Kenichi Yamamoto (5-12-2, 4) was born in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan on June 11, 1976. At the age of 21 years on May 29, 1998, he made his professional MMA debut against Chris Haseman, winning the fight via 1st-round submission.
On November 19, 1999, 23-year old Kenichi Yamamoto made his UFC debut on his 4th professional MMA fight at UFC 23 against a 21-year old Daiju Takase, winning the fight via 3-round unanimous decision.
He became the UFC middleweight champion on November 19, 1999 at age 23 on his 5th professional MMA fight at UFC 23 after defeating a 27-year old Katsuhisa Fujii via 1st-round submission.
Yamamoto's last fight was a 1st-round KO loss to Kazuo Takahashi at age 36 on March 9, 2013. He retired on a 5-fight losing streak.
He has fought three times in the UFC, and has a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in the promotion.
Some of Kenichi Yamamoto's best fights have been against Katsuhisa Fujii, Daiju Takase and Chris Haseman.
Yamamoto has 12 losses on his MMA record.
| # | Date | Opponent | Promotion | Weight | Round | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19  | Mar 9, 2013 36 years, 8 months 5-12-2 (4) | 43 years, 11 months 29-25-3 (18) | LHW | 1 | KO | LOSS Knee | |
18  | Oct 27, 2012 36 years, 4 months 5-11-2 (4) | 40 years, 3 months 42-28-10 (13) | LHW | 2 | UD | LOSS | |
17  | Oct 15, 2011 35 years, 4 months 5-10-2 (4) | 40 years, 1 months 29-7-3 (19) | LHW | 1 | TKO | LOSS Punches | |
16 | Oct 4, 2006 30 years, 3 months 5-9-2 (4) | Diego Lionel Vitosky | LHW | 2 | TKO | LOSS Corner stoppage | |
15 | Jun 3, 2006 29 years, 11 months 5-8-2 (4) | Kaream Ellington | LHW | 1 | TKO | LOSS Punches | |
14 | Nov 13, 2005 29 years, 5 months 5-7-2 (4) | German Reyes | MD | 2 | KO | WIN High kick | |
13 | Jul 19, 2004 28 years, 1 months 4-7-2 (3) | Ikuhisa Minowa | Pride | MD | 1 | TKO | LOSS Punches |
12  | Mar 16, 2003 26 years, 9 months 4-6-2 (3) | 31 years, 7 months 2-12 (2) | Pride | HW | 3 | UD | LOSS |
11  | Nov 24, 2002 26 years, 5 months 4-5-2 (3) | 31 years, 3 months 12-5 (6) | Pride | LHW | 3 | TKO | LOSS Knees |
10  | Dec 21, 2001 25 years, 6 months 4-4-2 (3) | 23 years, 9 months 6-2-1 (4) | LT | 2 | SUB | LOSS Rear-naked choke | |
9 | Mar 4, 2001 24 years, 8 months 4-3-2 (3) | Akira Yasumura | WL | 1 | UD | DRAW | |
8 | Jan 27, 2001 24 years, 7 months 4-3-1 (3) | Kenji Akiyama | WL | 1 | UD | DRAW | |
7  | Dec 16, 2000 24 years, 6 months 4-3 (3) | 32 years, 9 months 26-4-2 (20) | UFC | WL | 2 | SUB | LOSS Guillotine choke For UFC welterweight title |
6 | Nov 12, 2000 24 years, 5 months 4-2 (3) | Tatsuya Kurahashi | MD | 1 | KO | WIN Punches | |
5  | Nov 19, 1999 23 years, 5 months 3-2 (2) | 27 years, 3 months 2-3 (2) | UFC | MD | 1 | SUB | WIN Kneebar Won UFC Japan Tournament |
4  | Nov 19, 1999 23 years, 5 months 2-2 (1) | 21 years, 6 months 1-2-1 (1) | UFC | HW | 3 | UD | WIN |
3  | Dec 23, 1998 22 years, 6 months 1-2 (1) | 29 years 12-3-1 (11) | HW | 2 | TKO | LOSS | |
2 | Jun 27, 1998 22 years 1-1 (1) | Masayuki Naruse | LHW | 1 | SUB | LOSS | |
1  | May 29, 1998 21 years, 11 months 1-0 (1) | 28 years, 11 months 4-4 (3) | 1 | SUB | WIN |
