Shinya Aoki: "I'm Better And Capable Of Beating UFC Fighters"

**Wolf** · Posted On: 10/13/2009 10:44am

Originally Posted by PointyShinyBurn

And that half is not the one that contains the 'biggest' lightweights...

Gray Maynard, Gleion Tibau, Sean Sherk these are guys that could not practically fight at 145.

I'm saying the same about Griffin. He COULD make 145, but it wouldn't be practical. If Tibau can make 155, Gray can make 145. It just wouldn't be healthy or practical.

**mrblackmagic** · Posted On: 10/14/2009 4:42pm

I think Florian would be a good debut fight. Kenny jits isn't on the same level, but it's up there. Not mention, he's pretty well-rounded.

Clay Guida is the comedy option. It will either be over too soon or go the distance in the most WTF fashion in UFC history.

**DaeHan** · Posted On: 10/14/2009 5:23pm

Originally Posted by mrblackmagic

I think Florian would be a good debut fight. Kenny jits isn't on the same level, but it's up there. Not mention, he's pretty well-rounded.

Tyson Griffin, Maynard or even Sherk would be a better start. Aoki would experience a nightmare of wrestling, power, cardio, heavy hands (specially from Tyson and Gray), elbows and of course an octagon with 10000 fans roaring USA, USA, USA!!! Aoki would break in the 2nd round -and that's if he survives the 1st.

Aoki is a top of the food chain fighter, no question. But the UFC is... the UFC.

**jsampras3** · Posted On: 10/14/2009 9:13pm

I think he'd at least have a chance against some of the UFC's lightweights, but honestly I don't see how he could possibly beat BJ Penn.

BJ Penn will batter him standing up, he won't be able to take BJ down, and BJ should be able to take him down.

Even if you give Aoki some kind of leglock advantage, how to you figure he's going to leglock BJ Penn? From what position would that happen? Aoki would most likely be on his back with BJ in his guard. BJ is not going to pull a Brock Lesnar and stand there and give up his leg. You really think Aoki is going to manage a diving Ryo Chonan vs Anderson flying heel hook?

I'd love to see him in the UFC just to see some of the great matchups he could have, but BJ Penn is like the worst matchup for Aoki I could think of.

**mrblackmagic** · Posted On: 10/14/2009 10:06pm

Originally Posted by DaeHan

Aoki is a top of the food chain fighter, no question. But the UFC is... the UFC.

Aoki could (probably would) sub anyone of the guys you listed, but he would get beaten into hamburger in the process, especially Sherk. I want him to try his hand against a fighter with a strict mma background; let him see UFC isn't just a bunch of GnP monkeys. Dana could throw him to the wolves after that.

**sashimi_style** · Posted On: 10/16/2009 3:35am

Aoki has called out Dana White and the UFC before, but other than the Japanese, nobody was really listening. Now he's going to have a microphone that that the USA and the UFC can't ignore. The proposed unification of the Dream and Strikeforce titles is going to greatly increase the potential for these matchups to actually go down.

If Aoki defeats the Strikeforce Lightweight Champ (whenever Thompson and Melendez sort that out), he'll become an instant feature on CBS televised events. In fact, it's likely that fight would happen in the US for the sole purpose of promoting Aoki to the American audience. If he keeps on winning, and gets CBS level exposure to document it to the masses, the core UFC fanbase is going to want to see him fight their champion. In a marketing sense, think of him as a lightweight Fedor.

Aoki may prove more susceptible to the almighty dollar than Fedor, and we could well see him fight in the octagon. On the other side of the coin, the UFC may actually see top lightweights try to leave the promotion, as Randy Couture attemted in his bid to fight Fedor, for a chance to fight Aoki in Strikeforce.

Aoki wants the UFC's attention. If he's as good as he says he is, the UFC won't be able to ignore him anymore.

**DaeHan** · Posted On: 10/16/2009 9:18am

Originally Posted by sashimi_style

Aoki wants the UFC's attention. If he's as good as he says he is, the UFC won't be able to ignore him anymore.

He's not "as good as he says he is", he's ranked as the #2 Lightweight fighter in the world. He is the current WAMMA LW Champion, Dream LW Champion and Shooto Middleweight Champion.

Originally Posted by sashimi_style

Aoki may prove more susceptible to the almighty dollar than Fedor, and we could well see him fight in the octagon.

I really hope Dana White makes him an offer he can't refuse. At least he doesn't compete in Sambo, so that's a start.

Originally Posted by sashimi_style

If Aoki defeats the Strikeforce Lightweight Champ (whenever Thompson and Melendez sort that out), he'll become an instant feature on CBS televised events.

Actually Aoki was supposed to fight Gilbert Melendez at Pride Bushido 13, but Melendez got injured and Clay French took his place. Seems that they could meet sometime soon.

**G-Off** · Posted On: 10/16/2009 11:56pm

Originally Posted by DaeHan

He's not "as good as he says he is", he's ranked as the #2 Lightweight fighter in the world. He is the current WAMMA LW Champion, Dream LW Champion and Shooto Middleweight Champion.

Did you really just cite WAMMA?

**Zaii** · Posted On: 10/17/2009 12:29am

Aoki frustrates me. His grappling skills are obviously no joke, his record speaks for itself, his pants are amazing for more reasons than I could list, and his penchant for absurdity is both entertaining and occasionally jaw dropping - but has no one ever leaned over to him and quietly suggested, "hey, you're a pro fighter competing at a world class level, maybe wanna think about getting a striking skill set...like uhh.....sometime .....ever?"