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Takanori Gomi Career DVDs
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Career Discs on Takanori Gomi
Disc 1
vs. Johnny Eduardo
vs. Ryan Bow
vs. Rumina Sato
vs. Dokonjonosuka Mishima
vs. Joachim Hansen
Disc 2
vs. BJ Penn
vs. Jadson Costa
vs. Ralph Gracie
vs. Fabio Mello
vs. Charles Bennett
vs. Jens Pulver
Disc 3
vs. Luiz Azeredo I
vs. Jean Silva
vs. Tatsuya Kawajirl
vs. Luiz Azeredo II
Disc 1
vs. Johnny Eduardo
vs. Ryan Bow
vs. Rumina Sato
vs. Dokonjonosuka Mishima
vs. Joachim Hansen
Disc 2
vs. BJ Penn
vs. Jadson Costa
vs. Ralph Gracie
vs. Fabio Mello
vs. Charles Bennett
vs. Jens Pulver
Disc 3
vs. Luiz Azeredo I
vs. Jean Silva
vs. Tatsuya Kawajirl
vs. Luiz Azeredo II
Takanori Gomi (五味隆典, Gomi Takanori?, born September 22, 1978), "The Fireball Kid", is a Japanese mixed
martial artist. He currently competes for World Victory Road. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight
Champion and still holds the lightweight title from defunct promotion PRIDE Fighting Championship. He is
also a two-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. Characterized by his ambidexterity in striking, Gomi
is considered by many to be one of the best MMA lightweights in the world. Both Sherdog and MMAWeekly
rank Gomi as the #2 lightweight in the world behind BJ Penn.[2][3]
Biography
Childhood
Takanori Gomi was born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1978. He started boxing at Sagamihara Yonekura Gym in 1994
while he was attending Kanagawa Prefectural Aikawa Higashi Junior High School. Gomi was very athletic
and was the pitcher of the school’s baseball team, but dropped out of high school in 1996 when he failed to
pass on to the next grade. This caused an argument between Gomi and his father who disowned him as a
result of the altercation. Gomi then went on to learn American wrestling and competed in many wrestling
tournaments throughout Japan, the pinnacle of his grappling career being his two All Japan Combat Wrestling
championships, in which he defeated a number of the nation's top grapplers, future opponent Mitsuhiro
Ishida amongst them.[citation needed]
Shooto
Gomi joined the official Shooto gym in 1997 where he began training and taking part in the amateur Shooto
competitions. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut on November 27, 1998 at Shooto Las
Grandes Viajes 6 in Tokyo, where he defeated Hiroshi Tsuruya by decision. Gomi won his first 14 MMA
matches, mostly in the Shooto organization, but also fought in Vale Tudo Japan and in the Hawaiian-based
organization SuperBrawl.
Takanori Gomi became the Shooto world welterweight champion in 2001 after defeating former teammate
Rumina Sato by unanimous decision on December 16. Gomi then defeated highly regarded American grappler
Chris Brennan on September 16, 2002 via unanimous decision. He also defended the Shooto crown in 2002,
beating Dokonjonosuke Mishima by TKO in the second round.
Gomi's first loss was also his last fight in Shooto. It took place on August 10, 2003 at the Yokohama Cultural
Gymnasium. Gomi lost his title to Norwegian fighter Joachim Hansen by majority decision. This loss was
considered a huge upset at the time due to Hansen's 6-1-1 record in MMA.
Rumble on the Rock
Gomi then fought Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, former UFC welterweight champion, and
current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn on October 10, 2003 at the Rumble on the Rock 4 event in
Honolulu, Hawaii. His first and only fight under unified rules, Gomi was defeated in the third round by rear
naked choke.
PRIDE Fighting Championships
After back-to-back losses, Gomi found a new home in Japan’s premier MMA organization, the PRIDE Fighting
Championships. He made his debut within the organization on February 15, 2004 at PRIDE Bushido 2 where
he fought Jadson Costa of the famed Chute Boxe team out of Brazil. Gomi stopped Costa via TKO half way
through the first round.
Gomi was asked back to PRIDE to face off with the undefeated Ralph Gracie at PRIDE Bushido 3. Gracie was
the first coach of B.J. Penn, one of Gomi’s losses. Unlike his fight with Penn, Gomi made quick work of
Gracie, scoring a six second TKO in the first round- the quickest match in the organization’s history, due to
repeated knee strikes.
