Japanese judoka Shozo Isojima believes he’s identified the blueprint to defeat Adrian Lee when they clash in a lightweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 40 on February 14 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 28-year-old sees vulnerabilities in the Hawaiian teenager’s explosive approach that he plans to exploit once the initial storm passes.
Lee enters the matchup carrying the momentum of three consecutive first-round submission victories that each earned him $50,000 performance bonuses. His aggressive fighting style overwhelms opponents from the opening bell, leaving little room to breathe. But that whirlwind offense also revealed its limitations when Tye Ruotolo neutralized it last September. There, he forced Lee to tap via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Isojima experienced the same fate against Ruotolo just weeks later at ONE 173. He submitted to an identical finish in the opening frame. The shared experience of losing to the ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion creates fascinating subtext for Friday’s showdown between fighters desperate to bounce back. The Japanese fighter now sees that setback as valuable education rather than career setback, discovering he belonged at elite level despite the dominant loss.
“The moment the fight starts, he just rushes forward and throws strikes continuously. So that momentum, that youthfulness – I’m training to make sure I don’t get caught up in it. I don’t think he’s quite there yet [in terms of] the finer details of creating transitions and developments. If the fight goes long rounds, I’m not sure how it would end, but I think that could be a weak point,” Isojima said.
Shozo Isojima ready to expose Adrian Lee’s weakness in the trenches
Second-degree judo black belt Shozo Isojima envisions victory through technical superiority in close quarters where his throws and transitions can drain Adrian Lee’s explosive energy. His preparation extends beyond surviving the opening blitz to imposing a grinding pace that exposes inexperience in the championship rounds. The clinch represents his preferred battlefield where years of judo expertise provide advantages raw athleticism cannot overcome.
Isojima’s brutal self-assessment following the Ruotolo defeat revealed maturity beyond his record. He acknowledged failing to prepare properly for the shortened turnaround between fights, believing he could handle insufficient preparation. That honesty now fuels confidence heading into this crucial bounce-back opportunity.
“My strength is in the clinch – my transitions and developments when we’re tied up. I think I can establish control there. If Adrian comes rushing in with momentum, I think I can weather that and then in the second round take a dominant position, score points, or get close to a finish. But if he comes out measuring things in that first rush, I think it could really be a tough three-round decision,” he said.