Yoshihisa Yamamoto (wrestler)

Last updated
Yoshihisa Yamamoto
Born (1970-07-04) July 4, 1970 (age 52)
Kudamatsu, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg; 16 st)
Division Heavyweight
Welterweight
Style Judo, Wrestling, Muay thai, Boxing
Rank  1st Dan Black Belt in Judo
Years active1995–2012 (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total42
Wins15
By knockout6
By submission8
By decision1
Losses26
By knockout11
By submission12
By decision3
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Yoshihisa Yamamoto (born July 4, 1970 in present-day Kudamatsu) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. A professional MMA competitor from 1995 until 2012, he competed for RINGS, WEF, PRIDE, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and K-1 HERO'S.

Contents

Mixed martial arts career

Fighting Network RINGS

A high school judoka, Yamamoto made his professional debut on the then puroresu promotion Fighting Network RINGS in 1991 against Masayuki Naruse, who was also making his debut. When the company turned to mixed martial arts, he had his first fight on January 25, 1995, facing off another debutant, Dutch fighter Hans Nijman. Yamamoto lost the bout when he was knocked out only 43 seconds into the fight. After winning his next bout for via unanimous decision at an event in Amsterdam for the organization, Yamamoto faced off against legendary Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, Rickson Gracie at Vale Tudo Japan 1995. Yamamoto gave the undefeated fighter arguably the most difficult fight of his career, but the former professional wrestler ultimately lost via rear-naked choke at 3:49 of the third round, the referee having stepped in when Yamamoto refused to tap out. This would be the only fight that Gracie ever had that didn't end with him winning in the first round.

The fight with Gracie elevated Yamamoto's status. In his next bout, he won via neck crank submission before losing via keylock submission to his teacher Akira Maeda and then to Ricardo Morais, who knocked out Yamamoto 46 seconds into the fight. In his next bout, Yamamoto faced David Khakhaleishvili, an Olympic Gold Medalist in judo. Yamamoto defeated the Georgia fighter via TKO 40 seconds into the fight before competing in the Rings - Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final. Yamamoto won his fight in the quarter-finals of the tournament and then lost in his semi-finals match against Kiyoshi Tamura.

Yamamoto then went 7-7-1 in his next 15 fights with wins over Valentijn Overeem, Joop Kasteel, and Tsuyoshi Kosaka before being invited to compete in PRIDE.

PRIDE

Yamamoto made his PRIDE debut at Pride 16 on September 24, 2001 against Brazilian Assuerio Silva and was dominated, losing via only 11 seconds into the fight via TKO. However, the former professional wrestler would bounce back, defeating South African kickboxer Jan Nortje via armbar submission less than two minutes into the fight. In his next bouts he was knocked out by former NFL lineman Bob Sapp and then lost via unanimous decision to Guy Mezger before picking up his next win against Alexander Otsuka after Otsuka injured his leg in the second round. In his next bout at Pride Final Conflict 2003 Yamamoto fought Heath Herring and performed well against the Sambo and Muay Thai specialist but ultimately lost via rear-naked choke submission in the third round.

In his next bout the 13-16-1 Yamamoto faced two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion, Mark Kerr. Early in the fight, Kerr attempted and secured a double leg takedown, but spiked his head into the canvas in the process, stunning him and allowing Yamamoto to capitalize with ground and pound, winning the fight via TKO at 0:40 of the first round.

Yamamoto's next appearance for the organization was at Pride Bushido 2 against future 2006 Pride World Grand Prix Champion Mirko Cro Cop. Yamamoto lost the bout via TKO 2:12 into the first round. Yamamoto fought once more the organization at Pride Bushido 3 against Choi Mu-Bae and lost via unanimous decision.

