is a retired

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, incorp ...

who competed in the Strawweight divisions of

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 ...

and

Road Fighting Championship Road Fighting Championship (Road FC; ) is a South Korean-based 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 ...

. He is the former

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 ...

(114 lb, 52 kg) Champion.

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 ...

ranks him as the fifth greatest strawweight in mixed martial arts history.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Yamagami made his professional debut on August 3, 2008, at Shooto: Gig Central 15, against Hiroyuki Kondo, in the Shooto Flyweight Rookie Tournament quarterfinals. He won the fight by majority decision. After beating Yusuke Sato at Shooto: Shooting Disco 6: Glory Shines In You by a second-round knockout, Yamagami was scheduled to fight

Junji Ito is a Japanese horror manga artist. Some of his most notable works include ''Tomie'', a series chronicling an immortal girl who drives her stricken admirers to madness; ''Uzumaki'', a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals; and ...

at Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2008 Final in the Rookie Tournament finals. Yamagami won the fight by a guillotine choke midway through the second round. After losing his next two fights to Atsushi Takeuchi and Takehiro Ishii by decision and submission respectively, Yamagami rebounded with a unanimous decision win against Takehiro Harusaki at Shooto: Gig Saitama 2.

Shooto title reign

Following two more decision wins against the future Shooto Flyweight champion

Shinya Murofushi Shinya Murofushi is a professional mixed martial artist from Japan. He competes in the strawweight division of Pancrase. He is ranked as the #1 contender by Pancrase as of March 2020, while Fight Matrix ranks him as the #5 strawweight of all ...

and against Atsushi Takeuchi, Yamagami was given the chance to fight

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 ...

for the Shooto World Flyweight (114 lb) Championship, at Shooto: Shooto the Shoot 2011. Yamagami won the title by a first round stoppage, knocking Ikoma out after just 41 seconds. Yamagami was scheduled to make his first title defense at Shooto - 10th Round, in a rematch with

. Yamagami won the fight by a second-round rear-naked choke. Nine months after his first title defense, Yamagami was scheduled to fight

Mamoru Yamaguchi Mamoru Yamaguchi (born May 29, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in Pancrase. He is the former List of Shooto Champions#Bantamweight Championship, Shooto Bantamweight (123 lb) Champion, former List of ...

at Vale Tudo Japan - VTJ 1st. He won the fight by majority decision.

Later career

Yamagami was next scheduled to fight Narongchai Dragontail at HEAT 29, on December 15, 2013. He won the fight by a first-round TKO. Yamagami fought outside of Japan for the first time at Road FC 14, when he was scheduled to meet Nam Jin Jo. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Yamagami was scheduled to fight Jae Nam Yoo at Road FC 20. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Shooto World Flyweight (114 lb) Championship ***One successful title defense **Shooto 2008 Flyweight (114 lb) rookie championship

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamagami, Mikihito 1987 births Living people Japanese male mixed martial artists Strawweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Sportspeople from Saitama Prefecture Shooto