is a Japanese-born Brazilian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who currently competes in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

division for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

. As of December 13, 2022, he is #5 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings.

Background

Yamauchi was born in Anjō, Aichi to a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

father and a

Japanese-Brazilian , , lead=yes are Brazilian citizens who are nationals or naturals of Japanese ancestry or Japanese immigrants living in Brazil or Japanese people of Brazilian ancestry. The first group of Japanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in 1908. Brazil is ...

mother, but his family moved to

Curitiba, Paraná Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

when he was 3 years old. He started in

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

at the age of 9, followed by

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

during his youth. At the age of 14, he became Paraná State's amateur boxing champion in 2007, defeating then-reigning champion

John Lineker John Lineker (born June 12, 1990), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Bantamweight World Champion. Lineker formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting ...

, who was 17.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before moving to professional mixed martial arts, Yamauchi scored seven wins as an amateur, with seven first-round stoppages. Yamauchi started his professional career in 2010, when he was just 17 years old. From October 2010 to May 2013, he fought for many organizations throughout Brazil and won a featherweight title and a featherweight tournament in ''Iron Fight Combat'' and ''Smash Fight'' respectively. In January 2013, it was announced that Yamauchi signed a multi-fight contract with

Bellator MMA

Yamauchi made his promotional debut against fellow promotional newcomer Musa Toliver on September 13, 2013 at

Bellator 99 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five Mixed martial arts weight classes, weight classes and all of the ch ...

. He won via submission due to a rear-naked choke early in the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, Yamauchi faced

Saul Almeida Saul Almeida (born June 4, 1992) is a Brazilian-American professional boxer and mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, Almeida has fought in Bellator, World Series of Fighting, Absolute Championship Berkut, and CE ...

on November 22, 2013 at

Bellator 109 2013 in Bellator MMA was the eighth installment of the Bellator MMA, which began on January 17, 2013 and ended on April 4, 2013. Mixed martial arts tournaments were held in five weight classes and all of the champions, except the heavyweight ch ...

. He won via knockout in the first round. Yamauchi faced

Will Martinez Will Martinez (born August 31, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in Bellator's Featherweight division. Background In early 2011, Martinez opened his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts and Muay Thai school, ''Martinez ...

in the quarterfinal match of Bellator season ten featherweight tournament on February 28, 2014 at

Bellator 110 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced

Mike Richman Michael Richman (born June 23, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance. A professional competitor in mixed martial arts since 2008, Richman has competed for Bellat ...

on May 17, 2014 at

Bellator 120 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced Martin Stapleton on September 19, 2014 at

Bellator 125 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweigh ...

. He won via submission in the first round. Yamauchi was expected to face former Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran at

Bellator 139 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on June 26, 2015. However, Yamauchi pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by

Emmanuel Sanchez Emmanuel Sanchez (born August 11, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Sanchez has also formerly competed for the Resurrection Fighting Alliance ...

. Yamauchi faced Isao Kobayashi at

Bellator 144 2015 in Bellator MMA was the seventh year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 16 events in 2015. Background In June 2014, Founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney parted with the company. ...

on October 23, 2015. Yamauchi dominated the fight on the ground for the first two rounds, before defeating his opponent via submission in the third, after dropping Kobayashi with a punch and securing a rear-naked choke. With the win, Yamauchi became the first to finish Isao Yobayashi. Yamauchi next faced fellow prospect,

Bubba Jenkins Bubba Jenkins (born February 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of Professional Fighters League. He has also notably competed for Bellator MMA, Absolute ...

, at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016. Early in the first round, Yamauchi was able to secure Jenkins' back standing, remaining there for rest of the round. However, in the next two rounds, Jenkins utilised his superior wrestling to take Yamauchi down and control the fight en route to a unanimous verdict.

Move up to lightweight division

Yamauchi faced

Ryan Couture Ryan Duane Couture (born August 27, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for the UFC and Str ...

at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016. He won the fight via submission just over a minute into the first round and became the first fighter to submit Couture. Yamauchi faced Valeriu Mircea at Bellator 168 on December 10, 2016. After a near knockout loss, Yamauchi defeated Mircea via a triangle choke submission in the first round. Yamauchi faced

Adam Piccolotti Adam Piccolotti (born August 23, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Lightweight division. Background Born and raised in Half Moon Bay, California, Piccolotti competed in wrestling, baseball, and track a ...

at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Yamauchi next faced

Michael Chandler Michael Chandler (born April 24, 1986) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained n ...

