Roberto Satoshi’s championship reign was not everything he wanted.
Rizin Lightweight’s title holder, who has reigned at the top of his division since June 2021, has won 11 of his 12 fights since joining Japan’s promotion despite his past six wins and four title defense. He returns to the ring and faces Win Bin Ki at Lying South Korea on Saturday, but again won’t count as a title defense as his 155-pound belt isn’t on the line.
“The inheritance is different,” Satoshi told MMA Fighting. “When you say fight, “I’ve already defended the belts four, five, six times. You’ve built another legacy.”
Satoshi’s title was in danger when he finished Yusuke Yachi, Johnny Case, Luiz Gustavo and Vugar Karamov, but was matched with Spike Carlyle and Keita Nakamura shortly after his loss under Bellator Banner.
His upcoming enemy, Ki, will take his first walk to the Lysin Ring after knocking out Tatsuya Saika on the road to the UFC Show in May 2024.
“It’s strange that the champion is fighting and his belt isn’t in the line,” Satoshi said.
The Brazilian talent looked back at the time and said it was strange to see that he didn’t have as many title defenses as he did at Lysin. The same thing happens with pride. Longtime champions like Fedel Emelianenko and Wonderray Silva fought frequently without belts on the line.
“When I was proud of it, I thought it was a bit normal,” Sato said. “I even thought it was strange that the UFC champions were always fighting in his belt. Sometimes you lost the champion to a guy that wasn’t that high ranked, and then you had to run it.
“If you think about it, it would be cool if the UFC did the same thing, as in the lightweight division of the UFC right now, if the UFC did the same thing.
Satoshi admits he was surprised that Ki has not been signed to the UFC after going 2-2 on his road to the UFC, with one of the defeats being DQ due to an illegal punch. He is grateful for the fact that he is facing a man who has been tested in a UFC environment. Satoshi plans to score another submission in Asia, but will not go desperately for a takedown.
“To know this guy is part of this UFC tryout makes me excited to prove myself,” said Sato, a jiu-jitsu expert who has now won two of his last three in knockouts. “You can’t fight like a 1-2 combo, a knee-to-the-side kick and a filming (lol) back in the old days, but you can plan at the same time and when things get tough, you can return to your natural habitat. We want to feel that.