Hiromitsu Kanehara later competed for PRIDE Fighting Championships, DEEP, Pancrase and K-1 HERO'S to mixed success.
17 Facts About Hiromitsu Kanehara
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Hiromitsu Kanehara later made appearances for Pro Wrestling Zero1 and Real Japan Pro Wrestling before retiring in 2020.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara debuted in RINGS with a submission win against Sander Thonhauser and followed it with a victory on May 29,1998, against Lee Hasdell, winning by decision.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara would follow with victories over Sander MacKilljan, Hans Nijman and Hasdell again, but his winning streak broke in February 1999 against Carlson Gracie apprentice Ricardo Morais.
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Again facing a heavier opponent, Hiromitsu Kanehara was hit with knees and kicks to the head and downed in the initial minute, but he managed to execute a takedown on Overeem, who fell badly and dislocated his knee.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara had his debut in worldwide MMA at the 1999 edition of the King of Kings tournament, where he faced tough opposition.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara eliminated Jeremy Horn in a prolonged grappling affair in the first round, winning the unanimous decision thanks to his superior wrestling and ground work, and then went to face eventual winner Dan Henderson.
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The match was harsh and brutal, with Hiromitsu Kanehara getting his nose broken and finally being dominated with repeated takedowns for a majority decision loss.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara was next sent as a RINGS representative to the event Colosseum 2000, where he found himself in front of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Mario Sperry; even at loss, Kanehara performed impressively, countering and escaping all the bad positions he was caught with by Sperry.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara returned to KoK format facing popular luta livre practitioner and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship champion Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara then won his next match, quickly knocking out Tommy Sauer with punches, and reached the tournament's final event.
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Finally, Hiromitsu Kanehara faced the eventual winner, Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, losing a very back and forth grappling contest when he was caught in a choke and forced to submit.
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At the twilight of his career, Hiromitsu Kanehara debuted in PRIDE Fighting Championships as a RINGS veteran, and was pitted against a series of world-level opponents as PRIDE was known for doing with Japanese professional wrestlers.
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The first of them would be Wanderlei Silva in a challenge fight in PRIDE 23 for the PRIDE Middleweight Championship, but Hiromitsu Kanehara was knocked down with strikes and hit with soccer kicks and stomps until his corner threw the towel.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara returned to PRIDE as part of the Bushido series, taking on another feared striker in Mirko Cro Cop.
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The match went to the judges this time, as Hiromitsu Kanehara absorbed a surprising amount of punishment, including Mirko's dreaded left high kick.
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Hiromitsu Kanehara got similar results against Alistair Overeem in PRIDE 28; he survived a barrage of punches, flying knees and even a German suplex-like takedown, until he was finished by doctor stoppage.