Miyuu Yamamoto

Miyuu Yamamoto (山本 美憂, Yamamoto Miyū, born 4 August 1974, Kanagawa Prefecture) is a Japanese female freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. Yamamoto is a three-time freestyle wrestling world champion and a Rizin Women's Super Atomweight title contender in MMA. She is represented with Krazy Bee.

Miyuu Yamamoto
Born山本 美憂
(1974-08-04) 4 August 1974
Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Other namesFighting Queen Bee
Nationality
Height5 ft 1 in (1.55 m)
Weight108 lb (49 kg; 7.7 st)
DivisionAtomweight (MMA)
Strawweight (Wrestling)
StyleWrestling
Fighting out ofGuam
TeamKrazy Bee
WrestlingFreestyle wrestling
Years active2016–present (MMA)
1987–2015 (wrestling)
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins6
By decision6
Losses7
By knockout2
By submission4
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Women's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Japan
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1991 Tokyo47 kg
Gold medal – first place1994 Sofia50 kg
Gold medal – first place1995 Moscow47 kg
Silver medal – second place1998 Poznan46 kg
Asian Wrestling Championships
Gold medal – first place1999 Tashkent46 kg

Personal life

Miyuu Yamamoto is married to her husband, Kyle, who has two coffee shops in Guam. Yamamoto enjoys brewing her own coffee and hopes to open her own coffee shop in Japan. After she's done fighting, she hopes to travel the world trying all types of coffee.[2]

Biography

Her father, 1972 Summer Olympics wrestling representative, and Nippon Sport Science University Professor Ikuei Yamamoto made a wrestling gifted education with his son Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto and his sister Seiko Yamamoto from her elementary school age. At the age of thirteen she won the 1st Japan Women's Championship. After that, she achieved four consecutive victories in all Japan, but she was not allowed to participate in the World Wrestling Championships due to the age limit. In 1991, she won the world's first championship which she participated for the first time at the age of seventeen as the youngest ever in history.

After that she won the world championships in 1994 and 1995. In 1994 she participated in the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling Tokyo Dome competition with Kyoko Hamaguchi. In 1995 she married Nobuyasu Ikeda at the J.League Urawa Red Diamonds (former) and retired from active service. After that, she gave birth to her first child (Arsen Yamamoto). But in April 1999, they divorced.

In 1999 she temporarily returned to active service, temporarily entered the Queen's Cup Final, won the Asian Championships and won the All Japan Women's Wrestling Championship, but in July 2000 she remarried to Enson Inoue, a fighter and retired from active service.

She later returned to active service on the occasion that women's wrestling becoming the official event for the first time at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Although it aimed for her Athens Olympic appearance, she finished third in the "Japan Queen's Cup" (Athens Olympic national team selection game) in February 2004, and she could not play her Olympic appearances. She later retired from active services in April of the same year.[3] In the same year, she divorced Enson Inoue.

In April 2006, she later married Akira Sasaki, representative of the 2006 Winter Olympics men's alpine skiing[4] (her third marriage). They celebrated the birth of their baby ceremony in the same year, a boy who became her second child in December of the same year. In November 2008, she gave birth to a girl Mia who is her third child.

She belonged to Sports Biz and acts as a sports caster, as well as a leader of Kids' Wrestling at the NPO Japan Sports Network (JSN).

She returned to active duties in June 2011.[5] She aimed to participate in the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the All Japan Women's Open Championship on 16 October.[6] She divorced Akira Sasaki (her third divorce).[7] Although she participated in the All Japan Selection Championship in December, she lost the judgment in the second round and missed her Olympic appearance.[8]

In 2013 she moved her life base to Toronto, Canada and worked. In December of the same year, she participated in the Nordhagen Classic Games in the 51 kg class and won the championship.[9]

She won the third prize in the Canadian Cup on 5 July 2014.[10] She acquired Canadian citizenship in December 2015, and aimed to participate in the 2016 Summer Olympics as a Canada representative.

On 1 August 2016, as a result of the closing of the Rio Olympic appearance road, she announced participation in mixed martial arts. Also the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2016 held on 25 September the same year was announced as she participated in the opening round of the indiscriminate class tournament, the opponent of the debut match is the "Queen of Shoot Boxing" Rena Kubota, with one loss. On 31 December, also in the same year, she went to the Rizin Fighting World Grand-Prix 2016 against the KOTC female straw class champion Andy Winn at the Indiscriminate Tournament Final Round, and suffered a second consecutive defeat.

