Satoshi Ishii should be coming into his full power at age 29. The 6th dan in Judo and BJJ brown belt won a world Judo championship in 2007, and Olympic gold in 2008. He started MMA in 2009, and holds wins over Jerome Le Banner, Tim Sylvia, Pedro Rizzo, Jeff Monson, Kazuyuki Fujita, and Sean McCorkle. But he came up short vs. Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko CroCop (twice).

Ishii has trained extensively in the USA, and had planned at one point to represent the US in Judo in the 2016 Olympic games. But he has never fought outside of Japan.

Now Ishii fights Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in the main event of Bellator 157: Dynamite 2 on June 24 in St. Louis, Missouri.

He is a very big name in the United States and Japan also,” said Ishii to Tristen Critchfield for Sherdog. “I want to become famous in the United States. I think this is a big chance for me, so it’s a very important fight to me. I’m excited, and I must win the fight.

I’m more of a grappling fighter and he’s more of a striking fighter, so that’s why this is a better way, the ground game. I can fight him striking, also, because I work on my striking and it is coming along recently. Now, I’m a complete fighter. It depends on how I feel at the beginning of the fight.

Of course I get nervous because this is a big fight, my first fight in the United States, and I want to become famous in the United States. I’m very nervous, but the nerves make me more focused and sharp and excited. So, it is a good thing for me.

Rampage was on a three fight losing streak in the UFC, but then moved to Bellator which enforced a previous contract, and is now on a credible four-fight win streak, besting Joey Beltran, Christian M’Pumbu, King Mo, and Fabio Maldonado. Ishii is 2-2 his last four, most recently losing to Jiri Prochazka.