Juntaro Ushiku on Rizin 31 title win & being a dual promotion champion
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Juntaro Ushiku bested Yutaka Saito at Rizin 31 to capture the Rizin FF featherweight world title. This victory came via doctor stoppage after a cut in the second stanza opened up Saito.
I spoke with Ushiku after that Rizin title win and excerpts from our interactions are below.
How he was feeling post-Rizin title win–
“I’ve been trying not to get this win in my head. I’ve been trying to maintain just a regular pace, a regular day of my life. So I haven’t done anything crazy so far.”
How much of a career capstone it was to have the Rizin title as part of the resume–
“This fight, it’s not only just just the win. It’s not only just winning the title, but I think the entire process for me is something that really means something for me. Because I asked for this fight when Rizin announced that they don’t have a main event. When they were looking for (Yutaka) Saito’s opponent, I asked for it. I went out there and asked. Worked hard to get this fight booked.”
“So this is an opportunity that I went out there and created. I grasped myself. So the entire process I’m, in hindsight, very happy that I acted. And I do feel like that I brought the momentum towards me when I acted. So the fact that I acted, I got the fight, and then I was able to win. Capture my opportunity, I think the whole process means something to me. Therefore, I’m very satisfied with the entire process of how this fight came together and how it went.”
Juntaro Ushiku
Appreciating Yutaka Saito’s skills and taking advantage of a great opportunity popping up–
“So I always thought deep inside that I was going to fight (Yutaka) Saito. Sometime down the line. So I’ve already had a certain idea of what to do if I were to fight him. That timing just happened to come real quick. During that press conference when he asked for a challenger. And I knew that this was the time that I had to be aggressive on getting this fight booked. So you know, when that opportunity was given, I knew that this was worth a shot. To put everything that I’ve worked for. Put my life on the line to take on this huge task.”
If there was any point in that Rizin title win where Juntaro Ushiku had to overcome a certain level of adversity–
“You know, it was my first time fighting on Rizin’s big stage. And obviously you get nervous, you feel the jitters. But it’s something about those walkouts. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s Rizin’s power. It’s the atmosphere that it gives to the fighters. But once you start walking out, all that nervousness just kind of goes somewhere. And once you step into the ring, all the jitters are gone and you’re ready to fight. So I was able to step into that ring and face (Yutaka) Saito with a clear mindset.”
If there’s an immediate sense of the damage caused when cutting an opponent to that degree at Rizin 31–
“So when I landed that knee, I knew that I hit him. But immediately (Yutaka) Saito grabbed my leg. So I knew that I didn’t finish him. But the moment he grabbed the leg, I also saw a lot of blood on my body. So at the moment, I was thinking, oh, that’s a lot of blood. I must have cut him. But I wasn’t confident that it was enough to stop the fight. So when the referee stopped it and even when he was getting checked out by the doctor, I was getting myself mentally prepared to go again.”
How lessons learned from a failed Pancrase title bid lead Juntaro Ushiku to capture gold in that promotion–
“Yeah, definitely. That loss taught me a lot. Such as keeping my mental strength. It definitely helped me grow my mental strength. Mostly just staying calm and stick to your pace. Even after accidents occur during the fight. So yes, I did learn a lot from that loss.”
Rizin FF
What inspired Juntaro Ushiku to become a martial artist and endeavor to go on this journey–
“I first started judo in first grade. And that was an influence of my older siblings. My sister and my older brother. They were practicing judo. So with their influence, I started judo in first grade. But when I started getting into MMA, I was 16 years old. My second year in high school, actually my first year in high school. And the reason why it took so long. Because when I was in junior high, that’s when Dream was at their peak.”
“And I’ve always wanted to get myself involved in mixed martial arts. But my parents wouldn’t allow me to. They would always tell me, Well, if you’re going to pursue something that you want to do, you have to you have to earn your own money to go take lessons. So at 16, I started working two jobs. I worked at a Japanese barbecue place and I did work for a moving company. So I earned my own money to pay for my training. And I started training in MMA at 16.”
Being a huge fan of Dream years back and nowadays being such a prominent part of the Japanese MMA scene–
“Definitely think that Rizin inherits all the stuff from Pride and Dream. I feel like the history is all connected. And for me being involved in Rizin and being their champion means that I feel obligated. To become a figure that everybody can rely on to follow the lead. So I want to be the figure in Rizin that everybody will rely on. In order to do that I need to train harder, become stronger, and be a much better fighter. And I continue to do so.”
Rizin 31
The backstory of Ushiku’s nickname Fighting Bull–
“This nickname originated when I was fighting in Pancrase. My style at the time was to go for takedowns. I would shoot in a lot and shooting in would be my style. My name Ushiku has the kanji character that stands for cow or bull. So the Pancrase people took my name Bull and my style of shooting in, and they turned it into the fighting bull. So that’s how it originated.”
Riding motorcycles as a hobby and if a Rizin entrance on a motorcycle could be in the cards–
“That’s actually one of the greatest suggestions I’ve heard. I’m excited for that myself. I’m not sure if Rizin can allow me to do that. But would be awesome.”
Parting thoughts for Juntaro Ushiku–
“So I think some people were introduced to my name Ushiku because of this fight and because I won. I appreciate the people who support me. But I really will promise you that I will continue to train. I will continue to get better and be a better fighter. So please look forward to my fights and if you could follow my career, I’d be very grateful. Thank you.”
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