In March 2017, she showed her bold figure entitled "The Strongest Nudity" at the photographic weekly magazine Flash (Kobunsha),[11] and the first nude photo album Queen was released in May.[12]

Mixed martial arts career

While Yamamoto was aiming for the Olympics, she didn't see her dreams realized. Then, Nobuyuki Sakakibara approached her about fighting for Rizin Fighting Federation. Yamamoto decided then to transition from wrestling to MMA.[2]

On 2 June 2019, Miyuu faced Kanna Asakura at Rizin 16. She won the bout via unanimous decision. [13]

Next, Miyuu faced Seo Hee Ham at Rizin 19 on 12 October 2019.[14] She lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round. [15]

Yamamoto was scheduled to fight former Rizin Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki for the vacant RIZIN atomweight title.[2] In the lead up to the fight, Yamamoto took time off in the COVID-19 pandemic to improve herself as a mixed martial artist. She faced Hamasaki on 31 December 2020 for the vacant RIZIN Super Atomweight belt.[16] Miyuu lost the bout via first-round submission.[17]

Yamamoto faced Rena Kubota at Rizin 32 on 20 November 2021.[18] She lost the bout after getting caught with a knee on a takedown attempt.[19]

Yamamoto faced the DEEP Microweight and Jewels Atomweight champion Saori Oshima at Rizin 36 on 2 July 2022.[20] She lost the fight by split decision.[21]

Yamamoto was expected to face Rizin Super Atomweight champion Seika Izawa in a non-title bout at Rizin 42 on May 6, 2023.[22] The bout was postponed for New Year's Eve, as Yamamoto suffered a torn ACL in training.[23]

Other
  • The name "Miyuu" was named after Mr. Munich, whose father participated as the Olympic representative.[5]
  • Arsen Yamamoto, her eldest son, also learned wrestling from his grandfather, Ikuei Yamamoto, and has been active in decorating the victory at Greco Roman 69 kg class at the National Boys Competition 66 kg class in 2008 and the FILA Cadet World Championships at 2013. She aimed to win gold medals at the Summer Olympics in 2016.
  • In addition to having similar family circumstances, she has work patterns with sports caster Animal Hamaguchi (Heigo Hamaguchi) and his close-parent daughter Kyoko.

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 6 wins 7 losses
By knockout 0 2
By submission 0 4
By decision 6 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 6–7 Saori Oshima Decision (split) Rizin 36 2 July 2022 3 5:00 Okinawa, Japan
Loss 6–6 Rena Kubota TKO (knee and punches) Rizin 32 20 November 2021 2 3:35 Okinawa, Japan
Loss 6–5 Ayaka Hamasaki Submission (leg scissor choke) Rizin 26 31 December 2020 1 1:42 Saitama, Japan For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship
Win 6–4 Suwanan Boonsorn Decision (unanimous) Rizin 20 31 December 2019 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 5–4 Seo Hee Ham TKO (punches) Rizin 19 12 October 2019 2 9:42 Osaka, Japan
Win 5–3 Kanna Asakura Decision (unanimous) Rizin 16 2 June 2019 3 5:00 Kobe, Japan
Win 4–3 Mika Nagano Decision (unanimous) Rizin 14 31 December 2018 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Catchweight (112 lb) bout.
Win 3–3 Andy Nguyen Decision (unanimous) Rizin 13 30 September 2018 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Win 2–3 Saori Ishioka Decision (split) Rizin 11 29 July 2018 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 1–3 Irene Cabello Rivera Submission (armbar) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2 15 October 2017 2 2:25 Fukuoka, Japan Super Atomweight GP Quarterfinals
Win 1–2 Cassie Robb Decision (unanimous) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 1 30 July 2017 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 0–2 Andy Nguyen Submission (armbar) Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round 31 December 2016 1 4:42 Saitama, Japan
Loss 0–1 Rena Kubota Submission (guillotine choke) Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 1st Round 25 September 2016 1 4:50 Saitama, Japan

