Bellator, Rizin Vet Satoshi Ishii to Face Stuart Austin for Heavyweight Title in EMC 5 Headliner

Well-traveled veteran Satoshi Ishii will get a chance to capture the inaugural Elite MMA Championship heavyweight crown when he faces Stuart Austin on Sept. 5 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The fledgling promotion announced on Monday that Ishii and Austin will square off in the EMC 5 main event. Two other bouts were confirmed for the event: Konrad Dyrschka vs. Walter Pugliesi at welterweight and Erko Jun vs. Damian Olszewski at heavyweight.

EMC is founded by Ivan and Tomi Dijakovic, who manage and coach notable MMA fighters such as Roberto Soldic, Antun Racic, Thiago Silva, David Zawada and Abus Magomedov. According to a release, more former UFC, PFL and Cage Warriors competitors will be announced for the card in the coming days.

Ishi, 33, has compiled a 23-11-1 career mark while competing for organizations such as Bellator MMA, Rizin Fighting Federation and Professional Fighters League. Most recently, the Osaka, Japan, native halted a three-bout skid with a first-round submission of Cleber Souza at Heat 46 on Jan. 19. Over the course of his career, Ishi has squared off against the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Mirko Filipovic, Jiri Prochazka, Quinton Jackson, Muhammed Lawal and Heath Herring, to name a few.

England’s Austin is a former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts champion who also enjoyed a brief stint in Bellator in 2014. The Team Titan representative has won two of his last three fights and is 14-6 as a professional overall.