Takanori Gomi
From OTMWiki
| Takanori Gomi | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname | Fireball Kid |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Weight | 160 lb (72 kg) |
| Born | September 22, 1978 |
| Fighting out of | |
| Town of birth | Kanagawa, Japan |
| Fighting style | Wrestling, Boxing |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Wins | 24 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 5 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | |
Takanori Gomi (五味隆典, September 22,1978-) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. He was the former Shooto Welterweight (155lb) champion and is currently fighting in PRIDE. He is a member of Kiguchi Dojo in Japan.
Contents |
Biography
Childhood
Takanori Gomi was born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1978 as a second son. He started learning boxing at Sagamihara Yonekura gym in 1994, the same time he started attending Kanagawa Prefectural Aikawa Higashi Junior High School (神奈川県立愛川東中学校). He was also a pitcher of his baseball team at school. Gomi dropped out of high school in 1996 when he failed to pass on to the next grade. This caused an argument between Gomi and his father who disowned him as a result.[citation needed]{{#if:||}}<noinclude> Gomi started learning wrestling in the same year.
Shooto
He transferred to the official Shooto gym in 1997, where he began to take part in the amateur Shooto competitions. He made his professional MMA debut on November 27, 1998, at Shooto's Las Grandes Viajes 6 event in Tokyo, where he defeated Hiroshi Tsuruya by decision. Gomi won the next 12 MMA matches, mostly in Shooto but also in Vale Tudo Japan and SuperBrawl. Gomi became the Shooto World Welterweight Champion in 2001 after beating former team mate Rumina Sato by unanimous decision. He defended the title in 2002, beating Dokonjonosuke Mishima by TKO. Gomi last fought in Shooto on August 10, 2003, at the Yokohama Gymnasium where he lost his title to Joachim Hansen by majority decision.
He fought B.J. Penn on October 10, 2003 at the Rumble on the Rock 4 event in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Gomi was defeated in the third round by rear naked choke.
PRIDE
Gomi made his PRIDE debut at PRIDE Bushido 2 on February 15 2004 where he defeated Jadson Costa by TKO. He defeated Ralph Gracie at PRIDE Bushido 3 by referee stoppage due to strikes at 6 seconds into the first round, the quickest match in PRIDE's history. He stopped the next two opponents, Fabio Mello and Charles Bennett, then knocked out Jens Pulver at the Shockwave event on December 31 2004, a joint venture between PRIDE and K-1. At PRIDE Bushido 7 on May 25 2005, Gomi defeated Luiz Azeredo by knockout. Gomi was criticised for continuing to attack even after Azeredo became unconscious, and had to be restrained by the crew and staff. At PRIDE Bushido 8 on July 17 2005, he defeated Jean Silva by judges' decision. Gomi participated in PRIDE's first lightweight (73 kg or 160.9 lb) tournament which began at PRIDE Bushido 9 on September 25 2005, where he submitted Tatsuya Kawajiri by rear naked choke and won his second encounter with Luiz Azeredo by decision. He won the belt of the organisation's new 160 lb Lightweight division at the PRIDE Shockwave 2005 event in December 2005 after knocking out former training partner Hayato Sakurai. Gomi is currently 10-1 in PRIDE. He lost to Marcus Aurelio by arm triangle choke in a non-title match during the first round during Pride Bushido 10 on April 2nd, 2006.
Gomi's official PRIDE nickname is "The Fireball Kid" (天下無双の火の玉ボーイ) gg
Record
Professional mixed martial arts: 26 Fights, 24 Wins, 3 Losses (as of April 2, 2006)gg
- Shooto world welterweight champion (December 16,2001 - August 10,2003)
- Pride Lightweight Champion (December 31st, 2005 -)
