MMA in Japan

I caught up with Roxanne Modafferi, American MMA fighter currently living and fighting out of Tokyo, Japan. Under the Unified Women’s MMA Rankings, Roxanne is currently number 3 in the world at bantamweight. A lively and positive demeanor, it was a pleasure to do this interview. Please also check our exclusive video of Roxanne demonstrating a very useful MMA drill, hit & return.

When did you first become interested in martial arts and what got you into MMA?

I first got interested in Karate in middle school, through the Power Rangers and Dragonball Z. I’ve always been into sports so I’ve been competitive. After Tae Kwon Do I tried Kempo Karate and then Judo in high school, going on to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and then kickboxing.

Actually I had a phase of my life when I was embracing a spirituality and gentle way so I didn’t want any violence, but that changed. The first time I watched the UFC I thought it was too violent but my Judo buddies wanted to try it so I got into it.

When did you come to Japan?

I first came in 2003 to 2004 for my junior year of college and I joined Paraestra in Kichi-Joji where I got my first professional fight in Smackgirl. I went back home, graduated, then I moved here to teach English. I trained at Wajutsu Keishukai; the place itself is not pretty, I often called it “The Dungeon” jokingly. Everyone there was hardcore about training, and geared towards competition. The guys hit me during sparring – I hate it when guys don’t hit me! – so it was good for me. Sometimes they trained too hard and I often got hurt in practice.

How did your time at Keishukai come to an end?

I felt myself reaching a plateau. I didn’t feel I was getting enough technique training. There was a lot of sparring but I wanted to train at other places and get more experience. When our mentor and teacher, Moriyama-san, passed away it made a big difference in the environment there.

Please describe your current weekly training schedule.

Two mornings a week I take private lessons with former Pancrase champion, Kiuma Kunioku . We train mainly striking and MMA techniques. Two or three days a week I train at AACC under Hiroyuki Abe who is great; his technique is stupendous! Also there are a lot of women who train there like Megumi Fujii and Hitomi Akano, so that’s good. I also lift weights twice a week or so. Once a week I train at K-Taro Dojo (Keita Nakamura) and I enjoy training with my friend, Sakura, who is still a Keishukai member.

Is the level of women fighters in Japan any different from the States?

I think it depends on the fighter. I think in Japan there are a lot of women who don’t want to do ground-and-pound rules, or are just not used to it, so maybe it’s not a level difference but a style difference. I know Megumi Fujii is allowed full MMA rules when she fights in Jewels even though the others are not.

What do you think the difference is in MMA between Japan and the West?

I think there’s a training style difference…which is hard to pinpoint. A lot of the training here comes from a Judo background where they do old style training like 300 push ups, carrying someone on your back and running, a lot of hardcore things like that. You’re working on building your endurance and your heart, a lot of painful stuff which sucks but it makes you stronger mentally. In the West I think they do more specific drilling like the hit & return and working off the cage. I feel that MMA in the West has adapted more quickly and they are just catching up in Japan.

What fighters, male and female, do you particularly respect?

I really respect Megumi Fujii. She’s really slick and skilled. I respect Hitomi Akano because she always steps up to a fight. She fought against Cyborg (Cristiane Santos) which was a big fight to take. Kiuma Kunioku I also respect, he’s very good at fight strategy and breaking down opponents’ weak points. And I think Matt Serra is awsome!

How do you see the future of women in MMA going?

I think it’s growing in waves. Now that women fighters are competing on the main card at events, spectators can see that they are serious. This raises awareness and inspires more women to train and come up, so I suspect the popularity will continue to increase in steps like this. It is still hard to get a fight and there is the problem of women fighting out of their weight class, which you have to be prepared to do.

Thank you very much Roxanne, and all the best with your training and MMA career!