Once solely focused on conquering the IBJJF World Championship as a black belt in BJJ, Rizin’s Igor Tanabe‘s path took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tanabe shared on the Trocação Franca podcast:
It was insane when COVID hit and I had no reason to keep training anymore, there was no [Jiu-Jitsu] match for me here, so I decided to fight MMA.
My wife was a bit scared, getting pregnant during COVID. The scenario was hard.
The first thing that popped my head when she found out she was pregnant was: “Relax, I’ll fight MMA.”
Making his debut in MMA on October 2021, Tanabe quickly showcased his skills by defeating Hiroyuki Shimizu in under a minute at HEAT 49 in Nagoya, Japan.
His subsequent grappling match against Tommy Langaker at Polaris, where he emerged victorious, kept his Jiu-Jitsu dreams alive…
However, MMA soon became his primary focus:
I had an offer to fight MMA already, so I knew the conditions were completely different from the ones in Jiu-Jitsu.
That desire to be the best in the world in Jiu-Jitsu, now I can say I have this desire in MMA.
Tanabe continued to impress in the grappling circuit and Japanese promotions until he faced Melvin Manhoef in a light heavyweight MMA bout at INOKI BOM-BA-YE, in December 2022.
Despite the weight class difference, Tanabe won via Heel Hook in less than two minutes.
He repeated this success against Daichi Abe in a 185-pound match during his RIZIN debut seven months later.
View this post on Instagram
