Norifumi Yamamoto
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| Norifumi Yamamoto | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname | Kid |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
| Weight | 143 lb (65 kg) |
| Born | March 15, 1977 |
| Fighting out of | Tokyo, Japan |
| Town of birth | Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Team/Association | Krazy Bee |
| Fighting style | Freestyle wrestling, folkstyle wrestling, kick boxing |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 17 |
| By knockout | 12 |
| By submission | 2 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto (山本"KID"徳郁 (?), birth date March 15, 1977) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He is associated with Purebred Tokyo and Killer Bee. 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 won their tournament in December, 2005 after defeating Genki Sudo via a controversial TKO due to punches.
Kid comes from a wrestling family with his father Ikuei Yamamoto representing Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters Miyu and Seiko both winning 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). He also trained briefly under Choi Mu Bae[1].
Kid naturally walks around at 143 pounds. Though most fighters his size fight at 130 pounds, most of Kid's fights have been in the Lightweight Division (155lbs) as it was the lightest division in HERO's. Now competing in DREAM (co-promoted by former PRIDE executives from Dream Stage Entertainment and K-1 HERO's executives), Kid will be fighting in the Featherweight Division (145lbs) as it is closer to his natural weight.
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[edit] Shooto
Kid made his professional Mixed Martial Arts debut on March 02, 2001 against Masato Shiozawa at Shooto - To The Top 2, where he won this fight by unanimous decision. Kid would go on to win his next two fights both by TKO in the first round.
On May 5, 2002, Kid suffered his first and only loss to date by TKO to Stephen Palling. Kid received a cut as he went for a double-leg takedown. Kid shot in and hit his forehead against Palling's knee. After Kid slammed Palling, Kid began his usual ground-and-pound tactics from Palling's guard. However, blood began pouring out of Yamamoto's cut and the referee stopped the fight. The doctors determined that Kid was unable to continue and Stephen Palling was declared the winner.
Kid would then go on to win his next three fights by TKO and Decision over Tetsuo Katsuta, Jeff Curran and Caleb Mitchell.
[edit] K-1 HERO's
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto made his K-1 HERO's debut on April 7, 2004 at the K-1 MAX - World Grand Prix 2004 Opening Round where he made the Lightweight division take notices by choking out Tony Valente only 58 seconds into the fight. Kid wouldn't stop impressing there, as he would go on to defeat Kazuya Yasuhiro, Jadamba Narantungalag and Ian James Schaffa by TKO or Submission within the next twelve months.
In his first professional kickboxing fight under K-1, Kid faced Mike Zambidis at the K-1 World Max 2005 tournament, Kid would lose this closely-contested bout by KO early into the third round.
Merely one year after his HERO's debut, Kid would etch his name into HERO's history where he defeated (and finished) three very highly regarded fighters in Royler Gracie, Caol Uno and Genki Sudo to win the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.[1]
On May 3, 2006 Kid made Mixed Martial Arts history when he knocked out Kazyuki Miyata four seconds into the fight, making it the shortest fight in HERO's and one of the fastest knockouts in MMA-history. He went on to win his next fight against Istvan Majoros by TKO half way through round 1.
[edit] Olympic Freestyle Wrestling
In early 2007, Kid announced an indefinite leave of absence from MMA to train for and compete in freestyle wrestling for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He had hoped to win the Olympic Gold medal for freestyle wrestling ever since he was a child, as his father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan in the 1972 Olympic games in Munich. However his hopes of following in his fathers footsteps stopped short, after an injury prevented Yamamoto from competing in the Japanese Olympic wrestling qualifiers. With this injury, Kid would have no choice but to leave his hopes of competing in the Olympic Games and return to Mixed Martial Arts.
[edit] Return to K-1 HERO's
Kid would return to Mixed Martial Arts on September 17, 2007 against Bibiano Fernandes at K-1 Hero's 11. Kid went on to win this fight by unanimous decision, his first in HERO's.
His most recent fight was at K-1 HERO's Dynamite!! 2007 on December 31 against BJJ expert and Abu Dhabi champion Rani Yahya at a weight of 135lbs[2]. Yamamoto won in the second round via KO due to kicks on the ground.
[edit] DREAM
In February 2008, it was announced by Fighting and Entertainment Group, the parent entity behind kickboxing organization K-1 and mixed martial arts organization HERO's, that they would be producing a new MMA promotion titled DREAM alongside former PRIDE executives from Dream Stage Entertainment that will succeed and will replace FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, HERO'S. Norifumi Yamamoto was one of the many former PRIDE and HERO's fighters that were named to compete in this new promotion.[3].
[edit] Mixed Martial Arts Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 19 matches | 17 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 12 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | |
[edit] Kickboxing Record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 1 win | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Method | Round | Time | Location |
| May 04, 2005 | Loss |  Mike Zambidis |
K-1 World Max 2005 Opening | KO (Punches) | 3 | 2:09 |  Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan |
| December 31, 2004 | Loss | Masato |
K-1 Premium Dynamite 2004 | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 | Kyocera Dome, Tokyo, Japan |
| February 24, 2004 | Win | Takehiro Murahama |
K-1 MAX Japan Grand Prix 2004 | KO (Punches) | 2 | 2:38 | Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan |
