.
You can get pinned in wrestling from the guard not judo. So Judo guys often use the guard, but mostly to stall…
The whole issue of the Gi is a bit of a twist, because most judo players rely too much on it. It would be a matter of choosing different gripping versions. I would say that on average in my area 1/2 the judo guys originated in wrestling.
And now most the younger players are cross-training between both so they get more funding and more varied experiences.
And yes, judo players do armlocks (focus on elbow only)
And they can be straight armlocks or body locks and triangle but from the front if the guy is in a turtle position. More like an immobilization but has the chance for a choke and armbar included… its a 3 in one (syn-gaku-jime) Not sure right off hand the proper spelling.
I think the lighter the Judo player the more success they will have in MMA. Just cause heavier ones tend to rely on strength and good gripping. Something lighter ones usually dont get. Once they touch you they are throwing. Judo is ment to be explosive. Closing the distance will be any Judo guys biggest adjustment.
They are currently changing the rules to make it more veiwer friendly. The scoring can be a bit confusing.
Fedor does Sambo and you could kinda say that judo is sambo with the subtraction of strikes and leg locks. But with a much higher caliber and participant base.
1-10 success rating (Chuck and randy =10)
Soko ju = low performance (3)
Karo Parisyan = Medium Success (7)
Don Frye = Medium Success (7.5 in his time)
Akiyama = Medium Success (7 Over across in asia)
Hidehinko yoshida = Medium Success (8 over in asia)
But like everything else its about getting the right blend of skills that complement your existing ones. I would say he should go straight into Tae Kickboxing.
(Judo also has the benifit of knowing how to cut weight like Wrestling.)
It seems like the whole thing MMA is evolving…
Beginning was dominated by BJJ.
Middle was dominated by Wrestlers.
NOW it seems like striking is getting to be the bigger issue with everyone.
Everyone seems to work on grappling extensivly and many wrestlers get neutralized by takedown defence. And clinches have seemed to be dominated by throwing KNEES now.
Sorry for the rambling guys.
by Prince E. on Dec 18, 2008 10:58 AM EST reply actions
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