Issue 173
December 2018
News of another MMA star taken far too early came with the passing of Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto who lost his fight to cancer, aged only 41 on September 18, 2018. A pioneer of Asian MMA, his fighting heart, style and skills once saw him ranked as Japan’s best pound-for-pound fighter, his fame enhanced by a record-breaking KO of Kazuyuki Miyata in just four seconds.
Known as ‘Kid’ because he was the youngest member of one of Japan’s most celebrated fighting families, he gained celebrity status within his home country as well as a global fanbase. We pay our greatest respects to the whole Yamamoto family.
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