Takanori remained within the Bushido series, fighting and defeating both Fabio Mello and Charles "Crazy
Horse" Bennett in the first round at PRIDE Bushido 4 and PRIDE Bushido 5. Mello later noted that, “Apart from
being a good wrestler and a fine striker, Gomi knows how to defend on the ground. He is a complete fighter
who, due to his MMA experience, grows as the bout unfolds.”[citation needed]
Gomi then appeared at PRIDE’s New Year’s Eve show, PRIDE Shockwave 2004, against former UFC
lightweight champion Jens Pulver. Gomi scored a knockout with an uppercut at 6:21 in the first round.
Gomi started off 2005 with a win over Luiz Azeredo at PRIDE Bushido 7. Azeredo dominated the fight from
the opening bell with knees, punches, and flying kicks, but at the 3:46 mark of the first round, Gomi caught
Luiz with two hooks that sent the Chute Boxe fighter to the mat. Gomi was then criticized for continuing to
attack, even after Azeredo became unconscious, and was restrained by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE)
crew and staff. The Chute Boxe team stormed the ring and got into an altercation with Kiguchi Dojo. Gomi
later stated that the extracurricular attack was due to adrenaline and apologized for his actions.
Wanting to capitalize on the altercation at PRIDE Bushido 7 and Gomi's wins over Chute Boxe team members
Jadson Costa and Luiz Azeredo, PRIDE set Gomi up with Chute Box lightweight and Cage Rage champion
Jean Silva at PRIDE Bushido 8. Gomi won the fight by unanimous decision, securing an armbar in the waning
seconds of the fight.
In August, PRIDE announced that in the month of September they would be hosting an eight-man lightweight
tournament. The first round set up Takanori Gomi with fellow Japanese fighter and then Shooto world
welterweight champion Tatsuya Kawajiri. This fight was billed "the battle of the twenty first century boys"
in Japan due to the popularity and world-class match up of the two fighters.[citation needed] Many MMA
critics had Gomi ranked number one and Kawajiri number two in the lightweight division.[citation needed]
Gomi submitted Kawajiri in the first round with a rear naked choke. Gomi then had to fight again later that
night in the semi-finals against Luiz Azeredo. Gomi won via unanimous decision, becoming a finalist in the
2005 Lightweight Grand Prix.
Gomi met the other finalist, Hayato Sakurai, at PRIDE Shockwave 2005. Sakurai and Gomi were teammates
at the official Shooto gym back in the late 90's.[citation needed] Sakurai defeated Jens Pulver and Joachim
Hansen to reach the finals. After some exchanges on their feet, Sakurai tried to take Gomi down with a hip
toss, but on the way down, Gomi ended up on top in the mount. "The Fireball Kid" began to rain down
punches, and after taking a lot of shots Sakurai twisted to escape, giving his back to Gomi. Finally Sakurai
escaped and both fighters were on their feet, but the punches had taken their toll on Sakurai. Gomi threw a
right hand and then followed up with a left-right combination. The last right hook caught Sakurai on the
chin, knocking him out at 3:56 of the first round. Gomi was crowned the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix
champion.
Gomi then made his 2006 debut at PRIDE Bushido 10. Before the event, DSE announced that Gomi would be
crowned the PRIDE world lightweight champion due to winning the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix,
although the upcoming Bushido 10 fight would not be a title match. He then faced Marcus Aurelio of
American Top Team later that night. Aurelio choked out Gomi within the first round with an arm triangle.
This match-up was a huge upset and put a lot of doubt within Gomi’s ability to fight off of his back.
Although Aurelio won the match, it was a non-title bout, with Takanori Gomi remaining the PRIDE
lightweight champion. Gomi said he took the match too easily and that this loss was the best thing for him
to refocus and become a better fighter.[citation needed]
After a few months off while building his Rascal Gym, Gomi made his return to the PRIDE ring at PRIDE
Bushido 12 against 10-1 French fighter David Baron. Baron seemed willing to trade with Gomi and managed
to slip some punches. Eventually Gomi caught up with him and knocked the Frenchman down, mixing up
punches to the head and body. Baron missed a takedown attempt, allowing the PRIDE champion to get
around his back and slam Baron to the ground. Baron rolled in an attempt to shake off his Japanese
opponent, but Gomi held on, sinking in a rear naked choke. Baron defended the choke as long as he could,
but eventually Gomi completed the technique, forcing Baron to tap at the 7:10 mark of the first round.
