is a Japanese professional

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 gained international fame in

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...

. Later in his career, Gomi 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 ...

. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in the organization's history. He became the Lightweight Grand Prix Winner at Pride Shockwave 2005, thus winning every lightweight accolade put forth by Pride FC. Gomi also held a record twelve-fight winning streak in

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 was a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, as well as a four-time All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion. Nicknamed "The Fireball Kid", Gomi had a ten-fight winning streak spanning 2004 to 2006 in Pride FC, the longest in the organization's history. During this streak, Gomi knocked out

Ralph Gracie Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

in six seconds, the quickest knockout victory in Pride FC history. Gomi later defeated

Tatsuya Kawajiri is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, and has also competed in the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Strikeforce, ONE FC, and Rizin Fighting Federation. Kawajiri also parti ...

(voted Pride FC's Fight of the Year),

Luiz Azeredo Luiz Azeredo (born 10 June 1976) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He fought in the PRIDE Fighting Championships and Cage Rage. Mixed martial arts career On 22 November 2008 he participated in Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2008, whe ...

, and

Hayato Sakurai also known as , born August 24, 1975, is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and participated in the Yarennoka!, D ...

en route to becoming Pride FC's 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Winner, after which he was awarded the Pride FC Lightweight Championship. At Pride Bushido 13, Gomi successfully defended the title against

Marcus Aurélio Marcus Aurélio Martins (; born 18 August 1973) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He formerly fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships and for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He currently does stunt and mo-cap work, after an MMA care ...

. Throughout both his record-breaking Pride FC and Shooto championship reigns, Gomi was considered to be the top

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

s in the world and is regarded as one of the greatest lightweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.

Biography

Gomi was born in

Kanagawa is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanagaw ...

, Japan in 1978 and started

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

at Sagamihara Yonekura Gym in 1994 while he was attending Kanagawa Prefectural Aikawa Higashi Junior High School. Gomi was athletic and the pitcher of the school's baseball team, but dropped out of high school in 1996 when he failed to pass on to the next grade. This caused an argument between Gomi and his father who disowned him as a result of the incident. Gomi then went on to learn

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 wrestling ...

and

catch wrestling Catch wrestling (originally catch-as-catch-can) is a classical hybrid grappling style and combat sport. It was developed by J. G. Chambers in Britain . It was popularised by wrestlers of travelling funfairs who developed their own submission ...

at Kiguchi Dojo and competed in many wrestling tournaments throughout Japan, the pinnacle of his

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling is ...

career being his four All-Japan Combat Wrestling championships, in which he defeated a number of the nation's top grapplers, future opponent

Mitsuhiro Ishida Mitsuhiro Ishida (, born December 29, 1978) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in Shooto, Strikeforce, PRIDE, DREAM, and DEEP. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2011, Ishida also participated in the Yarennoka event ...

amongst them.

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Gomi joined the official Shooto gym in 1997 where he began training and taking part in the amateur Shooto competitions. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut on November 27, 1998 at ''Shooto Las Grandes Viajes 6'' in Tokyo, where he defeated Hiroshi Tsuruya by decision. Gomi won his first 14 MMA matches, mostly in the Shooto organization, but also fought in

Vale Tudo Japan is an annual mixed martial arts competition held in Japan. Originally arranged by promoter and former professional wrestler Satoru Sayama, he had previously created a hybrid martial art organization named Shooto in 1985. He arranged VTJ in 1994 w ...

and in the Hawaiian-based organization SuperBrawl. Gomi became the Shooto World Lightweight Champion in 2001 after defeating former teammate

Rumina Sato (, kanji for given name: 留美奈) is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, famous for his career in the Shooto organization. In the past he fought mostly in the 155 lb division, but he moved down to the 145 lb division. Mixed ma ...

by unanimous decision on December 16. Gomi then defeated highly regarded American grappler Chris Brennan on September 16, 2002 via unanimous decision. He also defended the Shooto crown in 2002, beating

Dokonjonosuke Mishima known as , also written Dokonjyonosuke Mishima, is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He has competed professionally since 1998 in organizations such as Shooto, DEEP, PRIDE, the UFC and in his pro wrestling days he has co ...

by TKO in the second round. Gomi's first loss was also his last fight in Shooto for six years. It took place on August 10, 2003 at the

Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium is an indoor sports arena located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 5,000 people and was opened in 1962. It is a five-minute walk from the closest subway station, Kannai Station, on the JR/ Yokohama Municipal Subwa ...

