Hideo Tokoro will test skills with Hiroya Kondo at Super RIZIN 3 on July 28, 2024.
When I caught up with him, Tokoro was very excited to be working on new things after already having had seventy pro MMA fights. He was working on these new things during a recent training stint in Thailand. This included a more CrossFit-centric approach and the new aspects to his training have made him feel much better physically as a whole. This after nearly a quarter century into his professional mixed martial arts run.
Specifically under the RIZIN FF banner, Tokoro has been with the company since its very first show. An IG post from RFF showcased pre-fight pictures of Tokoro before all his fights with the company and praised it as Japan’s biggest as well as best promotion.
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Hideo Tokoro
The tenured veteran humbly stated he doesn’t have the cleanest record and isn’t the best out there. But Tokoro feels this prolific run with RIZIN has been “a miracle” in his own words.
This is someone who knows what they’re talking about in terms of powerhouses Japanese MMA promotions having fought for Shooto, Pancrase, Rings, K-1 Heroes, Vale Tudo Japan, DREAM since his 2000 debut.
Tokoro has been part of some big RIZIN Fighting Federation moments both within MMA and otherwise. There was great historical connectivity within the tag team grappling contest that he took part in where he teamed with Kazushi Sauraba to take on Wanderlei Silva and Kiyoshi Tamura under the RFF banner. Sakuraba and Silva obviously have a well-established competitive history from PRIDE FC and Tokoro also fought Tamura at K-1 Dynamite.
That tag team contest was described as “a surreal experience” and like “living in a dream”. ‘Little Volk’ called Tamura his idol and felt the walkouts were ridiculous in a good way. Silva’s classic ‘Sandstorm’ entrance transfixed all and while being in-ring, watching Sakuraba enter was an unforgettable moment for Tokoro in a career that has been chalk full of them.
Beyond Silva, another major rivalry for Sakuraba was his rivalry with the Gracie family which Tokoro also has some experience with as well. Tokoro has fought Royce Gracie, Royler Gracie, and also Rickson’s son Kron Gracie. When discussing his multi-generational competitive history with one of MMA’s royal families, Tokoro said,
“First, I fought Royce. He was the legend, he was the one who introduced MMA, solidified MMA to the world. He fought in the UFC, he has a Vale Tudo pedigree. So for me, it was just like fighting an absolute legend. So I remember being super nervous and fighting him with the utmost respect I had. When I fought Royler, that was a year after Royce.”
“So I’m thinking holy crap, I fight Royce now and then a year later I get the opportunity to fight Royler. This is nuts, this is surreal. It’s like living in a dream. Then we move to RIZIN and I get to fight Kron. But that fight, I only remember myself getting absolutely destroyed [laughs]. So I don’t remember too much from that fight. But I remember Rickson Gracie in his corner and I was thinking holy crap, Rickson in his corner.”
“I can’t believe I’ve been given this opportunity to be able to compete against such a great opportunity. I was nothing but grateful for this opportunity. You know when you think about it, there are not too many Japanese fighters who get the opportunity to face so many Gracies.”
Super Rizin 3
Tokoro continued, “So for me, I think this is one of the best things that’s happened to my life. This is something that I can be extremely proud of and I can brag about. This is definitely a treasure that I’ll be taking along with me to my grave.”
Speaking of bragging rights, Tokoro occupies rarefied in the sport by fighting across seven weight categories throughout his competitive efforts. Tokoro has fought from flyweight all the way up to heavyweight and when discussing this, Hideo Tokoro stated,
“You know, Dylan. I had absolutely no idea that I had that kind of status or even bragging rights. So I am very surprised but I am extremely happy to know that right now.”
Having interviewed John Dodson ahead of fighting Tokoro, the multi-time UFC flyweight title challenger spoke highly of the Japanese veteran. He specifically praised Tokoro for fighting across such a vast range of weight categories.
In mentioning Dodson, the BKFC flyweight champion fights on this same card in a bare-knuckle boxing bout. John Dodson clashes with Takaki Soya in a non-title bout at Super RIZIN 3. Manny Pacquiao also fights on this massive card too in what is truly a combat sports extravaganza.
This is the first time in Tokoro’s near twenty-five years of MMA, he is not able to buy tickets for his core people to attend his contest. While he mentioned how he is freaked out, Tokoro also feels it speaks to the magnitude of an event like this.
In terms of the next task at hand, Kondo is a veteran of DEEP and has been in RIZIN for a few fights now. He is someone who has a high finishing rate and conversely, the majority of Hiroya Kondo’s losses are on points.
Speaking of Kondo’s resume and overall skillset, Hideo Tokoro quipped,
“First, I think he’s got a very good heart. He fights with good spirit, he’s very aggressive. He’s got tons of stamina and he’s a crowd-pleaser. He’s that type of fighter where I was watching him fight and by the time I realize it, I’m cheering for him. So I think he’s a true professional in a fact where he delivers and he’s a crowd pleaser. The fans get behind him.”
“He doesn’t have the cleanest record, he doesn’t have a clean record I think. A lot of people say that there are some similarities between me and Hiroya. So I hadn’t really thought about it that way but now that I do think about it, maybe that’s good. But overall, he’s a very good human and he’s a good fighter… I can guarantee that this will be a great, fantastic fight.”
RIZIN FF
As someone with multiple fight-of-the-year contender bouts, this praise from the 2011 DREAM bantamweight grand prix champion for Kondo is huge and also bodes well for the fans with both bringing such electric, crowd-pleasing styles.
This fight is a barnburner on paper but it may be the last time the proverbial barn gets burnt down if Tokoro does not get his ideal outcome. While he wants to continue doing what he loves, he remarked how it really doesn’t matter if he doesn’t leave results.
Despite the backdrop of potentially hanging up the gloves with a loss here, the catch wrestling savant is confident he can put on a good performance amid a stacked lineup. Hideo Tokoro aims to find a way to stand out this weekend. He has found a way to do through many permutations of the sport since the dawn of the new millenium and his entry into the game.
