Spotted during the untelevised Yushin Okami vs. Dean Lister bout.
From MMAFighting:
In a conversation transcribed by Kamipro ([Dana White‘s] quotes here are translated from Japanese print), Ishii expressed his desire to train in the US and asked White for recommendations, to which the UFC head suggested Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Georges St. Pierre, the American Kick Boxing Academy in San Jose or Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
One place White didn’t recommend was when the judoka brought up Russia.
“If you are serious about MMA, Russia is not the place you should go,” [Dana] White said. “Stay in the US. The best fighters and trainers are in the US now.
“I want to invite you to Las Vegas for a month and let you train at Randy’s gym. What do you think?”
“Awesome,” Ishii replied.
“You will learn about real MMA fighters through training with best fighters,” White said. “I will evaluate you based on what Randy’s trainer think about you.”
UPDATE: The UFC issued a press release today announcing that Ishii has “started exclusive negotiations to enter into a contract with” the organization.
“Satoshi Ishii has the potential to be very successful in mixed martial arts,” said Dana White, UFC President. “We can’t wait to start working with Mr. Ishii, we look forward to helping him with his training, his career, and his eventual debut in a professional fight.”