Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii will be in attendance for the biggest UFC card of the year on Saturday December 27th. Ishii was sent a greeting pack from UFC President Dana White and could possibly sign a contract with the MMA powerhouse very soon.
“I don’t think I will sign a contract this time. That will probably be next time I go over. While I’m there this time, I want to invite (Dana White) to a training session to show my potential. Nogueira is a wall that I will need to get through. Next year will be a year of challenge.”
Although Ishii was at one point look at fighting top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko on New Years Eve in Japan, Fedor did not accept the challenge and instead decided to face a more credible opponent and top ranked contender to his throne, Andrei Arlovski.