Hisaki Kato’s Team Tried To Talk Him Out Of Fight With Joe Schilling

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Hisaki Kato said that his training team tried to convince him not to accept a kickboxing fight against Joe Schilling. It’s a rematch from a year ago, in which Kato knocked out Schilling. They fight tonight at Bellator 157. Here are highlights:

On his team trying to convince him not to take the fight: “Actually, I had to convince my manager and coach to allow me to fight because they said there is nothing for me.”

On why he accepted the fight anyway: “But for me, it was an interesting challenge, so that’s why I accepted. I also believe there are still other tools from my background that I can use in this fight, so that’s what I want to try.”

On trying new things: “I want different challenges. I don’t have a longterm career plan. I’m 33, so I’m just enjoying fighting, and now I’m able to fight in a big league, so I’m really happy with that.”