Baron had previously won a tournament in Europe for the right to face Gomi.[citation needed]
Gomi rematched Aurelio at PRIDE Bushido 13 on November 5, 2006. This time the PRIDE lightweight
championship was on the line. Both fighters were extremely cautious, and many times the referee could be
heard calling for more action during the bout. Aurelio’s jab was effective and hit the champion several
times. Gomi, often switching his stance, replied with strikes of his own and landed numerous leg kicks.
Several times the American Top Team fighter ended up on his back after failed takedown attempts. Rather
than follow him down, Gomi just kicked Aurelio’s legs until the referee would stand the action back up.
Aurelio scored a clean takedown at the end of the first round, though. Aurelio attempted another takedown
in the second, only to see "The Fireball Kid" counter with a kimura. Gomi showed shades of his past catch
wrestling accolades when he countered another Aurelio takedown attempt with a half-nelson. He did not
follow Aurelio to the ground, instead attacking his legs with kicks. Gomi refused to follow Aurelio to the
ground despite his opponent's taunting. Gomi knocked down Aurelio with a body shot late in the last round,
and the bout ended with Gomi connecting with a hard kick to Aurelio's body just before the final bell. The
fight went to the judges and Gomi retained his title, walking away with the split decision.
Gomi's most recent win was a first round knockout of Mitsuhiro Ishida at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. Less than a
minute into the fight Gomi countered a right leg kick from Ishida with a straight left punch that knocked
him down. Gomi immediately went in for the finish, stopping Ishida with a series of hammer fists.
At PRIDE 33, Gomi suffered a loss to UFC veteran, Nick Diaz by way of gogoplata submission. In the
beginning of the first round, Gomi was landing blows on the taller Diaz, even scoring a knockdown, which
he was unable to capitalize upon. However, Diaz came back quickly and began to bombard Gomi, who had
become visibly exhausted, with straight jabs and right hands for the later half of the round. As the second
round opened, Gomi gamely tried to regain lost ground, but after a double leg takedown into Diaz's guard,
suddenly found himself in a gogoplata submission. The lightweight champion tapped out at 1:46 of the
second round. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has declared the fight a "no decision" after
Diaz tested positive for marijuana.[4]
By the end of his PRIDE tenture, Gomi was 13-1 with 1 NC in PRIDE.
World Victory Road
After Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased PRIDE Fighting Championships from Dream Stage
Entertainment, Gomi signed on with World Victory Road, and fought in it's inaugural event, "Sengoku",
where he defeated Duane Ludwig by TKO (cut).[5]
His next fight will be at World Victory Road "Sengoku IV," his opponent will be Sung Hwan Pang the DEEP
lightweight Champion[6]
martial artist. He currently competes for World Victory Road. Gomi is a former Shooto Welterweight
Champion and still holds the lightweight title from defunct promotion PRIDE Fighting Championship. He is
also a two-time All Japan Combat Wrestling champion. Characterized by his ambidexterity in striking, Gomi
is considered by many to be one of the best MMA lightweights in the world. Both Sherdog and MMAWeekly
rank Gomi as the #2 lightweight in the world behind BJ Penn.[2][3]
Biography
Childhood
Takanori Gomi was born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1978. He started boxing at Sagamihara Yonekura Gym in 1994
while he was attending Kanagawa Prefectural Aikawa Higashi Junior High School. Gomi was very athletic
and was the pitcher of the school’s baseball team, but dropped out of high school in 1996 when he failed to
pass on to the next grade. This caused an argument between Gomi and his father who disowned him as a
result of the altercation. Gomi then went on to learn American wrestling and competed in many wrestling
tournaments throughout Japan, the pinnacle of his grappling career being his two All Japan Combat Wrestling
championships, in which he defeated a number of the nation's top grapplers, future opponent Mitsuhiro
Ishida amongst them.[citation needed]
Shooto
Gomi joined the official Shooto gym in 1997 where he began training and taking part in the amateur Shooto
competitions. He made his professional mixed martial arts debut on November 27, 1998 at Shooto Las
Grandes Viajes 6 in Tokyo, where he defeated Hiroshi Tsuruya by decision. Gomi won his first 14 MMA
matches, mostly in the Shooto organization, but also fought in Vale Tudo Japan and in the Hawaiian-based
organization SuperBrawl.
