is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
female
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
(MMA) fighter and
kickboxer and former
boxer and
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
. Takahashi is a former
Smackgirl
Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the pr ...
open weight champion. She is considered Japan's first female mixed martial artist.
Background
Takahashi was born on in
Otaru
is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular to ...
,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
,
Japan.
Professional wrestling career
Takahashi debuted as a professional wrestler with
All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling
, nicknamed Zenjo (全女: 全 meaning "All", 女 meaning "Woman") was a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 1968 by Takashi Matsunaga and his brothers. The group held their first card on June 4 of that y ...
(AJW) promotion in 1994 and kept participating until the end of 1996, when she decided not to continue with professional wrestling due to a
hernia
A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin herni ...
in her
back
The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column runs ...
.
She became a part-time referee for promotion Yoshimoto Pro-Wrestling
Jd',
where she met her long-time partner
Megumi Yabushita
is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and judoka. She has participated in several Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions. She is a Japanese national judo champion and a for ...
.
They both left Jd' in 2002.
Mixed martial arts career
Takahashi debuted in MMA on at AJW event held at
Korakuen Hall, in a fight that consisted of a single round with unlimited time, defeating
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
pro-wrestler Thundercrackk from
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi
Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Group (''Purofesshonaru-resuringu Fujiwara-Gumi'', プロフェッショナルレスリング藤原組) was a shoot style professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan, operating from 1991 to 1996. It was formed ...
at 10 minutes and 14 seconds, after Takahashi landed a kick to the face that made Thundercrackk give up.
At
Nippon Budokan on at the event , Takahashi suffered her first loss, being defeated by
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
judoka Irina Rodina
Irina Rodina ( Russian: Ири́на Ви́кторовна Родина) (born July 23, 1973) is a Russian judoka and Sambist. She is 11-time world champion of Sambo making her the most titled female practitioner in Sambo. She competed in Jud ...
with a
submission
Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
at 6 minutes and 6 seconds of the single no time limit round.
At the event ''The U-Japan Super Fighting '96 vol. 1'' held on at the
Ariake Coliseum
is an indoor sporting arena in located in Ariake, Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It has a capacity of 10,000 and is one of the few professional tennis venues which has a retractable roof.
Events
The arena is used as the center court for the Japan ...
, Takahashi was defeated by American women's MMA pioneer
Becky Levi via
TKO (corner stoppage, towel thrown in, punches) at 2 minutes and 13 seconds of the unlimited time bout.
Takahashi was defeated by
karateka
(; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian ...
Miwako Ishihara via unanimous decision after two rounds at Daido Juku's event on at the Korakuen Hall.
At the event on Takahashi defeated Yuko Mukai via unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
On at the event ''Central Martial Arts Association: Octagon Challenge'' held at the
Nagoya Congress Center
The is a multi-purpose convention center, in the city of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
The centre was constructed for the World Design Exhibition 1989 (世界デザイン博覧会). Other venues included Nagoya Castle and Nagoya Port.
It has ...
, Takahashi lost against pro-wrestler
Rieko Amano
is a Japanese retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name . Amano made her debut for JWP Joshi Puroresu in December 1994 and early on began also making appearances for the Gaea Japan promotion, where she most notably became one o ...
(known by the ring name Carlos Amano) after Takahashi illegally kicked Amano in the face and was disqualified at 17 minutes and 25 seconds.
Takahashi next fought and defeated partner Megumi Yabushita at 16 minutes with 7 seconds of an unlimited time match with a heel hold submission on at Jd' event ''Yokohama Super Break'' held 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 Subway.
...
.
At
Ladies Legend Pro-Wrestling (LLPW) event ''Ultimate Challenge '98 L-1'' on , Takahashi won by TKO (referee stoppage) against kickboxer Aya Mitsui at 1 minute and 54 seconds of the first round.
Takahashi next fought
Mari Kaneko
is a Japanese female karateka and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Kaneko has competed for MMA promotions Ax, Smackgirl, Deep and Jewels.
