“RIZIN was a great opportunity for me to become take the spotlight”

— Thank you for making the time for this phone interview
No problem. I can talk for hours!

— You sure have the spirit. What are your current thoughts looking back at your fight on December 29th at RIZIN FIGHTING WORLD GRAND-PRIX 2015 SARABA NO UTAGE” against Hideo Tokoro?
Right before I decided to tap I thought to myself, “What should I do? Is it worth getting injured?” I really didn’t feel much after I tapped, but after watching the fight and seeing myself tapping twice, it really hit me.

— So basically you admitted defeat for the first time in your career
Exactly! So that is a moment I will never forget. You see, there is no tapping in stand up fights, and I’ve only been knocked out once, and most of my decision losses, I felt like I have won. So the fact that I tapped and submitted, definitely leaves a scar in my mind. I lost the fight, but I think I was able to show everybody that I have more potential than Tokoro.

— Many say that your fight was the fight of the night candidate
I have been told that from many people as well. I also think that I was the sexiest of them all and looked the best on the screen.

— What are your impressions on RIZIN?
I’ve always thought that as long as I am going to be a “professional fighter”, I might as well make money. It wouldn’t make much sense if you could only live day to day with your earnings, and in my mind I want to make as much as soccer players, baseball players. With that being said, it’s natural to target the organizations abroad. So I fought in Pancrase a couple times but still had nowhere beyond that, and at that time when I was questioning my future, I got the offer from RIZIN. I felt destined for this opportunity and decided to put everything I had into this fight.

— So this opportunity became your turning point
Yes it did. I’ve fought in many platforms such as K-1, Shoot Boxing, Pancrase, and they all have their good parts. But RIZIN is at another level because of terrestrial television on prime time. That itself gives a whole new platform to the audience, and a big venue with packed crowds motivated me for my fight.

— Your wife Yu Abiru looked very excited during your fight and caught quite the attention.
Well, I didn’t really appreciate all the negative talk towards her on social media, but she’s a very genuine person, and that’s why she cheers for me that way.

— They say that your wife wasn’t too interested in watching fights, but perhaps your fight between Tokoro gained her interest?
I have no idea, let me ask (Calling his wife on the phone “Yu chan, did the Tokoro fight make you interested in watching fights? OK, I see”). She said that if it were a friend or somebody she knew, she would be able to watch but when it’s her husband, I guess it is more anxiety than excitement. But she completely backs me up on what I have decided to do, so I am grateful for that!

“I want to talk to Takada san and Sakakibara san!”

— You’ve been saying that you have been a PRIDE fan, but were you able to speak with Takada san at all?
I really want to get a chance to speak with him! He’s a superstar who I have been watching on TV. I was going to talk to him at the after party on New Year’s Eve, but he looked really busy so I hesitated. I was only able to talk to Sakakibara san briefly too so I would like to get a chance sometime in the future to discuss RIZIN and Saiga Kizaemon.

— You wish to sit down and discuss with the top 2… Will you still compete in MMA rules under the RIZIN banner?
That’s up to what kind of offer they give me. I was able to put on a real show during K-1 by doing crazy spinning kicks and stuff, but as for now, I do feel like I want to build my experience in MMA.

— So you are practicing MMA regularly?
Yes, I have been training with Kazunori Yokota, Kanako Murata (Japanese wrestling prospect, scheduled to make her debut in RUZIN), in how to finish, technique and basic moves, I also want to practice abroad.

— This was your 3rd MMA fight, how are you feeling about yourself as a mixed martial artist?
I honestly feel like I am a better MMA fighter than a stand up fighter. My stand up style was more mobile with lots of head movement and lots of lateral movement so I think it fits the MMA striking criteria. I believe that I have much to improve as a mixed martial artist.

— The next RIZIN event is April 17th.
I haven’t receive a solid offer yet, so I’m concerned that the card is going to look dull without me lol. I want to fight, but I would like an offer soon if I am going to fight. New Year’s Eve offer was a very short notice.

— What kind of opponents would you want to fight in the future?
A Japanese fighter with a name, or international competition is always welcome. I feel that unless I target fighters outside of Japan, I will just end up in Japan. I really want to fight internationally, looking in the bigger picture.

— Message to the fans
You all can just focus on my fight. I want to put on a performance where the fans who bought tickets feel that they made the right choice, and win. That’s what professionals do, and I want RIZIN to stay the platform where only professionals will compete.