(born March 15, 1973) 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, incorpo ...

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 ...

, competing in the light heavyweight division who fought most of his career in Fighting Network RINGS (RINGS). As a professional wrestler, he notably competed in

New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares o ...

(NJPW) and

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba ...

(AJPW). In MMA, Naruse was the first and only RINGS Light-Heavyweight Champion and a former

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may ho ...

in professional wrestling.

Mixed martial arts career

Naruse started practising

shotokan karate is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" throug ...

in high school before turning his attention to

puroresu is the predominant style of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of , which is shortened to puroresu. The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu Tanabe's ac ...

. He was eventually accepted in Fighting Network RINGS and trained under his chairman Akira Maeda.

Fighting Network RINGS

A longtime competitor in RINGS before the organization began hosting MMA bouts. Naruse experienced little success early in his shootfighting career, dropping six of his first seven mixed martial arts bouts, including fights against

Valentijn Overeem Valentijn Overeem (; born 17 August 1976) is a retired Dutch professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently signed with United Glory. A professional competitor since 1996, he has previously fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, ...

and Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov (commonly referred to by his nickname Volk Han). He turned things around as a participant in the eight-man Light Heavyweight title tournament in 1997, defeating

Lee Hasdell Lee Hasdell (born 13 December 1966)Sherdog profile
Retrieved 4 April 2019Wataru Sakata is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Career A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. F ...

and

Chris Haseman Chris Haseman (born 2 June 1969 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian mixed martial artist. Haseman is currently signed with Fighting Network RINGS and is a longtime veteran of the promotion (1995–2012). Regarded as a pioneer of MM ...

en route to becoming the first

RINGS Ring may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell :(hence) to initiate a telephone connection Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...

Light Heavyweight Champion. He then went 3–6 over his next nine fights before

dissolved in 2002.

After RINGS

After wrestling for

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

(NJPW), Naruse decided to go back to competing in MMA. On December 31, 2003, he defeated

Jan Nortje Johannes "Jan" Nortje (born 11 April 1975) is a South African professional kickboxer, mixed martial artist and undefeated professional boxer who has fought for Strikeforce, DREAM, K-1, Inoki Genome Federation, PRIDE Fighting Championship and ...

by rear-naked choke at

K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! ''K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!!'' was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 on New Year's Eve, Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at the Nagoya Dome in Nagoya, Japan. It featured 6 K-1 MMA rules fights, and 4 K-1 rules fights. Th ...

. He then defeated Tommy Williams via armbar at Jungle Fight 3 in Brazil.

Return to MMA

Nine years after retiring in 2004, Naruse returned to MMA on October 27, 2013, as he lost to

Sanae Kikuta is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 1996, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, DREAM, World Victory Road, DEEP, Shooto, and ...

via armbar at Grabaka Live! 3. Naruse then faced Japanese MMA legend

Yuki Kondo is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. He has officially 111 professional fights, making him one of the most experienced mixed martial artists ever. He has also competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Seng ...

at Pancrase: 257 on March 30, 2014. He lost the fight via majority decision.

Professional wrestling career

Fighting Network RINGS

Naruse debuted for Fighting Network RINGS in 1992 where he was billed as a scrappy junior heavyweight. Among the wrestlers he took on during the organization's

days include Heavyweight wrestler Yoshihisa Yamomoto, kickboxer

Nobuaki Kakuta is a retired karateka and kickboxer. Early life After attending university, Kakuda opened a karate dojo in Kobe but was forced to shut it down after two years. He subsequently worked as a dishwasher, ramen chef, and construction worker. At age ...

UFC 10 ''UFC 10: The Tournament'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on July 12, 1996, at the Fairgrounds Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later ...

participant Dieseul Berto,

Volk Han Magomedkhan Amanulayevich Gamzatkhanov (russian: Магомедха́н Аманула́евич Гамзатха́нов; born April 15, 1961), is a Russian retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, sambo wrestler and former military ...

, MMA veteran

Satoshi Honma (born May 19, 1968) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist who competed in the light heavyweight division. He has fought for Shooto, K-1, Pride Fighting Championships and the UFC. Career Honma had his first mixed martial arts fight on May ...

and future tag team partner Mitsuya Nagai. Naruse and other

wrestlers made the transition to

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 ...

with the promotion in 1995.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling

In 2001 with RINGS on the verge of collapse, he moved to

. It was a well timed move as owner Antonio Inoki was giving former MMA fighters immediate pushes & he was immediately placed into a feud with Minoru Tanaka, who used to work for BattlARTS, RINGS' rival promotion. Within 4 months of his debut, Naruse captured the

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship The is a professional wrestling world junior heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . Only wrestlers under the junior heavyweight weight-limit may ho ...

from his rival Tanaka. He fought for NJPW from 2001 to 2006, defending his Junior Heavyweight title against

Shinya Makabe , better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former one-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion, two-time N ...

and

El Samurai Satyam Kumar (born 06 August 1997), known professionally as Technical Satyam, is an Indian YouTube personality based in the UAE. Chaudhary is notable for producing YouTube videos concerning graphics and technology in English and Hindi. In 202 ...

before losing his belt to

Tokimitsu Ishizawa Tokimitsu Ishizawa (''Ishizawa Tokimitsu'', born August 5, 1968), better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin (ケンドー・カシン, ''Kendō Kashin''), is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his time in New Japan P ...

, later Kendo Kashin. His next chance at the title was as one of 11 competitors in a

Battle Royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

on October 13, 2003 which as won by

Jado (born September 28, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . He is best known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as part of a tag team with his partner Gedo. Jado and Gedo's careers have largely para ...

