Akira Kikuchi - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a retired Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

and a former Shooto World Middleweight Champion – commonly known as the welterweight division

Welterweight (MMA)

The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb...

in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He trained alongside Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto

Norifumi Yamamoto

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He is associated with Purebred Tokyo and Krazy Bee. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona...

with the Killer Bee team.

Career

Kikuchi began his mixed martial arts career in the Shooto

Shooto

Shooto is a mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, as an organization and as a particular fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. Practitioners are referred to as shooters,...

leagues. As an amateur, Kikuchi won the 2001 All-Japan Shooto Championship. Turning professional, Kikuchi defeated his first five opponents in the organization and one additional opponent in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

's Superbrawl Icon Sport

Icon Sport

Icon Sport is a defunct Hawaiian-based mixed martial arts organization. It was one of the earliest competitors to the Ultimate Fighting Championship though the organization did not achieve the same level of success the promotion did hold a number of note worthy cards.-Notable fighters:Icon Sport...

. He suffered his first loss in August 2003 to American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Jake Shields

Jake Shields is an American mixed martial artist who is currently fighting in the welterweight division of the UFC. He is the last Rumble on the Rock 175 lb champion. He is the first and last Elite XC Welterweight Champion. He is also the former Shooto Middleweight Champion and is the former...

in a bout that would determine a contender for the vacant Shooto Middleweight Championship; Shields went on to become the first Middleweight Champion in Shooto since 2001. Kikuchi met Shields in a rematch in December 2004 and was victorious in a unanimous judges' decision, becoming the Middleweight Champion.

Following the route of training partner Norifumi Yamamoto, Kikuchi debuted in the K-1 HERO'S

HERO'S

Hero's was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion operated by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1. Grown from and branched off of K-1's earlier experiments in MMA, including the K-1 Romanex event and various MMA fights on its regular K-1...

promotion in July 2005, defeating Katsuya Inoue

Katsuya Inoue

, is a Japanese mixed martil artist. He is the former 2-time interim Welterweight King of Pancrase . He has competed in the Pancrase organization since 2004 with a 8-1-1 record. He was awarded the interim Pancrase title with a TKO victory in the finals of the Pancrase - 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament...

by first-round technical knockout. Kikuchi would secure one more knockout victory in HERO'S over former Pancrase

Pancrase

Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...

Welterweight Champion Kiuma Kunioku

Kiuma Kunioku

is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at welterweight.His hometown is Osaka, but he is currently living and training in Tokyo as freelance...

before returning to Shooto the next year.

Kikuchi was defeated in his first title defense against Shinya Aoki

Shinya Aoki

is a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police trainee who is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Aoki holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt in judo. He is one of the most prominent...

at Shooto: Victory of the Truth in February 2006, and controversy following the bout would result in the Killer Bee gym's suspension from Shooto. Norifumi Yamamoto, a key member of Killer Bee, allegedly struck and verbally assaulted a Shooto official. The official, who was examining a laceration on Kikuchi's face from the title bout immediately prior to the incident, appeared before the International Shooto Commission. In the hearings, Yamamoto apologized for the incident, and Killer Bee was relieved of the suspension six months later. Due to the suspension length, Kikuchi fought only once more in 2006

2006 in sports

2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia...

.

On February 17, 2007, exactly one year after their first encounter, Kikuchi and Shinya Aoki met for a second time in the Professional Shooto league. Aoki, the champion, defeated Kikuchi and defended the Shooto Middleweight Championship by split judges' decision.

In January 2007, it was announced that Kikuchi was entered into a welterweight tournament to be held by the World Wide Cage Network. The WWCN anticipates that the tournament champion will be sent to compete among the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

's welterweight roster. Kikuchi's first bout in the tournament, against Jared Rollins

Jared Rollins

Jared Rollins is an American professional mixed martial artist. He was formerly a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, fighting on Team Hughes. He received his brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the São Paulo based lotus club jiu-jitsu camp and black belt professor...

, was scheduled for March 17 in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

. Kikuchi was victorious in a second-round technical knockout, advancing him to the next round of the tournament. In the semi-finals of the tournament, Kikuchi fought fellow Shooto veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A student of former Shooto competitor Noboru Asahi, he has competed in Shooto, Cage Force, and the UFC...