Post-PRIDE

After PRIDE, Yamamoto fought for K-1 Hero's, and DEEP, but has not won since his TKO win over Mark Kerr, losing his last nine fights.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
42 matches15 wins26 losses
By knockout611
By submission812
By decision13
Draws1
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss15–26–1Jong Wang KimKO (punches)Grabaka: Grabaka Live! 2October 27, 201210:15 Tokyo, Japan Heavyweight bout.
Loss15–25–1 Keiichiro Yamamiya Decision (unanimous)Grabaka Live: 1st Cage AttackOctober 15, 201125:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss15–24–1 Hidetaka Monma Submission (arm-triangle choke)DEEP: 50th ImpactOctober 24, 201011:07 Tokyo, Japan Welterweight debut.
Loss15–23–1Lee Tae-HyunTKO (punches)HERO'S 2007 in KoreaOctober 28, 200711:03 Seoul, South Korea Open Weight bout.
Loss15–22–1 Katsuyori Shibata TKO (punches)HERO'S 8March 12, 200710:09 Nagoya, Japan
Loss15–21–1 Don Frye Submission (rear-naked choke)HERO'S 6August 5, 200614:52 Tokyo, Japan
Loss15–20–1 Kim Min-Soo Submission (rear-naked choke)HERO'S 4March 15, 200621:32 Tokyo, Japan
Loss15–19–1 Choi Mu-Bae Decision (unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 3 May 23, 200425:00 Yokohama, Japan
Loss15–18–1 Mirko Cro Cop TKO (punches) PRIDE Bushido 2 February 15, 200412:12 Yokohama, Japan
Win15–17–1 Mark Kerr TKO (punches) PRIDE 27 February 1, 200410:40 Osaka, Japan Kerr knocked himself out going for a takedown.
Loss14–17–1 Heath Herring Submission (rear-naked choke) PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 November 9, 200332:29 Tokyo, Japan
Win14–16–1 Alexander Otsuka TKO (leg injury) PRIDE 24 December 23, 200225:00 Fukuoka, Japan
Loss13–16–1 Guy Mezger Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 22 September 29, 200235:00 Nagoya, Japan
Loss13–15–1 Bob Sapp KO (punches) PRIDE 20 April 28, 200212:44 Yokohama, Japan
Win13–14–1 Jan Nortje Submission (armbar) PRIDE 18 December 23, 200111:43 Fukuoka, Japan
Loss12–14–1 Assuerio Silva TKO (punches) PRIDE 16 September 24, 200110:11 Osaka, Japan
Loss12–13–1 Valentijn Overeem Submission (armbar) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Final February 24, 200110:45 Tokyo, Japan Kings of Kings 2000 Tournament Quarter Final.
Win12–12–1 Chris Haseman TKO (strikes) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 200013:51 Osaka, Japan Kings of Kings 2000 Tournament Second Round.
Win11–12–1 Ameran Bitsadze Submission (armbar) RINGS: King of Kings 2000 Block B December 22, 200013:49 Osaka, Japan Kings of Kings 2000 Tournament First Round.
Loss10–12–1 Semmy Schilt KO (knee and punch) RINGS Holland: Di Capo Di Tutti Capi June 4, 200012:54 Utrecht, Netherlands
Loss10–11–1 Branden Lee Hinkle Submission (rear-naked choke)World Extreme Fighting 9: World ClassMay 13, 200012:21 Evansville, Indiana, USA
Loss10–10–1 Jeremy Horn Submission (arm-triangle choke) RINGS: Millennium Combine 1 April 20, 200022:50 Tokyo, Japan
Loss10–9–1 Brad Kohler Submission (smother choke) RINGS: King of Kings 1999 Block A October 28, 199911:57 Tokyo, Japan
Draw10–8–1 Kiyoshi Tamura Draw RINGS: Rise 4th June 24, 199935:00 Japan
Win10–8 Tsuyoshi Kosaka TKO (palm strikes) RINGS: Rise 3rd May 22, 199930:41 Japan
Win9–8 Joop Kasteel TKO (palm strikes) RINGS: Rise 2nd April 23, 199917:32 Japan
Win8–8 Valentijn Overeem Submission (armbar) RINGS: Rise 1st March 20, 199912:40 Japan
Win7–8 Andrei Kopylov Submission RINGS: Final Capture February 21, 199916:55 Japan
Win6-8 Mitsuya Nagai Submission (armbar) RINGS: Extension Fighting 5 July 22, 199712:27 Japan
Win5–8 Masayuki Naruse Submission (armbar) RINGS: Extension Fighting 2 April 22, 1997121:20 Japan
Loss4–8 Tariel Bitsadze KO (punch) RINGS: Budokan Hall 1997 January 22, 199710:30 Tokyo, Japan
Loss4–7 Tariel Bitsadze TKO (punches) RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 199713:59 Japan
Loss4–6 Kiyoshi Tamura Submission (neck crank) RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 199712:41 Tokyo, Japan Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Semi Final.
Win4–5 Bakouri Gogitidze Submission (americana) RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Final January 1, 199711:00 Tokyo, Japan Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Quarter Final.
Win3–5 David Khakhaleishvili TKO (punches) RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round October 25, 199610:40 Tokyo, Japan Battle Dimensions Tournament 1996 Opening Round.
Loss2–5 Ricardo Morais KO (punches) RINGS: Maelstrom 6 August 24, 199610:46 Japan
Loss2–4 Akira Maeda Submission (americana) RINGS: Budokan Hall 1996 January 24, 199614:50 Tokyo, Japan
Win2–3 Ameran Bitsadze Submission (neck crank) RINGS: Battle Dimensions Tournament 1995 Opening Round October 21, 199531:59 Japan
Loss1–3 Rickson Gracie Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)Vale Tudo Japan 1995April 20, 199533:49 Tokyo, Japan
Loss1–2 Mitsuya Nagai Submission (achilles lock) RINGS: Rising Series - Yayoi March 18, 1995117:18 Tokyo, Japan
Win1–1Ruud EwoldtDecision (unanimous) RINGS Holland: Free Fight February 19, 199535:00 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Loss0–1 Hans Nijman KO (punch) RINGS: Budokan Hall 1995 January 25, 199510:43 Tokyo, Japan

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