Roberto Satoshi: RIZIN co-promoting with PFL, MVP opens doors for ‘dream fights’

Roberto Satoshi, a former RIZIN lightweight champion, is enthusiastic about the Japanese promotion's partnership with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and MVP MMA, viewing it as a gateway to high-profile matchups that have long captured fighters' and fans' imaginations.

The collaboration will be showcased on Thursday at Super RIZIN 5 in Osaka, where featherweight title unification bout between A.J. McKee and Razhabali Shaydullaev will pit the PFL and RIZIN champions against each other for both 145-pound belts. Satoshi, competing on the same card against Shunta Nomura, hopes similar cross-promotional clashes will eventually extend to the lightweight and heavier divisions, potentially pitting him against top PFL contenders like Usman Nurmagomedov, Paul Hughes, Alexandr Shabliy, and Gadzhi Rabadanov.

Satoshi told MMA Fighting that he views the partnership as historic within MMA, noting that boxing has long seen unification bouts between champions from different promotions. "The fighters can only benefit from it, the promotion can only benefit from it, and the fans benefit too," Satoshi said, adding that fighting in the United States would be a particular draw after spending his entire career in Japan.

Also returning to RIZIN this week is Shinya Aoki, marking his first appearance with the promotion in 11 years since departing for ONE Championship. Satoshi acknowledged Aoki's legendary status in Japanese lightweight MMA, though he noted the grappling specialist's recent struggles and age. Japanese fans have long campaigned for a matchup between the two, which Satoshi described as potentially "very interesting" from a technical standpoint.

Satoshi's bout against Nomura carries significant title implications. Both fighters hold wins over current RIZIN lightweight champion Luiz Gustavo, effectively making their matchup a de facto title eliminator. Satoshi emphasized the importance of the fight for his career trajectory, stating that a victory would put him on a direct path back to championship contention.