Norifumi Yamamoto

Norifumi Yamamoto, also known as Kid, was a Japanese mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed in the bantamweight division of the UFC. He quickly gained popularity in the Shooto organization due to his aggressive, well-rounded style and controversial persona. He moved on to K-1 Hero's, where he became the K-1 Hero's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion in December, 2005 after defeating Genki Sudo via a controversial TKO due to punches. Though by most measures he was a natural bantamweight, many of Yamamoto's most significant bouts have been in the lightweight division as it was the lightest division in Hero's. More recently, he competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the bantamweight division, although he did not perform well there, going winless in his first four fights. Yamamoto came from a wrestling family. His father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters Miyuu Yamamoto and Seiko both won world championships in freestyle wrestling. Kid received his education in the United States and wrestled at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, capturing three state championships (with a third-place finish as a freshman). During that time he lived and received training from Townsend and Tricia Saunders. He also trained briefly under Choi Mu Bae. At the age of 21, Yamamoto made a transition from wrestling to mixed martial arts despite his father's opinion that MMA is not a real sport. His first trainer in the sport was Enson Inoue, fiancé of Yamamoto's sister at the time. Yamamoto made his professional mixed martial arts debut on March 2, 2001, against Masato Shiozawa at Shooto - To The Top 2, where he won by unanimous decision. He would go on to win his next two fights, both by TKO in the first round. During this time Yamamoto faced future Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson in Honolulu, Hawaii, at Shogun 1. Yamamoto dominated Thomson with takedowns and strikes but caught an accidental kick to the groin three minutes into round two, causing the bout to be ruled a no contest. He then went on a 14-fight winning streak, defeating notable opponents such as Jeff Curran, Caol Uno, Royler Gracie, Bibiano Fernandes and Genki Sudo. He became the K-1 Hero's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion after defeating Sudo in the final. He was widely regarded as one of the best fighters in the world at his weight class and was ranked as the number one featherweight by Sherdog in 2007. Yamamoto suffered his first official loss in over seven years when he faced Joe Warren at Dream 9 in 2009. He lost by split decision in a close and controversial fight. He then lost his next fight to Masanori Kanehara by unanimous decision at K-1 Dynamite!! 2009, losing the K-1 Hero's Featherweight title. He bounced back with a knockout win over Federico Lopez at Dream 14 in 2010, but then signed with the UFC and went on a four-fight losing streak, losing to Demetrious Johnson, Darren Uyenoyama, Vaughan Lee and Roman Salazar. His last fight against Salazar ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. He announced his retirement from MMA in 2018. Yamamoto was diagnosed with cancer in August 2018 and died on September 18, 2018 at the age of 41. He was survived by his three children, Erson, Miyuu and Asen, who are also involved in combat sports. He was widely respected and admired by his fellow fighters and fans for his exciting and explosive style, his charisma and his courage. He was one of the pioneers of Japanese MMA and a legend of the sport.