Wataru Sakata  A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. Sakata debuted in RINGS in 1994 against Nobuhiro Tsurumaki. Making the transition to mixed martial arts before most of his native colleagues, he started to take part in shootfights the same year of his debut. Over the years, Sakata would develop a rivalry with Willie Peeters in a long series of shootfighting bouts. Peeters defeated Wataru by TKO on their first fight On November 16, 1995, and they went to fight a rematch in June 29, 1996. During the latter, Sakata broke late a toehold and injured Peeters, who retaliated by illegally knocking him out with a close-fisted punch. Although the act gave Peeters a red card, he would win by KO due palm strikes. The two met again on August 24, where Sakata was dominated in a grappling contest and defeated by north/south choke. Sakata would face Peeters again under different rules in a RINGS Holland event on February 8, 1998, but although he performed dominantly for the first time, he lost a controversial decision, as the Dutch referee invalidated a finishing hold by Sakata while allowing Peeters to throw illegal strikes. Wataru finally got his revenge on June 27, making Peeters tap out in under a minute by ankle lock. Around this time, Sakata would also get important submissions wins over Valentijn Overeem. In 1999, Sakata participated at the King of Kings MMA tournament, but he was eliminated at the first round by Renzo Gracie, with the Brazilian taking him down and submitting him. Upon returning from the tournament, he faced Branden Lee Hinkle in a more successful match: the two fighters exchanged armbars before Hinkle got the mount, but Sakata countered with his teammate Tsuyoshi Kohsaka's "TK scissors" reversal and locked a leglock that broke Hinkle's knee for the win. The next year, Sakata would face Pancrase fighter Ryushi Yanagisawa, a natural heavyweight, in a special match. Sakata lost an uneventful decision. Sakata also had part in a controversial moment in RINGS history when he was legitimately attacked by Akira Maeda in front of the cameras, due to Maeda being unsatisfied with Wataru's performance earlier in the event.