A formal offer was made last Friday to the 22-year-old Ishii, who was in Las Vegas for Saturday's UFC 94 "St-Pierre vs. Penn 2."
Ishii, who was suggested by UFC president Dana White to fight in the 205-pound division, will stay around his judo weight as a heavyweight.
"I talked to Dana White before the event," Ishii said. "After he saw my body and found out my weight, he admitted that I should fighting in the heavyweight division."
Ishii has been training the last two weeks with the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida and plans on canceling his apartment lease in Japan to allow himself to train all over the world.As for UFC 94, Ishii called the overall event "fantastic" even though he was rooting for BJ Penn to capture the welterweight title from Georges St-Pierre.
"I was disappointed to see BJ lose," Ishii said. "However, I believe my teammate Thiago 'Pitbull' Alves will defeat GSP."
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