Satoshi Ishii
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

ka and mixed martial artist
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 noted for winning a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 in Olympic Judo
Judo at the Summer Olympics
Judo was first included in the Summer Olympic Games at the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan. After not being included in 1968, judo has been an Olympic sport in each Olympiad since then. Only male judoka participated until the 1988 Summer Olympics, when women participated as a demonstration sport...

 at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 at the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...

 and two All-Japan Judo Championships
All-Japan Judo Championships
is a judo tournament held every year in Japan. The men's tournament is held in Nippon Budokan on April 29 and the women's tournament is held in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in April. The Kodokan and All-Japan Judo Federation sponsor the championship....

. Ishii made his professional MMA debut at Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009 was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing events promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku Raiden Championship, K-1, and K-1 World MAX banners...

losing to fellow Judoka gold medallist Hidehiko Yoshida
Hidehiko Yoshida
is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial artist. He is a long time veteran of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, competing in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, also managing to fight in the semi-finals in the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix...

 by unanimous decision.

Judo career

Ishii won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 at the Junior World Championships on 16 October 2004 in Budapest, Hungary. On 2 December 2006 he won a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

 at the −100 kg category of the 2006 Asian Games
2006 Asian Games
The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...

. On April 29, 2006 and 2008, he won the All-Japan Judo Championships
All-Japan Judo Championships
is a judo tournament held every year in Japan. The men's tournament is held in Nippon Budokan on April 29 and the women's tournament is held in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in April. The Kodokan and All-Japan Judo Federation sponsor the championship....

 in Tokyo, Japan. With him Japanese team won the World Judo team competition on 17 November 2007 in Beijing, China, this time in the +100 kg division.

On August 15, 2008 he won a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 at the +100 kg category of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

On 30th April 2011 Ishii returned to Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

 to play the United States Championship in the open division; he won all the matches, securing the gold medal.

Mixed martial arts career

After winning the gold medal, Ishii expressed his wishes to apply his talents in the sport of mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 (MMA) to the dismay of the Japanese Judo Federation. Ishii originally confirmed that he signed a contract with Japanese MMA promotion Fighting and Entertainment Group
Fighting and Entertainment Group
Fighting and Entertainment Group is the leading Japanese combat sport promoter. Its current president is Sadaharu Tanikawa and it is the parent company behind the mixed martial arts series Dream and formerly, the largest kickboxing promotion in the world, K-1.On December 31, 2010 after the Dream...

 (FEG) and was rumored to debut in early 2009 in their fight series, DREAM
DREAM (mixed martial arts)
Dream is a mixed martial arts organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, Hero's. The series retains many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC...

.

Japanese newspaper Sports Nippon then reported that Ishii would make his ring debut on December 31, 2009 at the annual K-1 Premium Dynamite!!
K-1 Premium Dynamite!!
K-1 PREMIUM Dynamite!! is an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held in Japan by the Fighting and Entertainment Group. It began as a co-production between PRIDE Fighting Championships and K-1 held on August 28, 2002...

event at the Saitama Super Arena
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings.This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and...

. However, Ishii announced that he rejected FEG's offer, and was planning to pursue his MMA career in the US' Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

 (UFC). He headed to Florida where he trained with two of MMA's top camps American Top Team
American Top Team
American Top Team is one of the leading teams in mixed martial arts. It was founded by former members of Brazilian Top Team, Ricardo Liborio, Marcus Silveira and Marcelo Silveira but there is no formal affiliation between the two teams. ATT's main academy is in Coconut Creek, Florida but has...

 and Xtreme Couture.

On June 1, 2009, Ishii announced he would join Japanese MMA organization World Victory Road
World Victory Road
World Victory Road is a defunct Japanese Mixed Martial Arts organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of Pride FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunction with the Japan Mixed Martial Arts Federation...

. He officially signed with the organization at a public signing event on June 4, 2009. On September 14, 2009, it was announced that Ishii would make his MMA debut against fellow Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida
Hidehiko Yoshida
is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial artist. He is a long time veteran of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, competing in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, also managing to fight in the semi-finals in the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix...

. Although the fight was originally to take place at World Victory Road's New Year show on December 31, when that event was cancelled, the fight was moved to DREAM
DREAM (mixed martial arts)
Dream is a mixed martial arts organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, Hero's. The series retains many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC...

's Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009 was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing events promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku Raiden Championship, K-1, and K-1 World MAX banners...

card on New Year's Eve as a co-promoted show. Ishii lost the match by unanimous decision.

For his second fight, Ishii faced New Zealand heavyweight kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

 champion Tafa "Thumper" Misipati on May 15, 2010 in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, New Zealand. The fight was the main event at the ETK production X-plosion: New Zealand vs. Japan. Ishii won via submission (armbar) in the first round.

In June 2010, Ishii caused controversy during an MMA exhibition
Exhibition
An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within museums, galleries and exhibition halls, and World's Fairs...

 match on the undercard of X-1 World Events: Nations Collide in Hawaii. After knocking down his opponent Myles Tynanes at the end of the first-round, Ishii failed to stop punching his downed foe despite the referee’s attempts to halt the action. He was subsequently disqualified for his actions.

On September 25, 2010, Ishii fought Ikuhisa Minowa
Ikuhisa Minowa
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...

, a catch wrestler
Catch wrestling
Catch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...

 known for facing much larger opponents, at Dream.16
Dream.16
Dream 16 was a mixed martial arts event held by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream. The event took place on September 25, 2010 in Nagoya, Japan. The event aired live in North America on HDNet.-Background:...

 and won via unanimous decision.

