Foster's association with Yamamoto, one of Chitose's top students and a tough fighter in Southern Japan, produced one of the top fighters in the USA in the sixties. Foster's skills in kumite would succeed in Japan, as well, enabling him win the Southern All Japan title. Although specific wins are unclear, Chito-ryu and "Black Belt Magazine" sources list him as a United States kumite champion from 1966 through 1970. In 1973 Mike Foster was the subject of a feature article in "Black Belt Magazine."