Satoshi backs RIZIN-PFL partnership as path to dream fights in the United States

Roberto Satoshi, the former RIZIN lightweight champion, has thrown his full support behind RIZIN’s co-promotional alliance with the Professional Fighters League and MVP MMA, arguing the partnership could finally deliver the cross-promotional showdowns MMA fans have craved for years.

The immediate product of that alliance arrives Thursday at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, where A.J. McKee meets Razhabali Shaydullaev in a featherweight unification bout at Super RIZIN 5, with both the PFL and RIZIN 145-pound titles on the line. Satoshi, who faces Shunta Nomura on the same card, hopes the model extends to heavier weight classes and eventually crosses the Pacific.

“I think it’s really cool when you stop and think about the fact that RIZIN is doing something no other promotion has done,” Satoshi told MMA Fighting. “Bringing two promotions together, merging them like that, happens quite often in boxing. Having the world champion from one promotion fight the world champion from another promotion, like A.J. against Shaydullaev, is really good.”

Satoshi, whose entire professional career has been based in Japan, made no secret of his personal ambitions within the new framework. He named PFL lightweights Usman Nurmagomedov, Paul Hughes, Alexandr Shabliy, and Gadzhi Rabadanov as potential opponents, and pointed to the RIZIN lightweight title — the belt he once held — as his primary target.

“It would be a dream to be able to fight overseas, in the United States,” he said. “My entire career has been here in Japan, so it would be really cool. How many fights did we imagine back when Bellator was at its strongest, with their champions fighting UFC champions?”

Also returning to RIZIN this week is submission specialist Shinya Aoki, making his first appearance with the promotion in 11 years after a lengthy stint with ONE Championship. Satoshi acknowledged that Japanese fans have long pushed for a meeting between the two, particularly during the period when both held simultaneous lightweight titles in their respective organisations.

“People talked about it a lot because when I had the RIZIN belt and he had the ONE belt,” Satoshi said. “There was a time when people talked about that matchup a lot. In Japan, at lightweight, he was the guy who carried Japanese MMA for a very long time. He’s a legend. Obviously he’s getting older now, but that doesn’t mean his jiu-jitsu isn’t still sharp.”

Before any of those larger ambitions can be pursued, Satoshi must first deal with Shunta Nomura — a fighter who also holds a victory over current RIZIN lightweight champion Luiz Gustavo. According to Satoshi, Thursday marks the third time RIZIN has attempted to book the two men against each other, lending the bout an added layer of unfinished business.