. Naruse paired with

Mitsuya Nagai , better known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and former kickboxer. He is known for his work in Fighting Network RINGS and later in professional wrestling companies like Battlarts and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJ ...

to win the

All Asia Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). It was created on November 16, 1955, in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA) when King Kong Czaya and Tiger Joginder Singh defeated JWA fou ...

on July 26, 2004 against Genichiro Tenryu and

Masanobu Fuchi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is also a director and the co-head booker. Fuchi has exclusively worked for All Japan since his debut in 1974, and holds the record for the longest ...

. They defended the belt three times before losing to

Barry Buchanan Barry Buchanan (born January 15, 1968) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) under the ring names Recon, Bull Buchanan and B² and ...

and

Rico Constantino Americo Sebastiano Costantino (born October 1, 1961) is an American police officer and retired paramedic, SWAT officer, bodyguard, professional wrestler and wrestling manager. He performed under the ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World ...

on February 2, 2005. His last bout came on January 8, 2006 against

Takashi Iizuka , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his 33-year career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he was a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. He has also worked for Pro Wrestling Noa ...

, his 375th career match for

Championships and accomplishments

Professional wrestling

(1 time) – with

( 1 time) :*G1 Jr. Six Man Tag Team Tournament (2001) – with Minoru Tanaka and Masahito Kakihara

Mixed martial arts

* Fighting Network RINGS ** First and only RINGS Light Heavyweight Champion

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 9–14 ,

, Decision (majority) , Pancrase: 257 , , 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 ...

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 ...

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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, ...

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 ,

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 po ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–12 , Ricardo Fyeet , Submission (toe hold) , Rings: Battle Genesis Vol. 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:46 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–12 ,

Hiromitsu Kanehara ) is a former Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler of Korean descent. A professional MMA competitor from 1998 until 2012, he found success in Fighting Network RINGS, gaining notable victories over Valentijn Overeem, Alexan ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Rings: Rise 4th , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 10:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–11 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , Submission (armbar) , Rings: Rise 3rd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:26 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–10 ,

, Submission (kimura) , Rings: Rise 2nd , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:18 ,

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, 6–9 , Dave van der Veen , Submission (achilles lock) , Rings: Rise 1st , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 7:36 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–9 ,

Joop Kasteel Joop Kasteel, also known as "de zwarte parel" ("the black pearl", born 27 August 1964), is a Dutch former mixed martial artist. He made his mixed martial arts debut on 15 June 1996. He is a veteran of the RINGS promotion and as he has fought t ...

, TKO , Rings: World Mega Battle Tournament , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:33 ,

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–8 , Kenichi Yamamoto , Submission , Rings: Fourth Fighting Integration , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:07 ,

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

Mikhail Ilyukhin Mikhail Ilyukhin (born November 21, 1966) is a retired Russian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competed in the light heavyweight division. He competed in both Fighting Network Rings, and Pride Fighting Championships, and was ...

, Submission (ankle lock) , Rings: Third Fighting Integration , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 13:52 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–7 ,

, Submission (ankle lock) , Rings – Mega Battle Tournament 1997 Semifinal 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 12:28 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–6 ,

, TKO , Rings: Extension Fighting 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 14:26 ,

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

, Japan , Wins Rings Light Heavyweight Title. Title later dissolved. , - , Win , align=center, 3–6 ,

Wataru Sakata is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Career A former Kyokushin karateka, Sakata trained in professional wrestling at Animal Hamaguchi's gym and joined Akira Maeda's Fighting Network RINGS immediately after. F ...

, Submission , Rings: Extension Fighting 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:55 ,

, Japan , Semifinals of Light Heavyweight Title Tournament. , - , Win , align=center, 2–6 ,

Lee Hasdell Lee Hasdell (born 13 December 1966)Sherdog profile
Retrieved 4 April 2019Rings – Extension Fighting 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 12:58 ,

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, TKO (cut) , Rings Holland – The Final Challenge , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

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 ...

, Holland , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–4 ,

Zaza Tkeshelashvili Zaza "Grom" Tkeshelashvili ( Georgian: ზაზა ტყეშელაშვილი; born March 19, 1965) is a Georgian retired Freestyle wrestling Olympic competitor (100 kg) for Georgia in 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta and mixed martial ...

, N/A , Rings – Budokan Hall 1997 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–3 , Magomedkhan Gamzatkhanov , N/A , Rings – Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

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Egan Inoue Egan Inoue ( ja, イーゲン井上, born June 4, 1965) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, former mixed martial artist and racquetball competitor. A two-time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion, Inoue is a two-time Br ...

, Disqualification , Rings – Maelstrom 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:51 ,

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

Willie Peeters Willie Peeters (born October 26, 1965) is a Dutch mixed martial artist. He competed in the Heavyweight division. Biography Peeters started his career in amateur wrestling at the age of ten, training with famed champion Freddy Winters and winni ...

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, Holland , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Satir Gotchev , N/A , Rings – Budokan Hall 1995 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

, Japan ,

Mixed rules

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, Japan , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 ,

Koichiro Kimura was a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, also known under the ring name . Kimura was known for his work in promotions like Dramatic Dream Team, W*ING, Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, am ...

, Submission (ankle lock) , Rings Mega Battle Special: Foundation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 9:39 ,

, Japan

References

External links

* *
New Fighting Network RINGS Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naruse, Masayuki 1973 births Sportspeople from Tokyo Japanese male professional wrestlers Japanese male karateka Japanese male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Shotokan Mixed martial artists utilizing shootfighting Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Living people IWGP Junior Heavyweight champions All Asia Tag Team Champions