was 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, incorpo ...

and kickboxer who competed 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

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 ...

. He quickly gained popularity in the

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 ...

organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to

K-1 Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex' ...

, where he became the K-1 Hero's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion in December, 2005 after defeating

Genki Sudo is a Japanese MMA fighter, singer, actor and politician who has been serving as a political independent in the House of Councillors since 2019. Between 1998 and 2006, Sudo was a professional athlete and then was in the entertainment industry fro ...

via a controversial TKO due to punches. Though by most measures he was a natural bantamweight, many of Yamamoto's most significant bouts have been in the lightweight division as it was the lightest division in

Hero's Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the ''K-1 Romanex' ...

. More recently, he 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 ...

in the bantamweight division, although he did not perform well there, going winless in his first four fights.

Background

Yamamoto came from a

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

family. His father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters

Miyuu Yamamoto is a Japanese female freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. Yamamoto is a three-time freestyle wrestling world champion and a Rizin Women's Super Atomweight title contender in MMA. She is represented with Krazy Bee. Personal life Miyuu ...

and

Seiko , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

both won world championships in

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling originated from Great Britain and the United States. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games. American high school and men's college wrestli ...

. Kid received his

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and wrestled at

Marcos de Niza High School Marcos de Niza High School is a high school located in Tempe, Arizona. It was founded in 1971 and it has an enrollment of approximately 1,500 students. The school's mascot is the Padre. The school is a part of the Tempe Union High School Distric ...

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

, capturing three state championships (with a third-place finish as a freshman). During that time he lived and received training from Townsend and Tricia Saunders. He also trained briefly under Choi Mu Bae. At the age of 21, Yamamoto made a transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts despite his father's opinion that MMA is not a real sport. His first trainer in the sport was

Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoot ...

, fiancé of Yamamoto's sister at the time.

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Yamamoto made his professional mixed martial arts debut on March 2, 2001 against Masato Shiozawa at

- To The Top 2, where he won by unanimous decision. He would go on to win his next two fights, both by TKO in the first round. During this time Yamamoto faced future Strikeforce Lightweight Champion

Josh Thomson Joshua Joseph Thomson (born September 21, 1977) is an American mixed martial arts podcaster, commentator, analyst and former mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2001, Thomson has competed in Bellator MMA, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ...

Honolulu, Hawaii 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 o ...

at Shogun 1. Yamamoto dominated Thomson with takedowns and strikes but caught an accidental kick to the groin three minutes into round two, causing the bout to be ruled a no contest. On May 5, 2002, Yamamoto suffered his first loss by TKO to Stephen Palling. As Yamamoto shot in for a double-leg takedown, Palling countered with a knee, opening a huge cut to Yamamoto's face. Though Yamamoto succeeded in slamming Palling, blood began pouring out of the cut and the referee stopped the fight. The doctors determined that Yamamoto was unable to continue and Palling was declared the winner. Kid went on to win his next three fights over

Tetsuo Katsuta Tetsuo Katsuta (born March 21, 1978) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Featherweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 7-5-2 , Makoto Ishikawa , Decision (Unanimous) , Shooto 2004: 1 ...

Jeff Curran Jeffrey Michael Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1998, Curran has fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of promotions includin ...

and Caleb Mitchell.

Hero's

Yamamoto made his

debut on April 7, 2004 at the

K-1 World MAX 2004 World Tournament Open This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

, where he choked out Tony Valente only 58 seconds into the fight. Over the next year, Yamamoto's popularity grew as he went on to defeat Kazuya Yasuhiro, Jadamba Narantungalag and Ian James Schaffa in exciting fashion. Yamamoto would then write his name into

history by defeating three highly regarded fighters—

Royler Gracie Royler Gracie (born December 6, 1965) is a Brazilian-American retired mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. Gracie ran the Gracie Humaitá school in Rio de Janeiro for many years under his father Helio's dir ...

Caol Uno (born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's ...

and

—to win the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.

Four-second knockout

On May 3, 2006 Yamamoto made mixed martial arts history when he knocked out

Kazuyuki Miyata Kazuyuki Miyata ( ''Miyata Kazuyuki'') is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Rizin. A professional competitor since 2004, Miyata has competed for DREAM, K-1 HERO'S, DEEP, RINGS, and made an app ...

four seconds into the fight with a

flying knee A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such as ...

moments after the bell sounded. It was the fastest ever knockout in a major MMA promotion.

