In his most recent championship defense, Roberto Satoshi submitted Brazilian knockout artist Luiz Gustavo in just 21 seconds, demonstrating not only his tremendous grappling prowess but also a remarkable progression in his stand-up game. Returning to the ring on December 31, he aspires to be perceived differently beyond Japan. The 155-pound jiu-jitsu belt will be on the line in the legendary Saitama Super Arena in Japan as the expert takes on Vugar Karamov. In an interview with MMA Fighting, the expert expressed his admiration for Karamov's accomplishments outside of RIZIN, where he became featherweight champion. "Remember when I said I was an arrogant purple belt in striking? Well, look who's turned into a brown belt now," Satoshi quipped while laughing. I had previously knocked out opponents, but they weren't really strong attackers; they were more skilled in grappling and ground and pound. I got to prove that I can play the full game when I knocked out a striker like him, so it was a great feeling. Since I am the champion, it is my responsibility to prove that I am perfect in every way. In other words, you should treat my name with some decency. Thankfully, I managed to pull that off in my most recent battles. Karamov stopped Gustavo Wurlitzer in 99 seconds in 2019 in Israel while fighting for Bellator, however he never came back to the organization. He decided to fight for RIZIN instead, and in 2023 he would defeat Japanese superstar Mikuru Asakura via technical knockout to claim the promotion's 145-pound title. Karamov bounced back after losing his belt to Chihiro Suzuki in November with a knockout victory over Kazumasa Majima in just 28 seconds. While acknowledging that he was "very surprised" by Karamov's decision to challenge him on December 31, Satoshi went on to claim that Karamov is completely different from his teammate Tofiq Musayev. In a 2021 bout for the vacant RIZIN lightweight title, Satoshi submitted Musayev in eighty-one seconds via chokehold. In Satoshi's opinion, Karamov and Tofiq couldn't be more different. You see, Kleber [Koike] and I are colleagues; we each bring something special to the table, but we're also very similar. In my opinion, Tofiq and Karamov couldn't be more dissimilar. Tofiq is an explosive strike assassin who moves quickly on his feet and barely uses his hands. Quite the polar opposite is true with Karamov. He is powerful and quick with his fists, but instead of knocking you out, he prefers to ground and pound. Submissions outnumber knockouts in his professional career. Though he has won nine of his twenty mixed martial arts bouts via submission, three of those victories were against RIZIN. However, facing a skilled grappler like Satoshi on the ground would be a new challenge. Among his seventeen mixed martial arts victories, nine came in the first round, while the Brazilian's submission count stands at ten. "I anticipate him engaging in his usual strategy of takedowns and ground and pounding, but individuals typically avoid engaging in ground combat with me," Satoshi remarked. Last time out, he scored a quick knockout, so maybe he'll be feeling confident this time. However, jiu-jitsu is my forte, and I constantly train to stay prepared for any variation, so I can resist this Russian style.