Yuichiro Nagashima

Nagashima
Nagashima
Born	1984; Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan
Occupation(s)	Kickboxer, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, cosplayer
Years active	2006–2021
Known for	K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament champion, NJKF Super welterweight champion

is a former Japanese athlete known for his careers in kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and as a cosplayer, particularly recognized for his involvement in the K-1 circuit.

Biography

Born in 1984 in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Nagashima began practicing Judo during his elementary school years and continued until completing middle school. During high school, he occasionally trained in Karate. Although he initially aimed to become a professional wrestler, his stature led him to pursue fighting disciplines instead.

Mixed martial arts

While enrolled at the University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences, Nagashima joined a Nippon Kempo team and intensified his training regimen. He made his professional debut in mixed martial arts and became notable for incorporating anime character cosplay into his ring entrances.

Kickboxing

In 2007, Nagashima shifted his focus exclusively to kickboxing, earning the moniker "Otaku Kickboxer" due to his anime-themed appearances before fights. He launched his kickboxing career with ten straight victories competing under organizations such as Deep, Mars, and the New Japan Kickboxing Federation (NJKF). On November 9, 2008, he captured the vacant NJKF Super welterweight championship by defeating Teruaki Furukawa, becoming the first fighter outside an NJKF-affiliated gym to secure an NJKF title. Subsequently, on January 25, 2009, he was honored with the NJKF's Outstanding Performance Award for 2008 alongside three other accolades from combat sports media outlets.

K-1

Following his NJKF title triumph, Nagashima entered the K-1 arena, participating in the K-1 World MAX 2009 Japan Tournament held on February 23, 2009. He achieved a knockout victory over Hayato in the quarterfinals but was stopped by TKO due to a cut sustained against Yuya Yamamoto in the semifinals.

Afterward, on April 21, he faced Dutch fighter Albert Kraus. The match was preceded by intense verbal exchanges, including Kraus’s taunts and Nagashima’s challenge that Kraus cosplay as Yoko Littner should he lose. Despite this bravado, Nagashima was knocked out in the first round. On October 26, he fought Xu Yan from China, who trained at Masato's gym; however, Nagashima again suffered a first-round knockout. Despite these defeats, he earned the 2009 Walkout of the Year award from Inside MMA on HDNet.

Nagashima captured the K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament title on March 27, 2010, delivering three straight knockout wins. To concentrate on global competition schedules, he relinquished his NJKF championship on April 1 due to conflicts with title defense commitments.

At Dynamite!! 2010 on December 31, Nagashima competed against judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Shinya Aoki in a mixed-rules contest blending kickboxing and MMA rounds. After enduring a tactical kickboxing round, Nagashima secured victory with an early flying knee knockout during the MMA segment.

On October 28, 2012, Nagashima contested against Henri van Opstal at REBELS 13 in Tokyo for qualification into the Shoot Boxing World Tournament 2012, losing by unanimous decision. Later that year on December 31 at Glory 4: Tokyo - 2012 Heavyweight Grand Slam, he faced Robin van Roosmalen, suffering a unanimous decision defeat after being knocked down in the opening round.

On June 16, 2013, at Hoost Cup: Kings in Nagoya, Nagashima lost by unanimous decision to Yoshihiro Sato. He ended a sequence of three consecutive losses by defeating Hiroki Shishido via unanimous decision at Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013 held on November 15, 2013.

Professional wrestling

Nagashima made his first appearance in the puroresu circuit with Pro Wrestling ZERO1 on March 6, 2011, where he challenged newcomer Daichi Hashimoto and trained under the guidance of Shinjiro Otani. Despite Hashimoto being his original opponent, Nagashima's debut match was against seasoned wrestler Kohei Sato, which took place on May 5 at Korakuen Hall and ended in Nagashima’s favor. His debut showcased a high level of technical proficiency and earned considerable acclaim. On June 14, Nagashima partnered with former yokozuna and K-1 competitor Akebono to secure a victory over Hashimoto and Otani. Later that year, he joined forces with Hashimoto and Otani to defeat the team of Ryoji Sai, Kamikaze, and Munenori Sawa.

Nagashima set his sights on facing Masahiro Chono in the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), where although he was defeated, he built momentum through significant victories against Munenori Sawa and Bob Sapp. Upon returning to Zero1, he engaged in a rivalry with Fujita Hayato, concluding the year with a defeat before shifting focus back to kickboxing. In 2013, Nagashima resumed competing in IGF professional wrestling, achieving successive wins over Black Tiger.

Lethwei

In February 2020, Nagashima entered the Lethwei arena facing Burmese fighter Aut Chin Thwai but suffered a loss due to a leg injury sustained in the third round. Notably, he donned his initial anime cosplay as Haruhi Suzumiya, marking this bout as his final competitive fight.

