(NOAH) WRESTLERS HUMAN STORY: Ulka Sasaki
8th & 15th January 2025 (Issue no 2335)
Tracing the journey and history of each wrestler
"Pro wrestling isn't something you can do half-heartedly or as a side job. That's why I'm going to dedicate my life to it, putting everything on the line, and aiming for the top."
Once I've decided, I'll go all out.
Mixed martial artist Ulka Sasaki, who was active in UFC and RIZIN, decided to switch to professional wrestling after watching Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Great Muta at the Nippon Budokan on January 1, 2023. He won the GHC National Championship just six months after his professional wrestling debut. He is scheduled to face Nakamura at the Nippon Budokan on January 1, 2025. He made his debut in Noah at Ariake on January 2, 2024.
What kind of life has Ulka Sasaki had to get to where he is today? We will take a look back at his life.
From middle school, he mastered the "fastest head strike" in kendo, then moved on to wrestling at the Wajutsu Keishukai Suruga Dojo, where he mistakenly believed himself to be the reincarnation of Kojiro
I remember my uncle being a pro-wrestling fan and filling one room with pro-wrestling videos. Before he knew it, Ulka had become a pro-wrestling fan, and he started watching the pro-wrestling channel "Samurai TV" on SkyPerfecTV!. He often played with his older brother, who was three years older than his friends, and they would frequently play pro-wrestling in the living room. His heroes at the time were Keiji Mutoh, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Jushin Thunder Liger.
I also liked the WWE Attitude era from the late 90s, and I thought "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was cool. Actually, the moves and movements of The Rock, Randy Orton, have greatly influenced my current fighting style.
My first foray into sports was with a local baseball team. A close friend joined, and I wanted to join too, so I bought a uniform and glove...but in baseball, I never got a chance to bat, and even when I was playing in the outfield, the ball rarely came my way. So, I was bored and started spinning around by myself, when unfortunately a ball came my way and I couldn't catch it. I thought, 'This isn't for me,' and quit after three days. Even though I'd bought all the equipment...
I also played soccer in school, but in team sports, you can end up blaming someone else, right? That's why, at some point, I started to think that individual sports were the only thing I could do."
"When I got to junior high school, I joined the Kendo club. About ten people from my grade joined, but only two experienced people started practicing sword swings with the upperclassmen, while the rest of us were assigned to endless running. I was so annoyed by that coaching style that I bought my own bamboo sword and practiced diligently after returning home.
At first, I couldn't prevail at all. After analyzing what I should do, I arrived at the answer: "I'll try to cover it up with sound."
From then on, he strengthened his lower body so that his footwork would produce a louder sound, and he was able to master the head strike, delivered from a wide stance.
After that, he was able to beat his seniors, but when it came time to decide on the club president in his final year, two experienced members were nominated. Ulka rebelled, saying, "Don't be ridiculous. It should be the strongest one," and proposed holding a tournament to decide the president. He won that tournament and successfully became the president.
There's a charming anecdote from his time in the kendo club.
"Back then, since my last name was Sasaki, I just assumed I was the reincarnation of Kojiro Sasaki. I read quite a few books and novels. When you think of Kojiro, you think of the Tsubame-gaeshi* technique, right? During practice matches, when everyone started to become wary of my head strike, I deliberately missed. And when my opponent countered, I tried a swallow counter. It was a foul (laughs). A downward thrust isn't considered a valid strike. So, it ended up being shelved."
During his middle school years, when he was so engrossed in kendo, he drifted away from professional wrestling. He was the type of person who became completely absorbed in one thing, as did his older brother, who was his training partner, and who had also drifted away from professional wrestling after starting wrestling in high school.
After quitting his part time job, his training volume skyrocketed
"In junior high school, PRIDE and K-1 were popular, and I started with Mirko Cro Cop and then grew to like Takanori Gomi. I wrote 'martial artist' as my career aspiration, and since Gomi did wrestling, I chose Hiryu High School, which had a strong wrestling program. My teachers and friends told me, "Someone as skinny as you can't make it," but I really wanted to do it, and I didn't want to do anything else. I thought I could do anything if I was determined enough."
