Masanori Kanehara (born November 18, 1982) 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 ...

currently competing the

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 ...

division in

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

and

Rizin FF Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the spir ...

. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) is a defunct Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in ...

, K-1, the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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 ...

ZST ZST (pronounced ''Zest'') is a Japan-based mixed martial arts promotion and sanctioning organization holding amateur and semi-professional MMA events. ZST adopts unique rules in the MMA industry and also used to hold tag-team MMA matches. Hist ...

, and also made an appearance at

Dynamite!! 2009 ''Dynamite!! 2009'' was a mixed martial arts and kickboxing events promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group, held in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 31, 2009. The event included bouts that encompass the DREAM, Sengoku ...

. Kanehara is the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix Champion and inaugural Sengoku Featherweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kanehara made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2003, and compiled a record of 13-6-5 before being signed by

Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix

Kanehara was announced as a participant in World Victory Road's Featherweight Grand Prix. He advanced to the semi-final round with a pair of closely contested decision victories over Jong Man Kim in the first round and

Chan Sung Jung Jung Chan-sung ( ko, 정찬성; born March 17, 1987), anglicized as Chan Sung Jung and better known by his ring name The Korean Zombie, is a South Korean professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He currently competes in the Featherweig ...

in the second round. Kanehara lost in the semi-finals to

Hatsu Hioki (, born July 18, 1983) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist competing in the featherweight division. He is the former Shooto Lightweight Champion, Sengoku Featherweight Champion, and TKO Featherweight Champion. Hioki is a long time ...

, but ended up replacing Hioki in the final against

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 ...

Michihiro Omigawa is a retrired Japanese mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Cage Rage, World Victory Road, DR ...

after Hioki was not medically cleared due to a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

. A 17-to-1 long shot, Kanehara ended up winning the tournament, making him the 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix Champion and Sengoku Featherweight Champion. Following the announcement that Sengoku Lightweight Champion

Mizuto Hirota is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2005, he appeared in the Japanese MMA event Dynamite!! 2009 event and has also competed for U ...

would vacate his belt, Kanehara accepted a challenge from

Marlon Sandro Marlon Sandro (born March 8, 1977) is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist. He has competed for Bellator, Pancrase, Shooto, and World Victory Road. He is the former King of Pancrase Featherweight Champion and former Sengoku Featherweight C ...

. The two met in a Featherweight title bout at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 13. Kanehara lost via KO in the first round.

Post-Sengoku

After the demise of Sengoku, Kanehara compiled a record of 7-2 which included a 21-second knockout of Joe Pearson at Pancrase 252.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In July 2014, it was announced that Kanehara had signed with the

. Kanehara was briefly linked to a bout with

Urijah Faber Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male, ...

on September 20, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 52 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 52'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 20, 2014, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the third time that the organization hosted ...

. However, before the bout was officially announced, Faber was removed and Kanehara instead faced

Alex Caceres Alex Caceres (born June 20, 1988) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC. A professional MMA competitor since 2008, Cacer ...

. He was successful in his debut winning via unanimous decision. Kanehara was expected to face

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

on June 27, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 70 ''UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Romero'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 70'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 27, 2015, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Background The event was originally expected t ...

. However, as the event approached, several international fighters experienced travel restrictions due to technical issues within the

Bureau of Consular Affairs The Bureau of Consular Affairs (CA) is a bureau of the United States Department of State reporting to the under secretary of state for management. The mission of the Bureau is to administer laws, formulate regulations and implement policies rel ...

division of the U.S. State Department which produces travel visas. The issue lead to a major altering of the card as multiple fights were postponed. Yahya/Kanehara eventually took place on July 15, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 71 ''UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 71'') was a mixed martial arts event held on July 15, 2015, at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. Background The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout b ...

. Kanehara lost the fight by split decision. Kanehara faced Michael McDonald on January 2, 2016 at

UFC 195 ''UFC 195: Lawler vs. Condit'' was a mixed martial arts event held on January 2, 2016, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event was expected to feature a UFC Women's Bantamweight Championship bout between then-unde ...

. After a dominant first round and catching McDonald with an arm triangle in round two, McDonald slipped out and found a choke of his own. Kanehara lost the fight via submission in the second round and was subsequently released from the promotion following the loss.

Post-UFC career

After the release from the UFC, Kanehara returned to

Deep Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...

and was expected to face Roman Alvarez in his promotional debut at Deep Cage Impact 2016: DEEP vs. WSOF-GC on December 17, 2016. Alvarez was replaced by Charlie Alaniz, whom Kanehara won via first-round doctor stoppage. Next he faced Jomhod Chuwattana at DEEP Hachioji Chojin Matsuri 2018 on April 1, 2020. Kanehara won the fight via submission in the first round. After the two victories in a row, Kanehara signed with

and made his promotional debut against Victor Henry at Rizin 21 – Hamamatsu on February 22, 2020. Kanehara lost the fight via second-round knockout. Kanehara faced Takahiro Ashida at Rizin 31 - Yokohama on October 24, 2021. He won the bout via TKO in the second round. Kanehara was booked to face Kazumasa Majima on April 16, 2022 at Rizin Trigger 3. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout.

