Can Hioki break the UFC’s Japanese curse?

LAS VEGAS – It's not quite fair to say that Japanese fighters have become the Washington Generals of mixed martial arts, but the statistics would suggest that they're not far off from that ignominious distinction.

Year after year, Japanese stars join the UFC amid much hoopla and fanfare. They never quite seem to match up to the hype, however, and return home with shattered dreams and much shakier reputations.

Middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama was 12-1 when he joined the UFC in 2009 and was perceived as a threat to middleweight champion Anderson Silva. After scoring a highly controversial decision over Alan Belcher at UFC 100, Akiyama has lost three in a row and isn't regarded as a significant factor in the division.

Some touted Michihiro Omigawa as a title threat at either lightweight or featherweight. But in a pair of two-fight stints, Omigawa is 0-4 in the UFC.

The story rings true for numerous other Japanese stars, including Kid Yamamoto, Takanori Gomi and Takeya Mizugaki. Their combined record outside of the UFC is 60-10-2 with two no-contests, a superb winning percentage of 84.7. Including Mizugaki's five fights in the WEC, which merged into the UFC this year, those three are 5-8 in UFC/WEC competition, a much more pedestrian mark of 38.5 percent.

Lightweight Shinya Aoki ran roughshod over Japanese competition, but he was manhandled by Gilbert Melendez when they met in Strikeforce last year. Going back a long way, Caol Uno was dominant in Japan, but was 3-5-2 in two stints in the UFC.

Those numbers would suggest that the worst career move a Japanese fighter would be to sign a contract with the UFC.

Now featherweight Hatsu Hioki, a Japanese born-and-bred fighter who – stop me if you've heard this before – is joining the UFC to much acclaim.

Hioki, who will meet George Roop on Saturday at UFC 137 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, is 24-4 and is ranked No. 3 in the world by MMA Weekly.

Hioki, who hopes to make a run and land a title shot against UFC champion Jose Aldo Jr., has a simple explanation for his countrymen's lack of success in the UFC.

"It's a different game, a different kind of MMA," he said.

The primary differences between Japanese MMA and the variety employed in the UFC under the Unified Rules is that in Japan, most bouts are fought in a ring and elbows to the head are not allowed. The Unified Rules allow elbows to the head and fights are contested in a cage.

Hioki, though, has a bit of an advantage over many of the Japanese fighters who came over before him. Hioki fought twice in the Montreal-based TKO, beating current UFC featherweight contender Mark Hominick and Thierry Quenneville in 2008.

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But Hioki, a submission specialist whose best move is a triangle choke, isn't the kind to point to that success as any kind of a barometer. He concedes he has a long way to go and much to prove.

"I don't want to take credit for that," he said of his wins in TKO. "They were good wins for me, but it was a different time, and not the same [as the UFC]. I've worked hard to be ready and practiced with elbows and what it's like to fight up against [the Octagon]."

Hioki is optimistic he'll reverse the trend established by his compatriots. He's won his last four fights and is 9-1 in his last 10 and had a significant win over highly regarded Marlon Sandro on Dec. 30.

Having accomplished all he could in his homeland, he said the timing is perfect for a move to the UFC.

"I feel like I'm as ready as I have ever been for this," he said. "Beating Sandro was a great confidence boost for me. He's a very, very tough guy and to get a win over a guy like that, it let me know I was ready to make this move.

"I don't know what it is going to be like for sure because I haven't fought [in the UFC] yet, but I think I've done all I can do to be ready and to be the best I can be for it."

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