Fighter Profile: Shozo Isojima

Background

Japanese fighter competing in ONE Championship, nicknamed “Great Teacher”, with a judo background. His professional record is 7-2.

Career timeline

• Competes on ONE Championship’s regional and Friday Fights cards as part of the promotion’s Japanese contingent.
• Went into July 2026 on a two-fight losing run.
• Beat former ONE lightweight world champion Eduard Folayang at ONE: The Inner Circle 21 on 10 July 2026, stopping him by TKO at 4:29 of round one at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok — rocking Folayang more than once before referee Mohammad Sulaiman intervened.
• That win ended his losing streak and lifted his record to 7-2.

Fight craft

Isojima’s base is judo, which in ONE’s rule set — where grounded knees are legal — gives him useful clinch and throwing options. The Folayang win, however, was a striking performance: he hurt a durable veteran repeatedly on the feet inside a single round. With nine professional fights, there is not enough public footage or reporting to make confident claims about how he handles adversity or deep water, and we would rather note that than fill the gap with assumption.

In the modern MMA landscape

Our wider MMA analysis describes Isojima in general terms as part of Japan’s regional scene. The verifiable specifics are more useful: he is a judoka, he was 7-2 after the Folayang win, and that win snapped a two-fight losing streak — so the result reads as an upset rather than the continuation of a rise.

Return to What the Modern MMA Game Demands.

Sources

• ESPN — ONE Championship Inner Circle: Folayang loses to Shozo Isojima
• ONE Championship — Pacio defends world title, Folayang returns against Isojima at The Inner Circle 21
• Sofascore — Eduard Folayang vs Shozo Isojima

Record and competitive status checked 1 August 2026.