Akira Kikuchi

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Akira Kikuchi
Statistics
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 167 lb (76 kg)
Nationality Flag of Japan Japanese
Born July 23, 1978(1978-07-23)
Fighting out of Tokyo, Japan
Town of birth Miyagi-ken, Japan
Team/Association Krazy Bee
Fighting style Judo, wrestling
Mixed martial arts record
Wins 16
  By knockout 5
  By submission 7
Losses 4
Draws 0

Akira Kikuchi (菊地昭 Kikuchi Akira?, born July 23, 1978) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist and a former Shooto World Middleweight Champion – commonly known as the welterweight division in the United States and Canada.[1] He trains alongside Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto with the Killer Bee team.

Contents

[edit] Career

Kikuchi began his mixed martial arts career in the Shooto leagues. As an amateur, Kikuchi won the 2001 All-Japan Shooto Championship.[2] Turning professional, Kikuchi defeated his first five opponents in the organization and one additional opponent in Hawaii's Superbrawl Icon Sport. He suffered his first loss in August 2003 to American Jake Shields 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 promotion in July 2005, defeating Katsuya Inoue by first-round technical knockout. Kikuchi would secure one more knockout victory in HERO'S over former Pancrase Welterweight Champion Kiuma Kunioku before returning to Shooto the next year.

Kikuchi was defeated in his first title defense against Shinya Aoki 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.[3] Due to the suspension length, Kikuchi fought only once more in 2006.[4]

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's welterweight roster.[5] Kikuchi's first bout in the tournament, against Jared Rollins, was scheduled for March 17 in Tokyo.[6] Kikuchi was victorious in a second-round technical knockout, advancing him to the next round of the tournament.[7] In the semi-finals of the tournament, Kikuchi fought fellow Shooto veteran Yoshiyuki Yoshida. In what was seen as an upset, Yoshida was victorious in a first-round technical knockout due to strikes on the ground.[8]

In early 2008, Kikuchi announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.[9]

[edit] Mixed martial arts record

16 Wins (5 (T) KOs, 7 submissions, 4 decisions), 4 Losses (1 (T)KO, 3 decisions)
Date Result Opponent Event Method Round Time Notes
09/08/2007
Loss
Yoshiyuki Yoshida GCM: Cage Force 4 Technical knockout (strikes)
1
4:33
06/09/2007
Win
Ju Pyo Hong GCM: Cage Force 3 Technical knockout (punches)
1
3:06
Non-tournament bout
03/17/2007
Win
Jared Rollins GCM: Cage Force 2 Technical knockout (punches)
2
1:34
02/17/2007
Loss
Shinya Aoki Shooto: Back To Our Roots 1 Decision (split)
3
5:00
Shooto Middleweight Championship bout
10/14/2006
Win
Ronald Jhun Shooto: Champion Carnival Submission (armlock)
1
1:58
02/17/2006
Loss
Shinya Aoki Shooto: Victory of the Truth Decision (unanimous)
3
5:00
Shooto Middleweight Championship bout
09/07/2005
Win
Kiuma Kunioku K-1 HERO'S 3 Decision (unanimous)
3
5:00
07/06/2005
Win
Katsuya Inoue K-1 HERO'S 2 Technical knockout (punches)
1
1:41
04/23/2005
Win
Jason Brudvik Shooto 2005 (Hakata Star Lanes) Technical knockout (punches)
1
2:32
12/14/2004
Win
Jake Shields Shooto 2004: Year-end Show Decision (unanimous)
3
5:00
Shooto Middleweight Championship bout;
Kikuchi becomes Middleweight Champion
09/26/2004
Win
Ramunas Komas Shooto 2004 (Korakuen Hall) Submission (armbar)
2
2:21
05/03/2004
Win
Jutaro Nakao Shooto 2004 (Korakuen Hall) Decision (majority)
3
5:00
03/04/2004
Win
Sam Morgan Shooto 2004 (Kitazawa Town Hall) Submission (armbar)
1
2:51
08/10/2003
Loss
Jake Shields Shooto 2003 (Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium) Decision (unanimous)
3
5:00
06/27/2003
Win
Seichi Ikemoto Shooto 2003 (Hiroshima Sun Plaza) Submission (armbar)
2
1:28
02/23/2003
Win
Toru Nakayama Shooto 2003 (Korakuen Hall) Technical knockout (punches)
1
2:53
11/09/2002
Win
Kolo Koka Icon Sport: Superbrawl 27 Submission (keylock)
1
3:09
07/27/2002
Win
Shigetoshi Iwase Shooto: Treasure Hunt 9 Decision (unanimous)
2
5:00
04/14/2002
Win
Jani Lax Shooto: Wanna Shooto 2 Submission (kimura)
1
2:51
01/25/2002
Win
Yoichi Fukumoto Shooto-Treasure Hunt 2 Submission (armbar)
1
3:18


Previous champion
Jake Shields
7th Shooto Middleweight Champion

December 14, 2004February 17, 2006

Next champion
Shinya Aoki

[edit] References and footnotes

  1. ^ The welterweight division, as designated by the NSAC, suits competitors between 156 and 170 lb (71 and 77 kg).
  2. ^ Breen, Jordan. "Koubousen Companion: News And Notes From Japan", Sherdog.com, 2006-09-21. Retrieved on 2007-02-19. 
  3. ^ Breen, Jordan. "Shooto Commission Reinstates KILLER BEE, Not "Kid"", Sherdog.com, 2006-07-31. Retrieved on 2007-02-19. 
  4. ^ Breen, Jordan. "Shooto Middleweight Title on the Line Saturday", Sherdog.com, 2007-02-16. Retrieved on 2007-02-19. 
  5. ^ Breen, Jordan. "GCM Hopes Tournament Talent Will Be UFC-Bound", Sherdog.com, 2007-01-18. Retrieved on 2007-02-19. 
  6. ^ Breen, Jordan. "Koubousen Companion: News And Notes From Japan", Sherdog.com, 2007-03-06. Retrieved on 2007-03-06. 
  7. ^ Nowe, Jason. "Fighters Advance In Cageforce Tournaments", Sherdog.com, 2007-03-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-17. 
  8. ^ Loiseleur, Tony. "Cage Force Tournaments Progress", Sherdog.com, 2007-09-08. Retrieved on 2007-09-08. 
  9. ^ Breen, Jordan. "Shooto Sends Off Talented Kikuchi", Sherdog.com, 2007-01-25. Retrieved on 2007-03-21. 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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