Kleber Koike will be a part of a brief record of legends Sunday when he headlines RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri on the Tokyo Dome area in Japan.
The Tokyo Dome is likely one of the most iconic and essential venues in MMA historical past because it was the house for 10 PRIDE occasions between 1997 and 2006. RIZIN will maintain its third card within the Japanese venue Sunday, and Koike would be the most important occasion for the second time.
Solely 5 others have headlined PRIDE occasions greater than as soon as at Tokyo Dome, so Koike might be in nice firm alongside old-fashioned legends Rickson Gracie and Nobuhiko Takada and MMA stars Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba and Hidehiko Yoshida.
“Tokyo Dome went virtually 15 years with no MMA occasions there, it was closed for a while, and when re-opened it, that was when [Roberto] Satoshi received the [lightweight] belt and I did the primary occasion with [Mikuru] Asakura,” Koike informed MMA Preventing. “It was a present constructed for them, and I left because the winner. That’s when my life modified utterly. All the pieces modified that evening so, to me, combating another time on this area might be very particular. It’s going to be so cool. To me, that’s the perfect stadium in Japan, and combating there’s an honor.”
Koike’s teammate Satoshi claimed light-weight gold that evening at RIZIN 28 in June 2021, and Koike put Japanese star Mikuru Asakura to sleep with a triangle choke in the primary occasion. He would solely win the featherweight belt three victories later, tapping Juntaro Ushiku in Fukuoka, Japan.
The Brazilian misplaced the belt on the dimensions after failing to make weight for his first protection in opposition to Chihiro Suzuki, and the fast armbar victory was routinely overturned to no contest per RIZIN guidelines. Koike beat Suzuki once more 18 months later to regain the title.
“I don’t conceal the truth that the 2 instances I’ve love the belt was to the dimensions, so I haven’t defended my title but,” stated Koike, referring to the KSW belt he misplaced in 2017 after lacking weight for his first title protection in opposition to Artur Sowiński in Poland. “I’m chasing that now, I would like that from myself. I want this for my legacy, for my historical past. I’m positively getting it this weekend, one other win and one other title to my document.”
Koike is assured going into the struggle with the 12-0 featherweight Shaydullaev, who scored finishes in all three of his RIZIN appearances in 2024. Koike, nonetheless, doesn’t really feel he was deserving of the shot but.
“The one damaging factor about RIZIN is that they don’t have a rating, it’s who they need,” Koike stated. “I feel there have been individuals extra certified to struggle me, however he’s on a profitable streak, he’s a foreigner, and so they need to promote that. He’s a tricky man, lots of people ducked him, and I’ve stated from the beginning that I’d struggle him, no drawback.”
“My division is a multitude,” he added. “There are a variety of foreigners coming, like Karshyga Dautbek and Vugar Karamov. It’s exhausting to choose a reputation [that deserved more], however [Shaydullaev] is in RIZIN for not too lengthy and so they already gave him a title shot. It took me greater than a 12 months to struggle for the belt, so in that sense I feel it’s a bit unfair, you already know? However I’m the champion, I’m an worker, and I’m able to struggle. I’m the champion and I can’t decide and select. They despatched me him, so he’s the one I’m beating [laughs].”
Koike received’t underestimate Shaydullaev, however sees him a degree under when in comparison with a number of the males he has crushed below the RIZIN banner earlier than, equivalent to Juan Archuleta, Yutaka Saito, Ulka Sasaki and Mikuru Asakura. Koike’s pre-RIZIN document additionally contains veterans like Miguel Torres and Yusuke Yachi.
“He’s a tricky man, a younger and hungry child,” Koike stated. “He’s an aggressive wrestler who does nicely within the grappling division. He does this recreation nicely, takedowns and floor and pound, and folks get scared after which he goes for the submission. You must watch out, after all, he’s a harmful child and is 12-0 for a purpose, however he’s by no means fought somebody with high-level jiu-jitsu. I’ve by no means seen him struggle somebody with high-level grappling, and that makes me assured. Regardless that I do know he’s good, I received’t be scared if he exchanges grappling with me.”
“I see this being a protracted struggle, however I see myself submitting him,” he continued. “I see myself taking him down and breaking him mentally, breaking that recreation of his. We all know how Russians are. I’ll slowly break him and make him drained. He hasn’t been by wars and unhealthy conditions earlier than. Let’s see how he reacts when he’s in a nasty state of affairs. He has good floor and pound, however he does that to individuals with unhealthy grappling. I would like him to see him strive that in opposition to me.”