. Gomi lost his title to Norwegian fighter Joachim Hansen by majority decision. This loss was considered a huge upset at the time due to Hansen's 6–1–1 record in MMA.

Rumble on the Rock

Gomi then fought former

UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

, and former

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

B.J. Penn on October 10, 2003 at the ''Rumble on the Rock 4'' event in Honolulu, Hawaii. His first fight under unified rules, Gomi was defeated in the third round by rear-naked choke submission.

Pride Fighting Championships

After back-to-back losses, Gomi found a new home in Japan's biggest MMA organization, the Pride Fighting Championships. He made his debut within the organization on February 15, 2004 at ''

Pride Bushido 2 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

'' where he fought Jadyson Costa of the famed

Chute Boxe The Chute Boxe Academy (, ''Kick-Boxing'') is a Brazilian martial arts academy. It opened as a Muay Thai academy in 1978 in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Head trainer Rudimar Fedrigo later expanded the program in 1991 to include other aspects of mo ...

team out of Brazil. Gomi stopped Costa via TKO halfway through the first round. Gomi was asked back to Pride to face off with the undefeated

at ''

Pride Bushido 3 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

''. Gracie was the first coach of B.J. Penn, one of Gomi's losses. Unlike his fight with Penn, Gomi made quick work of Gracie, scoring a six-second KO in the first round, the quickest match in the organization's history, due to repeated knee strikes. Gomi remained within the ''Bushido'' series, fighting and defeating both

Fábio Mello Fábio Mello (born June 28, 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who fought on Pride Fighting Championships, DEEP, Shooto, Bellator Fighting Championships, Jungle Fight and Titan Fighting Championships. He is currently the no gi and braz ...

and Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennett in the first round at ''

Pride Bushido 4 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

'' and ''

Pride Bushido 5 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

''. Mello later noted that, "Apart from being a good wrestler and a fine striker, Gomi knows how to defend on the ground. He is a complete fighter who, due to his MMA experience, grows as the bout unfolds." Gomi then appeared at Pride's

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

show, ''

Pride Shockwave 2004 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

'', against former

Jens Pulver Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Pulver was the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion in addition to serving as the head coach on ''The Ultimat ...

. Gomi scored a

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

with an uppercut at 6:21 in the first round. Gomi started off 2005 with a win over

at '' Pride Bushido 7''. Azeredo dominated the fight from the opening bell with knees, punches, and flying kicks, but at the 3:46 mark of the first round, Gomi caught Luiz with two hooks that sent the Chute Boxe fighter to the mat. Gomi was then criticized for continuing to attack, even after Azeredo became unconscious, and was restrained by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE) crew and staff. The Chute Boxe team stormed the ring and got into an altercation with Kiguchi Dojo. Gomi later stated that the extracurricular attack was due to adrenaline and apologized for his actions. Wanting to capitalize on the altercation at '' Pride Bushido 7'' and Gomi's wins over Chute Boxe team members Jadson Costa and Luiz Azeredo, Pride set Gomi up with Chute Box Lightweight Jean Silva at '' Pride Bushido 8''. Gomi won the fight by unanimous decision, securing an armbar in the waning seconds of the fight. In August, Pride announced that in the month of September they would be hosting an eight-man Lightweight tournament. The first round set up Gomi with fellow Japanese fighter

