Shinya Aoki believes the UFC are fighting a losing battle with the Japanese market
DREAM lightweight champion, Shinya Aoki has explained that any plans the UFC have to succeed in Japan will fail in his opinion, labelling it a “special market”.
Speaking to MMAJunkie.com, about the situation, Aoki said:
“I think the UFC in Japan will not be successful. It’s a very special market.”
This past summer UFC President, Dana White spoke about attempting to keep the PRIDE promotion running in Japan, but as ever in Japan, politics got in the way.
“We brought PRIDE to keep PRIDE running. But that wasn’t their plan over there. That was their plan when they were sitting across a table from us telling us when we were buying it, but they had other plans. They can shut things off and basically do whatever they want over there.”
Dana also said the underhand tactics wouldn’t prevent him from making waves in The Land of the Rising Sun, adding:
“They’re going to have to kill me. That’s where they’re going to have to do. We’re coming there no matter what. We’re coming there. We’re going to break through this thing. We’re going to get past these dirty, sneaky, bad guys in Japan, and we’re going to make it happen.”
Aoki will compete in the United States for the first time in his career under the Strikeforce banner when he takes on 155 pound champion, Gilbert Melendez in Nashville, Tennessee.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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