An ‘Absolute Fear’ In Japan

“I would like to be a UFC champion, but I would like to establish myself as an absolute fear in Japan first.”

Ren Hiramoto is gaining his first bit of momentum in mixed martial arts (MMA).

The kickboxing ring housed the young striking sensation before he decided it was time to follow a new path. Hiramoto, 24, dazzled in K-1 as a Featherweight star before debuting in MMA on Dec. 31, 2020.

Unfortunately for him, two losses kicked off Hiramoto’s run. Earlier this month (Nov. 6, 2022), however, he got on his first win streak, performing flawlessly against seasoned veteran, Satoshi “Dominator” Yamasu, earning a unanimous decision in RIZIN Landmark 4’s main event.

Hiramoto still has some work to do before he’s challenging any champions. Regardless, he still has lofty goals in mind for his career.

“Definitely, I would like to be a UFC champion, but I would like to establish myself as an absolute fear in Japan first,” Hiramoto told MMA Mania on BROADENED HORIZIN. “Then we’ll go to UFC and beat all these top guys and become a champion. So, I’m watching myself sort of like a movie. I think I can achieve that.

“I’m really like Jiri [Prochazka] because he’s the type of fighter that gives you the sense of ‘brutal.’ I really like that so I’m really looking forward to being like him in the UFC.”

In terms of RIZIN champions going on to find the highest levels of success, the current UFC Light Heavyweight kingpin, Prochazka, is one of the best examples there is.

Like “Denisa,” Hiramoto’s strengths are in his striking abilities, leading him to train with Rufusport and the likes of Bellator Bantamweight titlist, Sergio Pettis, in 2021. The Tokyo, Japan native’s wrestling defense has improved significantly over the course of his last two outings, and he only intends on getting better thanks to his desire to evolve.

“I was injured before the fight [with Yamasu], I injured my foot,” Hiramoto said. “So, I have to heal that injury first and of course, now I’m back in the fighting mode and I’d like to [carry on] this momentum and fight as soon as possible. However, I still would like to go back to America and train because right now at this stage in my career, if I go back to America, I think I can see a different scenery. In terms of different training and stuff like that. So I would like to do that, too.”

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Watch the full episode in the video embedded above or you can listen on Spotify.

BROADENED HORIZIN Ep. 21 ENGLISH AUDIO:

以下の日本語版 (JAPANESE VERSION):