Explosive Japanese welterweight Takashi “Ten” Sato is hoping his efforts inside the Octagon will inspire a fresh wave of fighters from his country to follow his path to the UFC. “I need to prove to other Japanese fighters that they can also do it, they can fight in the UFC – and they can win,” Sato tells SCMP MMA from Las Vegas. The 30-year-old welterweight (16-3) is looking for his second win of this pandemic era when he takes on American Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez (12-1) as part of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Munhoz vs. Edgar preliminaries. Sato is one of two Japanese fighters on the card, alongside exciting 25-year-old strawweight prospect Mizuki Inoue (14-5). She is up against Brazilian Amanda Lemos (7-1-1) as she also looks to make her mark in a division that is also overloaded with contenders. The only other Japanese fighter on the UFC’s books is former Invicta strawweight Kanako Murata (11-1) – rumoured to be making her debut with the organisation against Brazil’s Lívia Renata Souza (14-2) on the UFC Fight Night 184 card on November 14. It’s a far cry from about a decade ago when Yushin “Thunder” Okami (36-14) was challenging the great Brazilian Anderson “The Spider” Silva (34-10, one no contest) for the UFC’s middleweight title, and Japan was one of the great feeder countries for the UFC, given the country’s rich history of MMA. 1️⃣0️⃣ out of 1️⃣0️⃣! @SatoTenTen can sit you down and end your night! #UFCVegas7 | Saturday | LIVE on @ESPN & #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/bLn6cKNPzG — UFC (@ufc) August 20, 2020 “It’s not exactly sad but there’s a little feeling of loneliness with only three Japanese,” says Sato. “That’s why it is important for me to win this weekend. I need to get people to notice me, and to get other Japanese fighters to follow me.” The former Pancrase champion is 2-1 since signing on with the UFC last year and last time out – at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker on June 27 – he needed just 48 seconds to dispose of late call-up Jason Witt (17-6). A brilliant straight left pretty much settled the fight before anyone had time to blink. Least of all the American. “I didn’t think I could finish him that quickly, but I had always imagined that finish, that punch,” says Sato. “That was exactly the way I had imagined one day I would finish a fight with a perfect punch. That fight has given me confidence and as long as I continue to improve, even though the welterweight division is full of champions, if I can land my weapon I can finish anyone.” Sato says he plans for more of the same at the UFC Apex this weekend – he’s looking for another big finish to add to his 11 knockouts and he fully expects Rodriguez to also come out swinging. The 33-year-old Californian has six knockouts of his own – and 10 finishes from 12 wins – so fireworks are considered a given. “He’s aggressive, he’s tough and he can finish,” says Sato. “He has the power to finish fights, and the skills to finish fights. I know it’s going to be a tough fight, but when I have been imagining how the fight will be I have this picture where I finish it. It will be tough, but I’m looking forward to it.” Sato has been working under the guidance of Henri Hooft at Sanford MMA in Florida, and says it has added an edge to a fight game based on his past in judo and the years he spent facing Japan’s best on the domestic scene. Being US-based has meant he’s been able to answer the call for the UFC, while many other international fighters have been stuck at home wondering where their next pay cheque might come from. View this post on Instagram 午前中ミット、午後はスパーで1日終わり！！ 今日でスパーは試合前最後！！ 今日もオングがパートナーを組んでくれて最後まで良いスパーができました！感謝！！ I'm done last sparring before fight!!! Great sparring with champ @aunglansang under the my big coach's @henrihooft @jlgboxing @kamibarzini eyes Thank you so much!!! Ready!!! #sanfordmma #mma #mixedmartialarts #fighter #hkickboxing #joneswrestling #barzinimma #burnsbjj #striking #ufc #grappling #kickboxing #boxing #muaythai #wrestling #bjj #training #florida #ftlauderdale #inspiritjapan A post shared by 佐藤天 Takashi Sato (@satotenten) on Aug 11, 2020 at 5:37pm PDT “I feel good and I’ve been able to stay in good condition,” he says, of his time during the pandemic. “I live with some other fighters and so we have been able to keep working out. We only really had three weeks of lockdown so I have been able to do what I normally do and have a really good fight camp.” The welterweight division has no end of contenders lining up behind champ Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (17-1), so the path ahead will be a tough one for Sato. The first step towards a ranking comes this weekend, he says. “Of course I am looking to the top, I’m always looking to get into the rankings,” says Sato. “That’s why this weekend’s fight is very important. I need to win to crack the rankings, or get among the fighters who are near those rankings. I know just how important this fight is and I have to win.”