Rumina Sato

(, kanji for given name: 留美奈) is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, famous for his career in the Shooto organization. In the past he fought mostly in the 155 lb division, but he moved down to the 145 lb division.

Mixed martial arts career After graduating from high school, Sato had to spend a year as a ronin and started to train in shoot wrestling under Noboru Asahi and Noriaki Kiguchi in the Kiguchi Dojo, partnered with the Shooto promotion. He later moved to amateur wrestling after being admitted in the Nippon Sport Science University, and after graduating in 1994 and competing in the All Japan Amateur Shoot Championships, he joined professionally the company.

Shooto After honing his submission skills under Satoru Sayama, Sato made his professional debut in MMA on December 7, 1994, winning over Michael McAuliffe with a calf slicer, the first time the move had been used in mixed martial arts. He ascended fastly in the roster by winning 10 straight matches, becoming a fan favourite for his aggressive and spectacular style of grappling. As soon as his fourth match, he submitted his opponent with a flying inverted triangle choke, and at his seventh, he gained worldwide fame by submitting the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Ricardo Botelho, taking advantage of his guard usage to attack him with leglocks and submit him with a heel hook. Sato also defeated another big name of the art when he beat John Lewis, who he submitted in revenge for a match at the Vale Tudo Japan which ended in a draw. Sato would become a usual fighter for this event, representing Shooto in six out of the nine years it had place.

Sato's winning streak finally broke in 1998 when he lost a highly publicized match to Canadian Jiu-Jitsu Champion Joel Gerson by a surprising armbar in the first round of a non-title event in 1998. Sato avenged his defeat in the next Canadian Jiu-Jitsu open tournament the same year, where he faced Gerson again at the finals and submitted him with an ankle lock. After returning to Japan, Sato got also which is thought to be the fastest submission victory in MMA history when he submitted Charles Diaz in a mere five seconds with a flying armbar.

At Vale Tudo Japan 1998, Sato went against André Pederneiras of the Nova União in a vale tudo rules match. Sato suffered the first takedown, but he almost caught Pederneiras with a persistent armbar. The two exchanged minor strikes in Sato's guard before the Brazilian grappler decided to stand-up, and the match seemed to go stall from their respective positions. However, suddenly Pederneiras sidestepped Sato and landed a soccer kick to the head, following with heavy punches to the face for the doctor stoppage.

On May 29, 1999, he would fight former trainee Caol Uno for the vacated Shooto Welterweight Championship. Sato captured Uno's back mere two minutes into the match and pursued the rear naked choke, but despite threatening to lock the hold at several points, Uno managed to escape free. Going into the second round, Sato controlled the stand-up, opening a cut on the right side of his opponent's face and scoring a takedown, but he found himself having to defend from his guard while Uno capitalized to land ground and pound. At the third round, Uno started controlling the wrestling game and solidifying his assault to Sato's guard, and ultimately, when a clearly tired Rumina attempted a takedown, Caol took his back and locked a rear naked choke for the tap out.

Sato returned to Vale Tudo Japan in 1999 fighting Rafael Cordeiro, founder and instructor for the famed Chute Boxe team. The match was short, as Rumina scored a belly to belly suplex and right after locked a kneebar, making Cordeiro tap out.

Rumina rematched Uno in December 2000 for the title. In a cautious and tentative affair, Sato captured the back of his opponent while standing and attempted to lock a choke while Uno defended with a Kimura lock threat, but none was successful. However, when Sato finally released him, Uno capitalized on his bad position and landed a knee strike to the face and a right punch to the temple, knocking Sato out.

After his second defeat to Uno, Sato faced Marcio Ramos Barbosa of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu, who had submitted Caol before the rematch. Sato won the fight by unanimous decision.

In December 2001, Sato faced rising star Takanori Gomi for the vacated Shooto World Lightweight Championship. Playing clinch to avoid his foe's dangerous striking, Rumina led the fight to the mat and besieged Gomi with submissions attempts, including armbars both from and against the guard, toeholds from inverted positions and an omoplata that almost finished the fight, but Takanori was consistently able of getting out of them. The second round saw Gomi landing damaging punches, as well as Sato utilizing an active guard to counterattack, and the striker eventually bypassing his defenses and controlling the pace. Come the third and final, Gomi landed the last punches against the guard before winning the bout by unanimous decision.

Despite PRIDE Fighting Championships and Ultimate Fighting Championship being both interested in signing him up, Rumina famously vowed to never compete in any other organization than Shooto (unless representing Shooto in special matches) until he won a title there. Though later years showed a weakened chin as his main weak spot, Sato was also an aggressive striker, sometimes indulging in moves like spinning backfists and axe kicks.

