(NOAH) Former UFC Fighter Ulka Sasaki will officially make his pro wrestling debut at the 2nd January Ariake Arena

24th December 2023

Pro Wrestling DX

Q: The Ariake Arena show, which will be your official pro wrestling debut, is finally approaching.

ULKA: I can strongly feel getting closer and closer

Q: Tell us again what made you come into contact with Professional Wrestling? 

ULKA: When I was in elementary school, my uncle loved pro wrestling. He used to watch it on SKY PerfecTV, and as a result of that, my older brother started liking it too. I always imitated my older brother, so to get his attention I said, "I want to wrestle too", and so we pretended to be pro wrestlers. I fell in love with it from there. However, my brother started gravitating towards MMA around the time PRIDE and K-1 came out, so I did too. But, I got into it through pro wrestling, so I've always had it in my heart. 

Q: Who was the first wrestler you fell in love with? 

ULKA: I loved Keiji Mutoh. I don't have a clear reason why I fell in love with him, but I was a child, so I don't think I was able to do much analysis back then...I think I was just simply drawn to things like his gorgeous appearance and demeanor.

Q: You also went to watch him at the venue...

ULKA: I remember going to Ryogoku (Kokugikan). I couldn't go that many times though since I was living in Shizuoka. 

Q: What made you change your mind to try pro wrestling while still being active in UFC and RIZIN? 

ULKA: It was definitely the 1st January (Noah's Nippon Budokan event on New Year's Day) 

Q: Great Muta vs Shinsuke Nakamura? 

ULKA: Yes. It really hit me like a shock, and I can say it really moved my heart.

Q: You admire Mutoh-san, and have a close friendship with Nakamura...

ULKA: Yes. I also practiced with Shinsuke in America, and we are actually senior and junior at the Wajyutsu Keisyukai* I was always told "do professional wrestling" (laughs), However, I was thinking about doing general wrestling around the age of 40 and then opening a gym, so I had no intention of doing that, but when I saw Muta vs Nakamura that I was hooked...

Q: Why in Noah's ring? 

ULKA: Originally, I had a relationship with Noah. I had decided that if I was going to do pro wrestling, then I would do it at Noah, and it was there that I saw the match between Shinsuke and Muta, I thought, ``It's wonderful to be able to create this vibe,'' and I think it was all about the timing.

Q: And immediately you started going to the Noah dojo? 

ULKA: Well, I'm still not too good at it (laughs), but since the beginning of this year I have been going 2 - 3 times a week. I also do weight training. 

Q: What did you feel when you started practicing passivity* and rope work?

ULKA: Well, it's super difficult...and when I actually practiced, I realized just how amazing professional wrestlers are.

Q: Seeing and doing...

ULKA: It's completely different! Movement is not as easy as I thought it would be. It's completely different from MMA in some ways, but there are some similarities in terms of strength. 

Q: What was the most difficult thing for you? 

ULKA: Everything...everything is a struggle (laughs) 

Q: I heard that you used do wrestling? 

ULKA: Yes. I've been wrestling since I was fifteen years old, and I've been doing mixed martial arts for nineteen, but I still find it difficult. 

Q: It looks like you've gained a lot of weight? 

ULKA: True, but well, I don't think I have the body of a professional wrestler yet.

Q: In MMA, I think you may have slimmed your weight down, but you never increased it? 

ULKA: I really slimmed down because I competed overseas as a flyweight (under 56.7kg), and now I weigh about 90kg. I thought, "I didn't think I would gain that much!?" (laughs) 

Q: That means that you have gained nearly 40kg. It figures because you have eaten a lot....

ULKA: It's the same with eating, but even if I lift weights more often, I still gain too much fat, so I started doing cardio by hitting mitts. I don't like running (laughs), so mitts are the best way to do aerobic exercise. 

Q: What is your impression of Noah? 

ULKA: I have the view that they are still major in Japanese promotions. There are a lot of really good wrestlers in Noah that I would like to try out. 

Q: The opponent for your debut match is Sugiura? 

ULKA: Yes, I thought I was being teased at first. I think there are some similarities with Sugiura-san (who has martial arts experience), but even apart from that he's a grand senior with a career, and I'm worried that I would be able to bring about the best him him. If I am at 100&, he will fight at 120%, and I have no idea what that would be like, man. 

Q: Of course the path to winning is....

ULKA: Yes, there is no doubt about that. I am taking measures against that.

Q: Sugiura-san said, "Bring it on!"

