Asia has been the hub for talented MMA fighters. Very few people know that the first ever MMA promotion first emerged in Asia and was called “Shooto” , founded in 1986. At one time, Asian fighters were a dominant force in the MMA scene, and they continue to be so in modern times as well. But with the rise of MMA in western countries, the new generation of fans doesn’t know about the fighting legends of Asia. So in this article, we will tell you about some of the best Asian fighters who emerged as legends.
Kyoji Horiguchi
The 32-year-old Kyoji Horiguchi is a Japanese MMA superstar with exceptional skills. He is probably the hardest flyweight puncher in history who succeeded in winning the titles in big promotions like Shooto, Rizin FF, and Bellator. “The Typhoon” is often viewed as the second-best flyweight fighter in the history of MMA. He has defeated almost every flyweight except Demetrious Johnson. When Kyoji signed with RIZIN FF, he went on a 13-fight winning streak before losing to Kai Asakura in 2019.
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Akiyama is also a great fighter from Japan, and he is mainly known for his fights in the K1-Hero promotion, where he became the Light Heavyweight Champion. Yoshihiro entered the world of MMA as a talented Judoka and already had great status in Japan, so his arrival in MMA was a big deal. In 2009, his entry in the UFC got a lot of media coverage, and the promotion put him on the famous UFC 100 main card. When “Sexyama” won his debut bout against Alan Belcher, the world went crazy. Nevertheless, the hype surrounding Akiyama was short-lived, as he lost five of his next six UFC bouts.
Yushin Okami
Yushin Okami is a legendary MMA fighter from Japan who has fought more than 20 times in the UFC. He is one of the toughest 185-pound fighters in the UFC, but the shocking thing is that he has never won a major title in his career. Yushin failed to win the UFC title battle against Silva and the WSOF title against David Branch. “Thunder” began his MMA career during the 2000s, fighting for several Asian promotions, but he got more recognition after his win over the legendary Anderson Silva in 2006. After entering the UFC, Okami defeated many great fighters, including Alan Belcher twice, Hector Lombard, and Mark Munhoz.
Chang Sung Jung
Famously known as the “Korean Zombie”, Chang Sung is a great fighter from Korea. Although he has never won a world title, Jung is more famous than some of the UFC champions. The main reason behind this is that he has been in many wars during his career and never got into a boring fight. Jung had difficulty dealing with bullies while growing up, and due to this, he enrolled in Hapkido at the age of 14 and started learning kickboxing. About four years later, he began training in BJJ and Judo as well, which made him an all-round fighter. His amazing combination of skills proved great for professional fighting, and soon he made a big name for himself.
Yuki Kondo
Yuki Kondo is another MMA legend from Japan who fought in the “Pancrase” promotion. He was with the promotion for over two decades and fought more than 100 fights. In his illustrious career, Yuki also had short stints with the UFC and PRIDE FC. He had a strong background in Shorinji Kempo and began fighting in MMA in the early 1990s. The Japanese legend made his Pancrase debut in 1996, when it was home to the world’s best MMA fighters. The biggest moment of Yuki’s career was when he defeated Frank Shamrock in 1996, which was a major upset at the time. Shamrock was in his prime at the time, while Kondo was an upcoming fighter.
Norifumi Yamamoto
Yamamoto may not have an impressive record to show in the UFC, as he didn’t win any fights in this promotion, but he was one of the best MMA fighters to come out of Japan. He began his career in 2001 and fought in several promotions to amass a professional record of 18-3 before entering the UFC. He was nicknamed “KID” and defeated some renowned fighters like Bibiano Fernandes and Royler Gracie. However, he struggled in the UFC. His first fight was against “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and ended in Johnson’s favor.
Kazushi Sakuraba
Sakuraba is a Japanese MMA legend who was very popular during the 2000s. He was the first man to defeat the great Royce Gracie and break the aura of invisibility created by the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu family. Apart from Royce, Sakuraba has won over three other members of the Gracie family as well; hence, he was nicknamed “The Gracie Hunter”. Sakuraba won the UFC Heavyweight Tournament in 1997, which was held in Japan, and then moved to PRIDE FC, which was more popular than UFC at the time and was home to the best fighters. Although he never won the PRIDE title, Kazushi defeated several legends of his time.
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