Kate Lotus is set to compete at Rizin 53 on May 10th against Katie Perez. Lotus expressed her preference for quick fight turnarounds, noting that a catchweight agreement for this bout will alleviate weight-cutting concerns.
Regarding her aspirations for the Rizin Super Atomweight championship, Lotus stated her desire to pursue the gold, emphasizing that the catchweight bout needs to hold significance for her career progression into the super atomweight division.
Reflecting on her previous fight against Saori Oshima, Lotus acknowledged her aversion to grappling-heavy opponents and the strategic shift it necessitated. She learned the importance of dictating her own fighting style rather than solely focusing on defense, particularly against submission specialists. Lotus believes her current training regimen has equipped her to implement these lessons against Katie Perez, who also has a reputation as a submission artist.
Lotus, a rising figure in the promotion, discussed her growing presence in Japanese combat sports. She recalled a significant surge in exposure following her fight against Rena Kubota, which marked a substantial step up from her DEEP Fighting Championship days. However, she maintains a grounded perspective, emphasizing that her immediate focus is on winning fights, believing that recognition and any potential role as a face of women’s MMA in Japan will follow naturally from consistent success.
She also stressed the importance of authenticity in her approach, preferring to be genuine rather than fabricating an image. Lotus believes this authenticity resonates with her supporters and drives her to perform for those who recognize and support her true self.
Following her Rizin Landmark 12 victory, Lotus’s self-critique, even after a win, was characterized by a pursuit of an ideal performance. She recognizes the gap between her current capabilities and the spectacular knockout she desires, acknowledging that she must work harder to bridge this disparity and achieve her target.
The news of Seika Izawa vacating the Super Atomweight title due to pregnancy was a significant motivator for Lotus. She views the vacant title as a direct opportunity and a testament to her hard work, seeing it as a sign that her efforts are poised to pay off.
Looking ahead, Lotus expressed a strong desire for a rematch with Rena Kubota, acknowledging Kubota’s pioneering status in Japanese women’s MMA. She views competing against and potentially overcoming such a respected figure as highly meaningful.
For her upcoming bout at Rizin 53, Lotus emphasized that the manner of her victory is as crucial as securing the win itself, aiming for a convincing performance.
In her closing remarks, Lotus highlighted that this fight against Katie Perez marks her first encounter with an American opponent, breaking a pattern of fighting South Korean opponents. She aims to showcase the excitement of a Japanese fighter to Perez’s supporters and deliver an entertaining fight for all her fans, promising a compelling performance and a victory on May 10th.
Kate Lotus Eyes Vacant RIZIN Title and RIZIN 53 KO: “This Is the Time”
Kate Lotus is eyeing the vacant Rizin Super Atomweight title and a potential knockout victory at Rizin 53. She shared her thoughts on her upcoming bout against Katie Perez, her aspirations for championship gold, and the lessons learned from past challenges.
Lotus prefers fighting with short turnarounds and confirmed that the catchweight for her fight against Perez will remove weight-cutting as an obstacle. She expressed hope that a win at this catchweight will be a significant step towards her goal of competing for the Rizin Super Atomweight title.
Reflecting on her loss to Saori Oshima, Lotus admitted her dislike for grappling-focused opponents and the strategic shift it forced upon her. She realized the need to be more aggressive and dictate her own fighting style rather than defensively focusing on surviving submissions. Lotus believes her current training will enable her to impose her style on Perez, a known submission artist.
As a rising star, Lotus discussed her increased visibility but maintained a grounded perspective. She recalled a significant boost in exposure after fighting Rena Kubota but emphasized that her primary focus remains on winning fights. She believes that any role as a prominent figure in women’s MMA will naturally arise from her continued success.
Lotus also stressed the importance of remaining authentic, stating she doesn’t want to portray someone she’s not. She believes that genuine performances resonate with fans and drive her motivation.
Reflecting on her Rizin Landmark 12 victory, Lotus discussed the internal struggle to balance her ideal performance with reality. She acknowledged that while she desires spectacular knockouts, she must realistically assess her current capabilities and work harder to achieve that ideal.
The news of Seika Izawa vacating the Rizin Super Atomweight title was a strong motivator for Lotus. She sees it as a prime opportunity and validation of her hard work, believing “this is the time” for her efforts to culminate.
Lotus is eager for a rematch with Rena Kubota, whom she respects as a pioneer of women’s MMA in Japan. Competing against and overcoming Kubota would be a significant achievement for her.
Looking ahead to Rizin 53, Lotus stated that the way she wins is as important as the win itself, aiming for a decisive performance against Perez.
In her concluding remarks, Lotus noted that her fight against Perez marks her first time facing an American opponent. She intends to put on an exciting performance for both her dedicated fans and Perez’s supporters, promising a fun fight and a victory on May 10th.
English Translation:
Kate Lotus is competing against Katie Perez at Rizin 53 on May 10th. When asked if she was excited about the quick turnaround and returning to the ring after her March setback at Rizin 52, Kate Lotus said, “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 the RFF Super Atomweight gold, Kate Lotus stated, “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.”
Although she sustained a loss in Q1 of 2026, Lotus still went the distance with a tough opponent in Saori Oshima, who had previously fought for the Rizin belt. When asked what lessons she took away from such a contest, Kate Lotus quipped, “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.”
Building on the assessment that she was able to defend Oshima’s submission attempts, and now facing Katie Perez, who has a track record as a submission artist, Kate Lotus quipped, “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 emerging as a surging star for the promotion, having faced some big names as her stock continues to rise and drawing significant attention. Responding to the perception of being in the spotlight within the Japanese combat sports scene, Kate Lotus said, “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 clarifying that it was more about the organic attention she receives rather than a conscious effort to generate attention or superstardom, Kate Lotus stated, “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 was self-critical. Reflecting on the raw and vulnerable nature of such a moment, Kate Lotus quipped, “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.”
Notably, Seika Izawa vacated her Super Atomweight title, leaving the division’s throne vacant at 108 pounds. Addressing this divisional news and its broader career implications, Kate Lotus said, “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 in her head against Rena Kubota, when asked if a future rematch with RENA would hold any interest for her, Kate Lotus stated, “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, “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 her parting thoughts as the chat was coming to a close, Kate Lotus said, “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.”
