Mauler
04-11-2008, 23:40
http://www.groundnpound.org/images/newspost_images/19_1219369538_Olympi.jpg
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Olympian Ishii confirms MMA move
OSAKA (Kyodo) Satoshi Ishii, the men's over-100-kg gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, announced Monday his decision to quit judo and become a professional mixed martial artist.
"I'm starting a professional career today," Ishii said at a press conference in Osaka. "It's not easy to fight in mixed martial arts and I'm ready to start from step one with a white belt (for beginners)."
"I've got an impression that mixed martial arts have many of the strongest fighters (in all types of martial arts) and so I had already made up my mind to join them whatever the outcome would be at the Olympics."
Ishii, 21, is the third Japanese gold medalist in Olympic judo to join mixed martial arts, following the precedence of Hidehiko Yoshida and Makoto Takimoto. Yoshida won the 78-kg event at the 1992 Barcelona Games and Takimoto took the 81-kg gold in Sydney in 2000.
Olympian Ishii confirms MMA move | The Japan Times Online (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20081104j1.html)
Hij liep al geruime tijd wat te flirten en uit te dagen, maar nu eindelijk officieel.
Als hij eenmaal gevochten heeft is er ook geen weg terug meer naar het judo.
Yoshida en Takimoto waren 30+, Ishii is 21!!
Ben benieuwd!
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008
Olympian Ishii confirms MMA move
OSAKA (Kyodo) Satoshi Ishii, the men's over-100-kg gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, announced Monday his decision to quit judo and become a professional mixed martial artist.
"I'm starting a professional career today," Ishii said at a press conference in Osaka. "It's not easy to fight in mixed martial arts and I'm ready to start from step one with a white belt (for beginners)."
"I've got an impression that mixed martial arts have many of the strongest fighters (in all types of martial arts) and so I had already made up my mind to join them whatever the outcome would be at the Olympics."
Ishii, 21, is the third Japanese gold medalist in Olympic judo to join mixed martial arts, following the precedence of Hidehiko Yoshida and Makoto Takimoto. Yoshida won the 78-kg event at the 1992 Barcelona Games and Takimoto took the 81-kg gold in Sydney in 2000.
Olympian Ishii confirms MMA move | The Japan Times Online (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20081104j1.html)
Hij liep al geruime tijd wat te flirten en uit te dagen, maar nu eindelijk officieel.
Als hij eenmaal gevochten heeft is er ook geen weg terug meer naar het judo.
Yoshida en Takimoto waren 30+, Ishii is 21!!
Ben benieuwd!