Daijiro Matsui

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Daijiro Matsui
Born (1972-12-05) December 5, 1972
Okayama, Japan
Nationality Japanese
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 83.7 kg (185 lb; 13.18 st)
Division Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Style Catch wrestling, Submission wrestling
Team Takada Dojo (formerly)
Years active 1998-present (MMA)
Mixed martial arts record
Total 45
Wins 12
By knockout 1
By submission 1
By decision 8
By disqualification 2
Losses 27
By knockout 7
By submission 3
By decision 17
Draws 6
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Daijiro Matsui[1][2] (born December 5, 1972 in Okayama) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He currently competes in the Middleweight division but has also fought as a Light Heavyweight. Although he is perhaps best-known for his numerous appearances in the Pride Fighting Championships, Matsui has also appeared in other well-known organizations such as Pancrase, King of the Cage, DEEP, and the Cage Rage Championships. Matsui is known for his unorthodox striking, including the use of the shoulder strike from the guard. He also used forward rolls and cartwheel kicks in an attempt to draw his opponents to the ground.[3]

Mixed martial arts career

PRIDE

Matsui transitioned to mixed martial arts from professional wrestling and trained under the legendary Nobuhiko Takada at the Takada Dojo for much of his career along with Kazushi Sakuraba. Matsui made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 1998 at Pride 3 against Akira "Mr. Pride" Shoji and the bout ended in a draw. In his next bout at Pride 4, he faced future Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion Sanae Kikuta. This bout also ended in a draw because of the time-limit on bouts in the organization at that time.

At Pride 6, Matsui fought against future UFC Welterweight Champion and fan-favorite, Carlos Newton. In an entertaining fight, Matsui fended off many submission attempts from the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist. However, Newton's superior striking and grappling would give him the victory, handing the Japanese fighter his first professional loss via unanimous decision. Matsui fought again at Pride 7 against Dutch kickboxer "Dirty" Bob Schrijber. Matsui was impressive, holding his own against the striker and taking advantage of his superior wrestling skills. Controversy ensued when Matsui was punched in his face while being attended to by the referee because of a problem with his gloves. The two fighters exchanged heated words had to be prevented from brawling before the fight was continued. Soon, after a takedown attempt by Matsui, Schrijber fell through the ropes and brutally landed on a table ringside. Well after the bell marking the end of the first round sounded, Schrijber landed a powerful kick to the back of Matsui, who was still down on the ground. The foul immediately resulted in a disqualification win for Matsui, and the first win of his career.

Matsui's next appearance for the organization was at Pride 8 where he faced future Pride Middleweight Champion and future Pride 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion, Wanderlei Silva. Outmatched from the beginning of the fight, Matsui was rocked with a series of knees from the clinch and punches from the Brazilian, but demonstrated his heart and continued to battle against one of the best fighters in the organization's history, but ultimately lost in a unanimous decision. Matsui then fought against Ukrainian kickboxer Igor Vovchanchyn at Pride 9. Matsui was "finished" the first time in his career after the referee called a stop to the bout at 5:03 into the first round. Matsui's next bout for the organization was at Pride 10 against former UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion and future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. Matsui was handed his third consecutive loss, via unanimous decision.

Matsui returned to PRIDE at PRIDE 14 to fight Brazilian Vale Tudo legend Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons, Matsui being a heavy underdog heading into the fight with a 2-6-2 record. At the beginning of the first round, Matsui was almost rendered unconscious by a knee strike from Landi-Jons but continued to fight, fending off a rear-naked choke submission attempt and defended an armbar attempt by picking up Landi-Jons and dropping him on his head twice. Landi-Jons landed a series of illegal elbows to the back of Matsui, resulting in a yellow card from the referee which brought the fight back to the feet. Matsui then took down Landi-Jons and utilized the ground and pound technique until the end of the first round, and continued to use unorthodox strikes and superior wrestling until the end of the fight, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the sport at that time. Matsui's next opponent was Ebenezer Fontes Braga at Pride 15 and Matsui lost via unanimous decision. In his next bout at Pride 16, Matsui faced the future EliteXC Middleweight Champion, Murilo "Ninja" Rua. Matsui was rocked with many stomps and soccer kicks throughout the bout, and the fight was eventually stopped in the beginning of the third round.

Matsui then fought against future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at Pride 18 and Matsui won via disqualification after he was hit in the groin at in the beginning of the fight. Matsui then fought Rodrigo Gracie at Pride 19 and lost via guillotine choke submission in the third round. The submission was controversial as Gracie held onto the choke for a significantly long time after Matsui had tapped out. Matsui's next appearance was at Pride Shockwave against Dutch kickboxer Jerrel Venetiaan. Matsui lost the bout via split decision after Venetiaan was able to utilize superior striking, especially with powerful kicks. Matsui then fought Rory Singer at Pride The Best Vol. 3 and won via unanimous decision, and then followed this up with another unanimous decision win over Kazuki Okubo at Pride 24, which would be Matsui's last appearance for the organization.

Post-PRIDE

Matsui's next bout was two years later against Ryo Chonan in the DEEP organization and lost in a majority decision before going 0-2-1 in his next three bouts against the likes of Paulo Filho, Brian Foster, and Elvis Sinosic, respectively. In the Pancrase 2005 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals, Matsui picked up his first win in three years with a TKO over Daisuke Watanbe. To date, this is the only TKO/KO win of his career.

Cage Rage

Matsui made his debut for the England-based Cage Rage organization a year later against former Alex Reid and fought to a draw. In his next bout, Matsui faced former UFC veteran Curtis Stout and won via majority decision. Matsui then lost three consecutive bouts before defeating future BAMMA Middleweight Champion and current UFC veteran, Tom "Kong" Watson with an armbar submission, the only submission win of Matsui's career to date. Matsui lost his last fight for the organization against Mark Weir.