Olympic freestyle wrestling

In early 2007, Yamamoto announced an indefinite leave of absence from MMA to go back to his roots and train for and compete in

for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing. He had hoped to win the Olympic Gold medal for freestyle wrestling ever since he was a child, as his father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan in the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. In qualifying, Yamamoto began with an impressive win over Japanese Self Defense Forces member Akihiro Tsuchida. Yamamoto looked nimble and explosive against Tsuchida, who had taken third in the 132-pound freestyle class at the 2006 Emperor's Cup. However disaster struck in the semifinals against 2004 Athens Bronze Medalist

Kenji Inoue (born November 5, 1976 in Kyoto) is a Japanese wrestler who won the bronze medal in the Men's Freestyle 60 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Awards *''Tokyo Sports is a Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1960. See also ...

, when in the first move of the match, an arm-whip takedown by Inoue, Yamamoto dislocated his right elbow, and was consequently prone for the easy pinfall. With this injury, Yamamoto had no choice but to leave his hopes of competing in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

and return to mixed martial arts.

Return to Hero's

Yamamoto's return to MMA came on September 17, 2007 against future

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

Featherweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes at K-1 Hero's 10. Yamamoto won the fight by unanimous decision. At K-1 Hero's Dynamite!! 2007 on December 31 Yamamoto faced WEC veteran

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 ...

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 ...

br>
Yamamoto won in the second round via TKO due to soccer and ground kicks.

DREAM

In February 2008,

Fighting and Entertainment Group Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) was the leading Japanese combat sport promoter founded on September 3, 2003. Its last president was Sadaharu Tanikawa and it was the parent company behind the now-defunct mixed martial arts series Dream and fo ...

launched

, a new MMA promotion intended to be the successor to Hero's. Norifumi Yamamoto was one of the many former Pride and Hero's fighters that was announced to be competing in the new promotio

He was supposed to make his

debut at

Dream 5 ''DREAM.5 Light Weight Grandprix 2008 Final Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion DREAM. The event took place on Monday July 21, 2008 at the Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Jap ...

against

Joseph Benavidez Joseph Rolando Benavidez (born July 31, 1984) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Benavidez was born on July 31, 1984, in San An ...

, but the bout was abruptly called off three days before the event to a knee injury suffered by Yamamoto. Yamamoto next announced his participation in the Dream Featherweight Grand Prix, which began at Dream.7. Due to an injury, he did not compete until the second round where, at Dream.9 on May 26, he faced future Bellator Champion Joe Warren. Despite having a significant experience advantage against the newcomer Warren, Yamamoto lost by split decision. This was regarded as a huge upset at the time considering Warren (2-0 MMA record at the time) ended Yamamoto's 14-fight winning streak. Yamamoto lost to SRC Featherweight Champion

Masanori Kanehara Masanori Kanehara (born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the Bantamweight division in DEEP and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for World Victory Road, K-1 ...

via unanimous decision 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 R ...

on New Year's Eve. Yamamoto was expected to make his

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

debut against

Team Quest Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson with facilities located in Gresham, Oregon; Murrieta, California; Encinitas, California; Redding, California; Hemet, California; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. ...

fighter Federico Lopez at Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, but was later pulled out by

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

and fought Lopez at

Dream 14 ''Dream 14'' was a mixed martial arts event held by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream. The event took place on May 29, 2010 in Japan. The event aired live in North America on HDNet. Background This event was o ...

instead. Yamamoto defeated Lopez via TKO (Punches), claiming his first victory after two consecutive upset losses. In preparation for the fight Yamamoto decided to "reinvent" himself, moving to

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 ...

to train under former WBA Light Welterweight Champion

Akinobu Hiranaka Akinobu Hiranaka (平仲明信, born Nobuaki Hiranaka, on November 14, 1963) is a former world champion boxer in the Light welterweight ( Super lightweight or former Junior welterweight) division. He won the WBA Junior Welterweight championsh ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Yamamoto made his UFC debut against future UFC Flyweight Champion

Demetrious Johnson Demetrious Johnson (born August 13, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in ONE Championship, where he is the current ONE Flyweight Champion (135 lb). He is the inaugural and former UFC Flyweight Champion. Known fo ...

UFC 126 ''UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background Former Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor B ...

. Unable to fend off Johnson's constant takedowns, he lost the fight via unanimous decision. He was then expected to face

Chris Cariaso Chris Vincent Cariaso (born May 27, 1981) is a retired Filipino-American mixed martial artist who competed as a Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal Cariaso is of Filipino descent. Mixed martial arts career Since turning p ...

on May 28, 2011 at

UFC 130 ''UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This event was to be the third meeting between Frankie Edgar ...

. However, Yamamoto was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by Michael McDonald. Another bout was scheduled with

Damacio Page Damacio James Page (born September 30, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing for Legacy Fighting Championship in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Page has also formerly compete ...