Retirement

Nagashima’s retirement exhibition occurred on September 23, 2021, during DEEP☆KICK 55, where he competed alongside Shohei Asahara, Yasuomi Soda, and Yusaku Nakamura. He wore the same Miku Hatsune costume from his 2008 K-1 championship appearance and expressed heartfelt appreciation for the support received from fans throughout his 14-year professional journey.

Titles

Professional
- Champion of the 2010 K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament
- First New Japan Kickboxing Federation Super welterweight titleholder in 2008
- Winner of the MARS Blaster Bout tournament A block in 2008
- RR Lightweight tournament champion in 2006
Amateur
- Fourth place at the 7th West Japan Championship for Kempo in 2006
- Champion of the 8th Kakuto Yuseikai Karate tournament
- Runner-up at the 61st National Sports Festival for Nippon Kempo in 2006

Awards

Outstanding Performance Award from NJKF in 2008
Recipient of the Kakutogi Tsushin Award by NJKF in 2008
Fullcontact KARATE Award granted by NJKF in 2008
BoutReview Award presented by NJKF in 2008
Named Walkout of the Year by Inside MMA on HDNet in 2009

Lethwei record

Kickboxing record

|- style="background:#fbb;" |2018-01-27 || Defeat ||align=left| Qiu Jianliang|| Glory of Heroes: Qingdao || Qingdao, China || TKO (Punches) || 3 || 1:23 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2017-11-26 || Defeat ||align=left| Chuchai Kaewsamrit|| HOOST CUP KINGS OSAKA 2 || Osaka, Japan || Unanimous Decision ||3||3:00 |- style="background:#fbb;" |2017-04-23 || Defeat ||align=left| Artem Pashporin || Kunlun Fight 60 – 70 kg World Max 2017 Group G Tournament Semi-Finals || Zunyi, China || TKO (Referee Stoppage/3 Knockdowns) || 2 ||1:22 |- style="background:#fbb;" |2016-12-05 || Defeat ||align=left| Takuya Imamura || KNOCK OUT Vol.0 || Japan || KO (Right Cross) || 2 || |- bgcolor="#C5D2EA" |2016-10-30 || Draw||align=left| Tian Xin || Kunlun Fight 54 - Super Fight || Wuhan, China || Extra Round Decision (Draw) ||4||3:00 |- style="background:#fbb;" |2016-06-05 || Defeat ||align=left| Gu Hui || Kunlun Fight 45 - Qualification tournament for 70 kg Tournament Group E Semi Final|| Chengdu, China || Unanimous Decision ||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2015-10-03 || Defeat ||align=left| Li Yankun || XTREME MUAY THAI 2015 The Venetian Macao || Macao, China || Unanimous Decision ||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2015-04-05 || Defeat ||align=left| Nishikawa Yasuhira || DEEP || Tokyo, Japan || Unanimous Decision ||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2015-02-21 || Defeat ||align=left| Yuki Sakamoto || Shoot Boxing 2015 act. I|| Tokyo, Japan|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#C5D2EA" |2015-01-31 || Draw||align=left| Yi Long|| Wu Lin Feng World Championship 2015|| Chongqing, China|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2014-12-29||Defeat||align=left| Hinata|| Blade 1|| Tokyo, Japan|| Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#fbb" |2014-11-16||Defeat||align=left| Jenrop Punpanmuang|| HOOST CUP KINGS WEST|| Osaka, Japan|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |2014-09-09||Victory||align=left| Yi Long|| Wu Lin Feng|| Khorgos, China|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2014-06-16||Defeat||align=left| Danilo Zanolini|| RISE 100 - Blade 0 -|| Tokyo, Japan|| Disqualification (Fouls)|| || |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |2014-04-29||Victory||align=left| Daiki Watabe|| RISE 99|| Tokyo, Japan|| Extra Round Unanimous Decision||4||3:00 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |2013-11-15||Victory||align=left| Hiroki Shishido|| Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013|| Tokyo, Japan|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#cfc" |2013-10-14||Victory||align=left| Tanansak SuranareeGym|| M-FIGHT ～Shuken 13～ Part 2|| Tokyo, Japan|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2013-06-16||Defeat||align=left| Yoshihiro Sato|| Hoost Cup: Kings|| Nagoya, Japan|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2012-12-31||Defeat||align=left| Robin van Roosmalen|| Glory 4: Tokyo||(Saitama, Japan)|| Unanimous Decision||3||3:00 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |2012-10-28|||Defeat|||align=left|||Henri van Opstal|||REBELS.13|||Tokyo, Japan|||Unanimous Decision|||3|||3:00 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2011-09-25"|"Victory"|"Kenmun"|"K-1 