DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (30-5, 1NC) showed off his improved striking skills this past weekend by defeating his longtime friend Satoru Kitaoka in the co-main event of DREAM’s Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 event on New Year’s Eve (hit the link to watch the full fight).
Aoki has been training at the Evolve MMA gym in Singapore, steadily improving his striking, something he has taken heat for in the past, as well as all facets of his fight game.
The lightweight spoke to MMAWeekly.com about the win as well as his training at Evolve MMA.
“The media keeps writing about my striking training in Singapore, but people don’t realize that I train every day with world champions in every discipline at Evolve MMA. My submission game has improved tremendously at Evolve MMA. And of course, my striking and takedowns have improved. I am a much more complete MMA fighter today and I will be even better in the future because of my team, Evolve.”
“I am grateful for the win, but I am not satisfied because I did not finish the fight,” Aoki said. “My coaches thought that I would be able to submit or KO him. My style of fighting is to finish my opponents. I don’t like decision victories. However, Kitaoka is a very tough opponent. He is my good friend and training partner for many, many years. I trained very hard for this fight and I tried to use new things…. ”
“I want to fight the best in the world. I will fight anyone, anywhere,” said Aoki. “I don’t choose my opponents. I fight whoever they put in front of me.”
The win was Aoki’s seventh straight since a loss to Gilbert Melendez in Nashville in April 2010. The DREAM champ is hoping to appear at the upcoming co-promoted ONE Fighting Championship/DREAM event this coming March.