Kai Asakura came up short in his attempt to win a UFC title in his debut, but could have opened the door for another RIZIN champion to join the North American company in 2025.
RIZIN lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi, who faces Vugar Karamov in the final card of the year on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan, once told MMA Fighting he had “no desire” to change homes for the UFC because “the recognition I have here in RIZIN is out of the ordinary,” and “I would hardly make in the UFC what I make in RIZIN.”
RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara was sitting cageside for Asakura’s challenge against Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight gold at UFC 310, and it gave Satoshi the impression that a more interesting and lucrative deal could be worked on for his transition, given Sakakibara’s closer ties to UFC CEO Dana White.
“I was very happy for Kai, even though he lost,” Satoshi said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “We have to respect him because he’s made his name in the media in Japan, he’s very popular here, and that’s why there was a lot of buzz here. It was good for Japan, it was good for the UFC as well. I’m glad to see Dana White saying he wants to be even closer, which could open the door for more RIZIN fighters there.”
Asakura is a very popular MMA name in Japan, pulling better numbers on his own YouTube channel than UFC star Alex Pereira, but Satoshi doesn’t have the same personality. He’s the type of fighter that prefers to do the talking inside rings and cages, and has done it fairly well in his most recent bouts with back-to-back knockouts over Luiz Gustavo and Keita Nakamura.
The jiu-jitsu ace looks to defend his 155-pound for the fourth time on Dec. 31, and reveled his condition to consider joining the UFC.
“The only way I would have the desire to go to the UFC is if it’s like Kai went,” Satoshi said. “It doesn’t need to be in a title fight, which I think is hard, especially in the lightweight division with a long line waiting for [Islam] Makhachev, but if there’s an opportunity to fight someone ranked, I’d be very interested. Now, if I have to go there and fight someone else to then start climbing the rankings, then I’m not interested.
“I’m already 35, so it’s hard to start that journey from zero. But if I can cut the line a little bit and at least fight someone ranked, then I’m in. I’m happy here at RIZIN, I’m well-paid, I’m the champion, and fans recognize me in Japan, but, like it or not, looking in terms of [size] of the UFC, to have the opportunity of fighting someone ranked there would be another great chapter in my career as a fighter.”
Satoshi was victorious in 10 of his 11 RIZIN bouts with nine stoppages to his credit, including a first-round armbar over Johnny Case to avenge his single loss. Satoshi was beaten twice in Japan when facing Bellator stars A.J. McKee Jr. and Patricky Pitbull, the latter being a last-minute catchweight.
Satoshi said he hasn’t studied Islam Makhachev’s fights as he would if paired up against him, but sees the UFC king having cardio and strength as his biggest weapons, more than actual technique.
The Brazilian talent, who has even fought to a draw against a much heavier Gordon Ryan in jiu-jitsu at Quintet 3 back in 2019, has history with former 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira dating back to their days as young jiu-jitsu blue-belts in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“He was brave,” Satoshi laughed. “He was from a lighter weight class but moved up just to fight me, so we always ended up fighting each other twice in every tournament because we would also meet in the absolute. People make fun when I say this, but I’ve never lost to him in jiu-jitsu. I think we fought six or seven times, and I always won [laughs].”
