“I think it’s coming at this timing. I was practicing in the US because there was no match for a while, but I got in touch during the camp.”
It takes about a month and a half from the decision to participate to the match. It’s not enough time, but the fact that I was training in the United States worked positively. He lived a life of practicing, so he said, “I don’t need to be impatient.”
The UFC is a stage I’ve always admired. She was thinking about herself someday. She said she saw the UFC in the United States and her feelings got stronger. In her practice in the United States, he worked with many UFC fighters. It seems that he was able to grasp the response to his own strength as well as various learning there.
“I felt that there are times when I can compete by combining the technologies I have cultivated so far.”
For example, it’s a judo footstep. America is a wrestling powerhouse. Wrestling is also the axis of MMA takedown. Judo footwork was effective in such a place.
“I couldn’t make any grades in Judo. I didn’t even get an inter-school athletic meet and quit until high school. Still, my strength is that. If I can fit in MMA well, it won’t work.”
The first round is in June, and the semi-finals are in September and December. For SASUKE, it’s also an opportunity to take his teacher, Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Master Japan representative) to the UFC as a second.
“I want money as a professional (laughs). But as a fighter, it’s best to fight and get money, and to be evaluated by fighting. That’s an exaggeration when it comes to aesthetics or philosophy. I think it’s good to earn income, but Mr. Hironaka was in the UFC and I longed for it. I also want to be evaluated in the UFC and live on that. “
The romance of participating in the UFC as a teacher and pupil. A straightforward feeling of eating with “strength”. It’s finally time to hit the world with the dedication to martial arts that was felt in Shooto’s game.
Like SASUKE, Koyomi Matsushima will be competing in the featherweight tournament. She went from Shooto to Pancrase to ONE to improve her career. She’s ONE, but she’s been fighting against the world’s strongest, but she’s always said she’s “the goal is the UFC.” It’s been a long time since the match. I didn’t renew my contract with ONE and waited for the next chance. The road to the UFC, where she was once said “impossible.” But this year, at the age of 30, she finally stands at the door to a dream.
“It’s been over a year since the last match. I was able to practice hard because I didn’t have a match. I think I can make use of my experience of fighting in ONE.”
Having already experienced the “world” is one of Matsushima’s strengths in this tournament. I was able to spend my practice during the non-match period not on the opponent’s measures but on my overall level up. In particular, it feels like the “destructive power and sharpness” of the batter has increased. He also has a strong desire to participate in the UFC.
“In terms of age, I have a few more chances to go to the UFC. That’s why I decided to leave ONE. At that point, I got a chance. I think it’s a tournament for me. When I didn’t win here I feel like I’m going to win. “
A normally quiet man does not hide that he is burning this time. In the first round, Korean powerhouse Hong Jeong-yeon will play. He’s not an easy opponent, but that’s why Matsushima says, “I can put out my strength.” It seems that they are not particularly conscious of SASUKE, who will play in the semi-finals if they win each other. No matter who or what race you win, you need to win in order to sign the UFC.
“Here’s the” strongest “place in the world. That’s the UFC, and I’ve been doing martial arts for that. If I have a chance, I’d like to aim for the UFC. That’s what I mean by doing martial arts. I’m wondering. “
A life-long challenge. After gaining experience, the time was ripe. Both SASUKE and Matsushima just explode their power.
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