The big news shaking up MMA fans in Japan is that Satoshi Ishii, gold medalist in 100kg judo at the Beijing Olympics this year, is heading to MMA. He alone with the right matchups could bolster the Japanese MMA scene.

Recently, there was a Q&A session. Here is some of what he had to say:

Question: Did you tell the Judo boss (Yoshimura) about your plan to go pro in MMA?
Answer: I told him I wanted to try it, that I had an interest.

Question: What has your preparation for MMA been?
Answer: I haven't done any at all [he uses a form that might be actually translated as "I haven't done jack"]. I've been doing BJJ since before the Beijing Olympics, so that doesn't matter at all.

Question: How about your conduct? [Ishii has been seen as making gross/brazen statements, jokes, etc.]
Answer: I am going to pay attention from now on, and fix the parts that need fixing.

Question: Have you submitted papers to resign from Judo?
Answer: No, not at all.

Question: When will the switchover to MMA happen?
Answer: I might even go when I'm 30 [He is now 22], I just really don't know. I haven't thought about it. I would like to think about it from now on.