Japanese judoka Satoshi Ishii fights for Elite MMA Championship in Germany
Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii has his next MMA assignment.
Elite MMA Championship (EMC) officials today informed MMA Junkie that Ishii (23-11-1) will take on two-time Bellator veteran Stuart Austin (14-6) at EMC 5 on Sept. 5 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The inaugural EMC heavyweight title will be on the line.
Launched in 2017, EMC is owned by Croatian brothers Ivan & Tomi Dijakovic, who own the UFD GYM in Dusseldorf and manage notable fighters such as Abus Magomedov, Antun Racic, Thiago Silva, Roberto Soldic and David Zawada, among others.
Ishii, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist judoka, last saw action in January, picking up a first-round submission win over Cleber Souza in Japan. In 2019, Ishii fought seven times, including three appearances for the PFL, as well as one-offs for Rizin and KSW.
Meanwhile, Austin has been fighting professionally since 2010 and fought twice under the Bellator banner in 2014. “He-Man” is also a former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) heavyweight champion.
Additional fights are expected to be announced shortly, and EMC officials have promised the card will include several UFC, PFL, and Cage Warriors. Global broadcast plans have yet to be finalized.