Championships and Accomplishments

Sengoku The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Various s ...

** Sengoku Featherweight Championship (1 Time, First) ** 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix Winner

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 29–14–5 , Kazumasa Majima , TKO (punches) , Rizin Trigger 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:37 ,

Chōfu is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km². the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 28–14–5 , Takahiro Ashida , TKO (punches and elbows) , Rizin 31 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:18 ,

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, 27–14–5 , Victor Henry , TKO (punches) , Rizin 21 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Hamamatsu is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was . Overview ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 27–13–5 , Jomhod Chuwattana , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Deep Hachioji Chojin Matsuri 2018 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 26–13–5 , Charlie Alaniz , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–13–5 , Michael McDonald , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:09 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 25–12–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–11–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–11–5 , Toshiaki Kitada , DQ (fighter thrown from ring) , DEEP: 66 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 24–10–5 , Joe Pearson , KO (punch) , Pancrase 252: 20th Anniversary , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 23–10–5 , Wade Choate , KO (punch) , DEEP: 62 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:16 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22–10–5 , Tom McKenna , TKO (punches) , DEEP: Haleo Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21–10–5 , Tony Reyes , TKO (punches) , DEEP: Tokyo Impact 2012 in Differ Ariake , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:28 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–10–5 , Jake Hattan , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Heat: Heat 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–10–5 , Brady Harrison , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFS: Hillside Havoc , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Valley Center, California Valley Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in northern San Diego County, California. The population was 9,277 at the 2010 census. History Valley Center was the site of the capture of the largest California Grizzly Bear in history. In 1866, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–10–5 ,

Rasul Mirzaev Rasul Rabadanovich Mirzaev (russian: Расу́л Рабада́нович Мирза́ев, born 30 March 1986) is an Avar - Dargin mixed martial artist born in Russia. Sports career and MMA Mirzaev began training at the Moscow-base ...

, TKO (punches) , Fight Nights: Battle of Moscow 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:44 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 18–9–5 , Motoshi Miyaji , KO (punches) , Pancrase: Impressive Tour 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:09 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–9–5 ,

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 ...

, TKO (punches) , World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:27 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8–5 ,

, KO (punch) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championships 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7–5 ,

Norifumi Yamamoto was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7–5 ,

, Decision (split) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6–5 , Jong Man Kim , Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6–5 , Kenji Arai , KO (punches) , Pancrase: Changing Tour 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:14 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6–5 ,

Takafumi Otsuka Takafumi Otsuka (born August 22, 1986) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2006, Otsuka is a two-time DEEP Bantamweight Champion ...

, Decision (split) , Deep: 38 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–5 , Isamu Sugiuchi , KO (punches) , ZST: Battle Hazard 03 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5–5 , Erikas Petraitis , Decision , Shooto Lithuania: Bushido 2008 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, Lithuania , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–5 ,

Shunichi Shimizu is a Japanese mixed martial arts and Lethwei fighter who currently competes in the bantamweight division. Career Shimizu is a veteran of the Japanese mixed martial arts scene and primarily fought in Pancrase and ZST, the latter where he earn ...

, Submission (armbar) , ZST: ZST.16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 10–4–5 ,

Naoyuki Kotani Naoyuki Kotani (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has formerly competed in PRIDE, Pancrase, UFC, Vale Tudo Japan, and RINGS. Mixe ...

, Draw , ZST: ZST.15: Fifth Anniversary , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4–4 , Yoichiro Karsuyama , Submission (rear-naked choke) , ZST: ZST.14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–4–4 , Tashiro Nishiuchi , KO (punch) , ZST: ZST.13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–4 , Arunas Jurgelenas , Submission (choke) , K-1 Gladiators 2007 in Estonia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

, Estonia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3–4 , Tetsu Suzuki , Decision (majority) , HERO'S 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3–4 , Shinya Sato , Submission (armbar) , ZST.12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3–4 , Taro Himura , Submission (armbar) , ZST: SWAT! 08 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3-4 , Kenichi Ito , KO (knee) , ZST: SWAT! 07 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 4–3–4 , Hiroyuki Ota , Draw , ZST: SWAT! 06 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3–3 , Hisashi Hiyama , Submission (armbar) , ZST: SWAT! 05 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–3–3 , Toshiyuki Saito , KO (knee) , ZST: SWAT! 04 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:37 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–3–3 , Shinya Sato , Submission (kimura) , ZST.8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:47 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–2–3 , Norimasa Isozaki , Draw , ZST: Battle Hazard 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–2–2 , Hiroyuki Ota , Draw , ZST: SWAT! 02 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–2–1 , Masayuki Okude , Draw , ZST: SWAT! 01 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–2 , Satoru Ida , Decision (unanimous) , ZST: Grand Prix 2 Final Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Masayuki Okude , Submission (armbar) , ZST: Grand Prix 2 Opening Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Yuki Takaya , Submission (armbar) , ZST.6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:26 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Isamu Sugiuchi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Deep - 12th Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:44 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

Official Fight Team
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kanehara, Masanori Living people 1982 births Japanese male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Victory Road champions Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters