Hiroko Yamanaka - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

, more commonly known simply as Hiroko (styled in capitals) and nickname

Nickname

A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....

d or Cat's Eye, is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

female mixed martial arts

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...

(MMA) fighter. She currently fights in Strikeforce

Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

, formerly competing in Jewels

Jewels (mixed martial arts)

Jewels is a mixed martial arts organization owned by Marverous Japan Co., Ltd. focused on female fighters. It's the direct successor of Smackgirl...

and was the final Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the promotion was sold to Marverous Japan Co.,Ltd...

Open Weight Champion.

Yamanaka is currently the #2 featherweight

Featherweight (MMA)

The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...

(136-145 pounds) according to the Unified Women's Mixed Martial Arts Rankings and is ranked #9 pound for pound

Pound for pound

Pound for pound is a term to describe how any two things compare when bearing in mind their varying quantities; for example, a tin of tomatoes weighing 250 g and costing $2.50 is more expensive, pound for pound, than one weighing 500 g and costing $4 .It is used in combat sports such as boxing or...

by MMARising.com.

Early life

Yamanaka was born on October 24, 1978 in Kisarazu, Chiba

Kisarazu, Chiba

is a city located in Chiba, Japan. As of September 2010, Kisarazu has an estimated population of 126,906 and a density of 915 persons per km². The total area was 138.73 km²....

, 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...

. Through a personal friend’s suggestion, Yamanaka initially took on mixed martial arts for health and fitness purposes only. After time, she found the sport of MMA agreed with her physicality and became more involved, fighting her first official match in May of 2006.

Mixed martial arts career

Her first MMA fight was a draw against Mariko Fujimoto in a match with Smackgirl

Smackgirl

amateur

Amateur sports

Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...

rules on at S-Keep: Eggs Fight 4.

Her next fight was in the Super Gals Mix Cup Open Weight Tournament 1st Round against Rie Murakami, whom Yamanaka defeated by unanimous decision on at Smackgirl: Legend of Extreme Women. This was her professional debut.

Yamanaka would go on to win the Super Gals Mix Cup Open Weight Tournament by defeating Yuiga by unanimous decision on and Michiko Takeda by split decision on .

On at Smackgirl: Queens' Hottest Summer, Yamanaka defeated champion Yoko Takahashi

Yoko Takahashi (fighter)

is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer and former boxer and professional wrestler. Takahashi is a former Smackgirl open weight champion...

by unanimous decision and won the Smackgirl Open Weight Championship, becoming the fourth and final title holder. Yamanaka was defeated for the first time in a non-title bout as part of the Open Weight World ReMix tournament by Hitomi Akano

Hitomi Akano

, is a Japanese female mixed martial artist. She uses a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music.Akano is a former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds...

, who submitted Yamanaka with an armbar

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...

on at Smackgirl: World ReMix 2008 Second Round. This was Yamanaka's last fight in Smackgirl since the promotion folded in the following months.

Yamanaka made her debut in the Jewels promotion on , defeating Mayumi Aoki

Mayumi Aoki (fighter)

, better known in Japan by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Aoki has fought in MMA promotions Smackgirl, Jewels and Valkyrie.-Background:Aoki was born on in Aichi Prefecture, Japan...

by unanimous decision at Jewels 1st Ring
Jewels 1st Ring
Jewels 1st Ring, originally was the inaugural mixed martial arts event of the then newly created women's MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

.

At Jewels 2nd Ring
Jewels 2nd Ring
Jewels 2nd Ring, was a mixed martial arts event, the second of women's MMA promotion Jewels. The event was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

on , Yamanaka once again faced Michiko Takeda and defeated her for the second time; this time by TKO at 3:25 of the second round. On , Yamanaka defeated Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett

Joshua Lawrence Barnett is an American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who currently fights in the heavyweight division of Strikeforce. Barnett has been an accomplished fighter in mixed martial arts, winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the King of Pancrase Openweight...

's student Shannon Hooper by unanimous decision during the event Jewels 3rd Ring
Jewels 3rd Ring
Jewels 3rd Ring, was a mixed martial arts event held by promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

.

Yamanaka would avenge her only loss at Jewels 7th Ring
Jewels 7th Ring
Jewels 7th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by MMA promotion Jewels. It was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

when she defeated Hitomi Akano by split decision on . Unlike their first open-weight match, this match was contracted at 143 lb (64.9 kg) and, for the first time in her career, Yamanaka had to cut weight; cutting more than 20 lbs. On , Yamanaka defeated Atsuko Emoto by unanimous decision at Jewels 8th Ring
Jewels 8th Ring
Jewels 8th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Koto, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

. Emoto announced her retirement after the fight.

Debuting with the Shoot boxing

Shoot boxing

Shoot boxing is both a combat sport and a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985....

promotion, Yamanaka won by forearm choke

Chokehold

A chokehold or choke is a general term for grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air or blood from passing through the neck of an opponent. The restriction may be of one or both and depends on the hold used and the reaction of the victim...

submission against Australian

Australian people

Australian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...

Muay Thai

Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...

kickboxing

Kickboxing

Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....

champion Sandy Furner on in an MMA bout at Shoot Boxing: Girls S-Cup 2010. Yamanaka was originally set to face Olympic

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...

Bronze medal

A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

winner Randi Miller

Randi Miller

Randi Miller is an American wrestler, who competed in the 63 kg weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal. She is now making a transition to Mixed Martial Arts.-Mixed martial arts career:...

, but Miller was forced to withdraw due to injury.

