"Katana": The History of Kaito

Fighter profile of Kaito Saruwatari by Rodrigo Oliveira

 At 29 years of age and one fight left in his contract, it's still unclear if Japan's Kaito Saruwatari will be lacing on the small gloves for much longer. Authoring a 22-fight career, the Amsterdam-based karateka's accomplishments are examined in this great article by his management company. 

A black belt in Kyokushin karate, Kaito turned pro at 22, quickly signing with the now defunct promotion Gambate Fight League, where he compiled a 3-1 record, with two knockouts to his credit - one of them a spectacular axe kick KO that still can be found in internet highlight reels these days. After his quick stint with GFL, Saruwatari was snatched by Attack Fight League, where he debuted in February 29th of 2012, scoring a 3rd round knockout over Yoshiro Takeshi. Kaito, just 4-1 by the time, was set to face Arron Gillespie for AFL's light heavyweight belt. He was knocked out in the first round. 

Still, he bounced back, amassing a 4-2 record with the promotion before leaving for the greener pastures of Vigor Fighting. There, "Katana" compiled the best winning streak of his career, going 6-0 (4 TKO, 2 decisions) within Vigor's cage before losing to top 5 light heavyweight Rantis Gaumpe. The karateka turned things around, joining elite gym Sawadee Muay Thai & MMA, and winning his next two bouts via technical knockout. In Kaito's following bout, he faced Alexander Nevsky for Vigor's light heavyweight strap, succumbing to punches midway into the 3rd round. 

In his most recent outing, Saruwatari scored the 11th knockout of his career, a 1st round dismantling of BJJ black belt Sanex Lewis. 

Kaito may have never conquered a championship belt, but his refined kickboxing and his many knockout wins (and losses), made him a fan-favorite.

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