Bellator 192 2018 in Bellator MMA was the tenth year in the history of Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. Bellator held 23 events in 2015. Background In addition to airing cards on the newly-rebranded Paramount Network ( ...

on January 20, 2018. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced

Saad Awad Saad Awad ( ar, سعد عوض , born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist competing in Bellator's lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, Awad has formerly competed for Strikeforce and King of the Cage. Backgr ...

at Bellator 229 on October 4, 2019. He won the fight via a verbal submission due to an armbar in the first round. Yamauchi faced

Daron Cruickshank Daron Jae Cruickshank (born June 11, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing as a lightweight for the Xtreme Fighting Championships. A professional competitor since 2008, Cruickshank has also formerly competed for the UFC, ...

at Bellator & Rizin: Japan on December 29, 2019. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Yamauchi was next expected to face PFL veteran Nate Andrews at Bellator 254 on December 10, 2020. However at weigh ins, Goiti weighed in at 162.8 lbs, 6.8 lbs over the lightweight limit.

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is an American casino, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe on of their reservation, along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has of gambling space. It is in the foothills of southeastern Connecticut, ...

commission head, Mike Mazzulli, said that from now on Yamauchi will be required to fight at

, 170 lbs. Yamauchi faced Dan Moret on April 9, 2021 at

Bellator 256 Bellator 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 9, 2021 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event was headlined by a Quarterfinal of the Bellator ...

. He lost the bout via a controversial split decision, where 9/9 media members scored the fight for Yamauchi. Yamauchi faced

Chris Gonzalez Matthew Christopher Gonzalez (born July 29, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist and former Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco–Roman wrestler who currently competes in the Lightweight (MMA), lightweight division of Bellator MMA. As a Wrestling ...

on July 31, 2021 at

Bellator 263 Bellator 263: Pitbull vs. McKee was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on July 31, 2021, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event marked Bellator's first outside of the Mohegan Sun bubble and the first B ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the first round, only the second knockout win in Goiti's career. Yamauchi was scheduled to face Derek Anderson on March 12, 2022 at Bellator 276. The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons.

Move up to welterweight

Moving up to Welterweight, Yamauchi faced Levan Chokheli on April 23, 2022 at

Bellator 279 ''Bellator 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA held on April 23, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Background The main event featured Bellator Women's Fea ...

. He won the bout via armbar in the first round. Yamauchi headlined

Bellator 284 ''Bellator 284: Gracie vs. Yamauchi'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on August 12, 2022, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. Background The main event will feature a battl ...

on August 12, 2022 against fellow BJJ expert

Neiman Gracie Neiman Gracie Stambowsky (born December 12, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. A two-time Pan-American champion in coloured belts, Gracie medalled at the 2013 black belt World No-Gi Championship be ...

. He won the bout in the second round after knocking out Gracie with an uppercut.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

**Most submission wins in Bellator MMA history (nine) **Tied for most submission wins in Bellator Lightweight division history (five) **First fighter in Bellator MMA history to earn wins in three weight classes **First fighter in Bellator MMA history to earn stoppages in three weight classes * Iron Fight Combat ** Iron Fight Combat featherweight title (One time) * Smash Fight ** Smash Fight featherweight tournament winner (2013)

Amateur boxing

* Paraná State Amateur Boxing Championship (2007)

Mixed martial arts record

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Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

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Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

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Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator's Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. As of November 22, 2022, he i ...

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Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

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San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

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Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

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Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamauchi, Goiti 1993 births Living people People from Anjō Sportspeople from Curitiba Naturalized citizens of Brazil Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian Muay Thai practitioners Japanese Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian male mixed martial artists Japanese male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese people of Brazilian descent Sportspeople from Aichi Prefecture Japanese emigrants to Brazil

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Bellator MMA

Move up to lightweight division

Move up to welterweight

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Amateur boxing

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References