Kate Lotus Eyes Vacant RIZIN Title And A RIZIN 53 KO: “This Is the Time”
Kate Lotus competes against Katie Perez at Rizin 53 on May 10th. When asked if it was exciting to get a quicker turnaround here and get back out to the ring after the March setback at Rizin 52, Kate Lotus said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I prefer fighting with quick turnarounds. I mean obviously weight cutting is something that is always kind of an obstacle but for this fight we’ve agreed to catch weight. So weight shouldn’t be an issue.”
When asked if after this catchweight contest she was more interested in pursuing a path toward RFF super atomweight gold, Kate Lotus stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I personally hope so. Like obviously it’s not at the weight class that I want to pursue. But I would want it to mean something or else it won’t really serve a purpose of fighting. So I hope that a win against Katie Perez at this class, this weight, will mean something for me to move on with my career for the super atomweight division.”
Though she sustained a loss in Q1 of 2026, Lotus still went the distance with a tough individual in Saori Oshima, who ultimately had fought for the Rizin belt before. When asked what kind of lessons she took away from such a contest, Kate Lotus quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I’m not fond of grapplers. I don’t like grapplers, don’t like facing grapplers. Somewhere in my mind, I was fighting not to get submitted. Like, I was confident that I was able to defend her submissions. But that kind of became my focus during the fight, and I realized that I had to be more aggressive. I had to fight more in my terms.”
“So I think during that fight I really did realize, and the takeaway was that I need to instigate my style. I can’t be on the defensive end. I can’t be fighting not to get submitted, even though I’m facing a grappler. That’s one very good thing that I learned from that fight, and now I need to incorporate my style. I have to force my style on my opponent, no matter who or what style that is.”
Bouncing off of the assessment that she was able to defend Oshima’s submission attempts to now fighting someone in Katie Perez, who has a bit of a track record for being a submission artist, Kate Lotus quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, I do believe that my current training definitely allows me to keep in that mentality and that mindset on being able to enforce what I learned from the Oshima fight.”
Lotus is becoming a surging star for the promotion having taken on some big names as her cache continues to increase and tons of eyeballs tune in to see her compete live. When responding to this perception of being under the spotlight from the Japanese combat sports scene, Kate Lotus said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So in terms of presence and exposure, I don’t feel like; recently I don’t think nothing has changed too much. But when I did feel a difference was when I fought Rena because it was a big step up for me. I came from DEEP, came to Rizin, and then I fought Rena. So I do remember that step up was a big [one], people are talking about it. I had a lot of exposure and got a lot of recognition. I do believe that but however my recent fights have kind of always been the same.”
“I don’t really feel like; never thought that I’m a star and all that. I don’t really feel like I am obligated to be the face of women’s MMA in Japan. I can’t really think about that stuff right now but however, I do believe that all that stuff and obligation or whatever it is, it will come later. The first thing for me is that I need to win. I need to win my fights. I need to keep winning my fights and once I become the champion or as long as I keep on winning, all that stuff will come on later.”
“Maybe I will be responsible for being the face of women’s MMA or the revitalizing of the current state of women’s MMA, I’m not sure. But for me, I’m not really thinking about that right now because if I win all my fights, I think that will all come later. I feel like I don’t need to try to show something that I’m really not.”
After offering a distinction that it was more so commentary on the attention she is organically getting and not orienting the approach to a conscious attempt at creating attention/ generating superstardom, Kate Lotus stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, I would really like to keep things authentic. I don’t really want to try to be somebody who I’m not. When you’re faking things, it will collapse and when you’re faking things, people will notice. So I just want to be myself, show myself, and be authentic. Whoever recognizes that and whoever supports that, I want to fight for them. I want to leave results for those people who look at me and realize who I am.”
This authenticity resonated after her Rizin Landmark 12 fight where despite securing a hometown win, Lotus only critiquing herself. When reflecting on the raw and vulnerable nature of a moment like that, Kate Lotus quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I wasn’t really harsh on myself. Obviously there’s a perfect picture in fighting. There’s always that perfect moment that you’re always going after. But there is also reality, right. That some reality that you have to face with everyday everyday things that you have to go over. So for me right now, I’m still trying to balance things out and there are certain things that I want to do but there are certain things in reality that I can’t do. So it’s just that internal battle right now.”
“So the ideal way of performance is a great, spectacular knockout. That’s what I want to do and that’s what I think many fighters want to do. I want to finish a fight by a knockout but the reality is that I don’t have what it takes to do it as of right now. I’m not super talented. I can’t really juggle many things at the same time and that’s a reality I have to face. So those are the things that are like the gap between the ideal situation and the reality. I just have to work with it and I have to head towards my target. Work harder to be able to be that ideal figure.”
Also of note, Seika Izawa vacated her super atomweight, and the throne is now vacant at 108 pounds. Touching upon that divisionally relevant, in a broader career sense, bit of news related to Izawa vacating her belt due to pregnancy, Kate Lotus said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“When I heard that the title became vacant, the first thing that came in my mind was, man, I have it. I’m lucky. [Seika] Izawa vacating her belt at this timing when I’m working the hardest, it means that there is something I have to push for. Something I have to work harder for and this is it. This is the time where if I can work hard, all my efforts will pay off. So it was very motivating for me.”
Kate Lotus wants a RENA rematch and touches on a career 1st happening at rizin 53
Referencing how her Rizin debut saw her get too into her head against Rena Kubota, when asked if a future rematch with RENA would gold any interest for her, Kate Lotus stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Oh yeah, I definitely want that rematch. I respect Rena so much. I mean, she has been leading the women’s MMA scene in Japan before I even started fighting. She’s one of the pioneers of women’s MMA. Being able to compete with somebody like that and overcoming somebody like that, it means a lot. That’s definitely something that I am looking forward to be doing.”
In terms of what the headlines will read in the wake of this intriguing contest this weekend, Kate Lotus quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah, I mean this upcoming fight against Katie Perez, I have to win but it’s more about how I win. That’s something that I really need work on. To make sure I win it in a very convincing way.”
In summation, as she offered up her parting thoughts as the BTB chat was coming to a close, Kate Lotus said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“This is the first time of me fighting somebody other than a South Korean. So I’ll be facing somebody American for the first time. Obviously she has a bunch of supporters who will be supporting her. She has a bunch of people who will be probably watching the fight. But even to those Katie supporters, I want to show them that there’s a really fun fighter over here in Japan.”
“I want them to know who I am and I want to show that regardless, I can put on a fun fight. Obviously for all the fans who look forward for my fight, look forward to me winning, I want to put on a show for them. So I promise you that May 10th, I will put on a fun fight and I would like to go get that win.”
