Mamoru Yamaguchi (born May 29, 1977) is a Japanese

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 competes in

Pancrase Pancrase Inc. is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the Ancient Olympic Games. Suzuki and Funaki pr ...

. He is the former Shooto Bantamweight (123 lb) Champion, former Shooto Featherweight (132 lb) Champion, former Pancrase Flyweight Champion, as well as a former King of the Cage Junior Flyweight Champion. Mamoru is known for his counter striking and his trilogy with the former

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

Champion

Shinichi Kojima is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has fought for most of his career in the Shooto organization. Mixed martial arts career Kojima was the Shooto Bantamweight Champion from 2006 until 2010, when an ACL injury in his right knee prevented him f ...

. He has been consistently ranked as one of the top

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

in the world by

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

's Official

Mixed Martial Arts 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, inc ...

Rankings.Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings
/ref> He is considered, by

Fight Matrix Fight Matrix , MMA Rankings, Records, Statistics is an independent, comprehensive, mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter ranking system portal. It is one of the sport's most recognized ranking websites. According to FightMatrix: "The rankings on thi ...

, to be the third best flyweight in the history of mixed martial arts. His afro is a tribute to Japanese boxing legend,

Yoko Gushiken is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1981. He held the WBA light-flyweight title from 1976 to 1981, making a total of 13 successful defences. Following his retirement from boxing, he remains popular in Japan as a ' ...

Martial arts career

Yamaguchi made his professional debut in 1999 during Shooto - Renaxis 2, against

Shuichiro Katsumura is a Japanese former mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who currently competes for DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he was a Independent World Junior Heavyweight champion. He competed in the Flyweight, Bantamweight and Featherweight divisio ...

. After making his debut, Yamaguchi went on a five fight unbeaten streak. He earned a decision win over

Jin Akimoto Jin Akimoto (born April 7, 1971; ) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Bantamweight and Flyweight divisions. He spent the entirety of his career, barring one fight, in Shooto. Between 2000 and 2004 he was ranked as one ...

, a submission win over Ryan Diaz, a TKO win over

Baret Yoshida Baret Yoshida (born April 26, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist. He competed in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Biography Yoshida was born in Hawaii. He started training Jiu Jitsu in 1994 at Relson Gracie’s academy. In 1 ...

, a draw against

Masaru Gokita Masaru Gokita (born September 29, 1970; ) is a Japanese people, Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He competed in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 1-5-2 , ...

and a knee KO win over

Yoshinobu Ota Yoshinobu Ota (born November 13, 1972) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Featherweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 4-6-3 , Seiji Ozuka , Submission (Straight Armbar) , GCM: Demoli ...

. These victories entitled win a fight for the inaugural Shooto Featherweight (132 lb) Championship, in a rematch against

. Yamaguchi won a unanimous decision. After defeating Gildo Lima by an armbar, Yamaguchi was to defend his title against

Masahiro Oishi Masahiro Oishi (born November 29, 1968) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competes in the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. He has competed for numerous promotions during his career, most notably Shooto, Pancrase and ZST. He is the ...

. He lost through a triangle armbar. Yamaguchi would drop down to bantamweight and accumulate a 2-1 record. He was given a chance to win the inaugural Shooto Bantamweight (123 lb) Championship, when he faced

Yasuhiro Urushitani is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. Urushitani held the Shooto bantamweight championship from 2010 to 2012 before vacating it to sign with the UFC. He was among the first flyweight fighters to fight in the UFC, ...

. He won a unanimous decision, winning a

title in two different weight classes. This was the first fight where he wore his iconic afro. He beat

Hiroaki Yoshioka Hiroaki Yoshioka (born January 3, 1974) is a Japanese people, Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He competed in the Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight, Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight and Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight divisions. Mixed ...

in a rematch with a knee to the body, and defended his bantamweight title in a rematch against

Robson Moura Robson Moura Fonseca is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor, instructor and a mixed martial artist. He started training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the age of 10 in Teresópolis, Brazil. His first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teacher was Ailson Brites, Ailson ...

