Shinobu Ota is excited and ready for war at RIZIN Landmark 5 this weekend (Saturday, April 29, 2023).
December 2020 saw the Olympic silver medalist in wrestling make his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut against one of the sport’s most experienced pioneers. Ota is assigned to swim with the sharks by jumping off.
Unfortunately for Ota, 29, he succumbed to a bar submission in the second round against his much-experienced opponent. Since then, the Greco-Roman wrestling athlete has gone 2-1, but once again entered the calendar year looking to bounce back, this time after losing a unanimous decision in July 2022 to another veteran, Yuki Motoya.
“Last year, I wasn’t able to compete very much,” said Ohta. MMA mania On Horizon is full. “I only had one fight, and I lost it. So, this year I really want to fight more fights and I want to win them all and eventually put myself in a position to go after that title. This year will be the year of commitment. I have to escalate it.
“I’m going into my third year after transitioning to MMA and this year I have to do it,” he concluded. “This year will probably be the year I make it or break it.”
Ohta has achieved as much feat as any bantamweight wrestler comes in MMA, winning gold medals at the Asian Games and Asian Wrestling Championships in both 2018, a world championship in 2019, and an Olympic silver in 2016. Reflecting on Motoya’s loss, Ohta realized that he He was fighting his MMA hard with his wrestling base and now knows he needs more variety in his attacking and takedown setups.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the pinnacle of Ota’s goal after eventually capturing the 135-pound RIZIN Fighting Federation title. First, a native of Aomori Prefecture, Jonohei, will have to surpass Kazuma Kuramoto, who intends to show his continued development as a full-fledged fighter.
“Ultimately, my ideal technique is to be able to strike and get the most out of my wrestler,” Ohta said. “Obviously, MMA has a foundation if you split it and strike it and wrestle it and grapple it — submissions. Those three aspects. I look at MMA as a triathlon and wrestling is one of those aspects. You can do triathlons to run, swim and bike. Wrestling is one side, but if you’re a good swimmer Really and you can’t run or bike, you can’t win a triathlon, right You have to be pretty good in general.
He continued, “Obviously you have the background to work but you have to do everything and that’s what MMA is.” “This is how I look at MMA. So, just like winning a triathlon, I can’t just win with wrestling. I have to work on my striking, I have to work on my submission game. I’m very confident in my MMA wrestling, but The other stuff, eye catches, submissions, I have to start from scratch. I know hitting takes more time, and for wrestling, the more you learn, the more you know you have to learn. It’s an endless loop. Generally, over time It’s nice to be able to become a good all-around fighter. But within that good roundness, I still think I’m a wrestler and I like to use my wrestlers heavily at the end of the day.”
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