He grew rapidly, inheriting his father's height, and was over 170 cm tall by middle school, but no matter how much he ate, he couldn't gain weight and was "super skinny, like a matchstick." He moved to Numazu City when he entered Hiryu High School.
The wrestling club was grueling.
"We practiced morning, noon, and night. We only had a day off maybe once every two weeks." The older generation of seniors was very strong, and Ulka was the only new member.
"Every day, I got beaten up pretty badly. I even got power-bombed against the wall. But it was fun," he recalls fondly.
However, he wasn't always on the defensive. Having sparred with his older brother in grappling techniques at home since middle school, he possessed skills strong enough to even beat the judo club members, and from the moment he entered high school, he was able to compete on equal footing with his seniors at Hiryu High School.
His best achievement in wrestling was reaching the top 16 at the All-Japan High School Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships. He even defeated the third-place finisher. He had considered continuing the sport in college, but after reading an article about his idol, Gomi, making his professional debut at the age of 20, he abandoned his plans to attend university. Initially, he was planning to move to Tokyo and become a mixed martial artist. However, Kenichi Serizawa, a senior from Hiryu High School who ran the Wajutsu Keishukai Suruga Dojo in Numazu City, persuaded his parents, saying, "Leave it to me."
From April 2008, he began his journey to becoming a martial artist while working part-time locally.
"But, working part-time limited my training time. I realized this wasn't right, so I went around asking various companies for support, even if it meant cutting back on training. I found a sponsor, quit my part-time job, and my training volume skyrocketed, and I got stronger. At the time, martial arts was in a dark age where it wasn't really booming, but the companies that supported me were incredibly kind to me."
At the time, mixed martial arts was in decline, triggered by the collapse of PRIDE. It wasn't an environment where a teenager who hadn't yet made their professional debut could do so without a side job, but they must have been tempted by Ulka's passion and potential. His amateur debut came about by chance; he went to support a senior fighter, and one of them withdrew, so he ended up fighting in that match on the day of the fight. Having achieved a win, there's no doubt he possessed extraordinary talent and skill, but reality isn't so kind.
After that, he began to suffer many defeats in striking and leg locks, which were his weaknesses. Sensing that this was serious, Uka put his excellent analytical skills to full use and found his own tricks and techniques.
"Because my background is in wrestling, I was strong in ground techniques where I could control my opponent after touching them. But with striking, I had to control my opponent without touching them, so at first, I had a hard time getting the feel for it and the sense of distance. That's when I noticed the headgear used in amateur Shooto at the time. It really obstructs your vision.
So I devised a strategy where I'd initiate a tackle, let my opponent defend, and then, because their vision was impaired by the headgear, their initial movements were slower. I'd then exploit that opening when they got up or broke away."
He was feared as the "Ground Technique Tengu" and had no rivals in Japan.
"I remember meeting Shinsuke Nakamura, then a senior trainee in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, for the first time through my mentor, Mr. Serizawa, when I was 19 or 20 years old. He encouraged me to "become a professional wrestler as soon as possible," which led to the dramatic one-on-one match at the Nippon Budokan on January 1st, 2025. At the time, however, I was completely unaware of him, thinking, "What is this guy talking about?"
Nevertheless, Ulka achieved a significant result, finishing as runner-up in the lightweight division of the "All Japan Amateur Shooto Championship," and made his professional debut at the age of 20 in April 2010 at "CAGE FORCE." Coincidentally, the venue was Differ Ariake, the birthplace of Noah and the location of their training camp and dojo. As a professional, without headgear, the aforementioned techniques are unusable. Therefore, he devised a strategy of charging in with a flying knee kick as soon as the gong sounded, applying pressure and always taking the initiative in the match. This compensated for his weakness in striking and allowed him to bring the fight to his strong point: grappling. After that, he became feared in Japan as the "Grappling Tengu" and was virtually unbeatable. In January 2011, he even defeated Kleber Koike Erbst, who would later become the RIZIN Featherweight Champion. Regarding his improved striking skills, Ulka says, "My kendo training came in handy."