. He went on a four fight winning streak, most notably beating

Junji Ikoma Junji Ikoma ()is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist from Osaka, Japan, who competed in the strawweight and flyweight division. He has fought throughout his career exclusively for the Shooto organization and is currently a part of Shooto's pr ...

, before defending the bantamweight title for the second time against

. This would be the beginning of their rivalry. Afterwards he TKO'd Setsu Iguchi and Erikas Suslovas, before rematching

. He lost in by way of rear naked choke in the first round. Achieving three wins in his next four fights, he fought

for the third time. He lost by way of guillotine choke. Moving to

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

he won the junior flyweight title by defeating Frank Baca with a rear naked choke. He fought Greg Guzman next, but the fight wasn't a title defense, as his opponent missed weight. Returning to Japan, he fought mainly in

Vale Tudo Japan is an annual mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. Originally arranged by promoter and former professional wrestler Satoru Sayama, he had previously created a hybrid martial art organization named Shooto in 1985. He arranged VTJ in 1994 w ...

. He won three fights, most notably against

Yosuke Saruta is a Japanese Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who last competed in the List of current ONE fighters#Strawweight (125 Ib, 56.7 kg), strawweight division of ONE Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, he is the former Lis ...

, lost four and drew twice. He found greater success in

winning three of his next four fights. Interestingly, all four fights were split decisions. He was then scheduled to fight Ryuichi Miki during Pancrase: 285. He won through a split decision, winning his fourth major career title. He lost the title after dropping a unanimous decision to Senzo Ikeda. He fought once in 2018, losing by way of TKO to Yuya Wakamatsu, and once in 2019, losing a unanimous decision to Toru Ogawa.

Championships and Accomplishments

** Shooto Bantamweight (123 lb) Championship (One time) ***Two successful title defenses ** Shooto Featherweight (132 lb) Championship (One time) *

** King of the Cage Junior Flyweight Championship (One time) *

** Pancrase Flyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 31–13–5 , Toru Ogawa , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: 305 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–12–5 , Yuya Wakamatsu , TKO (punches) , Pancrase: 297 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–11–5 , Senzo Ikeda , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: 289 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 31–10–5 , Ryuichi Miki , Decision (split) , Pancrase: 285 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 30–10–5 ,

Luis Nogueira Luis Alberto Nogueira (born April 10, 1985) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Nogueira has mostly fought for Shooto Brazil before making his U.S. ...

, Decision (split) , Pancrase: 281 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 29–10–5 , Senzo Ikeda , Decision (split) , Pancrase: 277 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 28–10–5 , Yuki Yasunaga , Decision (split) , Pancrase: 273 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 28–9–5 , Yusuke Kitago , Decision (split) , Pancrase: 269 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 27–9–5 , Kosuke Suzuki , Draw (split) , Shooto: Mobstyles 15th Anniversary Tour Fight & Mosh , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 27–9–4 , Yosuke Saruta , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 6th , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:25 , Ota, Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–9–4 , Czar Sklavos , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 4th , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 26–8–4 ,

Yoshiro Maeda is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in DEEP's flyweight division, and formerly fought in DEEP's bantamweight division, the latter of which he is a former champion, recently losing the title to Daiki Hata who is still the rei ...

, Draw (majority) , Deep: Tribe Tokyo Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–8–3 ,

Mikihito Yamagami is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the Strawweight divisions of Shooto and Road Fighting Championship. He is the former Shooto Flyweight (114 lb, 52 kg) Champion. Fight Matrix ranks him as the fifth greatest ...

, Decision (majority) , Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 2nd , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–7–3 ,

Darrell Montague Darrell Montague (born November 3, 1987) is an American Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Montague, originally from Chino, California, grew ...

