Manabu Yamada (山田学, born May 18, 1969 in Tochigi,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) is a retired Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He is best known for his participation in Shooto and Pancrase fighting organizations. On December 17, 1994 Yamada advanced to the finals of the King of Pancrase Tournament where he lost to Ken Shamrock via unanimous decision.

Career

Yamada started training with Satoru Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym after a background in

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, debuting in Shooto in 1990. He faced Kenji Kawaguchi twice in matches for the Shooto Middleweight Championship, but he was submitted in both occasions. After two important wins over

Kazuhiro Kusayanagi Kazuhiro Kusayanagi (born April 4, 1967) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Middleweight and Welterweight divisions. Career After a 6–9–1 career in Shooto and Lumax Cup, Kusayanagi volunteered for representing his prom ...

and

Naoki Sakurada Naoki Sakurada (born May 12, 1968) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. He is a former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Mixed martial arts career Sakurada started as a student of combat ...

, he left Shooto and joined Pancrase in 1993. Manabu had his Pancrase debut against Katsuomi Inagaki, winning rapidly by submission. Shortly after, he got his first big win over Andre Van Den Oetelaar, a

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

and Dutch

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

champion who sported a large weight advantage. Yamada lost points early due to a rear naked choke and a liver shot, but he came back knocking down Oetelaar with a high kick and then cutting him with a strike, winning the fight by doctor stoppage. Afterwards, Yamada suffered his first defeat in the promotion when he was caught in a heel hook by Takaku Fuke, despite having the points advantage for most of the match. In December 1994, Yamada took part in the tournament for the first King of Pancrase championship. He eliminated Christopher DeWeaver in two minutes, moving forward to face rising star

Frank Shamrock Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III; December 8, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) and ...

. Despite his opponent's superior strength and late comeback, Yamada caught him in an ankle hold early in the match and resisted all his submission attempts, which gave him the victory by points at the end. The former Shooto fighter advanced to engage his biggest challenge to the point, the Pancrase co-founder and heavy favourite Minoru Suzuki. In the beginning of a classic fight, Yamada was taken down and had his back fastly taken, but his defensive acumen allowed him to avoid being submitted, and he stole a point from Suzuki with a scrambling rear naked choke. Minoru came back strong, getting several near-holds, but Manabu kept defending and seeking for openings, which granted him another point by ankle hold. He then overpowered Suzuki and controlled him until locked an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

from side control, making Suzuki tap out for one of his biggest career wins. The same night, Yamada came again to fight Ken Shamrock in the finals, giving another impressive exhibition by going to the distance with the much stronger Shamrock after 30:00. Yamada again resisted his opponent's grip while turtled up, threatening him with Kimura locks and rolling leglocks from the position, and he even threw a pro wrestling

dropkick A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they jump so that when the feet connec ...

at the end of the bout, but he lost by decision at the end, with Shamrock being declared King of Pancrase. Yamada's next match saw an upset when he was submitted by Bas Rutten. Despite his top control, Yamada was trapped in an arm triangle choke and was rendered unconscious due to his refusal to tap out. Manabu lost a match against

Jason DeLucia Jason DeLucia (born July 24, 1969) is an American retired mixed martial artist. Biography DeLucia practiced the Five Animals style of Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Aikido, Karate, and Judo. He is remembered by UFC enthusiasts for being in the very first fi ...

by accidental

eye gouge __NOTOC__ Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of eye injury, such as eye loss or blindness. Eye-gouging as a fighting style was once a popular form of ...

, but he got his course back defeating Pancrase founder

Masakatsu Funaki is a Japanese actor, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler known professionally as , who has previously wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi (PWFG), Newborn UWF (UWF), ...

and DeLucia in a revenge match. However, it would be short-lived, as Yamada dropped from main competition, losing to submission to DeLucia in only 1:13 and just getting an important win over

Kiuma Kunioku is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at Welterweight. A longtime veteran of the Pancrase organization, Kunioku captured the King of Pancrase Middleweight Championship and King of Pancrase Welterweight Championship before leavin ...

. Yamada retired in January 2000, after losing to Yuki Kondo, and currently works as MMA trainer and seitai teacher.

Championships and accomplishments

* Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling **1994 King of Pancrase Tournament Runner Up *'' Tokyo Sports'' ** Rookie of the Year (1994)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23-15-6 , Yuki Kondo , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase - Trans 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 ,

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 , , - , Draw , align=center, 23-14-6 , Osami Shibuya , Draw , Pancrase - Breakthrough 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 23-14-5 , Tae Yoon Han , Submission (armbar) , Pancrase - Breakthrough 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:48 ,

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 22-14-5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase - 1999 Neo-Blood Tournament Second Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22-12-5 , Leon Dijk , Decision (majority) , Pancrase - Breakthrough 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 21-13-5 , Ryushi Yanagisawa , Draw , Pancrase - Breakthrough 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 15:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21-13-4 , David Moore , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , Pancrase - Breakthrough 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 20-13-4 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Pancrase - Advance 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 , Urayasu, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20-12-4 , Daisuke Watanabe , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase - Advance 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:33 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 19-12-4 , Katsuomi Inagaki , Draw , Pancrase - 1998 Anniversary Show , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19-12-3 , Bas Rutten , Submission (ankle lock) , Pancrase - Truth 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19-11-3 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Pancrase - 1996 Anniversary Show , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:29 , Urayasu, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18-11-3 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase - 1996 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 12:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 18-10-3 , Kazuo Takahashi , Draw , Pancrase - Truth 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:00 ,

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18-10-2 , Semmy Schilt , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pancrase - Truth 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18-9-2 ,

Guy Mezger Guy Mezger (born January 1, 1968) is an American martial artist, who competed in professional combat sports including Full Contact Karate, Kickboxing, and Boxing, but is most recognized as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter. Mezger retired fro ...

