Tetsuya Izuchi (井土徹也, Izuchi Tetsuya) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to…Tetsuya Izuchi (井土徹也, Izuchi Tetsuya) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to Gleat, where he is a former G-Infinity Champion and a member of Black Generation International. He is also known for his tenure with Pro Wrestling Heat Up.
Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木千裕, Suzuki Chihiro; born May 14, 1999) is a Japanese kickboxer and mixed martial artist…Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese: 鈴木千裕, Suzuki Chihiro; born May 14, 1999) is a Japanese kickboxer and mixed martial artist currently competing in KNOCK OUT and in the Rizin Fighting Federation. He is the current KNOCK OUT Black Super Lightweight champion. As of April 2023, he is ranked as the ninth best super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Beyond Kick.
Ayinta Ali (Japanese: 寧仁太・アリ, Ali Ayinta; born March 29, 1999) is a Japanese-Ghanaian kickboxer and mixed martial…Ayinta Ali (Japanese: 寧仁太・アリ, Ali Ayinta; born March 29, 1999) is a Japanese-Ghanaian kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He is the a former Krush Welterweight champion. As of March 2022, he was the #8 ranked super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Combat Press.
Reina Miura (三浦 伶奈, born 22 July 1996) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the…Reina Miura (三浦 伶奈, born 22 July 1996) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the featherweight division of Rizin and DEEP.
Takashi Satō (佐藤天, Satō Takashi; born June 9, 1990) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight…Takashi Satō (佐藤天, Satō Takashi; born June 9, 1990) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division. A professional since 2013, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Genji Umeno (梅野 源治) is a Japanese Muay Thai and Kickboxing practitioner. He is the current BoM Lightweight champion. He…Genji Umeno (梅野 源治) is a Japanese Muay Thai and Kickboxing practitioner. He is the current BoM Lightweight champion. He is a former Rajadamnern 135 lbs champion, WPMF World Super Featherweight champion, WBC Muaythai World, International Super Featherweight champion, as well as a former M-1 Featherweight champion.
Kana Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺華奈, Watanabe Kana; born August 21, 1988) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. She is…Kana Watanabe (Japanese: 渡辺華奈, Watanabe Kana; born August 21, 1988) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. She is competing in the Flyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). She previously competed in Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation.
Kazuki Tokudome (徳留一樹, Tokudome Kazuki; born March 4, 1987) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist currently…Kazuki Tokudome (徳留一樹, Tokudome Kazuki; born March 4, 1987) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of ONE Championship. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed in Pancrase, Sengoku Raiden Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Masashi Takeda (竹田 誠志, Takeda Masashi; born August 13, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial…Masashi Takeda (竹田 誠志, Takeda Masashi; born August 13, 1985) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, primarily working for Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW) in the Deathmatch division. Takeda also competes as a freelancer for Freedoms and occasionally, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).
Shunichi Shimizu (清水 俊一, Shimizu Shun'ichi; born January 31, 1985) is a Japanese mixed martial arts and Lethwei fighter…Shunichi Shimizu (清水 俊一, Shimizu Shun'ichi; born January 31, 1985) is a Japanese mixed martial arts and Lethwei fighter who currently competes in the bantamweight division.
Keitaro Nakamura (Japanese: 中村 K太郎, Nakamura Keitarō; born May 22, 1984) is a Japanese professional mixed martial…Keitaro Nakamura (Japanese: 中村 K太郎, Nakamura Keitarō; born May 22, 1984) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and grappler currently competing in the Welterweight division of RIZIN. A professional competitor since 2003, he has formerly competed for the UFC, World Victory Road, Pancrase, Shooto, DREAM, Vale Tudo Japan, and DEEP. He is the former Sengoku Welterweight Champion, Shooto Pacific Rim Middleweight Champion, and also won the World Victory Road Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament in 2010. In submission grappling, Nakamura took part in both the 2009 and 2011 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, making it to the second round and winning via points in both.
Issei Tamura (田村 一聖, Tamura Issei; born March 12, 1984) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the…Issei Tamura (田村 一聖, Tamura Issei; born March 12, 1984) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of Pancrase. A professional competitor since 2008, he has competed for the UFC and Shooto.
Mei Yamaguchi (山口 芽生, yamaguchi mei; born (1983-02-03)February 3, 1983), formerly known by her ring name V Hajime (V一…Mei Yamaguchi (山口 芽生, yamaguchi mei; born (1983-02-03)February 3, 1983), formerly known by her ring name V Hajime (V一, vī hajime), is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Her former nickname comes from the V1 armlock wrestling move. Yamaguchi currently fights as a Super Atomweight in the Rizin Fighting Federation promotion. She has a notable victory over Yuka Tsuji and was the final Valkyrie Featherweight Champion. She has also competed in Deep Jewels and ONE Championship. She is currently ranked #5 in the ONE Championship Women's Atomweight rankings. On February 5, 2011 (2011-02-05), Yamaguchi announced that she would begin competing as a freelance fighter and changed her ring name to V.V.
