http://mmamania.com/2009/10/04/shinya-aoki-i-think-i-am-the-better-fighter-and-capable-of-beating-ufc-lightweights/

“I am not concerned about my opponent. It does not matter who I face — as long as I let my style shine and fully express myself in the ring, everything will be fine. Yes, I want a belt. Actually, let me rephrase that: I just want to win and do not want to lose. For every fight, it simply boils down to my wanting to win, or rather, my dogged determination to win. The belt will follow my victory, so I am focused solely on winning and do not allow myself to be distracted by belt or all the other frivolous stuff…. I am interested in fighting in a cage since a lot of the major promotions hold their fights in the cage nowadays. I am aware that some people raise the question about my viability in the cage — it upsets me whenever I hear them say that I will not succeed fighting in the cage under a different set of rules. I think I will not be beaten by anyone. It is often said that UFC is the pre-eminent force in the MMA world with the best fighters and BJ Penn is number one: (Raising his voice) It does not anger me, but it makes me want to challenge the assertion. I acknowledge their major league status, financial power, the caliber of their fighters, but I do not consider them the number one. I think I am the better fighter and capable of beating their fighters… so yeah, regardless of the opponent, I cannot afford to lose.”

i would give him a shot to beat almost anyone in the division except Penn & Sherk

aoki cant strike worth a damn, but he's got good takedowns from the clinch. people forget that he is a judo blackbelt as well. he doesn't use it for spectacular throws, but more to clinch and get trip takedowns. add to the fact that he's a sneaky strong dude at LW, remember he's fought as high as WW (beating Kikuchi twice when he was a top 10 WW).

all in all, i dont think he would ever get the belt, but he would definitely have some success in the division

Put up or shut up then Aoki. He's been offered contracts with the UFC before and hasn't taken them and I still don't believe he would be as half as effective with his submissions if he wasn't allowed the tights for that extra grip and traction. As for fighting and beating BJ. . . not a chance, he'd get murdered wherever the fight went.

@Stillunknown - He's also been beaten twice by Sakurai and Kikuchi was overrated IMO, one significant win against Jake Shields other than that nothing worth noting.

He'd be top 5. But he'd lose to the top guys like BJ, Griffin etc

Put up or shut up then Aoki. He's been offered contracts with the UFC before and hasn't taken them and I still don't believe he would be as half as effective with his submissions if he wasn't allowed the tights for that extra grip and traction. As for fighting and beating BJ. . . not a chance, he'd get murdered wherever the fight went.

@Stillunknown - He's also been beaten twice by Sakurai and Kikuchi was overrated IMO, one significant win against Jake Shields other than that nothing worth noting.

the first fight with sakurai was razor close, you could make a legitimate argument Aoki won that fight. the 2nd fight notsomuch lol

he's fought before without the tights, i dont think not having them would make that much a difference.

like i said, he wouldn't be champ as long as Penn had the belt, but he would be a contender

the first fight with sakurai was razor close, you could make a legitimate argument Aoki won that fight. the 2nd fight notsomuch lol

he's fought before without the tights, i dont think not having them would make that much a difference.

like i said, he wouldn't be champ as long as Penn had the belt, but he would be a contender

The first fight with Mach was close, personally I had Mach winning. The second fight is one I'm sure Aoki would like to forget lol. The same argument can be made for both of Aoki's fights with Kikuchi, especially the 2nd one which I thought Kikuchi edged it.

The tights may not be an issue but what it does give him is an advantage as the fight progresses. As his opponent becomes slippery he still maintains the same traction and grip because of them. Also I can't think of a significant win in which he wasn't wearing the tights.

I think he'd have trouble against the wrestler's who could avoid being taken down and just murder him on the feet.

I doubt he'd get a title shot unless he was babied into it. I've got Griffin, Edgar and Sherk walking through Aoki - And I can't say confidently that I'd put any money on any of them beating Penn. Edgar IMO shines through that group, but still. Penn is in a league of his own at 155.

I think he'd do ok in the UFC...but the thing that makes me scratch my head is
1. Cage
2. Elbows
3. No pants

He's done well without the pants before, but the Cage and elbows makes me worried. I'd pick him against Griffin, Maynard, Edgar, Huert, Guida, and maybe Sherk and Sanchez...maybe. I don't think he's beat Penn though, i can see Penn negating his BJJ with his own and rearranging his face...Sherk and Sanchez makes me scratch my head but i htink those are winnable fights. I can see Sherk being a real tough fight but because he has those small ass limbs and thick ass neck...but still, Aoki could surprise ya.