He became more effective at using his right jab, which he learned from the "fastest fighters," and he also applied it to his tackle feints, which had almost the same initial movement. It's fair to say he had an exceptional analytical ability to determine how to use his existing strengths to achieve victory.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time. Through trial and error, once I clear one hurdle, it branches off, and then there are all sorts of things I need to consider again. I clear those... and so on. But I have no hesitation when it comes to trying. I never give up. Maybe I just enjoy thinking that way. And because I've achieved results, I think I've accumulated a solid foundation of success experiences. Though I've failed far more often (laughs)."
Furthermore, the fact that he trained at the Wajutsu Keishukai Shinkawa Dojo without moving to Tokyo also facilitated Ulka's development. This was because his master, Mr. Serizawa, guided him every step of the way.
"I'd wake up and go to morning practice. I'd run up to the top of Mt. Kanuki (193 meters above sea level) and come back, which would take about 2-3 hours. Then I'd practice with Mr. Serizawa at the dojo, so of course I got strong.
When I wasn't practicing, I'd analyze for the upcoming matches. I was seriously dedicating all 24 hours to it."
He steadily achieved results as a mixed martial artist, and in January 2013, at the age of 23, he captured the Shooto Pacific Rim Featherweight (approximately 66 kg) title. At that time, the Japanese martial arts scene was in a dire state, and promotions like "Sengoku" and "DREAM" had ceased operations, so the only way to aim higher was to go overseas. Just as he had long admired Kyoji Horiguchi, the Shooto World Champion in the same weight class, he decided to move to the world's largest mixed martial arts promotion, UFC, in July 2014.
He won two Performance Awards in the UFC.
At the time, he was 24 years old. His belief was, "Art and sports can connect you to the world. Language doesn't matter; it's enough if you understand it somehow."
On August 23 of the same year, he competed in a UFC event held in Macau, China, and defeated Roland Delorme in 1 minute and 6 seconds of the first round with his signature rear-naked choke. He immediately received the "Performance of the Night" bonus, awarded to the fighter with the most outstanding performance.
Ulka moved to Tokyo upon signing with UFC and traveled overseas for each fight, but since 2017 he had been based in New York, USA. Initially, he was in the bantamweight division (approximately 61 kg), but in May 2016 he dropped to the flyweight division (approximately 650 kg), losing a staggering 20 kg.
"Japanese fighters can't beat foreigners physically. That's why I had to drop a weight class. If I couldn't stand on the same physical level, I wouldn't stand a chance. Competing solely on technique is tough. Weight loss is incredibly tough; my mind wasn't functioning properly, and I would black out during the weigh-in. But at the time, I thought it was normal, so I didn't feel it was difficult. But looking back now, it was really tough. I did well. Some people gave up halfway through and forfeited their fight money. I don't even want to remember extreme dieting." (laughs)
He competed in the UFC until November 2018. He had a record of 4 wins and 9 losses, with only one victory by decision. Whether he won or lost, the fact that his fights were almost always by knockout or submission is proof of how thrilling they were.
Particularly memorable was his fight against Justin Scoggins on June 17, 2017. Even though he was being overwhelmed and beaten badly, when he heard his opponent humming nonchalantly while being punched from above, he completely lost it, shouting, "I'm seriously going to kill you!" He took the fight to the ground and won with a chokehold. He received his second "Performance of the Night" award for that fight. His highest ranking was 13th in the flyweight division. He is one of the few Japanese fighters to be ranked in the UFC.
Ulka left the UFC at the age of 29 and made "RIZIN" his main fighting arena from New Year's Eve 2018, defeating the formidable Manel Kape in his first fight. In October 2019, he faced the now-famous Kai Asakura, but suffered a fractured jaw from a right hook and lost by doctor's stoppage, proving himself to be an incredibly fearless mixed martial artist.
"It was fun. As long as you don't die, it's fine. The pain is only there at the time (laughs). It was great to be able to do it all over the world. China, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Singapore, Argentina... There were about 20,000 spectators each time."
He had originally intended to continue his career as a mixed martial artist until he was nearly 40 years old.
The trigger was was that the company he was working with, was in charge of stage production for Noah. which led to a connection with Director Narihiro Takeda, and he went to see a Noah show at Korakuen Hall. It was fun to watch pro wrestling again after a long time, but honestly, he never imagined that he would throw away his life as a mixed martial artist and become a pro wrestler.