Background
Kaneko was born on in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
Martial arts training
In 1999, Kane ...
, whom Takahashi defeated via submission (
achilles lock
A compression lock, muscle lock, muscle slicer or muscle crusher, is a grappling hold that causes severe pain by pressing a muscle into a bone. A compression lock can cause a joint lock in a nearby joint when it is applied by squeezing a limb over ...
) at ''Club Fight Round 1'' on .
Ten days later, on Takahashi defeated European Karate Champion
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
Silviana Furunefield via
armbar
An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that Anatomical terms of motion#General motion, hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow, elbow joint or glenohumeral joint, shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the ...
submission at LLPW event ''L-1 2000 The Strongest Lady''.
At the inaugural
Smackgirl
Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the pr ...
event, ''Smackgirl: Episode 0'', held on at Korakuen Hall, Takahashi knocked out Dutch kickboxer Sandra de Langeais at 1 minute and 27 seconds of the first round.
On at ''ReMix Golden Gate 2001'', Takahashi was defeated by the previous tournament winner, Dutch
Marloes Coenen, via submission (armbar) in the first round.
At ''Club Fight vol. 4'' on , Takahashi fought against Miwako Ishihara once again in a bout that ended in a
tie after ten minutes.
Takahashi got another victory when she defeated Mika Harigai by Achilles lock submission in the first round at ''Smackgirl: Pioneering Spirit'' on .
On at ''Zero-One: True Century Creation '02'', Takahashi drew with
Yuuki Kubota
, née , is a retired Japanese female mixed martial artist and judoka. She is nicknamed in reference to her calm appearance when fighting.
Background
Kondo was born on in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.
Martial arts training
Kondo pra ...
after three rounds.
Takahashi was defeated by Dutch fighter Irma Verhoeff via TKO in the first round on at ''Free Fight Explosion 2'', held in
Beverwijk
Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
On at ''Zero-One: Impossible to Escape'' Takahashi defeated Aya Koyama by submission (
guillotine choke
The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...
) in the first round.
Along with a tag match a day before, this was Takahashi only MMA fight with the team .
After almost two years without MMA fights, at ''It's Showtime - Amsterdam Arena'' held on in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
, Takahashi faced once again Irma Verhoeff, who defeated Takahashi, this time by decision.
This was Takahashi's first time representing her own team, formed in partnership with adult video maker Soft on Demand (SOD), SOD Women's MMA Dojo.
At ''Smackgirl 2004: Holy Land Triumphal Return'' on Takahashi defeated masked pro-wrestler Yuiga by TKO after the referee stopped the fight when Yuiga was knocked down with punches for the second time in the last minute of the first round.
On at ''Smackgirl 2004: Yuuki Kondo Retirement Celebration'' Takahashi defeated pro-wrestler
Kaoru Ito
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and JWP Joshi Puroresu.
Professional wrestling ...
with a
kimura submission in the first round.
At ''Smackgirl 2004: World ReMix'' on , during the first round of the tournament to determine Smackgirl's first open weight champion, Takahashi had a rematch with Marloes Coenen, who once again defeated Takahashi, this time by TKO (referee stoppage, punches and knees) in the first round.
Takahashi rebounded with a submission victory over American fighter Emma Bush (at the time Emma Nielsen) with a leg armbar in the first round at ''Smackgirl: Korea 2005'' on .
Debuting 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 ...
, Takahashi defeated Mika Hayashi by TKO after knocking Hayashi down for the third time in the first round, winning in 47 seconds at ''G-Shooto plus 05'' on .
On at ''G-Shooto Japan 04'' Takahashi had a third match against Marloes Coenen, who once again defeated Takahashi, submitting her with an armbar in 39 seconds.
At
Deep
Deep or The Deep may refer to:
Places United States
* Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia
* Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah
* Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania
* Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary), ...
's event ''CMA festival: Japan vs. South Korea total war'' held on , Takahashi defeated
South Korean kickboxer Yong Joo Lee with a
heel hook Heel hook may refer to:
* Heel hook, in grappling
* A climbing technique
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