is 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 ...

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, incorpo ...

who competes in 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 MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

division of the

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

. A professional mixed martial artist since 2010, Tanaka has also competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship 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 ...

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Tanaka started his professional career in 2010. Until the first half of 2012, he fought only for

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 ...

, where he won the 2011 rookie 132-pound tournament.

Pacific Xtreme Combat

Tanaka faced Crisanto Pitpitunge on May 18, 2013 at ''PXC 37'' for the bantamweight title. He won the title via unanimous decision after five rounds. Tanaka defended his title against Kyle Aguon on October 25, 2013 at ''PXC 40''. He defeated Aguon via unanimous decision over five rounds.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2014, it was announced that Tanaka has signed a contract with the

. In his debut, Tanaka faced

Roland Delorme Roland Camille Roger Delorme (born December 18, 1983) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was a competitor on Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bispi ...

on June 14, 2014 at UFC 174. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Tanaka faced

Kang Kyung-ho Kang Kyung-ho ( ko, 강경호, born September 9, 1987), often anglicized Kyung Ho Kang, is a South Korean mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC's bantamweight division. Career Kang started his professional career in 2007. He fought ma ...

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 hoste ...

. He lost the fight via split decision. Despite the loss on the scorecards, Tanaka was awarded his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Subsequently, Tanaka had his bonus award rescinded and in turn, was suspended for nine months after testing positive for banned substances during his post fight drug screening.'' Tanaka was briefly linked to a bout with

Russell Doane Russell Allan Doane is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Tachi Palace Fights Bantamweight Champion and King of the Cage Flyweigh ...

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-und ...

. However, Doane was forced from the bout with injury and replaced by

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also form ...

. He won the fight by split decision. Tanaka next faced

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 September 24, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 95 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 ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Tanaka faced promotional newcomer Ricardo Ramos on February 4, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 104 ''UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 104'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 4, 2017, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Background A feathe ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. In May 2017, Tanaka was released from the company.

Post-UFC career

In January 2018, it was announced that Tanaka has signed a contract with the

Absolute Championship Berkut Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA), formerly known as Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), is a Russian mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu organization and one of the leading promotions in Europe. To date, most events have been ...

. After two winning bouts in his native Japan, Tanaka signed a multi-fight contract with

in April 2020. Tanaka is expected to make his promotional debut by headlining LFA 117 against Ricardo Dias on November 5, 2021. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Tanaka faced Ary Farias at LFA 138 on August 5, 2022. He lost the fight by split decision. Two judges scored the fight 29–28 for Farias, while the third judge awarded an identical scorecard to Tanaka.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Fight of the Night (One time) * Pacific Xtreme Combat ** PXC bantamweight title (one time; former) *** One successful title defense *

** Shooto rookie 132 lb champion (2011) ** Shooto rookie

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award (2011)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center , 14–4 , Ary Farias , Decision (split) , LFA 138 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 14–3 , Ricardo Dias , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 117 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 13–3 , Vladimir Leontyev , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase 303 , , 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 List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 12–3 ,

Rogério Bontorin Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Grandslam 6: Way of the Cage , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 2:27 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center , 11–3 , Ricardo Ramos , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 11–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Länsberg , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 11–1 ,

, Decision (split) ,

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

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 Vega ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center , 10–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 174 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center , 9–0 , Kyle Aguon , Decision (unanimous) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 40 , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Mangilao Mangilao is a village on the eastern shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village's population has decreased slightly since the island's 2010 census. Cliffs lie along much of the village's shoreline provide dramatic views, including ...

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center , 8–0 , Crisanto Pitpitunge , Decision (unanimous) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 37 , , align=center , 5 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along t ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center , 7–0 , Caleb Vallotton , Submission (triangle choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 36 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 2:39 ,

, Guam , , - , Win , align=center , 6–0 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 34 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 2:09 ,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center , 5–0 , Jong Hoon Choi , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto: 3rd Round , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 3:29 ,

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

Teruto Ishihara Teruto Ishihara (born July 23, 1991) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who previously competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he has formerly competed for S ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2011 Final , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 3–0 , Takuya Ogura , Submission (triangle choke) , Shooto: Gig Tokyo 7 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 3:09 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 2–0 , Hiroshi Roppongi , Technical Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Gig Saitama 3 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 1:29 , Fujimi, Japan , , - , Win , align=center , 1–0 , Yasutaka Hamaji , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Shooting Disco 13: Can't Stop Myself! , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 5:00 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Michinori 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Yokohama Japanese male judoka Japanese male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters