is a
Japanese-French professional
mixed martial artist and kickboxer who most recently competed in
Bellator
Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to:
* Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States
* Bishop Bellator of Archaeological site of Sbeitla, Sufetula (5th century)
Taxonomy
* Bellator (fish), ''Bellator'' (fish), a fis ...
's
Middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
division. A professional MMA competitor since 2013, he has also competed for
Rizin
Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Rizin was founded to be the spir ...
.
Background
Born and raised in
Paris, Kato's father was a
Japanese judoka who moved to Paris to pursue a career teaching the martial art, and become one of the top instructors in the country. However, he died when Kato was only a few years old. Kato's mother is
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
. Growing up, Kato pursued
judo but favored the striking techniques of traditional Japanese martial arts such as
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
. Kato was also a highly-talented
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
player; he began competing in junior high and moved to
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
at the age of 18 where he competed for the national team and attended college. He later returned to his martial arts roots at the age of 23, joining the
Kudo Federation of Japan where he competed and won five consecutive national tournaments. After winning his fifth title, Kato was offered a contract by the Japanese MMA promotion HEAT.
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Kato made his professional debut in March 2013. In the first two years of his career, Kato competed exclusively for the Japan-based promotion, Heat. He compiled a 4–1 record, which included a first-round TKO of Yuki Niimura to win the vacant Heat Middleweight Championship.
Bellator MMA
Kato faced
Joe Schilling in his promotional and United States debut at
Bellator 139
2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015.
Background
In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...
on June 26, 2015. Despite being a sizable underdog, Kato won the bout in highlight-reel fashion, knocking out the seasoned kickboxer with a superman punch early in the second round.
In August 2015, Kato signed an exclusive, multi-fight contract with the promotion.
Kato faced another experienced kickboxer,
Melvin Manhoef, at
Bellator 146 on November 20, 2015 in the main event. Kato lost the fight via knockout due to a left hook from Manhoef in the first round.
Kato returned to Bellator in a mixed martial arts bout against
A.J. Matthews
A.J. Matthews (born January 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, RIZIN, and King of the Cage.
Mixed ma ...
on October 21, 2016 at
Bellator 162. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.
Kato faced
Ralek Gracie
Ralek Gracie (born October 4, 1985) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. As the son of Rorion Gracie, he is a member of the Gracie family. He was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by his grandfath ...
at
Bellator 170 on January 21, 2017. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Kato faced
Chidi Njokuani
Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and current professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professio ...
at
Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Kato was subsequently released from the promotion.
Kickboxing
Bellator Kickboxing
On June 24, 2016, Kato made his professional kickboxing debut for
Bellator Kickboxing
Bellator Kickboxing was an American kickboxing promotion company based in Los Angeles, active between 2016 and 2019. Bellator was founded in 2016 by president Scott Coker. It was the sister promotion of Bellator MMA. On April 16, 2016, Bellator ...
. He faced
Joe Schilling in a rematch at
Bellator Kicking 2. Despite Schilling being the more experienced kickboxer, Kato again won the fight by knockout due to a spinning back fist in the second round.
K-1
Kato was scheduled to face
Makoto Uehara for his K-1 debut. He beat Uehara by decision, after an extra round was fought.
In his second fight with K-1, Kato was scheduled to fight RUI. Kato won the fight by a first round KO.
Kato challenged for the K-1 Cruiserweight title, held at the time by
Sina Karimian
Sina Karimian (born 23 January 1988) is an Iranian kickboxer. He currently competes in K-1, where he is the current K-1 Cruiserweight Champion.
Kickboxing career
Karimian participated in the 2018 K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight (−90 kg) Tour ...
, during K-1 K'Festa 2. He lost the fight by a unanimous decision.
After his failed title shot, Kato was scheduled to fight
K-Jee in December 2019. He won the fight by a second round KO.
The two of them fought a rematch during Krush 112, for the Krush Cruiserweight title. K-Jee won the fight in the first round, by a body shot KO.
For his sixth fight with K-1, Kato was scheduled to fight
Mahmoud Sattari
Mahmoud Sattari ( fa, محمود ستاری born 22 February 1991) is an Iranian Muay Thai kickboxer. Sattari is currently under contract with the K-1 Organization.
As of June 2022 he was the #9 ranked Light Heavyweight kickboxer in the world ...
at
K-1: K’Festa 4. He lost the fight by a second-round knockout, suffering a broken nose in the process.
Kato faced
Ryo Aitaka
is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions of K-1. He is a one-time K-1 Cruiserweight title challenger, having fought for the title in 2020.
Kickboxing career BigBang Early career
Aitaka made h ...
at
K-1: K'Festa 5 on April 3, 2022, in the reserve bout of the 2022 K-1 openweight tournament. He won the fight by a third-round knockout. As
Satoshi Ishii later withdrew from the tournament due to injury, he stepped in as the replacement to face Seiya Tanigawa in the tournament semifinals. He lost the semifinal bout by a first-round knockout.
Kato faced Akira Junior at
K-1 World GP 2022 in Osaka on December 3, 2022. Despite scoring a knockdown in the first round, he lost the fight by a second-round knockout.
Championships and accomplishments
Kickboxing
*HEAT
**Heat Middleweight Championship (One time)
Awards
* Combat Press 2016 Upset of the Year
(vs. Joe Schilling)
Mixed martial arts
*
MMA Junkie
**June 2015 Knockout of the Month
vs. Joe Schilling on June 26
Mixed martial arts record
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 8–3
,
Chidi Njokuani
Chidi Godson Njokuani (born December 31, 1988) is an American former Muay Thai kickboxer and current professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professio ...
