Yoshitaka Naito

Yoshitaka Naito Japanese: 内藤禎貴 (born February 17, 1984) is a Japanese mixed martial artist from Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He is a former two-time ONE Strawweight World Champion. Naito is furthermore a former Shooto World Flyweight (114 lb) Champion, where he holds the record for flyweight title defenses, and was voted Fighter of the Year for two consecutive years.[4]

Yoshitaka Naito
BornYoshitaka Naito
(1984-02-17) February 17, 1984
Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, Japan[1]
Native name内藤禎貴
Other names"Nobita"
NationalityJapanese
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Weight57 kg (126 lb; 9 st)[3]
DivisionStrawweight
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofMatsudo, Japan
TeamThe Paraestra Matsudo
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins15
By knockout1
By submission6
By decision8
Losses4
By knockout1
By decision3
Amateur record
Total7
Wins6
By decision5
Losses1
By decision1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

He is regarded as one of the best strawweights in the world, and is ranked as the #2 all time strawweight by Fight Matrix.[5]

Early life

In his childhood, Naito was a quiet kid who loved manga. One of his favorite titles was Doraemon, and during his martial arts career, he earned the nickname “Nobita” because of his resemblance to the lead character in the Doraemon manga.[6]

Naito didn't practice any martial arts as a child, but was a member of the soccer club in junior high school.[7] He had few friends during his adolescence and struggled with his grades in school. He later dropped out of high school, a short-sighted decision he later said he regretted.[8]

Naito fell in love with mixed martial arts in the early 2000s. He loved watching Kazushi Sakuraba, who he calls his martial arts hero.[9] He was fascinated by the submissions Sakuraba was able to pull off against foreign athletes in Pride Fighting Championships and soon found himself training at Paraestra Matsudo.[10] He was invited to train at Paraestra Matsudo by his brother Nobutaka.[11] His brother is also a mixed martial artist, currently competing with Shooto.[12]

Martial Arts Career

Shooto

Naito began training mixed martial arts at the age of 22.[13] Despite a rough start to his training and amateur competitions, he won the 2011 All Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament.[14][15]

Naito made his professional debut with the Shooto organization on August 25, 2012, at the age of 27. He defeated Tsubasa Fujikawa via guillotine choke in round two in the semifinals of the Rookie Flyweight Tournament. In the finals he beat Shota Kondo by KO to become the Rookie Flyweight tournament champion.[16] He won his next five fights to earn a title shot against reigning Shooto Flyweight Champion Shinya Murofushi.

In the main event of Shooto 7th Round 2014 on September 27, 2014, Naito submitted Murofushi with three seconds remaining in the fight to win the Shooto Flyweight Title.[17]

Naito made his first title defense against Ryuto Sawada on July 26, 2015. He won by arm-triangle choke in the fourth round.[18]

He made his second title defense against Junji Ito on November 29, 2015. He won by decision.[19]

One Championship

In 2016, Naito signed with ONE Championship.[20]

Naito moved down to the strawweight division and made his ONE Championship debut against the reigning and undefeated ONE Strawweight World Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke in his native Bangkok, Thailand on May 27, 2016.[21] He defeated Dejdamrong by rear-naked choke in round four to become the ONE Strawweight World Champion.[22]

As the new champ, he made his first ONE Strawweight World Title defense against Joshua Pacio on October 7, 2016. He submitted Pacio by rear-naked choke in the third round to retain the belt.[23]

Naito made his next title defense against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Alex Silva on December 9, 2017. After five rounds, Silva defeated Naito by unanimous decision to hand him his first professional loss and take the belt.[24]

A rematch between Naito and Silva was set for May 12, 2018.[25] This time, Naito defeated Silva by split decision to reclaim the title.[26]

Naito made the first defense of his second ONE Strawweight World Title reign against Joshua Pacio in a rematch from nearly two years earlier on September 22, 2018.[27] He lost the title by unanimous decision.[28]

On March 8, 2019, Naito faced Wushu World Champion Rene Catalan. He lost via TKO in the first round.[29]

Naito faced Silva for a third time on May 17, 2019. He won by unanimous decision to complete their trilogy.[30]

He faced Pongsiri Mitsatit on November 8, 2019, and defeated him by unanimous decision.[31]

Naito next faced Yosuke Saruta at Road to One 3: Tokyo Fight Night on September 10, 2020.[32] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[33]