He's done well without the pants before, but the Cage and elbows makes me worried. I'd pick him against Griffin, Maynard, Edgar, Huert, Guida, and maybe Sherk and Sanchez...maybe. I don't think he's beat Penn though, i can see Penn negating his BJJ with his own and rearranging his face...Sherk and Sanchez makes me scratch my head but i htink those are winnable fights. I can see Sherk being a real tough fight but because he has those small ass limbs and thick ass neck...but still, Aoki could surprise ya.

sherk has shown pretty good knowledge of jiu-jitsu in the past. he not a real threat to sub anyone, but he's damn good at positioning and staying out of trouble on the ground, especially while on top.

i think sherk is a terrible matchup for Aoki

fully express myself in the ring

wat da . interpretative kung fu style????

Put up or shut up then Aoki. He's been offered contracts with the UFC before and hasn't taken them and I still don't believe he would be as half as effective with his submissions if he wasn't allowed the tights for that extra grip and traction. As for fighting and beating BJ. . . not a chance, he'd get murdered wherever the fight went.

@Stillunknown - He's also been beaten twice by Sakurai and Kikuchi was overrated IMO, one significant win against Jake Shields other than that nothing worth noting.

Japanese fighters do big business in Japan so it is not surprizing that he would be fighting in his homeland. It is similar to how Japanese boxers most often fight in Japan.

Besides, speaking personally I far prefer Japanese MMA to the UFC so I really don't care if he fights in the UFC or not.

He would beat them all!

AOKI is da best!

Japanese fighters do big business in Japan so it is not surprizing that he would be fighting in his homeland. It is similar to how Japanese boxers most often fight in Japan.

Besides, speaking personally I far prefer Japanese MMA to the UFC so I really don't care if he fights in the UFC or not.

It doesn't really matter if he does big business or what your personal preference is. That's no different then preferring German boxers and having Sven Ottke fight in Germany his whole career because outside of there he couldn't draw a penny. He says he's better and wants to challenge the assertion that he wouldn't be able to fight in a cage under Unified rules. Money may be a factor as to why he hasn't fought in North America yet but he is in a similar situation to Joachim Hansen refusing a contract because it wasn't as much as what he would get in Japan. Fact is both guys have no track record outside of Japan so they don't deserve a big contract. I'm sure the UFC doesn't want another Crocop situation on their hands. If he truly believes that he is better then he should be willing to prove it.

he wouldnt go far.

It doesn't really matter if he does big business or what your personal preference is. That's no different then preferring German boxers and having Sven Ottke fight in Germany his whole career because outside of there he couldn't draw a penny. He says he's better and wants to challenge the assertion that he wouldn't be able to fight in a cage under Unified rules. Money may be a factor as to why he hasn't fought in North America yet but he is in a similar situation to Joachim Hansen refusing a contract because it wasn't as much as what he would get in Japan. Fact is both guys have no track record outside of Japan so they don't deserve a big contract. I'm sure the UFC doesn't want another Crocop situation on their hands. If he truly believes that he is better then he should be willing to prove it.
I disagree. Business is foremost in the fight game. The UFC's practices are well documented and are surely a factor here. This is really very very typical and not at all surprizing.

And my personal preference was an after thought. As a fan, I couldn't give two ****s if he fights in the UFC.

I disagree. Business is foremost in the fight game. The UFC's practices are well documented and are surely a factor here. This is really very very typical and not at all surprizing.

And my personal preference was an after thought. As a fan, I couldn't give two ****s if he fights in the UFC.

As a fan, I could also care less where he fights. If he wants to fight in Japan his whole career then so be it. Fedor more or less does the same and I have total respect for his choice not to go to the UFC. And, I respect Aoki's choice to stay in Japan where it is financially more attractive for him, it's his career so he is entitled to fight where he feels most comfortable. But putting all business aside, I also want to see the best possible matchups and won't respect his skills or agree with the reputation he is afforded by some because he hasn't taken on the best of the division. He says he can beat these guys and that he believes that Japanese fighters are the stronger fighters. I wanna see him man up and prove his words instead of barking about it like he has done the past year.

sherk has shown pretty good knowledge of jiu-jitsu in the past. he not a real threat to sub anyone, but he's damn good at positioning and staying out of trouble on the ground, especially while on top.

i think sherk is a terrible matchup for Aoki

yeah, which is why Sherk is one of those guys that i think Aoki COULD beat...buuuuuuuut really scratch my head over it. Strong wrestler, great control, great BJJ, and super small limbs with a neck as big as large brick...plus, better striking...