. This fight was billed "the battle of the twenty first century boys" in Japan due to the popularity and world-class match up of the two fighters. Many MMA critics had Gomi ranked number one and Kawajiri number two in the Lightweight division. Gomi submitted Kawajiri in the first round with a rear-naked choke. Gomi then had to fight again later that night in the semi-finals against Luiz Azeredo. Gomi won via unanimous decision, becoming a finalist in the 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix. Gomi met the other finalist,

, at '' Pride Shockwave 2005''. Sakurai and Gomi were teammates at the official Shooto gym back in the late 1990s. Sakurai defeated

and Joachim Hansen to reach the finals. After some exchanges on their feet, Sakurai tried to take Gomi down with a hip toss, but on the way down, Gomi ended up on top in the mount. "The Fireball Kid" began to rain down punches, and after taking many shots Sakurai twisted to escape, giving his back to Gomi. Finally Sakurai escaped and both fighters were on their feet, but the punches had taken their toll on Sakurai. Gomi threw a right hand and then followed up with a left-right combination. The last right hook caught Sakurai on the chin, knocking him out at 3:56 of the first round. Gomi was crowned the Pride 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Champion. The KO win helped Gomi earn 2005 Fighter of the Year honors from

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

, an honor he shared with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Gomi then made his 2006 debut at '' Pride Bushido 10''. Before the event, DSE announced that Gomi would be crowned the Pride Lightweight Champion due to winning the Pride 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix, although the upcoming ''Bushido 10'' fight would not be a title match. He then faced

Marcus Aurelio Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobâ ...

of American Top Team later that night. Aurelio choked out Gomi within the first round with an

arm triangle Arm triangle choke, side choke, or head and arm choke are generic terms describing blood chokeholds in which the opponent is strangled in between their own shoulder and the practitioner's arm. This is as opposed to the regular triangle choke, whi ...

. This match-up was a huge upset and put doubt within Gomi's ability to fight off of his back. Although Aurelio won the match, it was a non-title bout, with Gomi remaining the Pride Lightweight Champion. Gomi said he took the match too easily and that this loss was the best thing for him to refocus and become a better fighter. After a few months off while building his ''Rascal Gym'', Gomi made his return to the Pride ring at '' Pride Bushido 12'' against 10–1 French fighter David Baron. Baron seemed willing to trade with Gomi and managed to slip some punches. Eventually Gomi caught up with him and knocked the Frenchman down, mixing up punches to the head and body. Baron missed a takedown attempt, allowing Gomi to get around his back and slam Baron to the ground. Baron rolled in an attempt to shake off his Japanese opponent, but Gomi held on, sinking in a rear-naked choke. Baron defended the choke as long as he could, but eventually Gomi completed the technique, forcing Baron to tap at the 7:10 mark of the first round. Baron had previously won a tournament in Europe for the right to face Gomi. Gomi rematched Aurelio at '' Pride Bushido 13'' on November 5, 2006. This time the Pride Lightweight Championship was on the line. Both fighters were extremely cautious, and many times the referee could be heard calling for more action during the bout. Aurelio's jab was effective and hit the champion several times. Gomi, often switching his stance, replied with strikes of his own and landed numerous leg kicks. Several times the American Top Team fighter ended up on his back after failed takedown attempts. Rather than follow him down, Gomi just kicked Aurelio's legs until the referee would stand the action back up. Aurelio scored a clean takedown at the end of the first round, though. Aurelio attempted another takedown in the second, only to see "The Fireball Kid" counter with a

kimura Kimura (written: lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese botanist *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanes ...

