Masaki victorious in return to MMA

The CNMI’s Masaki Kitami was triumphant in his return to mixed martial arts after beating his opponent in the DEEP Tokyo Impact 2024 4th Round MMA event last Sunday in New Pier Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

In the strawweight division, the 24-year-old faced off against Felipe Haseyama and won by judges’ decision, 3-0. The bout lasted for two rounds and three minutes as Kitami let his punches fly and beat down Haseyama.

Kitami first fought in the ring six years ago and lost, then came back with a hunger to win—which he did.

The 52-kg fighter said he trained for three months and is looking forward to his next fight in the same event this December.

On his comeback in the ring after six years, he said, “It feels nerve racking but I tried to stay calm and pound out my opponent slowly.

With his win, he said, “I feel blessed to win but [there are] more things to learn from now on. One thing I’m more blessed and thankful for is to still have people back home that support me in everything I do in life. Without them I wouldn’t be able to do these things!”

Kitami also competed in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and recently won gold last June in the white belt Gi roosterweight division of the 2024 Marianas Pro Korea Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Tournament in Seoul, South Korea.

Before that, he won gold in the 2024 Copa De Marianas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu No-Gi Tournament last February.

Even with competing and racking up hardware in BJJ, Kitami said he realized MMA was for him.

The difference between MMA and BJJ is that the end goal for MMA involves either a knockout, lights-out, or technical knockout when the opponent can no longer verbally speak, or when the opponent is unconscious. In BJJ, the goal is to submit an opponent either through a chokehold, armbar, or any other type of joint-manipulation using the legs, arms, and hips.

Kitami added, “I thank my friends and family back home but mostly especially my training partners that built me at Saipan Submissions [Academy]. Jiu jitsu taught me discipline, confidence, and self-defense.”

“I recommend your kids/adults that are interested to go and learn from my coach Bryan Deleon Guerrero. He’s nice and fun to learn from,” said Kitami.