Japanese judo is feeling two-timed by Olympic champion Satoshi Ishii, who is getting ready for the world of mixed martial arts only two months after saving the Japanese sport’s pride at Beijing.
The 21-year-old will miss the 2012 London Olympics because the tradition-bound Japanese judo authority bans grapplers from turning professional.
An enfant terrible with his no-holds-barred fighting style and rough way of speaking that upsets the sport’s purists, Ishii was one of only two Japanese men to claim medals in Beijing, winning him a major fan base at home.
But the over-100kg star sat out the world judo team championships in Tokyo on Sunday, citing a fresh injury, just as a press report said he was “determined” to join mixed martial arts.
The hybrid sport, which combines techniques from judo, karate, kick-boxing and wrestling, has become a popular fixture on Japanese television, with colorful personalities and rowdy battles.
Ishii sounded unusually cautious when he explained his intentions on Tuesday.
“I am interested in joining the world of mixed martial arts, but for now I’m focused on graduating from school,” he said.
He is set to leave Tokyo’s Kokushikan University, famous for its elite athletic programs, in March. Media reports said that several martial arts organizations are interested in him.
“I still have time and there is no use being hasty,” he said.
But judo official Kazuo Yoshimura was furious.
“This guy turns everybody into an enemy. He’d better get out without delay,” Yoshimura, director of technical development at the All-Japan Judo Federation, told reporters.
He added that he had already counted Ishii out of his plan for the London Games.
It would be impossible for Ishii to win a ticket to London, anyway, if he does not regularly compete in international events to earn points under new International Judo Federation rules to make the sport a global tour.
His possible departure from judo will deprive stylish Japan of a unique weapon against doggedly unorthodox fighters from the rest of the world.
“Judo is a brawl guided by rules,” the flexible and hard-working Ishii said after winning his second national championship in April to earn his first-ever spot in the Olympics or the worlds.
Relatively small at 108kg and 181cm, he can win by both perfect execution of skills and crafty tactics to pick up minimal points. He has not lost a bout since stepping up to the over-100kg late last year, sweeping the Austria and Kazakh Open titles.
In the end, Ishii may meet his own target.
“My ultimate goal is to become the strongest man in the world,” he said after his triumph in Beijing. “I will become the strongest in the world.”
RSS