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 ...

. He has fought for most of his career 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.

Mixed martial arts career

Kojima was 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 ...

Champion from 2006 until 2010, when an ACL injury in his right knee prevented him from defending the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

in the mandatory time period.Inoue-Hioki Announced for May 30 Shooto
/ref> Kojima had the most famous flyweight feud to date with former reigning champion

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 ...

.A Brief History of Flyweight Time
/ref>

ONE Fighting Championship

Kojima made his debut at the organization with a submission win over Filipino Rey Docyogen at ONE FC: Return of Warriors at

Putra Indoor Stadium Putra Indoor Stadium (Malay: ''Stadium Putra''), currently named as Axiata Arena for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Background The stadium is located in the premise of the National Sports Comp ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

on February 2. With the win, Kojima will get a shot at the

ONE FC ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

World Flyweight Title. Kojima was originally slated to fight former

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 ...

vet and

Bantamweight Champion

Yasuhiro Urushitani is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. Urushitani held the Shooto bantamweight championship from 2010 to 2012 before vacating it to sign with the UFC. He was among the first flyweight fighters to fight in the UFC, ...

for the inaugural ONE FC Flyweight Championship, but Urushitani was forced out of the bout due to injury and replaced with Andrew Leone. However, just days before the event, an injury to Leone scrapped the bout from the card all together, after leaving Kojima without an opponent for the event.

Championships and accomplishments

*Fight Matrix **2011 Comeback of the Year *

** Shooto Flyweight Championship (1 Time) **Three Successful Title Defenses **Most Successful Title Defenses in the history of the Flyweight Division (3)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–6–5 , Tatsuya So , Decision (split) , VTJ in Okinawa , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Naha, Okinawa is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–6–5 , Andrew Leone , Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC: War of Nations , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Malaysia , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–5 , Rey Docyogen , Submission (guillotine choke) , ONE FC: Return of Warriors , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:47 ,

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Malaysia , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5–5 , Nam Jin Jo , Decision (Majority) , Shooto: 3rd Round , , 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 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, 12–4–5 , Kiyotaka Shimizu , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Shooto the Shoot 2011 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4–5 , Masaaki Sugawara , Decision (split) , Shooto: Gig Tokyo 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

Jussier Formiga Jussier da Silva Viera Formiga (born April 14, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Formiga most notably competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto South Ameri ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Revolutionary Exchanges 1: Undefeated , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , - , Win , align=center, 10–3–5 ,

Yuki Shoujou is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist. He is currently fighting in Shooto's bantamweight division, equivalent to North America's flyweight division which is . Mixed martial arts career From 2004 to 2005 he went 1-2-2 but rebounded in ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto: Shooto Tradition 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 9–3–5 ,

Jesse Taitano Jesse Taitano is a professional mixed martial artist from Guam. He competes in the flyweight division. Mixed martial arts career After fighting in Guam at the beginning of his career, Jesse Taitano eventually started fighting in Japan. Taitano's ...

, Draw , Shooto: Shooto Tradition 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3–4 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , Shooto: Shooto Tradition 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3–4 , So Tazawa , Technical Submission (armbar) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:32 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2–4 ,

Eduardo Dantas Eduardo Dantas (born 3 February 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Dantas mostly fought for the Bellator MMA where he was the former two-ti ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1–4 , Yasuhiro Akagi , TKO (cut) , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:36 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 7–1–4 ,

, Draw , Shooto: Back To Our Roots 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1–3 ,

, Technical Submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto: Champion Carnival , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:38 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1–3 , Yusei Shimokawa , Submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto 2006: 9/8 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 5–1–3 ,

, Draw , Shooto: 3/24 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–2 , Setsu Iguchi , TKO (corner stoppage) , Shooto: 12/17 in Shinjuku Face , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:31 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–2 , Chris MacGrath , Submission (rear naked choke) , Euphoria: USA vs. Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:17 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–1–2 ,

, Draw , Shooto: 9/23 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1–1 ,

Daiji Takahashi Daiji Takahashi (born March 9, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Flyweight and Bantamweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 8-11-4 , Shinichi Hanawa , KO (punches) , Shooto: Sho ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Draw , align=center, 2–1–1 , Toshimichi Akagi , Draw , Shooto: Wanna Shooto 2004 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

Kenichi Sawada Kenichi Sawada (born December 13, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the flyweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Win , align=center, 10-22-4 , Noriyuki Takei , Decision (majority) , Shooto: Torao 16 , ...

, Technical Submission (rear naked choke) , Shooto: 7/16 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:34 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Takeshi Sato , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 3/22 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Junichi Sase , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Who is Young Leader! , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kojima, Shinichi Living people 1979 births Japanese male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling