Former Shooto Pacific rim champion, Shinji Sasaki will be fighting on the “Top Presents RIZIN.1” card on April 17th at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in the Aichi prefecture. With owning a gym in Hiroshima, and currently on a 3 fight winning streak, we asked him about what keeps him motivated —.

“I decided to start MMA after watching Sakuraba’s fight”

—Let me start with a basic question, what got you started in training in MMA?
I’m not saying this because I’m participating in RIZIN, but I decided I wanted to fight after I saw Sakuraba’s fight when I was in junior high, it’s even on Wikipedia.

—Was there a specific fight that made you decide?
Back when the Gracie’s were beating everybody all over the world, I could not help but to think that “Japanese fighters can’t beat foreign fighters”. But then Sakuraba came out of nowhere and beat 4 Gracie’s in a row and gave me a different conception, which made me want to start.

—What makes Sakuraba such an attractive fighter? And which fight do you remember the most?
Everything he does makes him a great fighter, but he’s that type of guy who you want to see from the walkout. The most memorable fight was his epic 90 minute battle with Royce Gracie.

—Were you able to catch the RIZIN event last year?
Yes I did. It brings back memories and I was absolutely thrilled.

—Which fights caught your interest?
This is probably because I know them personally, but I remember RENA and Wicky’s fight the most.

“I wanted to be the role model for young fighters who train in the suburbs, and give them hope that they can also make it into the big shows.”

—You currently run a gym in Hiroshima. Is there a specific reason on why it’s Hiroshima instead of big cities in the Western or Eastern Japan?
There is a specific reason for that. If I had moved to bigger cities and trained in a better environment, I may be a better fighter now, and may had these types of opportunities sooner. But those are all big “Ifs”, and for me, it’s just not about “me” getting better, I want the entire Japanese MMA community to become vigor. Many fighters who train in the suburbs quit due to the lack of opportunities and stop believing in themselves. If fighters in the suburbs can leave good results in the big shows, and this sport becomes popular throughout the Nation, I believe that the level of competition will rise, which will lead to the base level of MMA in Japan rising. I want to be the one to prove that, and to create the tracks so that the young generations can follow.

—You have 6 professional fighters in your gym already.
It’s actually 15.

—Oh, I’m sorry, so you have 15 professional fighters! Is there a special recipe you have to bring up tough talent?
I’m doing well with my career right now, so my students believe in me, they see where I’m going and see hope in what there are doing. I think if it were gyms in bigger cities, the top fighters are much tougher and they might feel a huge gap in between skill levels and become demotivated, but at my place, I was the only professional fighter at the time, and my students watching me become the Shooto champion and fighting overseas, it boosted their motivation to become better and train harder.

“I want some airtime”

—What did your wife Megumi Fujii say about this fight?
She told me that Cruickshank is a super tough opponent and this a big event, so don’t think too much and end up being passive. Try to put on a fight where it will inspire others regardless of the results.

—You scored a vicious knockout victory in your most recent fight at ROAD FC. That fight was less than a month ago, but how is your condition?
If I had fought full rounds or had received any kind of damage, a 4 week interval would have been tough, but I was completely healthy after the fight, and I started training the very next day after the fight, my weight is good and my conditioning is good as well, I think the situation worked out better.

—Your past 3 fights have been a cage, but you have competed in a ring most of your career.
– I was just starting to adjust to the cage, but I’ve fought numerous fights in the ring during my Shooto days, so I’m not worried.

—How is the popularity of MMA in Korea?
– It’s like the PRIDE days over there. Production, the fans, everything about it is very popular.

—What are your thoughts about Daron Cruickshank?
– He’s fought 13 fights in the major leagues, he’s very tough. To be honest I’ve been scared for quite some time. But many people have dedicated themselves to come out to Nagoya to watch my fight, and everybody is happy and very supportive about this opportunity, so now I’m nothing but excited about this fight. It’s an honor for me to be able to face such a world class fighter at this age and stage of my career. I’m very confident on the ground, but my striking has been improving. I’m not sure if I’m going to win or lose, but I would like to stand and bang with this guy and aim for the finish. Either way, I hope my fight makes it on airtime.

—Message to the fans and your supporters in Hiroshima.
– Even if you train in the suburbs, if you continue to work hard, the big chances will come to you. I know many fighters like myself, so I want to shout out to them not to give up. It has been a while since I last competed in Shooto, but my passion towards Shooto have not changed, so I hope Shooto fans come out and support as well.