Masanori Kanehara (Japanese: 金原正徳; born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the…Masanori Kanehara (Japanese: 金原正徳; born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the Bantamweight division in DEEP and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for World Victory Road, K-1, the UFC, Pancrase, ZST, and also made an appearance at Dynamite!! 2009. Kanehara is the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix Champion and inaugural Sengoku Featherweight Champion.
Koji Yoshimoto (Japanese: 吉本光志, Yoshimoto Koji; born February 6, 1980) is a Japanese retired kickboxer and mixed…Koji Yoshimoto (Japanese: 吉本光志, Yoshimoto Koji; born February 6, 1980) is a Japanese retired kickboxer and mixed martial artist. A professional competitor between 2000 and 2016, Yoshimoto held the RISE super lightweight title and was the 2007 Pancrase Neo Blood Featherweight Tournament winner.
Tomonari Kanomata Japanese: 鹿又智成 (born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the…Tomonari Kanomata Japanese: 鹿又智成 (born August 4, 1979) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the featherweight and lightweight divisions.
Masato Uchishiba (内柴 正人, Uchishiba Masato; born 17 June 1978) is a Japanese judoka who won the gold medal in the men's…Masato Uchishiba (内柴 正人, Uchishiba Masato; born 17 June 1978) is a Japanese judoka who won the gold medal in the men's under 66 kg division at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, and at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Takuya Wada (和田 拓也, Wada Takuya; born February 14, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler.…Takuya Wada (和田 拓也, Wada Takuya; born February 14, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions.
Tetsuji Kato (Japanese: 加藤 鉄史, Katō Tetsuji) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and…Tetsuji Kato (Japanese: 加藤 鉄史, Katō Tetsuji) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the welterweight and lightweight divisions in Shooto, Strikeforce and DEEP. He was the SuperBrawl 7 Light Heavyweight Tournament winner, defeating Ben Hernandez in the finals.
Nobutatsu Suzuki (鈴木 信達, Suzuki Nobutatsu; born September 16, 1977) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who…Nobutatsu Suzuki (鈴木 信達, Suzuki Nobutatsu; born September 16, 1977) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Lightweight division of ONE FC. A professional MMA competitor since 2005, he has also competed for Vale Tudo Japan. He was the inaugural ONE FC Welterweight Champion.
Kenji Osawa Japanese: 大沢ケンジ (born November 4, 1976) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist from Tokyo. He debuted…Kenji Osawa Japanese: 大沢ケンジ (born November 4, 1976) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist from Tokyo. He debuted in MMA over a decade ago, and trains and fights out of Wajitsu Keishukai, where he teaches once a week.
Ken Kaneko (Japanese: 金子 賢, Kaneko Ken; born October 19, 1976 in Shinjuku) is a Japanese actor, TV personality and…Ken Kaneko (Japanese: 金子 賢, Kaneko Ken; born October 19, 1976 in Shinjuku) is a Japanese actor, TV personality and former mixed martial artist. He is currently employed by Platinum Production. His blood type is O. Ken Kaneko is best known for his role in the Takeshi Kitano film Kids Return (1996), in which he and Masanobu Andō portrayed a couple of high school dropouts trying to find purpose and direction in life. He was also a mixed martial artist in the Welterweight division and fought Charles Bennet in Pride FC Shockwave 2005.
Ryuki Ueyama (born 17 April 1976 in Tokyo) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the…Ryuki Ueyama (born 17 April 1976 in Tokyo) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Lightweight division. He has fought for organizations such as Fighting Network RINGS, DEEP, Pancrase, Hero's and Pride FC.
Akihiro Gono (Japanese: 郷野聡寛, Gōno Akihiro) (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently…Akihiro Gono (Japanese: 郷野聡寛, Gōno Akihiro) (born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gono has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, the World Series of Fighting, DEEP, World Victory Road, Shooto, Bellator, and also participated in the Dynamite!! 2009 event.