UFC 135 ''UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 2011 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Background The Ultimate Fighting Championship had its first ever event in Den ...

on September 24, 2011. It too was scrapped on September 1 after both fighters sustained injuries in training. Yamamoto then fought

Darren Uyenoyama Darren Uyenoyama (born October 15, 1979) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing for Pacific Xtreme Combat in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Uyenoyama has formerly competed for the ...

on November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. Despite hurting Uyenoyama several times, including a knockdown in the second round, Yamamoto lost via unanimous decision after Uyenoyama controlled him on the ground for the majority of the fight. Yamamoto's next bout was against Vaughan Lee on February 26, 2012 at

UFC 144 ''UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Venue UFC 144 was held at the Saitama Super Arena in the ...

. Yamamoto rocked Lee early in the opening round with a right hand, but minutes later was wobbled by a right hook-uppercut combination from the Brit. He immediately took Lee down, but got caught in a triangle choke; Lee then switched to an armbar, handing Yamamoto his first ever loss by submission. Yamamoto was expected to face

Ivan Menjivar Ivan Menjivar (born May 30, 1982) is a Salvadorian-Canadian mixed martial artist who formerly fought in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Menjivar was born in La Paz, El Salvador, in 1982. Fleeing t ...

on September 21, 2013 at

UFC 165 ''UFC 165: Jones vs. Gustafsson'' was a mixed martial arts event held on September 21, 2013, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The main event was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame's Fight Wing in 2021. Background The main ...

. However, Yamamoto was removed from the bout and was replaced by

Wilson Reis Wilson Reis Monte Alto Gonçalves (born January 6, 1985, in Januária) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. Reis is the former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion and has also competed for UFC, Bellator, ShoXC ...

. Yamamoto returned from a three-year hiatus to face

Roman Salazar Roman Salazar (born February 21, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division of Bellator. Background Born and raised in raised in the small town of Mammoth, Arizona, Salazar worked for ...

on February 28, 2015 at

UFC 184 ''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...

. The bout was declared a no contest after an accidental eye poke by Yamamoto rendered Salazar unable to continue midway through the second round. Yamamoto was expected to face

Matt Hobar Matthew Hobar (born January 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, Hobar also formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Championship and Shark Fights. He is ...

on September 27, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 75 ''UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 75'') was a mixed martial arts event held on September 27, 2015, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The event was the fourth that the organization has ho ...

. However, the bout was scrapped as both fighters suffered injuries during the week leading up to the event. Yamamoto was scheduled to face

Chris Beal Chris Beal (born August 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Beal wrestled at Ventura High School where he placed second at the state c ...

on June 18, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 89 ''UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Thompson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 89'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 18, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Background The event was the first that the promotion has hoste ...

. However, Yamamoto was scratched from the bout on May 26 for an undisclosed injury. He was 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 ...

Kickboxing career

Yamamoto faced

Masato Masato (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Masato (kickboxer) (born 1979), Japanese former welterweight kickboxer, won K-1 WORLD MAX kickboxing tournament in 2003, 2008 * Masato ...

K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite!! ''K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite!!'' was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 on New Year's Eve, Friday, December 31, 2004 at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan. It featured 7 K-1 MMA rules fights, 3 K-1 rules fights, and a speci ...

in a highly anticipated match up under

K-1 Rules 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 lost via decision. The fight did a 31.6 rating and was watched by more than 34 million viewers. Kid Yamamoto lost to Amateur Kickboxer Percy Ramos, at the Fighter of the Year tournament, 2006 by TKO into the fourth round. Yamamoto then faced

Mike Zambidis Michalis "Iron Mike" Zambidis ( Greek: Μιχάλης Ζαμπίδης; born 15 July 1980) is a professional Greek kickboxer and martial artist. He is an 18-time World Champion, including former World version W5, SUPERKOMBAT and in a series of ...

at the K-1 World Max 2005 Tournament, he would also lose this bout by KO early into the third round. On July 13, 2009, Yamamoto was defeated by

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

n kickboxer Jae Hee Cheon via KO at

K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final 8 This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

. He is now 1-3 under K-1 Rules.

Personal life

Yamamoto was married to Japanese female fashion model MALIA (マリア,新保真里有), with whom he had two sons and a daughter. They divorced in 2009.

Death

On August 26, 2018, Yamamoto wrote on his Instagram that he had been diagnosed with cancer. On September 18, 2018, Yamamoto died from stomach cancer. The type of cancer was revealed by

Rizin 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 ...

founder

Nobuyuki Sakakibara is a Japanese businessman and mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter. He is known for his executive role in Dream Stage Entertainment, including its promotions Pride Fighting Championships and Fighting Opera Hustle, and works as the current preside ...

