Veteran fighter Satoshi Ishii, one of the more experienced members of the PFL’s heavyweight division this season, hopes his promotional debut at PFL 3 is the first step to laying his claim as one of MMA’s best heavyweights today.
Satoshi Ishii has competed against some of MMA’s best in various promotions all over the globe, but now he finds himself facing a new challenge in the 2019 PFL season, as he’ll make his promotional debut at PFL 3 on June 6.
Ishii will be one of 12 men competing in the heavyweight division this season, and he will be one of the more experienced veterans. In a recent exclusive interview with FanSided MMA, Ishii stated that he feels PFL is the best promotion in the sport today. Through its deal with ESPN and a unique $1 million tournament concept, the PFL will allow Ishii to be showcased on a worldwide stage.
With over 10 years of professional MMA under his belt, Ishii says his mission is to carve out his legacy and leave his mark on the sport.
“I fight for my legacy…and, of course, for $1 million,” Ishii told FanSided with a laugh.
Ishii, who claimed gold in judo at the 2008 Olympics, made his professional MMA debut on New Year’s Eve 2009 and has mainly competed in Japan with IGF, along with a couple of appearances in Bellator and RIZIN. He’s been in the cage with some of MMA’s best, including Mirko Filipovic (aka Mirko Cro Cop), Fedor Emelianenko, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tim Sylvia, Pedro Rizzo and Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal.
While Ishii says it’s difficult to name which of his past competitors has been his greatest fight, he feels his experiences compared to the rest of the field make him the best heavyweight in the PFL’s division in 2019.
Ishii had desired to face last year’s PFL heavyweight tournament winner, Philip Lins. Lins, however, was sidelined with an injury a couple of weeks ago and forced out of the tournament. Ishii said he doubted Lins received an injury upon hearing the news, but now he doesn’t think about him too much.
“I don’t actually care. The fight [is] called off,” Ishii said. “I have a new opponent. I have to focus on my opponent. Of course, I was upset, but I [got] over it.”
That opponent for Ishii is Zeke Tuinei-Wily, a former college football player at Utah. Tuinei-Wily made his professional MMA debut in 2015, defeating Miguel Guerra and Darrill Schoonover. Following an April 2016 loss to Dustin Clements, Tuinei-Wily did not compete for nearly three years until a win over Diogo Santana in February.
Ishii knows as the far more experienced fighter, he’ll have the upper hand and will be able to adapt to whatever Tuinei-Wily might throw at him.
“Now I’m a more complete fighter. I can fight stand-up, wrestling, grappling, I can do what I want,” Ishii said. “I do what I have to do, no matter the game plan. I focus on my opponent and can [always] adjust my gameplan.”
Combine Ishii’s mentality as a fighter and the PFL’s format, it might just be a perfect match.
“I focus on my next fight the day after [the PFL 3 one], and I’ll go step-by-step, one-by-one,” Ishii said.
PFL 3 takes place on Thursday, June 6, 2019, live from NYCB Live at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, NY. Follow along with FanSided MMA throughout fight week for exclusive content and results.
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