. In what was seen as an upset, Yoshida was victorious in a first-round technical knockout due to strikes on the ground.

In early 2008, Kikuchi announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Loss
|align=center|16-4
|

Yoshiyuki Yoshida

is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A student of former Shooto competitor Noboru Asahi, he has competed in Shooto, Cage Force, and the UFC...

| Technical knockout (strikes)
| GCM: Cage Force 4
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 4:33
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|16-3
|

Ju Pyo Hong
| Technical knockout (punches

Punch (strike)

A punch is a striking blow with the fist. It is the most commonly used attack in hand to hand combat. It is used in some martial arts and combat sports, most notably boxing where it is the only type of technique allowed...

)
| GCM: Cage Force 3
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:06
|
| Non-tournament bout
|-
| Win
|align=center|15-3
|

Jared Rollins

Shinya Aoki

| Decision (split)
| Shooto: Back To Our Roots 1
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
| For Shooto Middleweight (168 pounds) Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center|14-2
|

Ronald Jhun
| Submission (armlock

Armlock

An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint and/or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyperflexes or hyperrotates the shoulder joint is referred to as a shoulder lock, and an armlock that hyperextends the elbow joint is called...

)
| Shooto: Champion Carnival
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:58
|
|
|-
| Loss
|align=center|13-2
|

Shinya Aoki

| Decision (unanimous)
| Shooto: Victory of the Truth
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
| Lost Shooto Middleweight (168 pounds) Championship
|-
| Win
|align=center|13-1
|

Kiuma Kunioku

is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently fighting at welterweight.His hometown is Osaka, but he is currently living and training in Tokyo as freelance...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Hero's 3
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|12-1
|

Katsuya Inoue

| Technical knockout (punches)
| Hero's 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:41
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|11-1
| Jason Brudvik
| Technical knockout (punches)
| Shooto 2005 (Hakata Star Lanes)
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:32
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|10-1
|

Jake Shields

Korakuen Hall

is an arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts matches. Part of Tokyo Dome City, it is one of Tokyo's biggest attractions. It opened on April 16, 1962 and has a capacity of approximately 1,800 people. The venue hosted the boxing...

)
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 2:21
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|8-1
|

Jutaro Nakao
| Decision (majority)
| Shooto 2004 (Korakuen Hall)
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|7-1
|

Sam Morgan

Sam Morgan may refer to:*Samuel Morgan, businessman* Sam Morgan , New Orleans jazz band musician & bandleader* Sam Morgan , New Zealand businessman*Sammy Morgan , Northern Irish footballer...

Jake Shields

| Decision (unanimous)
| Shooto 2003 (Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium

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....

)
|
|align=center| 3
|align=center| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|6-0
|

Seichi Ikemoto

is a Japanese mixed martial artist, with a professional MMA record of 20-17-5. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His speciality is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.-Biography and career:...

| Submission (armbar)
| Shooto 2003 (Hiroshima Sun Plaza

Hiroshima Sun Plaza

Hiroshima Sun Plaza is an arena in Hiroshima, Japan. With a capacity of 6,052, it is primarily used for indoor sports and concerts.Seijin shiki will be held every January by Hiroshima City.-Facilities:...

)
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 1:28
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|5-0
|

Toru Nakayama
| Technical knockout (punches)
| Shooto 2003 (Korakuen Hall)
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:53
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|4-0
| Kolo Koka
| Submission (keylock)
| Icon Sport: Superbrawl 27
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 3:09
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|3-0
|

Shigetoshi Iwase
| Decision (unanimous)
| Shooto: Treasure Hunt 9
|
|align=center| 2
|align=center| 5:00
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|2-0
|

Jani Lax

Jani Lax is a Swedish mixed martial artist, who competes in the Lightweight division. He has fought around the world in a number of promotions including Finnfight, M-1 Global and Shooto.-Career:...

| Submission (kimura)
| Shooto: Wanna Shooto 2
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 2:51
|
|
|-
| Win
|align=center|1-0
|

External links

Killer Bee official website

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