, Decision (unanimous)
,
Bellator 189
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 8–2
,
Ralek Gracie
Ralek Gracie (born October 4, 1985) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. As the son of Rorion Gracie, he is a member of the Gracie family. He was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by his grandfath ...
, Decision (unanimous)
,
Bellator 170
,
, align=center, 3
, align=center, 5:00
,
Inglewood, California
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...
, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 7–2
,
A.J. Matthews
A.J. Matthews (born January 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, RIZIN, and King of the Cage.
Mixed ma ...
, TKO (punches)
,
Bellator 162
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:58
,
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 6–2
, Yuta Watanabe
, TKO (punches)
,
Rizin Fighting Federation 1
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:05
,
Nagoya, Japan
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 5–2
,
Melvin Manhoef
, KO (punch)
,
Bellator 146
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 3:43
,
Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 5–1
,
Joe Schilling
, KO (superman punch)
,
Bellator 139
2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015.
Background
In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 0:34
,
Mulvane, Kansas, United States
,
, -
, Loss
, align=center, 4–1
, Henrique Shigemoto
, TKO (punches)
, Heat 35
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 4:16
,
Nagoya,
Aichi, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 4–0
, Yuki Niimura
, TKO (punches)
, Heat 31
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 0:53
,
Nagoya,
Aichi, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 3–0
, Yusuke Sakashita
, TKO (head kick and punches)
, Heat 30
,
, align=center, 2
, align=center, 0:28
,
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
,
Hyogo, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 2–0
, Yuta Nakamura
, TKO (punches)
, Heat 28
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 2:14
,
Nagoya,
Aichi, Japan
,
, -
, Win
, align=center, 1–0
, Tsukasa Kawaoka
, TKO (punches)
, Heat 26
,
, align=center, 1
, align=center, 1:29
,
Nagoya,
Aichi, Japan
,
Kickboxing record
, - style="background:#fbb;"
, 2022-12-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Akira Junior , ,
K-1 World GP 2022 in Osaka , ,
Osaka,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, , TKO (Referee stoppage) , , 2 , , 1:40 , , 5-5
, - style="background:#fbb;"
, 2022-04-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Seiya Tanigawa , ,
K-1: K'Festa 5, Tournament Semifinals , ,
Tokyo,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, , KO (Head kick) , , 1 , , 2:20 , , 5-4
, - style="background:#cfc;"
, 2022-04-03 , , Win , , align=left,
Ryo Aitaka
is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions of K-1. He is a one-time K-1 Cruiserweight title challenger, having fought for the title in 2020.
Kickboxing career BigBang Early career
Aitaka made h ...
, ,
K-1: K'Festa 5, Tournament Reserve Bout , ,
Tokyo,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, , KO (Left hook) , , 3 , , 1:05 , , 5-3
, - style="background:#fbb;"
, 2021-03-21, , Loss , , align=left,
Mahmoud Sattari
Mahmoud Sattari ( fa, محمود ستاری born 22 February 1991) is an Iranian Muay Thai kickboxer. Sattari is currently under contract with the K-1 Organization.
As of June 2022 he was the #9 ranked Light Heavyweight kickboxer in the world ...
, ,
K-1: K’Festa 4 , ,
Tokyo,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, , KO (Knee to the head) , , 2 , , 0:26 , , 4-3
, - bgcolor="#fbb"
, 2020-03-28 , , Loss, , align=left,
K-Jee , , Krush 112 , ,
Nagoya, Japan , , KO (Left Hook to the Body) , , 1 , , 2:10, , 4-2
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 2019-12-28 , , Win , , align=left,
K-Jee , ,
K-1 World GP 2019 Japan: ~Women's Flyweight Championship Tournament~ , ,
Nagoya, Japan , , KO (Left Cross) , , 2 , , 1:17, , 4-1
, - bgcolor="#fbb"
, 2019-03-10 , , Loss , , align=left,
Sina Karimian
Sina Karimian (born 23 January 1988) is an Iranian kickboxer. He currently competes in K-1, where he is the current K-1 Cruiserweight Champion.
Kickboxing career
Karimian participated in the 2018 K-1 WORLD GP Cruiserweight (−90 kg) Tour ...
, ,
K-1 World GP 2019: K’FESTA 2 , ,
Saitama, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00, , 3-1
, -
! style=background:white colspan=9 ,
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 2018-11-03 , , Win , , align=left, RUI , ,
K-1 World GP 2018: 3rd Super Lightweight Championship Tournament , ,
Saitama, Japan , , KO (Left Overhand) , , 1 , , 1:59, , 3-0
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 2018-06-17 , , Win , , align=left,
Makoto Uehara, ,
K-1 World GP 2018: 2nd Featherweight Championship Tournament , ,
Saitama, Japan , , Extra Round Decision (Split) , , 4 , , 3:00, , 2-0
, -
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 2016-06-24 , , Win , , align=left,
Joe Schilling , ,
Bellator Kickboxing 2: St. Louis , ,
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, , KO (spinning back fist), , 2 , , 2:59 , , 1–0
, -
, -
, colspan=9 , ''Legend'':
See also
*
List of current Bellator fighters
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kato, Hisaki
Living people
1982 births
Japanese male mixed martial artists
Middleweight mixed martial artists
Japanese male kickboxers
Japanese male karateka
Mixed martial artists utilizing kūdō
Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan
Japanese people of French descent