ULKA: That's what he said (laughs), so I am definitely going to "bring it on" (laughs)

Q: It's no longer uncommon for MMA fighters to wrestle professionally, but it's extremely unusual for them to practice for a year from the basics, and then change their bodies before making their debit. Do you have an image of what kind of fighting style you will use? 

ULKA: It is...well, I'm looking forward to seeing it myself. 

Q: When you made your pre-debut, you tried a Frankensteiner...

ULKA: Yes, I love Mutoh-san (laughs), so look forward to watching it 

Q: What do you think about the Ariake Arena show, where there will be a variety of other cards> 

ULKA: There are some great cards. I actually thought the first match was fine (laughs), but it was decided to be the sixth match. I think the general fans will also be watching this match, so I feel like I want to do more than expected and betray them in a good way.

Q: Your t-shirt says "Fight is Art", do you you want to express your worldview from the moment you enter?

ULKA: Well, that's true, what I want to do is express myself from the entrance, including in matches. I want to cherish it carefully. 

Q: You said earlier that Noah has a lot of wrestlers who you wanted to try out, but which ones specifically would you like to wrestle with?

ULKA: I really feel like I want to experience a match with every single person, rather than just someone in particular. Everyone is different, and there are so many great things to learn from them, so I want to experience every single one of them. 

Q: Even though you have made it all the way up to UFC in MMA, I am impressed by your approach to professional wrestling from the beginning as a newbie. 

ULKA: Yeah, I think I've always been that way since I was little, being honest with my impulses. Honestly, really

 I want to do what I learned, and I want to do it to the fullest, so I am learning hard. I think there will be many situations in the future where I won't be able to win if I don't do well at all, but I want to face it seriously.  

Q: What kind of wrestler do you want to be? 

ULKA: I want to find myself. I want to properly find Ulka Sasaki as a professional wrestler, not Ulka Sasaki as a fighter. 

Q: What is something that only you can bring out? A world view that only you can do, just like Mutoh-san once did? 

ULKA: Well...I would like to find it. I believe that there are things that only I can do. I don't know how many years it will take (laughs) Seriously

Q: By the way, I wonder what you will do in mixed martial arts after changing your body so much?

ULKA: That's what is said, isn't it? (laughs) That's just following your impulses.

Q: So now that you have transformed your body and prepared carefully for a year, you are not ready to get into professional wrestling? 

ULKA: I want to absorb everything. I want to participate in smaller shows as well. I want to learn as much as possible because there are only good wrestlers. 

Q: Is that the same for provincial tours? 

ULKA: I want to go 

Q: At the time of your pre-debut, you also said that you were "surprised by the power" and that "it took my breath away"?

ULKA: I think that by going on provincial tours, I will find more and more things to reflect on, and I'll start hearing more revisions and modifications. 

Q: I saw the video on your YouTube channel of you opening a time capsule from your elementary school. You asked your future self, "Are you a professional wrestler? Are you pursuing a career in professional wrestling?"

ULKA: This year I heard from a classmate that there was a time capsule from when I was in elementary school, so I went to open it. It also says, "I would be sad if Mutoh-san retired" Seriously, I don't know what's going on. 

Q: It seemed like the time had come for Mutoh-san to fulfill his promise to Yuta Sasaki (Ulka's real name), the little boy who adored him, but you can't betray expectations from when you were little? 

ULKA: I can't betray that. I need to shock my younger self.

Q: Now it is your turn to shock that little boy? 

ULKA: Well, I've always thought that, and it was the same when I was fighting. But, when kids are watching they think "I want to be like that", or "that's so cool", and I really value that. 

Q: Understood. Well, finally, please tell us of your enthusiasm for the Ariake Arena? 

ULKA: January 2nd, Ariake Arena. It's been a year since the shock impact at the Nippon Budokan on the 1st January. Your debut match really only happens once in your life, so I really want to cherish it, and I hope I can deliver something to the people watching. This will be my real debut, but it will also be my starting point. I think it will be a long journey, and I would be happy if you could watch Ulka Sasaki from the beginning. 

Notes

Wajyutsu Keisyukai: Network of Mixed Martial Arts gyms. 

Passivity: Hard concept to explain, but it basically means how to sell. This again comes from Baba, who was more interested in defense than attack, and when foreign wrestlers sent him their tapes said he wasn't interested in how well they could do a move, he wanted to see how well he could take it. This differs from New Japan, and was summed up by Keiji Mutoh as "always passive Baba, and always aggressive Inoki".

Translated from Pro Wrestling DX

Picture credit Pro Wrestling DX