Championships and accomplishments Shooto Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Championship (1 Time, First) 1994 All Japan Amateur Shooto Championship, Welterweight Runner Up 1st Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Tournament Champion (March 11, 2005) Ultimate Fighting Championship Grapplers Quest at UFC Fan Expo Superfight Champion Las Vegas (July 10, 2009)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Hideo Tokoro TKO (punches & elbows) Vale Tudo Japan 2012

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Nico Verresen KO (punch) Shooto: Shooto the Shoot 2011

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Masakatsu Ueda TKO (kick to the body) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ryota Matsune TKO (knee & punches) Shooto: The Way of Shooto 3: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon

Tokyo, Japan Win

Corey Grant TKO (punches) VTJ 2009: Vale Tudo Japan 2009

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Takeshi Inoue TKO (punches) Shooto: Shooto Tradition Final

Tokyo, Japan For Shooto Lightweight (143 lbs.) Championship Loss

Hatsu Hioki TKO (punches) Shooto: Shooto Tradition 4

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Akitoshi Tamura Submission (north-south choke) Shooto: Shooto Tradition 1

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Hideki Kadowaki Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Back To Our Roots 5

Tokyo, Japan Win

Augusto Frota TKO (cut) Shooto: Back To Our Roots 2

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Antonio Carvalho TKO (punches) Shooto: The Victory of the Truth

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Gilbert Melendez TKO (cut) Shooto: Alive Road

Kanagawa, Japan Win

Makoto Ishikawa Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 3/11 in Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan For Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight Championship Win

Katsuya Toida KO (punch) Shooto: Year End Show 2004

Tokyo, Japan Win

Bao Quach Submission (armbar) Shooto Hawaii: Soljah Fight Night

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Win

Erikas Petraitis Technical Submission (triangle choke) Shooto 2004: 5/3 in Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Alexandre Franca Nogueira Submission (guillotine choke) Shooto: Year End Show 2003

Chiba, Japan Win

Ryan Ackerman Submission (heel hook) Shooto 2003: 6/27 in Hiroshima Sun Plaza

Hiroshima, Japan Loss

Joachim Hansen TKO (punches) Shooto: 3/18 in Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Takumi Nakayama Draw Shooto: Treasure Hunt 11

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Javier Vazquez Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Treasure Hunt 7

Osaka, Japan Loss

Takanori Gomi Decision (unanimous) Shooto: To The Top Final Act

Chiba, Japan For Shooto World Welterweight (154 lbs.) Championship Win

Marcio Ramos Barbosa Decision (unanimous) Shooto: To The Top 7

Osaka, Japan Loss

Caol Uno KO (punch) Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final

Chiba, Japan For Shooto World Welterweight (154 lbs.) Championship Win

Takuya Kuwabara Technical Decision (unanimous) Shooto: R.E.A.D. 9

Kanagawa, Japan Win

Yves Edwards Submission (rear-naked choke) SB 17: SuperBrawl 17

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Win

Rafael Cordeiro Submission (kneebar) VTJ 1999: Vale Tudo Japan 1999

Chiba, Japan Win

Phil Johns Submission (toe hold) Shooto: Renaxis 5

Osaka, Japan Loss

Caol Uno Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 10th Anniversary Event

Yokohama, Japan For Shooto World Welterweight (154 lbs.) Championship Win

Charles Diaz Submission (flying armbar) Shooto: Devilock Fighters

Tokyo, Japan Loss

André Pederneiras KO (soccer kick & punches) VTJ 1998: Vale Tudo Japan 1998

Chiba, Japan Win

Michael Buell Submission (armbar) Shooto: Shoot the Shooto XX

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Joel Gerson Technical Submission (armbar) Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 2

Tokyo, Japan Win

John Lewis Submission (armbar) VTJ 1997: Vale Tudo Japan 1997

Chiba, Japan Win

Maurice Corty Submission (kimura) Shooto: Reconquista 4

Tokyo, Japan Win

Alan Fried Submission (armbar) Shooto: Reconquista 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ali Mihoubi Submission (heel hook) Shooto: Reconquista 2

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ricardo Botelho Submission (heel hook) Shooto: Reconquista 1

Tokyo, Japan Draw

John Lewis Draw VTJ 1996: Vale Tudo Japan 1996

Chiba, Japan Win

Kyuhei Ueno Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Vale Tudo Junction 2

Tokyo, Japan Win

Masato Suzuki Technical Submission (armbar) Shooto: Vale Tudo Junction 1

Tokyo, Japan Win

Isamu Osugi Technical Submission (flying inverted triangle choke) Shooto: Vale Tudo Perception

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ron Balicki Technical Submission (armbar) Shooto: Complete Vale Tudo Access

Saitama, Japan Win

Katsuaki Yano TKO (punches) Shooto: Yokohama Free Fight

Tokyo, Japan Win

Michael McAuliffe Submission (calf slicer) Shooto: Vale Tudo Access 2

Tokyo, Japan Mixed martial arts exhibition record Draw

Hayato Sakurai Technical Draw World＆Wild 1

Tokyo, Japan

Submission grappling record KO PUNCHES Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time