With one big blow, Hisaki Kato made a name for himself on the United States MMA scene and derailed the career of a potential star.
Most people thought the unheralded Japanese import was brought into Bellator as cannon fodder for Joe Schilling, one of the best middleweight kickboxers in the world. Instead, Kato knocked Schilling out in brutal fashion with one punch in the second round of their fight at Bellator 139 on June 26 in Mulvane, Kan.
“I think I wasn’t supposed to win, but now it’s done,” Kato said. “You beat the big name and you become the guy of the moment. I’m going to use that.”
Kato (5-1) was an unknown, a karate fighter coming off a loss in the small Heat organization in Japan. Schilling (2-5), arguably the top American kickboxer right now, was a sizeable favorite with the expectation that Kato would stand and strike with him. Kato didn’t do that in the first round, taking Schilling down and grinding him out. In the second round, Kato kept things on the feet and the southpaw stunningly laid Schilling out with a Superman punch.
Of all the potential outcomes of the fight, that seemed to be the least likely. Kato is suddenly a favorite for Knockout of the Year and Schilling is likely to be off Bellator’s Dynamite card in September where Schilling was supposed to represent GLORY in a kickboxing match due to medical suspension.
“I know that I was just the man they had to be punched and knocked out by Joe Schilling, and for him to be back on winning before the big event in September,” Kato said. “I knew that, but it’s a part of the game. For me, I just had to focus on having a chance to fight for Bellator. The rest wasn’t my concern.”
Kato, 32, is now someone MMA fans will be curious to see again, though he’s only been a pro fighter for two years and was knocked out in the first round in his last fight back in March.
“I just have six professional fights,” Kato said. “Everything has been really quick so far. It’s really quick, but at the same time I’m 32, so I’m glad it’s quick. I don’t have a lot of time remaining. I guess it’s OK.”
The Superman punch was not a fluke, either. It had been something Kato was working on for some time at his Alive gym in Japan where he trains with the likes of UFC featherweight Hatsu Hioki.
“I know with that Superman punch I had some good results, even during training,” said Kato, who grew up in France and has trained with kickboxers there. “I’ve been using it a few times in different fights. I know I could have big damage. I was surprised to see him go to the ground into unconsciousness.”
So was everyone else. Despite the calls by some fans for a rematch in the GLORY ring, Kato said he wouldn’t be interested.
“What would be the point?” Kato said. “[If Schilling said,] ‘Yes, I told you I was better than you, stronger in kickboxing rules that’s why I didn’t want you to go on the ground.’ If he wants to make that point, it makes sense. But not for me. I’m trying to fight MMA. You can’t be a boxer, kickboxer at the same time. I guess maybe that’s a part of why he lost that fight, too.”