Watching Nakamura vs. Muta made him decide to switch to professional wrestling.
"I was really blown away. I never imagined it would turn out like this. But I could clearly feel my heart being moved. I strongly felt that I wanted to do this. I've always been the type of person who charges ahead once I've decided on something. It was the same when I launched my apparel brand in New York. I stayed up all night studying Photoshop and researching all sorts of things in my one-room apartment in America. I've been doing that for over five years now, and I can make anything. It's the same feeling, or rather, when I watched the Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Great Muta match, I thought, 'I have to become a professional wrestler right now!'" He started attending the Noah Dojo and began training in professional wrestling.
His fight against Boyd Allen was scheduled for May 6, 2023, at the RIZIN Ariake Arena, so he dedicated the eight weeks of "fight camp" leading up to the match to his final MMA appearance, but his resolve remained unshaken.
Coincidentally, this coincided with the opening of a time capsule he had buried as an elementary school student. He doesn't remember what he wrote, but a question came from his past self, about twenty years ago: "Have you become a professional wrestler? Is Muto still wrestling?" All fate was beginning to lead him towards professional wrestling.
After his victory against Allen, he began training to make his debut as a professional wrestler. Like a new apprentice, he learned basic techniques like bumping, rope work, and fundamentals from scratch.
He performed an exhibition match at "MONDAY MAGIC" in Shinjuku on November 13th 2023, and then officially debuted against Takashi Sugiura at Ariake Arena on January 2nd 2024.
On July 14th at the Nippon Budokan, he won the GHC National Championship for the first time, marking a major leap forward in his rookie year.
"Pro wrestling is difficult. There are things that take time and things that I can produce now, and I make sure to distinguish between them. Even after fourteen years in mixed martial arts, there was still so much I didn't understand, but to some extent, I was able to categorize things into short-term, medium-term, and long-term when looking at them in terms of deadlines for work. Right now, I'm getting results as a pro wrestler, but that's just using things that have a short deadline. I think that's the part that looks good. However, the medium-term and long-term aspects that form the foundation of pro wrestling still take a lot of time, just like the striking I did in my MMA days. You can't acquire them right away. I'm still a baby as a pro wrestler. That's how deep the category of pro wrestling is. I can use the experience I gained as a mixed martial artist, but that's a separate matter. Pro wrestling is pro wrestling. If I don't keep that completely separate, I'll never reach the top level. Pro wrestling isn't a genre you can do half-heartedly or as a side job. That's why I'm dedicating my life to it, putting everything on the line, and aiming for the top as a pro wrestler."
Ever since the match against Nakamura at the Nippon Budokan on January 1st, 2025, was decided, his "pro wrestling sensibility" has become incredibly clear. Even without direct contact with him, just through indirect verbal exchanges, "there's a tremendous amount to learn from him." To put it simply, Nakamura sees right through his deepest thoughts and feelings.
"I think Shinsuke-san is probably to me what Antonio Inoki is to Shinsuke-san. I think Shinsuke-san is deliberately being harsh with me, taking that position into consideration. In fact, every word he says makes my emotions all jumbled up and makes me think about a lot of things. But that's what I need right now. In that sense, I've always been blessed with great people around me in my life. That's something I can be proud of. Serizawa-san, the people who supported me during my mixed martial arts days, Nakamura-san, NOSAWA-san, Ogawa Yoshinari-san...When you're seriously facing something, it's the people who make you realize what you need, and that's because they're the one and only professionals in their respective fields who teach you that."
Since he was young, wherever he went to fortune tellers, he was told he would be a "late bloomer." He himself always thought, "That can't be true." However, analyzing the wheel of fate that began to turn rapidly after he became a professional wrestler, he's starting to think, "Maybe I really am a late bloomer after all."
You never know what life will bring.
That's why it's so incredibly interesting.
Notes
Kojiro Sasaki: Japanese swordsman, who is known primarily for his duel with Musashi Miyamoto.
Tsubame-gaeshi: Known as a secret technique, there are various theories about the specific method, but it is a technique that involves slashing with a swift movement like a swallow turning its back and flying.
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