. Gomi showed shades of his past

accolades when he countered another Aurelio takedown attempt with a half-nelson. He did not follow Aurelio to the ground, instead attacking his legs with kicks. Gomi refused to follow Aurelio to the ground despite his opponent's taunting. Gomi knocked down Aurelio with a body shot late in the last round, and the bout ended with Gomi connecting with a hard kick to Aurelio's body just before the final bell. The fight went to the judges and Gomi retained his title, walking away with the split decision. Gomi's earned a first round knockout against

at '' Pride Shockwave 2006''. Less than a minute into the fight Gomi countered a right leg kick from Ishida with a straight left punch that knocked him down. Gomi immediately went in for the finish, stopping Ishida with a series of hammer fists. At '' Pride 33'', Gomi suffered a loss to

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 ...

veteran

Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champion ...

by way of

gogoplata A gogoplata, foot choke "Piroplata" or is a type of chokehold that utilizes the shin bone. This technique is often used in Kodokan Judo, submission grappling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. History In the film ''The Essence of Judo'', judoka Kyuzo ...

submission. In the beginning of the first round, Gomi was landing blows on the taller Diaz, even scoring a knockdown, which he was unable to capitalize upon. However, Diaz came back quickly and began to bombard Gomi, who had become visibly exhausted, with straight jabs and right hands for the later half of the round. As the second round opened, Gomi gamely tried to regain lost ground, but after a double leg takedown into Diaz's guard, suddenly found himself in a gogoplata submission. The lightweight champion tapped out at 1:46 of the second round. However, the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...

has declared the fight a "no contest" after Diaz tested positive for marijuana. By the end of his Pride tenure, Gomi was 13–1 with 1 NC in Pride.

World Victory Road, back to Shooto and future

After

Zuffa Zuffa, LLC () is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of th ...

, the parent company of the UFC, purchased Pride Fighting Championships from Dream Stage Entertainment, Gomi signed on with World Victory Road, and fought in its inaugural event, "Sengoku", where he defeated Duane Ludwig by TKO (cut). He then fought at World Victory Road's Sengoku 4 on August 24, 2008 against Sung Hwan Pang. Gomi won the contest via Unanimous Decision. Gomi competed on November 1, 2008 where he lost a split decision to Russian fighter Sergey Golyaev at Sengoku VI. It was the Upset of the Year for 2008 according to Sherdog.com. He then fought Satoru Kitaoka on January 4, 2009 for the Sengoku lightweight championship. Gomi was defeated at 1:41 by Achilles lock. On May 10, 2009, he returned to Shooto at ''Shooto: Tradition Final'' where he faced the Shooto Champion at the time in a non title bout,

Takashi Nakakura Takashi Nakakura ( Japanese: 中蔵隆志, ''Nakakura Takashi'', born March 23, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial artist, and the former Shooto welterweight champion. Nakakura is also a seido kaikan karate and Judo black belt. He took up Judo f ...

. Gomi won via KO in the second round. His next fight was then set to for

Affliction Entertainment Affliction Entertainment was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company created by Affliction Clothing in 2008. The UFC prohibited its fighters from wearing Affliction clothing after learning Affliction was applying to become an MMA ...

at '' Affliction: Trilogy'', with his opponent being

Rafaello Oliveira Rafaello Oliveira Ferreira (; born January 26, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Oliveria took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at ...

, but the event was ultimately canceled. In October 2009, Gomi fought and defeated Tony Hervey at Shooto's Vale Tudo Japan 2009. Gomi said that the fight would be his last fight in Japan before moving to the US.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On January 1, 2010, it was announced that Gomi had signed with the UFC. Gomi faced

Kenny Florian Kenneth Alan Florian (born May 26, 1976) is an American retired mixed martial artist and commentator who formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He formerly served as an analyst for UFC on Fox from 2011–2018, and he als ...

in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 21 and was submitted by Florian via rear-naked choke in the third round after being dominated by jabs and body shots for two rounds. Gomi was expected to face Joe Stevenson on August 1, 2010 at UFC Live on Versus: 2. However, Stevenson suffered an injury while training and was replaced by

Tyson Griffin Tyson Lee Griffin (born April 20, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division. He competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, the RFA, and the World Series of Fighting. Background Griffin was a standout wre ...

