Fujisawa hoping to revitalize career with lessons learned, new Coach

Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa ended 2019 with three straight losses, but he's aiming to showcase the best version of himself this Friday at ONE: NO SURRENDER II.

That night, the Japanese athlete will take on Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit in a mixed martial arts clash in Bangkok, Thailand.

Before stepping into the Circle, Fujisawa reflected on the tough lessons he learned during 2019.

“It was simply a frustrating experience,” he said.

“After all, it’s a contact sport. Sometimes we have a good time, and sometimes we have a bad one, and I had a bad one last year. It’s no use crying over what has happened already, and I learned a lot from it. I think the year 2019 was a year of learning.”

Fujisawa is now hoping that 2020 will be a year of winning. He'll get his first chance against Mitsatit, and he believes his vast experience will give him a leg up.

“His background is Muay Thai, so I think he is good at striking,” Fujisawa said of the Thai.

“I think it is best to take him down, control the ground game, and submit him. If I cannot do that, I have various options. When it comes to mixed martial arts, I think I have more skills in my toolbox than him.

“He might have a longer career in Muay Thai, but I’ve had a longer career in mixed martial arts. I began my martial arts training from mixed martial arts, and this is my 16th year.”

As he looks to turn his career around, Fujisawa also has a new coach – former ONE contender Nicholas Lee.

“Superjap” started training with Lee in November 2019, and he believes his new mentor has been a godsend.

“I received advice [from Lee] that I need to fix my weak points and practice daily. He makes detailed and concrete strategies,” the Japanese veteran said.

“If I want to win where all the top athletes from the world gather, I need to upgrade myself mentally and physically. My coach pointed out what I could not discover by myself and we worked together to correct that. I want to put into practice what I worked on last year.”

With valuable lessons learned and a new coach by his side, Fujisawa is certainly well-positioned to get his name back in the win column.

But when he enters the Circle against Mitsatit, he’ll be fighting for something even bigger than himself.

“I want to win in an impressive way so that I can carry on my journey to cheer up the world,” Fujisawa said.

“In Thailand, many people are stressed out due to the [COVID-19] pandemic, including Japanese residents. I want to cheer those people up.”

Tune in to watch Fujisawa battle Mitsatit at ONE: NO SURRENDER II this Friday, 14 August, by downloading the ONE Super App or catch the action live on Hotstar or Star Sports Select 2 at 6 p.m. India Standard Time (IST).