Yukio Sakaguchi (坂口 征夫, Sakaguchi Yukio; born July 26, 1973) is a Japanese former professional mixed martial artist…Yukio Sakaguchi (坂口 征夫, Sakaguchi Yukio; born July 26, 1973) is a Japanese former professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka. In professional wrestling, he is primarily known for his tenure with DDT Pro-Wrestling, but has fought and competed for All Japan Pro Wrestling, World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestling Wave, S-Cup, Shooto, Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Union Pro Wrestling, Kaientai Dojo, Dradition, Legend The Pro-Wrestling and K-1. Sakaguchi is known for his fight with Nigerian K-1 kickboxer, Film actor and male model Andy Ologun. Yukio is the son of former judoka and professional wrestling legend Seiji Sakaguchi and the older brother of actor Kenji Sakaguchi, who notably co-starred in Ikebukuro West Gate Park when the television show made its debut run in 2000 and most recently in 2012 started making regular appearances on the show Saigo Kara Nibanme no Koi, he also co-starred in the film Face. In 2009 Yukio was featured in Kamui Gaiden; the film was a box office hit in Japan and the Netherlands. After positive reviews on Yukio's performance he was later chosen to play a small supporting role in the sequel to Ninja Assassin, set to be released in 2014, but never materialized after the project was put into development hell. In October 2012 Sakaguchi signed a multi-fight deal with Pancrase and in January 2013 re-signed with DDT for the rest of that year. He is a former one-time KO-D Openweight Champion, two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion, nine-time KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Champions and the winner of the 2015 King of DDT tournament.
Yōsuke "Yōsukezan" Nishijima (西島 洋介, Nishijima Yōsuke; born May 15, 1973) is a Japanese professional boxer who has also…Yōsuke "Yōsukezan" Nishijima (西島 洋介, Nishijima Yōsuke; born May 15, 1973) is a Japanese professional boxer who has also competed in kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Sanae Kikuta (Japanese: 菊田 早苗, Kikuta Sanae; born September 10, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently…Sanae Kikuta (Japanese: 菊田 早苗, Kikuta Sanae; born September 10, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1996, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, DREAM, World Victory Road, DEEP, Shooto, and Vale Tudo Japan. He is the former Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion (2001–2003) and the winner of the ADCC 88 kg class in 2001.
Naoya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 直也, Ogawa Naoya) (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired…Naoya Ogawa (Japanese: 小川 直也, Ogawa Naoya) (born 31 March 1968) is a Japanese world champion judoka, retired professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist. He won a total of seven medals at the All-Japan Judo Championships (second only behind Yasuhiro Yamashita), and set a record of seven medals at the World Judo Championships. Ogawa won the silver medal in the +95 kg judo weight class at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Ogawa is also known for his career in professional wrestling, where he primarily worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and took part in one of the promotion's most high-profile feuds of the 1990s with Shinya Hashimoto. Ogawa was also professional wrestling's two-time National Wrestling Alliance World's Heavyweight Champion.
Yoshihiro Takayama (高山 善廣, Takayama Yoshihiro; born September 19, 1966) is a Japanese former professional wrestler and…Yoshihiro Takayama (高山 善廣, Takayama Yoshihiro; born September 19, 1966) is a Japanese former professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Debuting for UWF International (UWFI) in the 1990s, Takayama joined All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 1997 after UWF-i folded. In 2000, he joined Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah), and later became a mainstay in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he arguably achieved his greatest success, holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and NWF Heavyweight Championship simultaneously in 2003. He is one of only five men to hold all three puroresu major heavyweight titles (New Japan Pro-Wrestling's IWGP Heavyweight Championship, All Japan Pro Wrestling's Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship, and Pro Wrestling Noah's GHC Heavyweight Championship), the others being Kensuke Sasaki, Keiji Muto, Satoshi Kojima, and Yuji Nagata. Takayama first became known for his toughness after he began competing in mixed martial arts, when he took part in one of the most famous fights in MMA history at PRIDE 21 against Don Frye. Through his career Takayama had several career-threatening injuries, including a stroke after a match against Kensuke Sasaki in 2004. Takayama's career ended with a spinal cord injury in May 2017, which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. After much rehabilitation, he gained some mobility in his upper body, being able to sit up without much assistance, but remains paralyzed to this day, using a motorized wheelchair for mobility.
Yasuko Tamada (玉田 育子, tamada yasuko; born (1967-06-30)June 30, 1967) is a Japanese female mixed martial arts (MMA)…Yasuko Tamada (玉田 育子, tamada yasuko; born (1967-06-30)June 30, 1967) is a Japanese female mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. She previously fought as a flyweight in the Valkyrie promotion and was the only Valkyrie Flyweight Champion. She later fought for Jewels and last competed for Deep. Tamada was once ranked as the #6 female atomweight (96-106 lb) fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's Mixed Martial Arts Rankings.