Ishii's next MMA fight was supposed to be against Antz Nansen
Antz Nansen
Anthony "Antz" Nansen is an New Zealand boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist-Career:Nansen practiced Kung Fu as a child and grew up playing rugby league. He began training in kickboxing at the age of 21. He is the cousin of Ray Sefo...

 at the K-1 World MAX 2010
K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament Final
K-1 World MAX 2010 –70 kg World Championship Tournament Final was a martial arts event to be held by the K-1 on Monday, November 8, 2010 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. It will be the 9th inaugural K-1 World Max Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...

. However, his opponent was changed to Katsuyori Shibata
Katsuyori Shibata
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense and his realistic bouts.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...

 at the last minute. Ishii won via Kimura in the first round.

Ishii continued to train with Blackhouse, in Brazil with notably fighters suchs as Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Machida
Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Japanese-Brazilian mixed martial artist from Belém, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

 and Anderson Silva. Prior to Silva's fight with Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen
Chael Patrick Sonnen is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, a two-time University Greco national champion as well as the 85.0 kg silver medalist at...

 Ishii hurt Silva's ribs. Since than he has train at Mark Munoz
Mark Munoz
Mark Muñoz is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound...

's gym Reign MMA, along with Mayhem Miller, Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum
Fabricio Werdum is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, a two-time ADCC world heavyweight champion and European Jiu-Jitsu champion. He holds black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and Muay Thai. Werdum has competed in Pride Fighting Championships, the...

 and other notable fighters.

Ishii then fought French kickboxing star Jerome LeBanner in a mixed martial arts bout at the Dynamite!! 2010
Dynamite!! 2010
Dynamite!! 2010 was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event and the latest in the annual New Year's Eve event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group that took place on December 31, 2010 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, K-1 and...

New Year's Eve event. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Ishii was scheduled to make his North America debut for Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

 at Strikeforce Challengers 15 against Scott Lighty
Scott Lighty
Scott Lighty is an American super heavyweight kickboxer and light heavyweight mixed martial artist, from San Luis Obispo, California. He currently trains at The Pit alongside UFC veterans, Chuck Liddell and Glover Teixeira...

, but a visa issue stemming from the recent earthquake and tsunami left him unable to leave Japan. Lorenz Larkin
Lorenz Larkin
Lorenz Larkin is an American mixed martial artist, who competes in the light heavyweight division for the Strikeforce promotion.-Early life:...

 took his place in the fight.

In April 2011, it was reported that Ishii would retire from MMA and return to judo. Surprisingly, he also stated that he plans to earn American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...

 and represent the US at the 2016 Olympic Games. However, he apparently decided against retiring from MMA as he went on to face Paulo Filho
Paulo Filho
Paulo Fernando de Souza Leite Filho, better known as simply Paulo Filho , is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist as well as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo practitioner, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...

 at Amazon Forest Combat 1 on September 14, 2011 in his light heavyweight
Light Heavyweight (MMA)
The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....

 debut. The fight ended in a controversial draw, with journalists as well as the crowd agreeing that Ishii had won all three rounds.

Personal life

He was married for 9 months to Mika, a university student, divorcing in January 2011.

Ishii holds a 5th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

 ranking in judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

, as well as a black belt
Black Belt
Black Belt may refer to:*Black belt , an indication of attainment of a high rank of skill in martial arts**Black Belt Magazine, a magazine covering martial arts news, technique, and notable individuals*Black Belt Black Belt may refer to:*Black belt (martial arts), an indication of attainment of a...

 in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...

.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Draw
| style="text-align:center;"|4–1–1
|  Paulo Filho
| Draw
|Amazon Forest Combat 1
|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Manaus, Brazil
|Light heavyweight
Light Heavyweight (MMA)
The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division....

 debut.
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"|4–1
|  Jerome Le Banner
Jérôme Le Banner
Jérôme "Geronimo" Le Banner , is a French kickboxer and K-1 superstar, famous for his aggressive fighting style and knockout power....


|Decision (unanimous)
|Dynamite!! 2010
Dynamite!! 2010
Dynamite!! 2010 was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing event and the latest in the annual New Year's Eve event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group that took place on December 31, 2010 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, K-1 and...


|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Saitama, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"|3–1
|  Katsuyori Shibata
Katsuyori Shibata
is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. In professional wrestling, he is known for his hard hitting offense and his realistic bouts.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...


|Submission (kimura)
|K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament Final
K-1 World MAX 2010 World Championship Tournament Final
K-1 World MAX 2010 –70 kg World Championship Tournament Final was a martial arts event to be held by the K-1 on Monday, November 8, 2010 at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. It will be the 9th inaugural K-1 World Max Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tournaments...


|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|3:30
|Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"|2–1
|  Ikuhisa Minowa
Ikuhisa Minowa
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...


|Decision (unanimous)
|Dream 16
|
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Nagoya, Japan
|Openweight bout.
|-
| Win
| style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| Tafa Misipati
|Submission (armbar)
|X-plosion: New Zealand vs. Japan
|
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|2:42
|Auckland, New Zealand
|
|-
| Loss
| style="text-align:center;"|0–1
|  Hidehiko Yoshida
Hidehiko Yoshida
is a Japanese gold-medalist judoka and retired mixed martial artist. He is a long time veteran of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships, competing in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, also managing to fight in the semi-finals in the Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix...


|Decision (unanimous)
|Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009
Dynamite!! 2009 was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing events promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku Raiden Championship, K-1, and K-1 World MAX banners...


|
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|5:00
|Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...


|

External links

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