UFC
UFC signs Sengoku Featherweight Champion Hatsu Hioki
Jun 25, 2011 - 11:25:59 AM UFC signs Sengoku Featherweight Champion Hatsu Hioki

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The exodus of top talent from World Victory Road's Sengoku promotion in Japan continues, as the UFC announced on Saturday via Twitter that highly ranked Japanese featherweight Hatsu Hioki has signed with the promotion.

"FYI – guard-smashing savant Hatsu Hioki, a top-ranked featherweight, has been signed to the UFC roster," officials wrote. "Welcome!"

Much like his middleweight counterpart Jorge Santiago, Hioki has left his Sengoku belt in Japan to make the move to the UFC. He is 12-1-1 over his last 14 fights, with the sole loss coming by split decision to Michihiro Omigawa in 2009. His career record stands at 24-4-2, and he's only ever been defeated by decision, with three coming by split decision.

Hioki holds wins over a number of notables, including Marlon Sandro, Ronnie Mann, Rumina Sato, and a pair of wins over April's UFC Featherweight Title challenger Mark Hominick.

Penick's Analysis: Though the featherweight division has yet to be entirely fleshed out, the UFC essentially holds all of the top talent in that weight class as well. Sandro and Mann are both competing in Bellator tonight, but Hioki is THE top name in the division that hadn't been signed by the UFC. He's got a lot to prove and a big hill to climb to have success in North America, as other recently acquired fighters out of Japan haven't fared so well in the UFC thus far, but this is a very exciting signing and I can't wait to see how Hioki pans out in deeper waters here in North America.