Takanori Gomi became the Shooto world welterweight champion in 2001 after defeating former teammate
Rumina Sato by unanimous decision on December 16. Gomi then defeated highly regarded American grappler
Chris Brennan on September 16, 2002 via unanimous decision. He also defended the Shooto crown in 2002,
beating Dokonjonosuke Mishima by TKO in the second round.
Gomi's first loss was also his last fight in Shooto. It took place on August 10, 2003 at the Yokohama Cultural
Gymnasium. Gomi lost his title to Norwegian fighter Joachim Hansen by majority decision. This loss was
considered a huge upset at the time due to Hansen's 6-1-1 record in MMA.
Rumble on the Rock
Gomi then fought Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran, former UFC welterweight champion, and
current UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn on October 10, 2003 at the Rumble on the Rock 4 event in
Honolulu, Hawaii. His first and only fight under unified rules, Gomi was defeated in the third round by rear
naked choke.
PRIDE Fighting Championships
After back-to-back losses, Gomi found a new home in Japan’s premier MMA organization, the PRIDE Fighting
Championships. He made his debut within the organization on February 15, 2004 at PRIDE Bushido 2 where
he fought Jadson Costa of the famed Chute Boxe team out of Brazil. Gomi stopped Costa via TKO half way
through the first round.
Gomi was asked back to PRIDE to face off with the undefeated Ralph Gracie at PRIDE Bushido 3. Gracie was
the first coach of B.J. Penn, one of Gomi’s losses. Unlike his fight with Penn, Gomi made quick work of
Gracie, scoring a six second TKO in the first round- the quickest match in the organization’s history, due to
repeated knee strikes.
Takanori remained within the Bushido series, fighting and defeating both Fabio Mello and Charles "Crazy
Horse" Bennett in the first round at PRIDE Bushido 4 and PRIDE Bushido 5. Mello later noted that, “Apart from
being a good wrestler and a fine striker, Gomi knows how to defend on the ground. He is a complete fighter
who, due to his MMA experience, grows as the bout unfolds.”[citation needed]
Gomi then appeared at PRIDE’s New Year’s Eve show, PRIDE Shockwave 2004, against former UFC
lightweight champion Jens Pulver. Gomi scored a knockout with an uppercut at 6:21 in the first round.
Gomi started off 2005 with a win over Luiz Azeredo at PRIDE Bushido 7. Azeredo dominated the fight from
the opening bell with knees, punches, and flying kicks, but at the 3:46 mark of the first round, Gomi caught
Luiz with two hooks that sent the Chute Boxe fighter to the mat. Gomi was then criticized for continuing to
attack, even after Azeredo became unconscious, and was restrained by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE)
crew and staff. The Chute Boxe team stormed the ring and got into an altercation with Kiguchi Dojo. Gomi
later stated that the extracurricular attack was due to adrenaline and apologized for his actions.
Wanting to capitalize on the altercation at PRIDE Bushido 7 and Gomi's wins over Chute Boxe team members
Jadson Costa and Luiz Azeredo, PRIDE set Gomi up with Chute Box lightweight and Cage Rage champion
Jean Silva at PRIDE Bushido 8. Gomi won the fight by unanimous decision, securing an armbar in the waning
seconds of the fight.
In August, PRIDE announced that in the month of September they would be hosting an eight-man lightweight
tournament. The first round set up Takanori Gomi with fellow Japanese fighter and then Shooto world
welterweight champion Tatsuya Kawajiri. This fight was billed "the battle of the twenty first century boys"
in Japan due to the popularity and world-class match up of the two fighters.[citation needed] Many MMA
critics had Gomi ranked number one and Kawajiri number two in the lightweight division.[citation needed]
Gomi submitted Kawajiri in the first round with a rear naked choke. Gomi then had to fight again later that
night in the semi-finals against Luiz Azeredo. Gomi won via unanimous decision, becoming a finalist in the
2005 Lightweight Grand Prix.
Gomi met the other finalist, Hayato Sakurai, at PRIDE Shockwave 2005. Sakurai and Gomi were teammates
at the official Shooto gym back in the late 90's.[citation needed] Sakurai defeated Jens Pulver and Joachim
Hansen to reach the finals. After some exchanges on their feet, Sakurai tried to take Gomi down with a hip
toss, but on the way down, Gomi ended up on top in the mount. "The Fireball Kid" began to rain down
punches, and after taking a lot of shots Sakurai twisted to escape, giving his back to Gomi. Finally Sakurai
escaped and both fighters were on their feet, but the punches had taken their toll on Sakurai. Gomi threw a
right hand and then followed up with a left-right combination. The last right hook caught Sakurai on the
chin, knocking him out at 3:56 of the first round. Gomi was crowned the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix
champion.
