Native name 前田 吉朗 Weight 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | Nationality Japanese Other names Hitman from Naniwa Name Yoshiro Maeda | |
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Born October 31, 1981 (age 42)
Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan ( 1981-10-31 ) Division Bantamweight
Flyweight (2014-present) Movies Pride FC: Bushido: Vol. 13 Similar People Daiki Hata, Hiroyuki Takaya, Masakazu Imanari, Kenji Osawa, Hideo Tokoro | ||
YOSHIRO MAEDA: The Best Japanese Fighter Ever
Yoshiro Maeda (前田吉朗, Maeda Yoshirō, born October 31, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in DEEP's flyweight division, and formerly fought in DEEP's bantamweight division, the latter of which he is a former champion, recently losing the title to Daiki Hata who is still the reigning champion. With a professional career spanning 10 years, Maeda has competed in notable Japanese promotions such as Pancrase, PRIDE FC and DREAM, as well as the WEC in America.
Contents
- YOSHIRO MAEDA The Best Japanese Fighter Ever
- Early career
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- DREAM
- World Victory Road
- Mixed martial arts
- References
Early career
Going 0-1-2 as an amateur in 2002, Maeda made his professional debut in 2003 with a second round technical submission of Shigeyuki Umeki. Between his pro debut and 2005, Maeda racked a record of 17-2-1, with wins coming under the Pancrase and DEEP banners.
World Extreme Cagefighting
Following a drop in weight to the bantamweight division, Maeda debuted in the WEC with a first round KO due to a kick to the body against King of the Cage champion, Charlie Valencia. With this win, Maeda was given a title shot against bantamweight champion, Miguel Torres. In a back and forth battle, both men landed hard shots on the feet and exchanged submission attempts on the ground. Maeda would lose due to doctor stoppage in the third round due to severe swelling of his right eye. The fight earned Fight of the Night honors.
Maeda would then face BJJ black belt, Rani Yahya, in a catchweight bout of 137 pounds at WEC 36. Maeda lost by submission due to a guillotine choke in the first round. Following this loss, Maeda would be released from his WEC contract after going 1-2 in the promotion.
DREAM
In his first bout under the DREAM banner, Maeda defeated Micah Miller by unanimous decision. Followed by a controversial first round KO loss to Hiroyuki Takaya, he rebounded with a win over former WEC champion Chase Beebe. Once again, Maeda would lose by KO, this time to former WEC champion Cole Escovedo. Maeda is 0-4 within DREAM since his loss to Escovedo in 2010.
World Victory Road
Yoshiro Maeda fought former Sengoku featherweight champion, Masanori Kanehara, in December 2010. Maeda won by first round TKO.