19 Facts About Yuki Nakai

Yuki Nakai is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist.

Yuki Nakai currently teaches Shootfighting and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and is the president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.

Yuki Nakai competed in Shooto, an early MMA promotion where he won the Shooto World Welterweight Championship, as well as Vale Tudo Japan 1995, where he was outweighed by every opponent in the tournament.

Yuki Nakai is considered a legend of Shooto by many fighters and fans.

Yuki Nakai is the founder of the Paraestra Shooto Gym and coaches fighters such as PRIDE and DREAM stand out Shinya Aoki, who earned his A-Class Shooto rank and jiu-jitsu black belt from Nakai.

Yuki Nakai started training Judo and Wrestling at Hokkaido Sapporo North high school, originally with the dream to be a professional wrestler.

When Yuki Nakai graduated from college, he joined Shooto as a professional.

Yuki Nakai made his MMA debut with a 53-second victory by keylock over Hiroki Noritsugu.

Yuki Nakai would follow with another win, submitting Masakazu Kuramochi via heel hook, but he was stopped short by Noboru Asahi in a decision loss.

In 1994, Nakai took part in the Vale Tudo Access series of events and fought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu exponent and Rickson Gracie student Arthur Cathiard in the first of them, getting a draw after an uneventful bout spent at Yuki's guard.

Yuki Nakai had acquired momentum, and he defeated standout Kazuhiro Kusayanagi for the Shooto Welterweight Championship shortly after.

Finally, after a third round passed on the ropes, Yuki Nakai scored a double leg takedown against the ring corner, escaped from a guillotine choke attempt by Gordeau and dropped down for another heel hook, this time managing to submit the Dutchman after half an hour of fighting.

The bigger fighter took him down and landed heavy ground and pound near the ropes while Yuki Nakai tried repeatedly for armbars from the bottom.

Pittman continued his assault on the center of the ring, but Yuki Nakai fended him off with a usage of both butterfly and spider guard.

Now with both of his eyes swollen shut from the punishment and almost totally blind, Yuki Nakai would go on to face jiu-jitsu expert Rickson Gracie in the third and final bout of the tournament.

Yuki Nakai resisted Rickson's earlier attempts of achieving dominant position, but he was too lacerated to keep up his defense and eventually Gracie took the side control.

Yuki Nakai learned it from Enson Inoue, and a year later he participated in his first jiu-jitsu tournament, the Gracie Honolulu Open hosted by Relson Gracie.

Yuki Nakai soon won the Pan American Championship on the Brown Belt category, and afterwards he was granted the Black Belt by Carlos Gracie Jr, becoming the first person from Japan to hold a Black Belt in BJJ.

In 1997, Yuki Nakai opened the Paraestra Shooto Gym, and was eventually appointed president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.