Shinya Aoki returns to RIZIN after a decade seeking DREAM closure
The Japanese veteran says his main priority is bringing closure to what DREAM was supposed to accomplish.
A decade after making his sole appearance at RIZIN, Shinya Aoki is returning to the Japanese promotion. On Thursday, the veteran is expected to face Mikuru Asakura at Super RIZIN 5 in Osaka, Japan. Although he spent most of the past decade competing for ONE Championship and made several appearances in Japan, Aoki is grateful for the opportunity to return to a major Japanese promotion and believes his comeback can help bring closure to DREAM.
Shinya Aoki Wants to Close the DREAM Chapter
In the early 2000s, PRIDE FC was one of the most popular MMA promotions in the world. In 2007, the organization was acquired by the UFC, which incorporated its roster into the promotion. A year later, DREAM was founded by former PRIDE executives and became one of the leading MMA promotions in Japan. However, in 2012, the organization effectively went out of business.
Following DREAM's demise, Japan was left without a major MMA promotion until RIZIN was founded in 2015. The organization helped restore a major MMA presence in Japan, eventually becoming one of the country's leading promotions. Aoki, who competed for DREAM from 2009 to 2012, now sees RIZIN as an opportunity to return to a major Japanese promotion after spending most of the past decade competing for ONE Championship.
"For me, being known to the younger fans is not too important," Aoki told MMA Fighting. "What I'm more focused on is when you look back at the history of Japanese MMA, there was PRIDE, and then PRIDE was bought out by the UFC. And then DREAM came along, but DREAM kind of faded out without a full closure. It just kind of ended, and everybody was kept in limbo. The fans were kept in limbo. And for me, the main reason for 2026 is to fight and to make a full closure of what DREAM was supposed to do. So that is my No. 1 priority in my return."
Shinya Aoki Grateful to Return to a Japanese Promotion
Although Aoki was uncertain about how Japanese fans would react to his return, the veteran was surprised by how welcoming they were. He also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to compete for a major Japanese promotion again.
"When I was discussing about fighting in RIZIN (in 2026), I wasn't quite sure how the fans would react to my return," Aoki said. "A month and a half in and just going through this process, I was actually very surprised that the fans accepted my return. [...] And for me, I kind of felt that I would never fight in Japan again. With that said, I'm very grateful that I was given this opportunity to fight on such a big prestigious event."
Aoki's comments may sound surprising considering that he made several appearances in Japan during his time with ONE Championship. However, he was referring specifically to competing for a Japanese promotion aimed at the country's MMA audience.
"Obviously ONE is an international brand headed and they create their content towards the international audience," Aoki said. "What I meant by never fighting in Japan is that I was talking about Japanese combat sports, you know? [...] I was fighting for an international company making content towards internationally. I wasn't fighting in a Japanese historical company targeted for the Japanese audience."
Aoki is a legend of the sport. The Japanese veteran turned professional in 2003 and has fought more than 60 times in his career. He currently holds a 49-12 professional record, with one no contest. Throughout his career, Aoki has competed for several promotions and won major titles in Shooto, DREAM, WAMMA and ONE Championship.