. Gomi defeated Griffin via one punch KO at 1:04 of the first round. Gomi caught Griffin with a left cross following up with a right hook causing Griffin to fall face first into the canvas where Gomi then followed up onto Griffin's back with few short punches before the fight was stopped. He is the first person to have stopped Griffin via knockout as all of Griffin's previous losses have gone to a decision. Gomi also was awarded ''Knockout Of The Night'' bonus for his performance. Gomi faced

Clay Guida Clayton Charles Guida (; born December 8, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the UFC competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Guida also formerly competed for Strikefo ...

at UFC 125. After a very one-sided first round, he was defeated by Guida via guillotine choke in the second round. Gomi faced

Nate Diaz Nathan Donald Diaz (born April 16, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is currently a free agent. Diaz is most known for his time spent fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought for over 15 year ...

on September 24, 2011 at

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 Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountai ...

where he lost late in the first round by submission due to an armbar. Gomi was expected to face

George Sotiropoulos George Sotiropoulos (born 9 July 1977) is an Australian born retired mixed martial artist of Greek descent who previously fought in the UFC in their Lightweight division. He is well known for appearing as a fighter on the TV show '' The Ultimat ...

on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144 but the Australian fighter pulled out after sustaining an injury. Gomi instead faced

Eiji Mitsuoka is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2012, Mitsuoka fought for the UFC, DREAM, World Victory Road, PRIDE, Shooto, Cage Force, DEEP and King of the Cage promotions. Mitsuoka's nick ...

and won via TKO in the second round. Gomi defeated

Mac Danzig Mac Danzig (born January 2, 1980) is an American mixed martial artist, who competed as a lightweight in several MMA promotions, most notably the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter season six. Background Da ...

via split decision on November 10, 2012 at UFC on Fuel TV 6. Gomi, keeping true to his plead, came into the fight in considerably better shape and showcased a drastically improved game including taking Danzig down a few times. Gomi faced

Diego Sanchez Diego Sanchez (born December 31, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, Sanchez is most known for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (U ...

on March 3, 2013 at UFC on Fuel TV 8. Gomi lost a controversial split decision to Sanchez. 12 of 12 media outlets scored the bout in favor of Gomi. Even UFC President,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, had expressed on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that he felt Sanchez did not do enough to win the decision. Gomi faced

Isaac Vallie-Flagg Isaac Vallie-Flagg (born April 8, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist, who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2003, he has also formerly competed in Strikefor ...

on April 26, 2014 at

UFC 172 ''UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event that was held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on April 26, 2014, at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The event was released on DVD on July 29, 2014. The DVD was distr ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The win also earned Gomi his second ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Gomi next faced

Myles Jury Myles Madison Jury (born October 31, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed with Bellator MMA, competing in the Lightweight division. He is a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Background Jury was born in Hazel Park, ...

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 TKO in the first round, resulting in the first knockout loss of his career. Gomi faced

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

on July 25, 2015 at UFC on Fox 16. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Gomi next faced Jim Miller on July 9, 2016 at UFC 200. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Gomi then faced

Jon Tuck Jonathan Cruz Tuck (born August 28, 1984) is a Chamorro professional mixed martial artist. Tuck is the first Chamorro native from Guam to be signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and competes at the Lightweight division. His of ...

on June 17, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia. He lost by submission in the first round. Gomi faced

Dong Hyun Kim Kim Dong-hyun ( ko, 김동현, 金東炫; born November 17, 1981), anglicized as Dong Hyun Kim, is a retired South Korean mixed martial artist who most notably fought in the UFC's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fightin ...

on September 23, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami. He lost the fight via TKO on round one. Gomi was released from UFC on October 23, 2017. He had a record of 4 wins and 9 losses with the UFC. He lost the last 5 fights of his UFC career, all in the first round and all by stoppage.

Rizin Fighting Federation

Returning to a Japanese promotion for the first time in over seven years, Gomi faced Yuzuke Yachi on December 31, 2017 at 2017 in Rizin Fighting Federation#Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round. He lost the fight via submission in the first round. At Rizin 11, Gomi faced UFC veteran

Melvin Guillard Melvin Paul Guillard, Jr. (born March 30, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. Guillard most notably competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA ...

