The Kill Cliff door opens and before it even closes, “Ohayō gozaimasu” echoes throughout the gym.
The Japanese greeting of “good morning” is met with mixed reactions. Some smile, some laugh, some return with the same phrase. But regardless, all of the receptions are positive. Takaya Suzuki, at 21, doesn’t have much life experience. But there’s a lot he knows.
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Suzuki (7-1) has figured out the perfect level of energy to radiate as to be infectious. Oh, and he’s figured out a thing or two about fighting as well. Suzuki is on a seven-fight winning streak and recently added a Fury FC title to his trophy case.
“I just love this,” Suzuki recently exclaimed after a dramatic pause in an interview with MMA Junkie through an interpreter.
He smirked ear to ear with an infectious grin, “I don’t have anything special. I’ve just loved combat sports and have been able to learn from others. I’m just into it. I’m crazy about MMA. I realized that my skills were getting better and then I made these results.”
Inspired by Jackie Chan movies, Suzuki pursued karate at a young age. He found RIZIN, and the MMA transition came shortly thereafter. After three amateur bouts and six professional ones, Suzuki stumbled upon a world-famous gym – or rather, that gym stumbled upon him.
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UFC alum Takashi Sato, a member deeply embedded in the Kill Cliff culture, identified Suzuki and his talent during a seminar in Japan in 2023.
“Henri (Hooft) and me, we had a seminar in Japan,” Sato told MMA Junkie. “Then, we had a seminar in the gym where Takaya was training. We watched his training and he was very good. After a while in 2024, we invited him to train at Kill Cliff. This is the first time he came to training. He’s realized Florida has really good training facilities and training partners, so he decided to move in Florida and fight in the U.S.”
Not many Asia-born athletes pack up shop and move to the United States to build themselves on the regional scene. Many stay close to home and try to attract attention that way. So this road was the one less traveled, Suzuki admits – but the risk might soon pay a reward.
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“I want to go the UFC soon,” Suzuki said. “I need more experience. If they call me, I’ll go. If they don’t give me the call, I’ll just build more skills and my career. … I’m a No. 1 striker. In the gym, I feel like in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, I’m the No. 1 striker in the gym also.”
The UFC has put an increasing emphasis on excitement, as evidenced by its roster management in recent years. With five knockouts in seven victories, Suzuki thinks he fits the mold of what Mick Maynard would look for. After his finish of previously unbeaten Antonio Figueiredo (5-1) in January, Suzuki said he thinks the phone will ring sometime between now and his targeted return date of April.
“I’ll be ready for my next fight around April,” Suzuki said. “So hopefully I can fight in the UFC next, or Road to UFC. This is another option. Anyway, I want to fight in the UFC.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Meet energetic Japanese star Takaya Suzuki who could sign with UFC soon