, with permission from Yamamoto's father. In the same interview, Sakakibara revealed that the cancer was diagnosed as early as 2016, but Yamamoto hid it from the public. In the beginning of 2018, Yamamoto's condition worsened to a point of where his father flew him to Guam to receive treatment for his terminal cancer.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Hero's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner **Fastest Recorded Knockout (0:04) *

**All Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament Winner *MMAFighting.com **2005 Featherweight Fighter of the Year

Amateur wrestling

*Japan Wrestling Federation **All-Japan Emperor's Cup Senior Freestyle National Championship 4th Place (2007) **All-Japan Emperor's Cup Senior Freestyle National Championship Runner-up (1999) *

Arizona Interscholastic Association The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) is one of two regulatory bodies for high school athletics and activities in the state of Arizona. It comprises all of the state's public district high schools (except Ajo High School, Beaver Dam High S ...

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...

High School State Championship (1995, 1996, 1997) **

High School State Championship 3rd Place (1994) **Scholastic Career Record: 112-4 (1993-1997)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , NC , align=center, 18–6 (2) ,

, No Contest (accidental eye poke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 (1) , Vaughan Lee , Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:29 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , 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 , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 (1) , Federico Lopez , KO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–2 (1) , Joe Warren , Decision (split) ,

Dream 9 ''Dream.9: Feather Weight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round'' was a mixed martial arts event promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream on May 26, 2009. It featured the second round of the promotion's featherwe ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 T ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 (1) ,

, TKO (punches and soccer kicks) ,

K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!! ''K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!!'' was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Monday December 31, 2007 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan. It featured 7 HERO'S MMA rules fights, 4 K-1 rule ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:11 ,

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 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 (1) , Bibiano Fernandes , Decision (unanimous) , Hero's 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 (1) , István Majoros , TKO (punches) ,

K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! ''K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!'' was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2006 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan. It featured 10 HERO'S MMA rules fights, and 4 K-1 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 (1) ,

, KO (flying knee) , Hero's 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:04 ,

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, 13–1 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Hero's 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:39 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 (1) ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Hero's 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:04 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , Hero's 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 (1) , Ian James Schaffa , TKO (punches) , Hero's 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:23 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 (1) ,

Jadamba Narantungalag Jadamba Narantungalag (born December 16, 1975) is a Mongolian professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer and grappler who has fought for World Victory Road, K-1 MAX, Legend FC, Art of War Fighting Championship, and ONE Championship. Nar ...

, KO (punches) ,

K-1 World MAX 2004 Champions' Challenge This is a list of events held and scheduled by the K-1, a kickboxing promotion based in Hong Kong. The first event, K-1 Sanctuary I, took place on March 30, 1993 at Kōrakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. 2023 events 2022 events 2021 events ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:55 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 (1) , Kazuya Yasuhiro , Submission (armbar) ,

K-1 World MAX 2004 World Tournament Final ''K-1 World MAX 2004 World Tournament Final'' was a kickboxing and martial arts event promoted by the K-1 organization. It was the third K-1 MAX final for middleweight kickboxers (70 kg/154 lb weight class) involving eight finalists an ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 (1) , Tony Valente , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:58 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 (1) , Caleb Mitchell , KO (punch) , Shooto - 9/5 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , SuperBrawl 29 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 (1) , Stephen Palling , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 3–0 (1) ,

, No Contest (groin kick) , Shogun 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,

Hideki Kadowaki (born 28 May 1976) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2000, he has competed for Shooto, DEEP, and World Victory Road. He is the former Shooto Lightweight (143 lbs) Champion. Biography Hideki Kadowaki was bo ...

, TKO (punches) , Shooto - To The Top 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:02 ,

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

Masashi Kameda Masashi Kameda (born July 13, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Featherweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 2-6-3 , Motoyuki Takinishi , Submission (kimura) , Deep: clubDee ...

, KO (punch) , Shooto: To The Top 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Masato Shiozawa , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: To The Top 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan ,

Kickboxing record

Submission grappling record

KO PUNCHES , - style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Result , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Method , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Event , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - , Loss, ,

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 ...

, , TKO (corner stoppage) , , THE CONTENDERS Millennium-1 , , 2001, , , , , , , - , Win, , Jiro Wakabayashi , , Decision (unanimous) , , THE CONTENDERS Millennium-1 , , 2001, , , , , , , - , Win, , Koji Komuro , , Decision (unanimous) , , THE CONTENDERS Millennium-1 , , 2001, , , , , , , -

References

External links

Official UFC Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamamoto, Norifumi 1977 births 2018 deaths Japanese male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Japanese male kickboxers Welterweight kickboxers Japanese male sport wrestlers People from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Deaths from stomach cancer Deaths from cancer in Japan Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters