r/judo • u/jonahewell sandan • May 07 '25

Judo x MMA Could Satoshi Ishi have provided a consistent challenge to Teddy Riner over the last two decades?

I just learned today (from a judo fanatics ad) that when Ishi won the 2008 Olympics at +100, he was the lightest in history to win it. According to further internet research, he beat Riner on the way to the finals!

After that, he left judo for MMA and basically handed +100 over to Riner for the next 16 years. Good for him for doing what he wanted or needed to do, but it's really too bad for the judo fans that he didn't stick around. His MMA career was successful but not dominant.

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u/Uchimatty May 07 '25

Haha no. Ishii was very inconsistent and got extremely lucky. Before the Beijing Olympics he never even medaled at worlds. Tangriev, not Ishii, sent Riner to the repechage. A few years after Beijing, Ishii somehow lost at US nationals. But we don’t talk about that.

Ishii likes to crap on post-himself Japanese heavyweights but the reality is they were an improvement but didn’t get as lucky. Kamikawa, Kaguera and Harasawa were consistent winners, but Teddy Riner at that point had consolidated his advantage and was harder to beat (yet Kamikawa and Kaguera still managed).

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u/MyCatPoopsBolts shodan May 07 '25

Harasawa especially doesn't get enough credit. Extremely consistent, excellent physique for a Japanese heavyweight (tall, relatively lean). 2016 Harasawa would have wiped the floor with the competition in 2008.

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u/Uchimatty May 07 '25

For real. In his most active year (2015), he had a 100% rate and he’s run through Tasoev, Inaev, Krpalek, Tushishvili etc.