5 Things You Might Not Know About Shoko Sato

A steady consistency has marked the career of Shoko Sato.

The well-traveled 35-year-old will return to the One Championship scene for the first time in nearly a year when he takes on Jae Woong Kim as part of the ONE on Prime Video 6 undercard on Friday at the Impact Arena in Bangok, Thailand. Sato has rattled off seven wins across his past nine outings. He last appeared at ONE “One X,” where he dropped a unanimous decision to Team Lakay standout Stephen Loman in their three-round battle on March 26.

As Sato makes final preparations for his catchweight clash with Kim at 150 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He made availability a priority.

Sato made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 20 when he eked out a split verdict over Taku Nashiro at a Tribelate event in April 2008. He has been a model of dependability ever since, fighting at least one time in each of the last 15 calendar years.

2. A run at the top was part of his journey.

The Sakaguchi Dojo product captured the Shooto featherweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision against Keita Ishibashi on Oct. 15, 2017. Sato made two successful title defenses—Tristan Grimsley and Yo Saito were the victims—before he vacated the throne to sign with One Championship.

3. His highlight reel has some wow factor.

Sato has 17 first-round finishes to his credit, including three of the sub-minute variety. He punched out Shizuku Amachi in seven seconds at Tribelate Vol. 20 on Oct. 13, 2008, prompted a doctor stoppage against Yuzo Ishida in 33 seconds at Tribelate Vol. 21 on Dec. 20, 2008 and punched out Yuta Numakura in 20 seconds at Pancrase “Changing Tour 8” on Dec. 6, 2009.

4. He keeps the judges on their toes.

Despite his proclivity for quick-strike offense, Sato has gone the distance 24 times in his 51-fight career. He carries a 10-12-2 record in those bouts, having fought to majority draws with Tatsuya So in 2011 and Keita Ishibashi in 2017.

5. Durability has become a calling card.

Sato has not been finished in more than a decade, as his last seven defeats have all resulted in decisions. The last man to stop him? Soo Chul Kim, who forced the cageside physician to intervene in the fourth round of their June 2012 encounter in Road Fighting Championship.