Gomi then made his 2006 debut at PRIDE Bushido 10. Before the event, DSE announced that Gomi would be
crowned the PRIDE world lightweight champion due to winning the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix,
although the upcoming Bushido 10 fight would not be a title match. He then faced Marcus Aurelio of
American Top Team later that night. Aurelio choked out Gomi within the first round with an arm triangle.
This match-up was a huge upset and put a lot of doubt within Gomi’s ability to fight off of his back.
Although Aurelio won the match, it was a non-title bout, with Takanori Gomi remaining the PRIDE
lightweight champion. Gomi said he took the match too easily and that this loss was the best thing for him
to refocus and become a better fighter.[citation needed]
After a few months off while building his Rascal Gym, Gomi made his return to the PRIDE ring at PRIDE
Bushido 12 against 10-1 French fighter David Baron. Baron seemed willing to trade with Gomi and managed
to slip some punches. Eventually Gomi caught up with him and knocked the Frenchman down, mixing up
punches to the head and body. Baron missed a takedown attempt, allowing the PRIDE champion to get
around his back and slam Baron to the ground. Baron rolled in an attempt to shake off his Japanese
opponent, but Gomi held on, sinking in a rear naked choke. Baron defended the choke as long as he could,
but eventually Gomi completed the technique, forcing Baron to tap at the 7:10 mark of the first round.
Baron had previously won a tournament in Europe for the right to face Gomi.[citation needed]
Gomi rematched Aurelio at PRIDE Bushido 13 on November 5, 2006. This time the PRIDE lightweight
championship was on the line. Both fighters were extremely cautious, and many times the referee could be
heard calling for more action during the bout. Aurelio’s jab was effective and hit the champion several
times. Gomi, often switching his stance, replied with strikes of his own and landed numerous leg kicks.
Several times the American Top Team fighter ended up on his back after failed takedown attempts. Rather
than follow him down, Gomi just kicked Aurelio’s legs until the referee would stand the action back up.
Aurelio scored a clean takedown at the end of the first round, though. Aurelio attempted another takedown
in the second, only to see "The Fireball Kid" counter with a kimura. Gomi showed shades of his past catch
wrestling accolades when he countered another Aurelio takedown attempt with a half-nelson. He did not
follow Aurelio to the ground, instead attacking his legs with kicks. Gomi refused to follow Aurelio to the
ground despite his opponent's taunting. Gomi knocked down Aurelio with a body shot late in the last round,
and the bout ended with Gomi connecting with a hard kick to Aurelio's body just before the final bell. The
fight went to the judges and Gomi retained his title, walking away with the split decision.
Gomi's most recent win was a first round knockout of Mitsuhiro Ishida at PRIDE Shockwave 2006. Less than a
minute into the fight Gomi countered a right leg kick from Ishida with a straight left punch that knocked
him down. Gomi immediately went in for the finish, stopping Ishida with a series of hammer fists.
At PRIDE 33, Gomi suffered a loss to UFC veteran, Nick Diaz by way of gogoplata submission. In the
beginning of the first round, Gomi was landing blows on the taller Diaz, even scoring a knockdown, which
he was unable to capitalize upon. However, Diaz came back quickly and began to bombard Gomi, who had
become visibly exhausted, with straight jabs and right hands for the later half of the round. As the second
round opened, Gomi gamely tried to regain lost ground, but after a double leg takedown into Diaz's guard,
suddenly found himself in a gogoplata submission. The lightweight champion tapped out at 1:46 of the
second round. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has declared the fight a "no decision" after
Diaz tested positive for marijuana.[4]
By the end of his PRIDE tenture, Gomi was 13-1 with 1 NC in PRIDE.
World Victory Road
After Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased PRIDE Fighting Championships from Dream Stage
Entertainment, Gomi signed on with World Victory Road, and fought in it's inaugural event, "Sengoku",
where he defeated Duane Ludwig by TKO (cut).[5]
His next fight will be at World Victory Road "Sengoku IV," his opponent will be Sung Hwan Pang the DEEP
lightweight Champion[6]
