There’s no way around it: Hatsu Hioki has been a serious disappointment so far in the UFC.
The 30-year-old Japanese fighter, who was highly touted as a featherweight title contender when he was signed by Zuffa in 2011, has been very disappointing so far while fighting in the Octagon.
Overall, Hioki is 2-3 with all five fights — win or loss — being decisions. Although he was dominant in his win over
Bart Palaszewski at UFC 144, he barely squeaked by George Roop in his other win at UFC 137. And in his losses against Darren Elkins, Clay Guida, and Ricardo Lamas, he showed that he just doesn’t have the wrestling to compete against the top featherweights in the world. And how can he win the title if he doesn’t have elite wrestling?
For me, the disappointment of Hioki’s UFC tenure stems from the fact that this guy is such a talented and skillful fighter. And he’s such a pleasure to watch, too. Seriously, go and watch his fight against Lamas and tell me you weren’t impressed by those ground transitions. Go and watch his fight against Elkins and tell me you weren’t impressed by his punishing kicks to the body. The guy has serious skill, but for whatever reason he just can’t put it together in the UFC.
It’s a shame, too, because prior to the UFC, Hioki had a 24-4-2 record and had won some very prestigious titles in the sport, including the TKO featherweight championship, the Shooto featherweight championship, and the Sengoku featherweight championship. Prior to the UFC, he had notable wins over Mark Hominick, Tom Niinimaki, Jeff Curran, Ronnie Mann, and Rumina Sato. So you can understand why he was so highly touted when the UFC inked him to a deal three years ago.
In fact, the UFC was so high on Hioki that they offered him an immediate title shot against Jose Aldo in his UFC debut. That was in the days when the UFC featherweight division was still in its infancy, but still, it shows you that the promotion’s matchmakers were very high on him.
Hioki politely declined the title shot and said he wanted more time fighting in North America and in a cage before he fought for the title. He then beat Roop and Palaszewski, and the UFC again offered him a title fight against Aldo. Again, though, Hioki declined, and after losing a decision to Lamas at UFC on FX 4, the decision to turn down the title shot was questioned by the fans and media.
Had Hioki defeated Guida in his bounce-back fight at UFC on FOX 7, he likely would have been given a title shot, or at least a #1 contender’s bout against Chad Mendes, which Guida was given for squeaking out the decision that night. But he lost, and he fell even further down the food chain after losing his third-straight fight against Elkins last summer.
Still, despite the three straight Ls on his record, UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby kept him around and is giving him one more chance to redeem himself in the Octagon. This Saturday at the TUF China Finale Hioki takes on fellow veteran Ivan Menjivar in a bout that has the potential to be “Fight of the Night.” It’s a fight that is very winnable for Hioki, and it’s a fight he must win if he wants to stick around the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world. And, if I were a betting man, I’d say he stops his nasty losing skid and gets back into the win column.
As a long-time fan of Hioki, I really hope he can right the ship this weekend in China, and finally write the last page of this disappointing stretch of his career. But based on the way he’s performed in the UFC so far, don’t be too surprised if this disappointing chapter of his career is extended.
• Hatsu Hioki vs. Ivan Menjivar
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UFC Fight Night: Kim vs. Hathaway, aka The Ultimate Fighter China Finale is due to take place on March 1, 2014 at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena in Macau, China.
Click the stars to rate how good you think the TUF China Finale will be.
