Ishii’s Debut Pushed Back

All appearances suggest that Olympic Gold Medal winning Judoka Satoshi Ishii (0-0 MMA) will not make his professional debut until until November 7th. Ishii is under contract with World Victory Road, which runs its events under the Sengoku banner (the promotion’s next event will be Sengoku 9, which will air the day after Affliction: Trilogy).

Ishii is alleged to have had minor hernia surgery and has moved back to Holland, where he is currently training.

The debut of Ishii has been highly anticipated, and many rumors about the nature of his training have been circulated around the internet, particularly one asserting that his striking is far below where it should be. Ishii has trained with Lyoto Machida and has previously done work with American Top Team . He has also expressed a desire to fight Josh Barnett (24-5, #3 IWMMAR), should Barnett defeat Fedor on August 1st.

Ishii was in contract negotiations with the UFC, but decided to make his professional debut in Japan after long discussions and so that his grandmother could watch, as she is in poor health.