Roberto Satoshi has undeniable grappling skills but has also shown clear evolution in the stand-up game after folding Brazilian knockout artist Luiz Gustavo in just 21 seconds in his most recent title defense. Back to the ring on Dec. 31, he hopes to be seen differently outside of Japan.
The jiu-jitsu expert puts his 155-pound belt on the line against Vugar Karamov at the iconic Saitama Super Arena in Japan and said in an interview with MMA Fighting that he likes the fact his opponent has done well in other promotions before becoming featherweight champion in RIZIN.
“I told you once that I was like a cocky purple belt in striking, and I’m like a brown belt now,” Satoshi laughed. “I had knocked people out before, but they weren’t great strikers, they did more ground and pound and grapplers. I was very happy to knock out a striker like him because I get to show I have a complete game. I’m the champion, and I have to show I’m complete, that I have no flaws. It’s like people say: you have to put some respect on my name. Thank God I was able to do that in my last fights.”
Karamov went 1-0 under the Bellator banner, stopping Gustavo Wurlitzer in 99 seconds back in 2019 in Israel, but never returned to the company. Instead, he joined RIZIN and kicked off a run that would culminate with winning the promotion’s 145-pound title in 2023, tapping out Japanese star Mikuru Asakura. Karamov lost his belt to Chihiro Suzuki and recently rebounded with a 28-second knockout against Kazumasa Majima this past November.
Satoshi admits he was “very surprised” that Karamov decided to move up a division and challenge him on Dec. 31, and said he’s nothing like his teammate Tofiq Musayev. Satoshi and Musayev met for the RIZIN vacant lightweight title back in 2021, and Satoshi choked him out in just 81 seconds.
“I think [Karamov] and Tofiq are completely different,” Satoshi said. “See, Kleber [Koike] and I, we’re teammates, and we have different strong points, but we’re kind of similar in a way. I think Tofiq and Karamov are completely different. Tofiq is an assassin in the striking, very explosive and fast on the feet with almost nothing on the ground. Karamov is kind of the opposite. He has the striking and throws heavy punches, but he’s not a knockout artist, he takes you down and ground and pound. He has more submissions than knockouts in his career.”
Karamov scored three of his six RIZIN victories by way of submission, nine of 20 overall in MMA, but going to the ground with a skilled grappler like Satoshi would be a different challenge. The Brazilian has 10 submissions in 17 MMA wins, nine in the opening round.
“I’m expecting him to do the game he always does, takedowns and ground and pound, but people usually fear fighting me on the ground,” Satoshi said. “He scored a fast knockout last time, so maybe he comes in confident on his hands. But jiu-jitsu is my thing and I’m always training to make sure I’m ready for any variations, making sure I don’t get dominated by this Russian style.”
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