Kenichi Yamamoto (山本 喧一, Yamamoto Ken'ichi) (born June 11, 1976) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. Known for his pro wrestling career in UWF International, Yamamoto also competed against some of the best MMA fighters of his era in RINGS, Pride and the UFC, taking on Kevin Randleman, Genki Sudo and Pat Miletich, among others. In 1999, Yamamoto won the UFC 23 Middleweight Tournament in Japan. He returned to the ring against former Light Heavyweight King Of Pancrase Keiichiro Yamamiya on October 27, 2012. He lost via unanimous decision. Following his combat sports career, Yamamoto now works as an MMA coach.
| Kenichi Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 11, 1976 Kadoma, Osaka, Japan |
| Other names | Yamaken |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Division | Heavyweight Light Heavyweight Middleweight Welterweight Lightweight |
| Style | Shoot wrestling, hybrid martial arts |
| Team | Power of Dream |
| Teacher(s) | Nobuhiko Takada Akira Maeda |
| Years active | 1998-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 19 |
| Wins | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Losses | 12 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Professional wrestling career
A fan of Akira Maeda, Yamamoto was trained in karate since his childhood and entered the Seidokaikan school before turning his attention to professional wrestling. In 1993, he was accepted in Union of Wrestling Forces International and debuted on October 14 in a match against Kazushi Sakuraba. After two years on the mid card, he joined Yoji Anjo and Yoshihiro Takayama to form the Golden Cups stable, in which he gained fame. In 1996, UWF International closed and Yamamoto moved to Kingdom, before eventually joining Fighting Network Rings in 1998. While in RINGS, he had to skip several months of action due to a surgery to remove a benign tumor, and ended up leaving the company in 1999.
Mixed martial arts career
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In November 1999 Yamamoto had his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at the UFC 23 event, taking part on the night's tournament. His first opponent was Wajutsu Keishukai representative Daiju Takase. The fight was slow, with Yamamoto being the superior striker and Takase constantly pulling guard to stop the action, so Kenichi resorted to headbutts to the midsection to do damage and even performed a cartwheel guard pass inspired on his training partner Sakuraba. Takase tried some high kicks and a triangle choke, but Yamamoto blocked them and landed punches and elbow strikes to the body, winning the decision.
The final fight was against Katsuhisa Fujii, which proved to be a tougher bout. The heavier Fujii took Yamamoto down several times and attacked with ground and pound, consistently endangering the former RINGS wrestler. However, after opting to pull guard at the start of the second round, Kenichi surprised Fujii with a kneebar and made him tap out, winning the fight and the tournament.[1]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC 23 Middleweight Tournament Champion
Professional wrestling
Mixed martial arts record
| 19 matches | 5 wins | 12 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 7 |
| By submission | 2 | 3 |
| By decision | 1 | 2 |
| Draws | 2 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 5–12–2 | Kazuo Takahashi | KO (knee) | U-Spirits - U-Spirits Again | March 9, 2013 | 1 | 6:29 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–11–2 | Keiichiro Yamamiya | Decision (unanimous) | Grabaka Live 2 | October 27, 2012 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–10–2 | Sanae Kikuta | TKO (punches) | Grabaka Live: 1st Cage Attack | October 15, 2011 | 1 | 2:18 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–9–2 | Diego Lionel Vitosky | TKO (corner stoppage) | MARS: Bodog Fight | October 4, 2006 | 2 | n/a | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 5–8–2 | Kaream Ellington | TKO (punches) | Mix FC: USA vs. Russia 3 | June 3, 2006 | 1 | 4:51 | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Win | 5–7–2 | German Reyes | KO (high kick) | Ryukyu Fight Night 2 | November 13, 2005 | 2 | 2:20 | Okinawa, Japan | |
| Loss | 4–7–2 | Ikuhisa Minowa | TKO (punches) | Pride Bushido 4 | July 19, 2004 | 1 | 3:23 | Nagoya, Japan | Return to Middleweight. |
| Loss | 4–6–2 | Alexander Otsuka | Decision (unanimous) | Pride 25 | March 16, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 4–5–2 | Kevin Randleman | TKO (knees) | Pride 23 | November 24, 2002 | 3 | 1:16 | Tokyo, Japan | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Loss | 4–4–2 | Genki Sudo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Rings: World Title Series 5 | December 21, 2001 | 2 | 1:46 | Yokohama, Japan | Lightweight debut. |
| Draw | 4–3–2 | Akira Yasumura | Draw | Club Fight Nagoya | March 4, 2001 | 1 | 10:00 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| Draw | 4–3–1 | Kenji Akiyama | Draw | Club Fight Osaka | January 27, 2001 | 1 | 10:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Loss | 4–3 | Pat Miletich | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 29 | December 16, 2000 | 2 | 1:58 | Tokyo, Japan | Welterweight debut; for the UFC Welterweight Championship |
| Win | 4–2 | Tatsuya Kurahashi | KO (punches) | Club Fight: Round 1 | November 12, 2000 | 1 | 8:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 3–2 | Katsuhisa Fujii | Submission (kneebar) | UFC 23 | November 19, 1999 | 1 | 4:15 | Urayasu, Japan | Won the UFC Japan Middleweight Tournament |
| Win | 2–2 | Daiju Takase | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 23 | November 19, 1999 | 3 | 5:00 | Urayasu, Japan | |
| Loss | 1–2 | Kiyoshi Tamura | TKO | Rings: World Mega Battle Tournament | December 23, 1998 | 2 | 1:26 | Tokyo, Japan | Return to Heavyweight. |
| Loss | 1–1 | Masayuki Naruse | Submission | Rings: Fourth Fighting Integration | June 27, 1998 | 1 | 11:07 | Tokyo, Japan | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Chris Haseman | Submission | Rings: Third Fighting Integration | May 29, 1998 | 1 | 12:39 | Tokyo, Japan |
Muay Thai record
| 1 win (1 KO), 0 losses | |||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11, 2004 | Win |  Den Sakumonti | M-1 Muay Thai Challenge | Tokyo, Japan | KO (elbow) | 3 | 1:24 | 1-0 | Muay thai rules |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest | |||||||||