. He won via KO in under 3 minutes in the 1st Round. This was his first victory in over 4 years.

Boxing & Kickboxing

Gomi had his first Kickboxing match in an exhibition fight against Masato at KYOKUGEN 2016 on December 31, 2016. The fight went the distance so no winner was decided under official Kickboxing exhibition rules. Gomi fought Kouzi at Rizin 26. Gomi's weight limit was 75 kg and Koji's 65 kg. The rules of the bout forbid grappling and kicking, while both fighters wore 12oz gloves. Gomi won the bout via majority decision. Gomi faced

Tenshin Nasukawa is a Japanese professional kickboxer, boxer and mixed martial artist. A generational talent, Nasukawa was regarded as a pound for pound talent throughout most of his career as a professional kickboxer and is regarded as one of the greatest ki ...

in a two-round exhibition boxing match at Rizin 33 - Saitama on December 31, 2021. The bout ended in a no decision due to time expiring with no stoppage.

Fighting style

Unusual for a Japanese mixed martial artist of his style and class, Gomi was a strong sprawl and brawl fighter. He combined a sterling takedown defense with a powerful, aggressive

, which gained him the nickname of "Fireball Kid" for his punching power and spectacular knockouts. Gomi would harmoniously use both orthodox and southpaw stances, combining the left straight with a feared overhand right, also using the

clinch Clinch may refer to: * Nail (fastener) or device to hold in this way * Clinching, in metalworking * Clinch fighting or the clinch, a grappling position in boxing or wrestling, a stand-up embrace * Clinch County, Georgia, USA * Clinch River, near T ...

to set up strikes. He also was skilled on the ground, preferring to use

ground and pound 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 strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

over submission attempts.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Pride Lightweight Championship (One Time) ***One successful title defense ** Pride 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Winner **Most successful title defenses in the Lightweight division **Most consecutive title defenses in the Lightweight division **Only Pride World Lightweight Champion in Pride FC History **Only Pride Grand Prix Winner in Pride FC Lightweight Division History **One of only four fighters to win both a Pride Championship and

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

**Highest winning streak in Pride FC History (Ten) **Fastest Knockout in Pride FC History (0:06) **Fight of the Year (2005) vs.

** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs.

and

** Knockout Of The Night (One time) vs.

**One of only four Pride World Champions to compete in the

**One of only six Pride Grand Prix Champions to compete in the

* Professional Shooto Japan ** Shooto Lightweight Championship (One Time) **One successful title defense **Highest winning streak in Shooto History (12) * Sherdog Awards **Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame **Fighter of the Year (2005) *MMAFighting **Lightweight Fighter of the Year (2004) **Lightweight Fighter of the Year (2005) **Lightweight Fighter of the Year Runner-up (2006) **Knockout of the Year (2005) vs.

on May 22, 2005 *Fight Matrix **Fighter of the Year (2005)

Submission Wrestling

*Combat Wrestling **All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion (Four times)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 36–15 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , Rizin 11 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lyin ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 35–15 (1) , Yusuke Yachi , Submission (triangle choke) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–14 (1) , Dong Hyun Ma , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:30 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–13 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the n ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–12 (1) , Jim Miller , TKO (punches) , UFC 200 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

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, 35–11 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:37 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 35–10 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:32 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 35–9 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

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

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 34–9 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 34–8 (1) ,

, Decision (split) , UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

, SAR, China , , - , Win , align=center, 33–8 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC 144 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:21 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–8 (1) ,

, Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 32–7 (1) ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 125 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:27 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 32–6 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

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 List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 31–6 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:52 ,

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 31–5 (1) , Tony Hervey , Decision (unanimous) , Vale Tudo Japan 2009 , , align=center, 5 , 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, 30–5 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , Shooto: Shooto Tradition Final , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–5 (1) , Satoru Kitaoka , Submission (Compression lock), Submission (Achilles lock) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku no Ran 2009 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:41 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 29–4 (1) , Sergey Golyaev , Decision (split) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 29–3 (1) , Tae Hyun Bang , Decision (unanimous) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 28–3 (1) , Duane Ludwig , TKO (doctor stoppage) , World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku First Battle , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, 27–3 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , Pride 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:46 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 27–3 ,