Championships and Accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
19 matches 15 wins 4 losses
By knockout 1 1
By submission 6 0
By decision 8 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 15–4 Yosuke Saruta Decision (unanimous) Road to One 3: Tokyo Fight Night September 10, 2020 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 15–3 Pongsiri Mitsatit Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Masters Of Fate 8 November 2019 3 5:00 Manila, Philippines
Win 14–3 Alex Silva Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon 17 May 2019 3 5:00 Kallang, Singapore
Loss 13–3 Rene Catalan TKO (punches) ONE Championship: Reign of Valor 8 March 2019 1 4:32 Yangon, Myanmar
Loss 13–2 Joshua Pacio Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Conquest of Heroes 22 September 2018 5 5:00 Jakarta, Indonesia Lost the ONE Strawweight World Championship
Win 13–1 Alex Silva Decision (split) ONE Championship: Grit and Glory 12 May 2018 5 5:00 Jakarta, Indonesia Won the ONE Strawweight World Championship
Loss 12–1 Alex Silva Decision (unanimous) ONE Championship: Warriors of the World 9 December 2017 5 5:00 Bangkok, Thailand Lost the ONE Strawweight World Championship
Win 12–0 Joshua Pacio Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) ONE Championship: State of Warriors 7 October 2016 3 1:33 Yangon, Myanmar Defended the ONE Strawweight World Championship
Win 11–0 Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) ONE Championship: Kingdom of Champions 27 May 2016 4 4:00 Bangkok, Thailand Won the ONE Strawweight World Championship
Win 10–0 Junji Ito Decision (Unanimous) Shooto - Professional Shooto 11/29 29 November 2015 5 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Defended Shooto World Flyweight (114lbs) Championship
Win 9–0 Ryuto Sawada Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) Shooto - Professional Shooto 7/26 26 July 2015 4 4:46 Tokyo, Japan Defended Shooto World Flyweight (114lbs) Championship
Win 8–0 Shinya Murofushi Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Shooto - 7th Round 2014 27 September 2014 5 4:57 Tokyo, Japan Won Shooto World Flyweight (114lbs) Championship
Win 7–0 Yuki Shojo Decision (Unanimous) Shooto - 2nd Round 2014 16 March 2014 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 6–0 Tadaaki Yamamoto Decision (Unanimous) Shooto - 5th Round 2013 9 November 2013 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 5–0 Takeshi Sato Decision (Unanimous) Shooto - Shooting Disco 22 5 October 2013 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 4–0 Atsushi Takeuchi Decision (Majority) Shooto - Shooting Disco 21: Catch the Moment 8 June 2013 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 3–0 Takafumi Ato Submission (Armbar) Shooto - Shooting Disco 20 23 February 2013 3 3:10 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–0 Shota Kondo KO (Punches) Shooto - The Rookie Tournament Final 2012 15 December 2012 2 3:16 Tokyo, Japan Won the Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament
Win 1–0 Tsubasa Fujikawa Submission (Guillotine Choke) Shooto - Gig Tokyo 11 25 August 2012 2 1:34 Tokyo, Japan Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament Semifinals

Amateur mixed martial arts record
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 6–1 Tetsuya Yoshitake Decision (Unanimous) 2012 Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament 18 September 2011 2 3:00 Odawara, Japan Won the Shooto Amateur Flyweight Tournament
Win 5–1 Atsushi Makita Decision (Unanimous) 2012 Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament 18 September 2011 2 2:00 Odawara, Japan Shooto Amateur Flyweight Tournament Semifinals
Win 4–1 Yusuke Kamata Decision (Unanimous) 2012 Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament 18 September 2011 2 2:00 Odawara, Japan Shooto Amateur Flyweight Tournament Quarterfinals
Win 3–1 Hiroaki Shishino Decision (Unanimous) 2012 Shooto Rookie Flyweight Tournament 18 September 2011 1 4:00 Odawara, Japan Shooto Amateur Flyweight Tournament Round 1
Loss 2–1 Komazawa Takayuki Decision (Unanimous) 2010 East Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament 23 December 2010 1 4:00 Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan East Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament Round 1
Win 2–0 Takuya Okada DQ (Foul) DuroFF 9 March 2008 2 0:13 Yokkaichi, Japan
Win 1–0 Hidemi Nahata Decision (Unanimous) Omiya FF 57 21 October 2007 2 2:00 Ōmiya, Saitama, Japan

See also

References
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  2. "Yoshitaka Naito". Sherdog. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  3. "Yoshitaka Naito". ONEFC. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  4. "【修斗】強すぎるのび太が2年連続で修斗MVP＆ベストバウト". efight. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  5. "Yoshitaka Naito". Fight Matrx. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  6. "How Manga Helped Yoshitaka Naito Find Himself". asiaone.com. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  7. "Dropkick 【修斗世界王者】内藤のび太は仮面を脱いでも"のび太"だった!!". Nico Video. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  8. Goyder, James. "Undefeated Introvert Yoshitaka Naito Has Huge Respect for Alex Silva". mmaweekly.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  9. "How martial arts gave Yoshitaka Naito much-needed direction". asiaone.com. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  10. "The Warrior Spirit, MMA culture, and Anime: The Yoshitaka Naito interview". mmamotion.net. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  11. "内藤のび太（内藤禎貴）は元フリーターでリアルのび太？経歴、戦績紹介！RIZINへの出場はあるのか？". Yuuu Blog Kakutou. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  12. "Nobutaka Naito". shooto-mma.com. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  13. "格闘家イケメンファイル Vol.7 のび太の世界王者挑戦 内藤のび太". Tokyo Headline. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  14. "How Martial Arts Transformed a Bashful Yoshitaka Naito into an Inspirational World Champion".
  15. "内藤 禎貴". Fight Spiral. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. "Shooto The Rookie Tournament 2012 Final". wrestlingdata.com. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  17. "【修斗】最強のび太、無敗のまま世界王者に". efight.jp. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  18. "【修斗】無敵のび太が一本勝ちで王座防衛、本物も応援に来た". efight.jp. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  19. "【修斗】のび太、ド根性ファイトでジャイアンと共に勝つ". efight.jp. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  20. "For Yoshitaka Naito, Martial Arts Has Blessed Him With Opportunity". sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  21. "Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke Meets Yoshitaka Naito In Bangkok". thefightnation.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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  24. "Strawweight title up for grabs as ONE champ Yoshitaka Naito meets Alex Silva in Bangkok | ABS-CBN Sports". Archived from the original on 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
  25. "Putting it briefly: Silva ready for Naito rematch in Jakarta". thejakartapost.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  26. "Naito scores close split decision victory over Silva to win ONE Strawweight World Championship". nationthailand.com. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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  30. Altatis, Conan (17 May 2019). "Paraestra Matsudo's Yoshitaka Naito earns 4th ONE Championship win, beats Alex Silva at 'ONE: Enter the Dragon' in Singapore". conandaily.com. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
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  33. Stewart Fulton (September 11, 2020). "Shinya Aoki earns decision win over Kimihiro Eto at Road to ONE 3". asianmma.com.
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