Wrestling accomplishments
  • 1987 All-Japan Women's Championship 44 kg class win
  • 1988 All-Japan Women's Championship 44 kg class win
  • 1989 All Japan Women's Open 44 kg class win
  • 1989 All-Japan Women's Championship 47 kg class win
  • 1990 All Japan Women's Open 47 kg class win
  • 1990 All Japan Women's championship 47 kg class win
  • 1990 All Japan Women's Open 47 kg class win
  • 1991 All Japan Women's Championship 47 kg class win
  • 1991 World Women's Championship 47 kg class win
  • 1993 All-Japan Women's Open 50 kg class Second Prize
  • 1994 All-Japan Women's Championship 50 kg class win
  • 1994 World Women's Championship 50 kg class win
  • 1995 All-Japan Women's Championship 47 kg class win
  • 1995 World Women's Championship 47 kg class win
  • 1998 Japan Women's Championship 46 kg class third place
  • 1998 World Women's Championship 46 kg Class Second Prize
  • 1999 Japan Queen's Cup 46 kg class Second Prize
  • 1999 All-Japan Championship 46 kg class win
  • 2002 All-Japan Championship 48 kg class Final T1 race lost
  • 2003 Dave Schulz Memorial International Convention 48 kg class Second Prize
  • 2003 Japan Queen's Cup 48 kg class Second Prize
  • 2003 All Japan women's championship 48 kg class third place
  • 2004 Japan Queen's Cup in 48 kg class third place
  • 2011 All Japan Women's Open Championship 48 kg class win
  • 2011 NYAC Holiday Open International Convention 48 kg class third place
  • 2011 All-Japan Championship 48 kg class eliminated second round
  • 2011 All-Japan Selection Championship 51 kg class lost second round
  • 2012 Canadian Cup 48 kg class third place
  • 2013 Nordhagen Classic contest 51 kg class win
  • 2014 Canadian Cup 48 kg class third place
  • 2015 Canadian Cup 53 kg class 4th place

Bibliography

Magazines
  • Flash (No. 1 November 2016, No. 28 March/4 April 2017, No. 25 April 2017, No. 23 May 2017, Kobunsha)

Photo albums
  • Queen (26 May 2017, Kobunsha, Photographer: Hidekazu Maiyama) ISBN 978-4-33-490221-6

References
  1. "LOSTONES公式サイトのプロフィール" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  2. Blaine Henry (18 December 2020). "Miyuu Yamamoto: Coffee and RIZIN". Fight-Library.com.
  3. "山本美憂が現役引退 女子レスリングの先駆者" (in Japanese). 47News. 24 April 2004. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  4. "スキーの佐々木が入籍 元女子レスの山本さんと" (in Japanese). 47News. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  5. "子育てしながらカナダでトレーニング 再びチャンピオン目指すレスリング山本美憂さん". Nikka Times (in Japanese). 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  6. "女子レスリング 山本美憂選手 全日本女子オープン選手権優勝！" (in Japanese). Hakuju Medical College. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  7. "現役復帰レスリング山本美憂が3度目離婚". Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). 27 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  8. Yamamoto, Miyuu (6 July 2012). "レスリング選手　山本美憂　レスリングは私のすべて". bits Japanese magazine (Interview) (in Japanese). Vol. 11, no. 03. bits box. p. 9. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  9. "山本美憂が51kg級で優勝…ノードハーゲン・クラシック大会（カナダ）". Official website of the Japan Wrestling Association (in Japanese). Japan Wrestling Association. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  10. "山本美憂（チーム・インパクト）が3位入賞…カナダカップ女子". Official website of the Japan Wrestling Association (in Japanese). Japan Wrestling Association. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  11. "FLASH 2017年3月28日号・4月4日号" (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  12. "【RIZIN】山本美憂・42歳の最強ヌードを披露" (in Japanese). eFight. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  13. Riggs, Drake (2 June 2019). "RIZIN 16 results: Hamasaki tops Frey again, Tenshin claims gold (Highlights)". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  14. "Seo Hee Ham, Miyuu Yamamoto title eliminator set for RIZIN 19". thebodylockmma.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  15. Carroll, Peter (12 October 2019). "Rizin 19 results: Jiri Prochazka blasts through Fabio Maldonado, Kai Asakura overwhelms Ulka Sasaki". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  16. Blaine Henry (21 December 2020). "Ayaka Hamasaki: The World Champion Collection". Fight-Library.com.
  17. Guilherme Cruz (31 December 2020). "RIZIN 26 videos, results: Kyoji Horiguchi stops Kai Asakura, Ayaka Hamasaki wins title with scissor choke". mmafighting.com.
  18. "Rena Kubota faces Miyuu Yamamoto at Rizin 32". asianmma.com. 13 October 2021.
  19. Cruz, Guilherme (20 November 2021). "RIZIN 32 videos, results: Rena Kubota stops Miyuu Yamamoto with vicious knee in main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  20. "【RIZIN.36】山本美優は20歳下の大島沙緒里と対戦 夫カイルも出場「同じ日に勝つことが目標」". sponichi.co.jp. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  21. "【ＲＩＺＩＮ】山本美憂 大島沙緒里に判定で惜敗…夫婦そろっての勝利ならず". tokyo-sports.co.jp. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  22. "【RIZIN】 山本美憂が引退へ、女王・伊澤星花との対戦に「世界一幸せなアスリート」と涙こらえる". news.yahoo.co.jp. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  23. "RIZIN 5.6 有明アリーナ：山本美憂の負傷欠場で伊澤星花との引退試合は大晦日に延期". boutreview.com. Retrieved 30 May 2023.

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