Rin Nakai - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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 artist and judoka. She has participated in MMA promotions 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...

, 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...

and Valkyrie

Valkyrie (mixed martial arts)

Valkyrie, sometimes styled VALKYRIE in capitals, is a women mixed martial arts promotion. It's the sister of Japanese MMA promotion Cage Force, both operated by Greatest Common Multiple Communication...

.

Nakai is ranked as the #4 featherweight (136-145 pounds) in the Unified Women's Mixed Martial Arts Rankings.

Background

Nakai was born on October 22, 1986 in Matsuyama

Matsuyama, Ehime

is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....

, Ehime Prefecture

Ehime Prefecture

is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

, 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...

. She started training in judo

Judo

is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...

at the age of three. She was ranked #5 in judo in all of Japan in middle school

Middle school

Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

and #3 in senior high school.

Mixed martial arts career

Nakai debuted on , defeating Asuka Ito by TKO after breaking Ito's nose at Pancrase 2006 Blow Tour.

On , Nakai defeated Kazue Matake by unanimous decision at Smackgirl: The Queen Said The USA Is Strongest.

Nakai continued her winning streak

Winning streak (sports)

In sports, a winning streak refers to a consecutive number of games won. A winning streak can be held by a team, as in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or by an individual, as in tennis...

at Smackgirl: Queens' Hottest Summer, held on , where she submitted 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...

expert Asha Ingeneri 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...

.

In the Smackgirl: World ReMix 2008 Second Round, Nakai defeated Kanako Takeshita by split decision on .

During Pancrase 2008 Shining Tour, Nakai earned her second TKO victory by defeating Tomomi Sunaba

Tomomi Sunaba

, better known in Japan by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Sunaba has fought in several kickboxing and MMA promotions....

with punches on .

After fourteen months without professional MMA matches, Nakai debuted with promotion Valkyrie on , defeating Mizuho Sato by submission due to a Kimura at Valkyrie 04.

At Valkyrie 06, Nakai defeated former Smackgirl Open Weight Champion 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...

by unanimous decision on .

Remaining undefeated, Nakai defeated 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 armbar submission at Valkyrie 07 on during the semi-finals of the tournament to determine Valkyrie's first Open Weight Champion.

Nakai faced Mizuho Sato a second time at Valkyrie 08 on in the finals of the Valkyrie Open Weight Tournament. She defeated Sato by TKO after the doctor stopped the fight before the start of the second round due to an injury to Sato's left eye caused by Nakai's striking. Nakai was awarded the victory and became Valkyrie's first open weight champion.

Nakai faced Mika Harigai at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight on . She defeated Harigai by submission due to a keylock in the first round.

On , Nakai faced Danielle West at Pancrase Impressive Tour 9. The fight ended in a split draw after three rounds.

Grappling career

Prior to making her MMA debut, as a freelance

Freelancer

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...

, Nakai had four grappling

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...

matches on at Smackgirl Grappling Queen Tournament 2006 in the middleweight tournament. She defeated Harumi by armbar and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship

The ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship is a competition involving professional athletes who have been successful at the highest levels of jiu-jitsu, wrestling, judo, sambo, shooto and mixed martial arts...

2007 finalist Felicia Oh

Felicia Oh

Felicia Linda Oh is an Asian American black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under senior instructor Jean Jacques Machado, an accomplished submission grappling competitor, martial arts instructor, and college professor.-Biography:Felicia began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in early 2001 after being...

by points (10-4). She lost against Takayo Hashi

Takayo Hashi

by points (4-17) and Akiko Ninomiya by referee decision after drawing in points (0-0, advantages 2-2), and finished in fourth place.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Draw
| align=center| 10–0–1
|

Ariake, Tokyo

is a location within Kōtō, Tokyo, Japan. It is best known as the region adjacent to and directly east of Odaiba. Airake is subdivided into four chome and comprises part of the Tokyo Bay Landfill #10 and Tokyo Rinkai Satellite City Center....

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 442,271 and a population density of 11,070 persons per km². The total area is 39.48 km². The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English....

, 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...

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 10–0–0
|

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 9–0–0
|

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 8–0–0
|

Mayumi Aoki

Mayumi Aoki (fighter)

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 7–0–0
|

Megumi Yabushita

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 6–0–0
|

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 5–0–0
|

Tomomi Sunaba

, better known in Japan by her ring name , is a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer. Sunaba has fought in several kickboxing and MMA promotions....

| TKO (punches)
| Pancrase

Pancrase

Ariake, Tokyo

, Koto

Koto, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 4–0–0
|

Kanako Takeshita
| Decision (split)
| Smackgirl

Smackgirl

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| 3–0–0
|

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 2–0–0
|

Bunkyo, Tokyo

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, Japan

Japan

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 1–0–0
|

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

, Osaka Prefecture

Osaka Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

, Japan

Japan

Submission grappling record

Submission grappling record
*Legend*:

External links

Profile at Fightergirls.com
Profile at 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...
Official blog
Official blog (old)

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