, TKO (soccer kick and punches) , Pride FC - Shockwave 2006 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:14 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 26–3 ,

, Decision (split) , Pride - Bushido 13 , , 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 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 25–3 , David Baron , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pride - Bushido 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:10 ,

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 p ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–3 ,

, Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Pride - Bushido 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:34 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 24–2 ,

, KO (punches) , Pride Shockwave 2005 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:56 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 23–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

Pride Bushido 9 The year 2005 is the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The ...

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

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 22–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 21–2 , Jean Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Pride Bushido 8 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–2 ,

, KO (punches) , Pride Bushido 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–2 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:21 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–2 , Charles Bennett , Technical Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:52 ,

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, 17–2 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:07 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, KO (knees) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:06 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Jadyson Costa , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:55 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–2 , B.J. Penn , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rumble on the Rock 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:35 ,

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 islan ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–1 , Joachim Hansen , Decision (majority) , Shooto - 8/10 in Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 , Nick Ertl , Submission (armbar) , Shooto - 2/23 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 ,

, TKO (punches) , Shooto: Year End Show 2002 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:52 ,

Urayasu 260px, old Urayasu is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 170,533 in 81,136 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Urayasu is best known as the home of the Toky ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Chris Brennan , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Leonardo Santos , Decision (majority) , Shooto: Treasure Hunt 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and in ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: To The Top Final Act , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Ryan Bow , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Paul Rodriguez , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Huanderson Pavao , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: R.E.A.D. 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Kadoma, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Johnny Eduardo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Vale Tudo Japan 1999 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:43 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Takuya Kawabara , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Renaxis 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Stephen Palling , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SuperBrawl 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:06 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Takuya Kuwabara , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Renaxis 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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

Kazumichi Takada Kazumichi Takada is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Lightweight division. Mixed martial arts record , - , Loss , align=center, 3-4-1 , Tatsuya Kawajiri , Technical Submission (triangle armbar) , Shooto: To The Top 9 ...

, TKO (punches) , Shooto: Devilock Fighters , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:42 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Hiroshi Tsuruya , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Tokyo, Japan ,

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, , Arawa Hosokawa , , Points , , Professional Jiu Ground Impact , , 2015, , 1, , , , , - , Win, , Sanshiro Nakakura , , Points , , ADCC ASIA TRIAL 2011 –77 kg, , 2011, , , , , , , - , Win, , Hikarishi Matsumoto , , Points , , ADCC ASIA TRIAL 2011 –77 kg, , 2011, , , , , , , - , Win, , Tetsuya Yamada , , Points , , ADCC ASIA TRIAL 2011 –77 kg, , 2011, , , , , , , - , Win, , Ryunosuke Yamamoto , , Points , , ADCC ASIA TRIAL 2011 –77 kg, , 2011, , , , , , , - , Loss, , Shane Roller , , Submission (rear naked choke) , , UFC Fan Expo, , 2010, , 1, , , , , - , Win, ,

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 el ...

, , Decision , , The CONTENDERS 6, , 2001, , 3, , , , , - , Win, , Yuji Hoshino , , Decision , , The CONTENDERS Millennium-1, , 2001, , 2, , , , , - , Loss, , Matt Serra , , Submission (rear naked choke) , , ADCC 2001 –77 kg, , 2001, , 1, , , , , - , Loss, , Yasushi Miyake , , Decision , , The CONTENDERS 2, , 1999, , 2, , , , , -

References

External links

* *
Pride profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomi, Takanori 1978 births Living people Japanese male mixed martial artists Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing catch wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese catch wrestlers Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Pride Fighting Championships champions People from Kanagawa Prefecture Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Aikawa, Kanagawa