World MAX 2011 –70 kg Japan Tournament Final"|"Osaka, Japan"|"Unanimous Decision"|"3"|"3:00" |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |"2010-11-08"|"Defeat"|"Mike Zambidis"|"K-1 World MAX 2010 Final Quarter-final"|"Tokyo, Japan"|"TKO (Referee Stoppage)"|"3"|"0:53" |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2010-07-05"|"Victory"|"Andre Dida"|"K-1 World MAX 2010 Final 16 - Part 1"|"Tokyo, Japan"|"Majority Decision"|"3"|"3:00" |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2010-03-27"|"Victory"|"Hiroki Nakajima"|"K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament Final"|"Saitama, Japan"|"KO (Right Hook)"|"3"|"1:58" |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2010-03-27"|"Victory"|"Ryuji"|"K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament Semifinal"|"Saitama, Japan"|"TKO (Referee Stoppage)"|"1"|"1:44" |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2010-03-27"|"Victory"|"Yuji Nashiro"|"K-1 World MAX 2010 -70kg Japan Tournament Quarterfinal"|"Saitama, Japan"|"TKO (Referee Stoppage)"|"1"|"0:39" |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |"2009-10-26"|"Defeat"|"Xu Yan"|K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final |Yokohama, Japan |KO (Left Hook) |1 |1:04 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |"2009-04-21"|Defeat |Albert Kraus |K-1 World MAX 2009 World Championship Tournament Final 16 |Tokyo, Japan |KO (Punches) |1 |1:07 |- bgcolor="#FFBBBB" |"2009-02-23"|Defeat |Yuya Yamamoto |K-1 World MAX 2009 Japan Tournament Semi-final |Tokyo, Japan |TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |3 |0:59 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2009-02-23"|Victory |Hayato |K-1 World MAX 2009 Japan Tournament Quarter-final |Tokyo, Japan |TKO (Referee Stoppage)|2 |0:36 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |"2008-12-22"|Victory |Sakushi |DEEP Protect Impact 2008 |Tokyo, Japan |TKO (Doctor Stoppage) |2 |0:39 |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–11–09'|'Victory'|'Teruaki Furukawa'|'NJKF "Start of the New Legend XIII"'|'Tokyo, Japan'|'TKO (Referee Stoppage)'|'1'|'1:04' |- ! style=background:white colspan=8 |Captured vacant NJKF Super welterweight title. |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–09–27'|'Victory'|'Soichiro Miyakoshi'|'NJKF "Start of the New Legend XI"'|'Tokyo, Japan'|'TKO (Referee Stoppage)'|'1'|'1:50' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–06–08'|'Victory'|'Kenta'|'NJKF West Swell'|'Osaka, Japan'|'Majority Decision'|'5'|'3:00' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–05–03'|'Victory'|'Marmai'|'Khaolak stadium'|'Khao Lak, Thailand'|'KO'|'4'|| |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–02–11'|'Victory'|'Shine Soo'|'MARS Blaster Bout Tournament A block Final'|'Tokyo, Japan'|'KO (Left Hook)'|'3'|'0:18' |- ! style=background:white colspan=8 |Won MARS Blaster Bout Tournament A block; MARS dissolved prior to B block final. |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2008–02–11'|'Victory'|'K.Worwanchai'|'MARS Blaster Bout Tournament A block Semi-final'|'Tokyo, Japan'|'Unanimous Decision'|'2'|'3:00' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2007–12–09'|'Victory'|'Norimasa Iwasaki'|'MARS 10 "All-Out War"'|'Tokyo, Japan'|'Unanimous Decision'|'3'|'3:00' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2007–10–13'|'Victory'|'Junichi Maruyama'|'MARS 09'|'Osaka, Japan'|'TKO (Referee Stoppage)'|'1'|'2:27' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2007–07–08'|'Victory'|'Kenji Ueda'|'DEEP 30 Impact'|'Osaka, Japan'||KO'||1'||1:38' |- bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |'2007–04–15'||Victory'||Fumihito Fukano'||NJKF "Fighting Evolution IV Kenshinjuku Anniversary"' 'Osaka'||KO(Right High Kick)' '1'||2:04'

Mixed Martial Arts Record

| Osaka, Japan

| |-

| Victory 
| align=center | 1-1 
| Tsuyoshi Ono 
| TKO (punches) 
| Double R: 3rd Stage 
|  
| align=center | 1 
| align=center | 0:37 
| Osaka, Japan 
|

|-

| Defeat 
| align=center | 0-1 
| Satoru Takadaya 
| Submission (armbar) 
| Powergate 2: War Cry Of Soul 
|  
| align=center | 1 
| align=center | 1:59 
| Osaka, Japan 
|

Mixed Rules Record

|-

| Defeat 
| align=center | 1-2 
| Xu Xiaodong 
| TKO (punches) 
| Lumpinee Boxing Stadium 
|  
| align=center | 2 
| align=center | 0:35 
| Bangkok, Thailand 
|

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location

Legend:

External Links