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pancrase - Truth 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:14 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18-8-2 , Leon Dijk , Submission (ankle lock) , Pancrase - Truth 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17-8-2 , Vernon White , Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 10:26 ,

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16-8-2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 , Urayasu, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15-8-2 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:43 ,

Nagoya, Aichi is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 14-8-2 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 14-7-2 , Bas Rutten , Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Pancrase - Eyes Of Beast 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 14-6-2 , Ken Shamrock , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 30:00 ,

, Japan , Shamrock defeated Yamada to become the inaugural Pancrase Openweight Champion. , - , Win , align=center, 14-5-2 , Minoru Suzuki , Submission (armbar) , Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Second Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 14:46 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13-5-2 ,

, Submission (ankle lock) , Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:38 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12-5-2 , Christopher DeWeaver , Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase: King of Pancrase Tournament Opening Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11-5-2 , Alex Cook , Submission (armbar) , Pancrase - Road To The Championship 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:27 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 10-5-2 ,

Takaku Fuke Takaku Fuke (冨宅飛駈; January 30, 1969), born Yusuke Fuke (冨宅裕介) is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial arts fighter. He was most notably involved in the early days of Pancrase, at infancy of Mixed Martial Arts ...

, Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase - Road To The Championship 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 13:47 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10-4-2 ,

Matt Hume Matt Hume (born July 14, 1966) is an American mixed martial arts trainer and businessman. He is the founder and head trainer at AMC Pankration in Kirkland, WA, home to former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and ONE bantamweight champion ...

, Submission (heel hook) , Pancrase - Road To The Championship 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9-4-2 , Andre Van Den Oetelaar , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Pancrase - Road To The Championship 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:52 ,

Amagasaki file:Amagasaki Castle Tenshu 20181125.jpg, 270px, Amagasaki Castle file:Amagasaki city center area Aerial photograph.1985.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Amagasaki city center file:Amagasaki st03s3000.jpg, 270px, Amagasaki Station is an industrial Citi ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8-4-2 , Katsuomi Inagaki , Submission (kneebar) , Pancrase - Road To The Championship 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7-4-2 ,

Chad Stahelski Chad Stahelski (born September 20, 1968) is an American stuntman and film director. He is known for directing the 2014 film ''John Wick'' and directing its three sequels. Stahelski also doubled for Brandon Lee after the fatal accident involving L ...

, Submission (kneebar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:08 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6-4-2 ,

, Submission (kneebar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 1:09 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5-4-2 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 4-4-2 ,

Kenji Kawaguchi Kenji Kawaguchi () is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division. Career Vale Tudo Japan After a 10–0–4 career in Shooto, Kawaguchi represented the promotion in the event Vale Tudo Japan in July 1994, where he ...

, Submission (kneebar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:36 ,

, Japan , Kawaguchi defeated Yamada to remain the Shooto Middleweight Champion. , - , Win , align=center, 4-3-2 , Satoshi Honma , Submission (armbar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3-3-2 , Yutaka Fuji , Submission (kneebar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:39 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2-3-2 , Satoshi Honma , Submission (armbar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 4 , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2-2-2 ,

, Submission (kneebar) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, Japan , Kawaguchi defeated Yamada to become the inaugural Shooto Middleweight Champion. , - , Loss , align=center, 2-1-2 ,

Yasuto Sekishima Yasuto Sekishima is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight division. He was the inaugural Shooto Middleweight Champion. Sekishima trained under Satoru Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He was originally a judoka and also ...

, KO (punch) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2-0-2 , Yoshimasa Ishikawa , TKO (punches) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0-2 ,

Tomonori Ohara Tomonori Ohara is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 5-12-1 , Naoki Kimura , TKO (punches) , Deep - Hero 1 , , align=cente ...

, KO (punch) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 0-0-2 ,

Takashi Ishizaki Takashi Ishizaki is a Japanese mixed martial artist. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 1-4-1 , Yuji Ito , Submission (kimura) , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:11 , Tokyo, Japan , , ...

, Draw , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

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

Takashi Tojo Takashi Tojo is a Japanese mixed martial artist. Mixed martial arts record , - , Draw , align=center, 0-2-3 , Tomonori Ohara , Draw , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , ali ...

, Draw , Shooto - Shooto , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Draw , align=center, 0-0-2 ,

Noboru Asahi is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, a designer, and an owner of MMA gym. He was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan on January 5, 1968, as . Mixed martial arts career A former amateur wrestler, Asahi was trained in Satoru Sayama's Supe ...

, Technical Draw , Pancrase - Proof 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 0-0-1 ,

Sanae Kikuta 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 Val ...

, Technical Draw , DEEP 2001 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , -

Kickboxing record

, - , , Loss , Maurice Smith , Pancrase - 1995 Anniversary Show ,

, Japan , KO (arm injury) , align="center", 2 , align="center", 2:14 , 0-1 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

Professional MMA record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamada, Manabu Japanese male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing shoot wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing pankration Japanese catch wrestlers Japanese male judoka Japanese male karateka Living people 1969 births