Other ventures

Since the demise of the Cage Rage organization, Matsui has exclusively fought in Japan, mostly for the DEEP organization. However, he has struggled, going 3-11-2 in his last 16 fights.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves

Mixed martial arts record

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 12-27-6 Kazuhiro Nakamura KO (knee & punches) DEEP: King Kaz Fight in Fukuyama June 30, 2013 1 1:30
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 12-26-6 Keiichiro Yamamiya Decision (points) U-Spirits: U-Spirits Again March 9, 2013 1 15:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 12-25-6 Eiji Ishikawa Decision (unanimous) Grabaka Live 2 October 27, 2012 2 5:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 12-24-6 Hiromitsu Kanehara Draw (majority) DEEP: 57 Impact February 18, 2012 2 5:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 12-24-5 Hiroki Ozaki Draw DEEP: Tokyo Impact 2 June 5, 2011 2 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 12-24-4 Tomoaki Hata Decision (unanimous) DEEP: Cage Impact 2010 in Hamamatsu September 19, 2010 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 11-24-4 Dool Hee Lee Decision (split) Gladiator FC 6 April 25, 2010 2 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 11-23-4 Il Chul Park Decision (split) Gladiator FC: Japan-Korea International Friendship Rally November 3, 2009 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10-23-4 Daniel Madrid Submission (inverted triangle choke) Art of War 14 September 26, 2009 2 4:19
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10-22-4 Min Suk Heo TKO (punches) DEEP: Grachan 2 July 12, 2009 1 3:08
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10-21-4 Ichiro Kanai Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) Pancrase: Shining 10 December 7, 2008 1 2:25
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10-20-4 Lee Eun-Soo Decision (unanimous) DEEP: Gladiator August 16, 2008 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 10-19-4 Yuichi Nakanishi Decision (unanimous) DEEP: 35 Impact May 19, 2008 2 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 10-18-4 Young Choi Decision (split) DEEP: 34 Impact February 22, 2008 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 9-18-4 Carlos Toyota TKO (punches) DEEP: clubDEEP Kanazawa December 9, 2007 2 2:22
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 9-17-4 Mark Weir Decision (unanimous) Cage Rage 21 April 21, 2007 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 9-16-4 Tom Watson Submission (armbar) Cage Rage 20 February 10, 2007 1 0:59
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 8-16-4 Flavio Luiz Moura Decision (unanimous) DEEP: 26th Impact October 10, 2006 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 8-15-4 Yuki Kondo Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Blow 6 August 27, 2006 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 8-14-4 Pierre Guillet TKO (cut) Cage Rage 17 July 1, 2006 2 4:08
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 8-13-4 Curtis Stout Decision (majority) Cage Rage 15 February 4, 2006 3 5:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 7-13-4 Alex Reid Draw Cage Rage 14 December 3, 2005 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 7-13-3 Daisuke Watanabe TKO (doctor stoppage) Pancrase: 2005 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals August 27, 2005 2 5:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 6-13-3 Elvis Sinosic Draw Pancrase: Spiral 5 July 10, 2005 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6-13-2 Brian Foster KO (knee) Shoot Boxing: Ground Zero Fukuoka January 23, 2005 1 2:28
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6-12-2 Paulo Filho Decision (unanimous) Gladiator FC: Day 2 June 27, 2004 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 6-11-2 Ryo Chonan Decision (majority) DEEP: 13th Impact January 22, 2004 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 6-10-2 Kazuki Okubo Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 24 December 23, 2002 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 5-10-2 Rory Singer Decision (unanimous) PRIDE The Best Vol.3 October 20, 2002 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4-10-2 Jerrel Venetiaan Decision (split) PRIDE Shockwave August 28, 2002 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 4-9-2 Rodrigo Gracie Submission (guillotine choke) PRIDE 19 February 24, 2002 3 0:28
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 4-8-2 Quinton Jackson DQ (knee to groin) PRIDE 18 December 23, 2001 1 0:14
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3-8-2 Murilo Rua TKO (soccer kicks and stomps) PRIDE 16 September 24, 2001 3 0:51
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 3-7-2 Ebenezer Fontes Braga Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 15 July 29, 2001 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 3-6-2 José Landi-Jons Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 14 May 27, 2001 3 5:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 2-6-2 Rick Kerns Decision (unanimous) KOTC 8 - Bombs Away April 29, 2001 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1-6-2 Amir Rahnavardi Decision (unanimous) KOTC 5 - Cage Wars September 16, 2000 3 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1-5-2 Vitor Belfort Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 10 August 27, 2000 2 10:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1-4-2 Todd Medina Decision KOTC 4 - Gladiators June 24, 2000 2 5:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1-3-2 Igor Vovchanchyn TKO (doctor stoppage) PRIDE 9 June 4, 2000 1 5:03
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 1-2-2 Wanderlei Silva Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 8 November 21, 1999 2 10:00
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win 1-1-2 Bob Schrijber DQ (kicked after bell) PRIDE 7 September 12, 1999 1 10:00
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss 0-1-2 Carlos Newton Decision (unanimous) PRIDE 6 July 4, 1999 3 5:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 0-0-2 Sanae Kikuta Draw (time limit) PRIDE 4 October 11, 1998 3 10:00
style="background:#c5d2ea; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-draw" |Draw 0-0-1 Akira Shoji Draw (time limit) PRIDE 3 June 24, 1998 4 10:00

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Profile at Puroresu Central". Puroresu Central. Retrieved 2014-02-04. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Profile at Oocities". Oocities. Retrieved 2014-02-04. 
  3. "Impressive win for Weir". Gloucester Citizen. 2007-05-05. 

External links

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