UFC Fight Night 99's Teruto Ishihara explains why he no longer calls fans his '(expletives)'

BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Teruto Ishihara is his typical jovial self ahead of UFC Fight Night 99 – except with one noticeable difference.

Around the time of his previous UFC fights, Ishihara (9-2-2 MMA, 2-0-1 UFC) would routinely call fans his “b—hes,” whether it was during interviews or on social media. That’s changed prior to Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 99 bout with Artem Lobov (12-12-1 MMA, 1-2 UFC), though, because now he no longer uses the term.

He said the reasoning for that is because he was specifically asked by UFC officials to change his vocabulary. He said he agreed to do so, even if it’s not what he wanted.

“The UFC, not scolded me, but told me, ‘Let’s lay off on that word, and to respect the ladies of course,'” Ishihara told MMAjunkie through an interpreter. “I don’t understand at all.”

Despite putting himself in some hot water with the promotion, Ishihara is still trending upward in his UFC career. After fighting to a draw in his octagon debut, Ishihara has rattled off back-to-back knockout victories. He hopes to make it three-straight in his featherweight showdown with Lobov, which opens the main card of the UFC Fight Pass-streamed UFC Fight Night 99 event at SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

“Everything’s going my way,” Ishihara said. “This is a huge fight for me and it’s a huge opportunity for me. I’m happy that I get this opportunity.”

The matchup between Ishihara and Lobov has quickly turned combative in the media leading up to the fight. Lobov said he would make Ishihara his “(expletive)” on fight night, but the Japanese competitor obviously disagrees.

In fact, Ishihara said he expects the contest to go his way, likely with another knockout, and afterward plans on fully enjoying the Belfast nightlife.

“He has two big hammers on both sides, I can respect that, but I also have a beautiful katana on my left hand,” Ishihara said. “I want the fans to enjoy that battle between the hammer and the katana sword, and let’s party it up after.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 99, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.