, Decision (split) , Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 1st , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–6–3 ,

Jussier da Silva Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga (born April 14, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga most notably competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto South Americ ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Tachi Palace Fights 10 Tachi Palace Fights 10 was a mixed martial arts event held by Tachi Palace Fights (TPF), on August 5, 2011 at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. Background Former TPF Featherweight Champion Isaac De Jesus was scheduled ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 2 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 26–5–3 , Kevin Dunsmoor , KO (punch) , TPF 9: The Contenders , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:03 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–5–3 , Fumihiro Kitahara , KO (head kick) , Shooto: The Way of Shooto 6: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 24–5–3 , Greg Guzman , TKO (elbows) , KOTC: Sniper , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 ,

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish language, Spanish for Bernardino of Siena, "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–5–3 , Frank Baca , Submission (rear-naked choke) , KOTC: Toryumon , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22–5–3 ,

Kiyotaka Shimizu is a Japanese 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, ...

, Decision (majority) , Shooto: Revolutionary Exchanges 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21–5–3 ,

Jesse Taitano Jesse Taitano is a professional mixed martial artist from Guam. He competes in the flyweight division. Mixed martial arts career After fighting in Guam at the beginning of his career, Jesse Taitano eventually started fighting in Japan. Taitano's ...

, TKO (punches) , Vale Tudo Japan 2009 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:41 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–5–3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto: Shooto Tradition 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–4–3 , Masaaki Sugawara , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–4–3 ,

Yuki Shoujou is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in Shooto's bantamweight division, equivalent to North America's flyweight division which is . Mixed martial arts career From 2004 to 2005 he went 1-2-2 but rebounded in ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Shooting Disco 4: Born in the Fighting , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3–3 , Yusei Shimokawa , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Shooting Disco 1: Saturday Night Hero , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3–3 ,

, Technical submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto: Champion Carnival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2–3 , Erikas Suslovas , TKO (punches) , Shooto 2006: 9/8 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2–3 , Setsu Iguchi , TKO (cut) , Shooto: The Devilock , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 15–2–3 ,

, Draw , Shooto: 3/24 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2–2 ,

Daiji Takahashi Daiji Takahashi (born March 9, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight and Bantamweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 8-11-4 , Shinichi Hanawa , KO (punches) , Shooto: Sho ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 12/17 in Shinjuku Face , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2–2 , Pat Seidel , Submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto: 9/23 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2–2 , Stonnie Dennis , KO (kick) , Shooto: 5/4 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:36 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 11–2–2 ,

, Draw , Shooto: 9/26 in Kourakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 ,

, KO (knee to the body) , Shooto 2004: 5/3 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:41 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Year End Show 2003 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , Homare Kuboyama , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 3/18 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Wanna Shooto 2002 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1–1 ,

, Submission (triangle/armbar) , Shooto: To The Top 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0–1 , Gildo Lima , Submission (armbar) , Shooto: To The Top 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:57 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0–1 ,

, KO (knee) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:21 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 4–0–1 ,

, Draw , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , Superbrawl 15 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:18 ,

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ryan Diaz , Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Gateway to the Extremes , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:35 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 ,

, Decision (majority) , Shooto: Renaxis 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Renaxis 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan ,

Kickboxing record

, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2012-02-05 , , Win , , align=left,

Kazuyuki Fushimi Kazuyuki is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Kazuyuki Akasaka (born 1989), Japanese baseball player *Kazuyuki Atsuzawa (born 1972), Japanese retired baseball player *, Japanese screenwriter *Kazuyuki Fujita ...

, , Shootboxing 2012 - Act 1 , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, , Decision (majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 4-1 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2009-09-04 , , Win , , align=left, Masahiro Fujimoto , , Shootboxing - Bushido Road 4 , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 3-1 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2009-05-01 , , Win , , align=left, Naguranchan Masa M16 , , Shootboxing - Bushido Road 3 , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 2-1 , - bgcolor="#ffbbbb" , 2009-04-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Akito Sakimura , , Shootboxing - Bushido Road , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 1-1 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2009-02-11 , , Win , , align=left, Noriyuki Enari , , Shootboxing 2009 - Act 1 , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , , 1-0 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaguchi, Mamoru Living people 1977 births Japanese male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing shootboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Japanese male kickboxers Bantamweight kickboxers Japanese Muay Thai practitioners Japanese male judoka