On , Yamanaka was announced as facing Miller at Jewels 11th Ring
Jewels 11th Ring
Jewels 11th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan....

on December 17. However, the fight was later cancelled. Yamanaka faced Molly Helsel instead and defeated Helsel by TKO in the second round.

Yamanaka faced Bolormaa "Esui" Erdenebileg

Esui

Bolormaa Erdenebileg , better known by her ring name is a Mongolian female pro-wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is considered as Mongolia's first female wrestler and also the first female mixed martial artist from Mongolia....

at Jewels 15th Ring
Jewels 15th Ring
Jewels 15th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by promotion Jewels on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.As in the previous Jewels event, 15th Ring featured a Jewels vs. Valkyrie theme, pitting fighters from both promotions in four bouts that ended with two victories for each...

on . She defeated Esui by armbar submission in the second round.

On September 23, 2011, Strikeforce

Strikeforce

Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...

announced that Yamanaka will debut for the promotion against featherweight champion Cristiane Santos

Cristiane Santos

Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion . Santos won the title on August 15, 2009 by defeating Gina Carano via TKO...

. The fight is expected to take place at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal on .

Submission grappling

Yamanaka made her debut in submission wrestling

Submission wrestling

Submission wrestling or Combat wrestling in Japan, is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds...

in the 2006 Smackgirl Grappling Queen Tournament, being defeated by American

People of the United States

The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...

fighter Roxanne Modafferi

Roxanne Modafferi

Roxanne Modafferi is an American female mixed martial artist.-Biography:Modafferi's training began in taekwondo as a teenager in Pennsylvania, moving on to Mark Lawler's Kenpō Karate two years later. Full of confidence, she then began attending the Dalton Judo Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...

by decision. She fought two more times on at Gi grappling 2008, first winning against Akiko Naito and then losing against Sayaka Shioda.

Shoot boxing career

Yamanaka debuted in Shoot boxing on at the 2009 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup. She faced Mayumi "Super Benkei" Aoki

Mayumi Aoki (fighter)

, whom Yamanaka had previously defeated in MMA, and won the fight by TKO in round one.

On , Yamanaka faced Megumi Yabushita

Megumi Yabushita

is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and judoka. She has participated in several Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions. She is a Japanese national judo champion and a former Smackgirl open weight champion and tournament...

in a shoot boxing match at the 2011 Shoot Boxing Girls S-Cup. She won the fight by TKO (doctor stoppage) after Yabushita suffered a knee injury in round three.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
| align=center| 12-1-0
|

Esui

| Submission (armbar)
| Jewels 15th Ring

Jewels 15th Ring

Jewels 15th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by promotion Jewels on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.As in the previous Jewels event, 15th Ring featured a Jewels vs. Valkyrie theme, pitting fighters from both promotions in four bouts that ended with two victories for each...

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...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 11-1-0
|

Molly Helsel
| TKO (punches)
| Jewels 11th Ring

Jewels 11th Ring

Jewels 11th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Korakuen Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan....

Bunkyo, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 10-1-0
|

Sandy Furner
| Submission (forearm choke)
| Shoot Boxing

Shoot boxing

Shoot boxing is both a combat sport and a stand-up fighting promotion company based in Tokyo, Japan. The organization was founded by former kickboxer Caesar Takeshi in 1985....

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 9-1-0
|

Atsuko Emoto
| Decision (unanimous)
| Jewels 8th Ring

Jewels 8th Ring

Jewels 8th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Koto, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 8-1-0
|

Hitomi Akano

, is a Japanese female mixed martial artist. She uses a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music.Akano is a former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds...

| Decision (split)
| Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by MMA promotion Jewels. It was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 7-1-0
|

Shannon Hooper
| Decision (unanimous)
| Jewels 3rd Ring

Jewels 3rd Ring

Jewels 3rd Ring, was a mixed martial arts event held by promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 6-1-0
|

Michiko Takeda
| TKO (punches)
| Jewels 2nd Ring

Jewels 2nd Ring

Jewels 2nd Ring, was a mixed martial arts event, the second of women's MMA promotion Jewels. The event was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 5-1-0
|

Mayumi Aoki

Mayumi Aoki (fighter)

| Decision (unanimous)
| Jewels 1st Ring

Jewels 1st Ring

Jewels 1st Ring, originally was the inaugural mixed martial arts event of the then newly created women's MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Japan

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 4-1-0
|

Hitomi Akano

, is a Japanese female mixed martial artist. She uses a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music.Akano is a former Smackgirl Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds...

| Submission (armbar)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 4-0-0
|

Yoko Takahashi

Yoko Takahashi (fighter)

is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter and kickboxer and former boxer and professional wrestler. Takahashi is a former Smackgirl open weight champion...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 3-0-0
|

Michiko Takeda
| Decision (split)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 2-0-0
|

Yuiga
| Decision (unanimous)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 1-0-0
|

Rie Murakami
| Decision (unanimous)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

Submission grappling

{| class="toccolours" width=100% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#A9A9A9" | Submission grappling record
|- valign="top"
|
Legend:

Shoot boxing record

{| class="toccolours" width=100% style="clear:both; margin:1.5em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan=2 style="background:#A9A9A9" | Shoot boxing record
|- valign="top"
|
Legend:

Championships and accomplishments

Smackgirl Open Weight Champion
Super Gals Mix Cup Open Weight Tournament winner

External links

Profile at Fightergirls.com
Jewels profile
Official blog
Official blog (old) (Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...

)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.