Why has Aoki not made it to UFC

[WarriorPoet1]

Dana

 

[IRENICUS]

This is something I'll miss about Strikeforce. They were willing to co promote and exchange fighters with other orgs to put on interesting fights that fans wanted to see.

yea but it didn't do that good for them as they don't exist anymore

 

[genki sugoi]

yea but it didn't do that good for them as they don't exist anymore

This is true

 

[Uncommon Valor]

Didn't he mention that he didn't want to come to the US because of his family and whatnot?

 

[Anti Theist**]

Zuffa pays most fighters jack shit.

 

[eiyuu]

 

[RodrigoAldo**]

Aoki would get smashed in the UFC

 

[nstig8]

I've seen multiple interviews in Japanese where he mentions that he does indeed want to eventually test himself in the UFC one day.

The weight change to FW is a good start IMO.

Go to the UFC FW/LW roster and tell me that he wouldn't put away a good chunk of those names and I will laugh at you.

 

[Kalmah]

 

[BukHumLae]

striking non existant? didnt he phuk up antonio mckee ? broke dat foos orbital n chit

 

[Diablo Ryu**]

Steve aoki

 

[eiyuu]

You watch too many movies.

Ask Miro Mijatovic if Yakuza threats in MMA are just in the movies.

 

[eXtv]

Ask Miro Mijatovic if Yakuza threats in MMA are just in the movies.

Dude got legit threatened at gunpoint by Sakakibara and his goons when he tried to negotiate a pay rise for Fedor leading into the GP. Crazy stuff.

 

[1strikeclothing]

Steve aoki

 

[GSP_37]

Makes too much money in Japan. Wouldn't be able to hang in the UFC anyway.

Sure, he makes too much money in Japan via the defunct DREAM, the defunct PRIDE FC, not fighting for any other Japanese org like Shooto/DEEP and being sponsored by Nike and TV Guide... wait a minute, Akiyama's the one who wore Nike and TV Guide, and Shinya's the one who relocated to Singapore, probably to pursue a better future.

 

[GSP_37]

All his hype crashed after the Menendez fight.

As if Gil "beat up" a jet lagged Shinya Aoki. It's not as if Shinya was stopped like the many opponents he submitted easily like Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Lyle Beerbohm, etc. He even handled his submission wizard teammate buddy Satoru Kitaoka easily, as well as muscle man Antonio McKee.

 

[GSP_37]

Wasn't there a thread about this yesterday or something?

It was flushed to the Wasteland just like this thread just was... then revived to Worldwide, which is likely a more appropriate place for it than Wasteland. Good call.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

I think it's due to being used to the ring and Japanese rule set and i'm guessing he gets about as much outside the UFC as he would in the UFC at least for his first contract.

I think Aoki would do well in the UFC at LW or FW if they didn't feed him nothing but wrestler/boxers, I think against the top guys like that he's wins slightly more often than not but they are his bad match up.

Aoki has fought these strikers with good TDD, Gesias Cavalcante, Joachim Hansen, Eddie Alvarez, Gilbert Melendez, Tatsuya Kawajiri and his record in those fights is 4-3-1 so he isn't completely out when he fights a striker with good TDD or wrestling.

 

[Phrozenspite]

Aoki's a higher level George Sotiropolos now. I think it would've been interesting to see him a few years ago but now i think the division has kind of passed him by

 

[GSP_37]

A few yrs ago, Shinya wasn't w/Evolve MMA rounding out his game w/Muay Thai fighters, etc.

Also, he handled the cage fine when he easily beat Arnaud Lepont and Kotetsu Boku and Lyle Beerbohm. There's something appealing about seeing one fighter rise to the occasion and finish his opponent where his opponent can't do much of anything to him, similar to GSP and pre-Gus Jon Jones and pre-Weidman Anderson Silva.