Ishii makes it a rough day to be an amateur on pro day
Zach Conley is just beginning to try his hand at mixed martial arts. The former Idaho State linebacker works out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. With top notch instructors like Shawn Tompkins running the place, it’s a great opportunity. But there is a downside. You may have to roll with someone that’s a bit out of your league. Conley is just 1-0 as an amateur but in a 20 minute span he found himself being dumped on his head by 2008 Olympic Judo Gold medalist Satoshi Ishii (pictured with Conley) and grappling with former UFC light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort.
After rolling with Ishii, Conley, trying to cover up that he’d just been smoked, said "man, that guy’s pretty good at Judo." Gym veterans laughed as they told him
"that guy" just won the gold medal.
"I had no idea, it was a rude awakening," Conley told Cagewriter. "That guy’s got crazy judo, I got my ass tossed all over the place. I was a state champ wrestler (in Idaho) and he tossed me like I was my little sister."
Minutes later Conley found himself in the Xtreme Couture boxing ring with Belfort.
"It was pretty intense. It was fun. That’s how you get better. My heart was pumping. He was one of the original guys of UFC."
Belfort is prepping for his Affliction: Trilogy fight against Jorge Santiago on Aug. 1. "The Phenom" has been training in Las Vegas for a week. Ishii just happened to saunter into the gym on Tuesday.
He speaks little English but is getting along just fine. K-1 veteran Ray Sefo often serves as a translator. Believe it or not, the only guy at the gym late on Wednesday who could communicate with Ishii, was the very eloquent "New York Bad Ass", Phil Baroni.
Ishii was a much sought after free agent. The UFC pursued him heavily. The organization sent out photos of Ishii meeting Randy Couture and Dana White and even posted a story on UFC.com about the negotiations. In the end, the lure to stay loyal to Japan won out and he signed with Sengoku. He’s expected to make his MMA debut in the fall.
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