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* {{Ninja}}: Pretty much a legit Ninja.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And also trained in shoot wrestling and won the 1998 All Japan Amateur Shooto Championships over Takashi Okada in the heavyweight class and had two pro fights in Shooto, winning both.
* RedBaron: "Tokyo Tower".
* RedBaron: "Tokyo Tower".
to:
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/SatoruSayama and Wrestling/ShinyaHashimoto.
* BashBrothers: With Hirotaka Yokoi (collectively known as ROWDY), Yoshihiro Takayama and Ryoji Sai.
* ChallengeSeeker: He demanded a match with Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura, as he claimed to be a better representative of the strong-style. Sato even called him for a MMA match of all things.
* TheBigGuy: Got stuck in this role after failing to become the next ace of the heavyweight division as he had been meant.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: He is always the big guy of the team, minus when teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama or Shuji Ishikawa, who are quite tall as well.
* TheGiant: He is quite huge for Japanese standards, almost to Giant Baba-esque levels, which is arguably part of his mystique.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And also trained in shoot wrestling at the Super Tiger Gym and won the 1998 +85kg All Japan Amateur Shooto Championships over Takashi Okada in the heavyweight class and had two pro fights in Shooto, winning both.
* RedBaron:"Tokyo Tower"."Satsuriki Tokyo Tower" ("The Tokyo Tower of Slaughter"), "Hangyaku no Onimusa" ("The Demon Warrior of the Rebellion") and "Wakatora" ("Young Tiger").
Unknown Rival: He challenged Wrestling/KazuyukiFujita and later Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but his challenges were ignored.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being a wrestling giant himself, he and Katsuhisa Fujii were worfed by Wrestling/GiantSilva in the first HUSTLE event.
* BashBrothers: With Hirotaka Yokoi (collectively known as ROWDY), Yoshihiro Takayama and Ryoji Sai.
* ChallengeSeeker: He demanded a match with Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura, as he claimed to be a better representative of the strong-style. Sato even called him for a MMA match of all things.
* TheBigGuy: Got stuck in this role after failing to become the next ace of the heavyweight division as he had been meant.
* BigGuyLittleGuy: He is always the big guy of the team, minus when teaming with Yoshihiro Takayama or Shuji Ishikawa, who are quite tall as well.
* TheGiant: He is quite huge for Japanese standards, almost to Giant Baba-esque levels, which is arguably part of his mystique.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And also trained in shoot wrestling at the Super Tiger Gym and won the 1998 +85kg All Japan Amateur Shooto Championships over Takashi Okada in the heavyweight class and had two pro fights in Shooto, winning both.
* RedBaron:
Unknown Rival: He challenged Wrestling/KazuyukiFujita and later Wrestling/BrockLesnar for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but his challenges were ignored.
* TheWorfEffect: Despite being a wrestling giant himself, he and Katsuhisa Fujii were worfed by Wrestling/GiantSilva in the first HUSTLE event.
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* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kyuhei or Shinsuke.
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* BashBrothers: With Kohei Sato as the ROWDY team.
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* SatelliteCharacter: In Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1, he was pretty much known only as the random mixed martial artist who always teamed up with Sato.
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—>’’”Catch, catch, catch! That is our goal!”’’
—>— Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
—>— Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
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—>—
-->-- Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
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--->--Erik Paulson
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Changed line(s) 9,11 (click to see context) from:
—->’’"Catch, catch, catch! That is our goal!"’’
—->—- Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
—->—- Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
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—->—-
—>— Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
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!!!Koki Kitahara
to:
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* BadassTeacher / OldMaster: Owns the Kiguchi Gym where he trained guys like Takanori Gomi, Rumina Sato, Baret Yoshida, Naoki Sakurada, Norifumi Yamamoto, Noboru Asahi, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Genki Sudo, etc.
to:
—->’’"Catch, catch, catch! That is our goal!"’’
—->—- Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
*BadassTeacher / OldMaster: BadassTeacher: Owns the Kiguchi Gym where he trained guys like Takanori Gomi, Rumina Sato, Baret Yoshida, Naoki Sakurada, Norifumi Yamamoto, Noboru Asahi, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Genki Sudo, etc.
—->—- Noriaki Kiguchi, the Combat Wrestling motto.
*
* OldMaster: Was training people in his own basement before he became an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym, then he got his own gym.
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* CoolTeacher: He now owns the Capture International Gym where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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* CoolTeacher: He now owns the Capture International Gym Dojo where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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* InkSuitActor: Is the model for Manga/BakiTheGrappler's main character, Baki Hanma.
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* InkSuitActor: Is the inspiration and model for Manga/BakiTheGrappler's main character, Baki Hanma.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Teixeira and trained at the Freestyle Fighting Academy. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and UsefulNotes//{{Judo}}, and also trained in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and shootfighting.
to:
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Teixeira and trained at the Freestyle Fighting Academy. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and UsefulNotes//{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, and also trained in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and shootfighting.
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* {{Jobber}}: Though he never lost, he had a short career with 2 wins and 3 losses.
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* {{Jobber}}: Though he never lost, he had a short career with 2 wins and 3 losses.
draws.
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* CoolTeacher: Head trainer of Shooting Gym Kobe.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Purebred Omiya.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Purebred Omiya.Omiya as well as Brazilian jiu-.jitsu
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* IKnowKarate: Started his training in Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} then trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his brother under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie and is a black belt.
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* IKnowKarate: Started his training in Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} then trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his brother under Joe John Lewis and Relson Gracie and is a black belt.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-jitsu]]: Trained it before his start in Shooto under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie. He also is black belt in taijutsu (no, not that [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Taijutsu]]). He also did amateur wrestling in college and before these he learned UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and Hapkido.
to:
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-jitsu]]: Trained it before his start in Shooto under Joe John Lewis and Relson Gracie. He also is black belt in taijutsu (no, not that [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Taijutsu]]). He also did amateur wrestling in college and before these he learned UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and Hapkido.
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* CoolTeacher: Head trainer at PUREBRED Arena and a former trainer at PUREBRED Omiya.
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* CoolTeacher: Head trainer at PUREBRED Purebred Arena and a former trainer at PUREBRED Purebred Omiya.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A representative of the style in the 1995 and 1996 Lumax Cups.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A representative of the style in the 1995 and 1996 Lumax Cups. He also competed in combat wrestling.
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* UnrelatedBrother: No relation to Ryuta.
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* UnrelatedBrother: UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Ryuta.
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* IKnowKarate: Trained in kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and shoot wrestling at Tanaka Juku.
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* IKnowKarate: Trained in kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and shoot wrestling at Super Tiger Gym Tanaka Juku.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt, 3 Time Ontario Judo Champion, and trained extensively with the Canadian Olympic Judo Team. He also trained at the Samurai Club in Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion (including Open Weight Class Champion).
to:
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt, a 3 Time time Ontario Judo Champion, and trained extensively with the Canadian Olympic Judo Team. He also trained at the Samurai Club in Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion (including Open Weight Class Champion).
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* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Gonzui's Gym.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at Shooto Gyms Chokushin Kai.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at Shooto Gyms Chokushin Kai.
to:
* CoolTeacher: Has Had his own gym, Gonzui's Gym.
Gym. He is now the head instructor of Shooting Gym Kobe.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at ShootoGyms Chokushin Kai.Gym Blows.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at Shooto
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* TheApprentice: To Bob Schrijber
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* TheApprentice: To Bob SchrijberSchrijber.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: He also trained in Brazilian jiujitsu under Marcio Laselva.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: He also trained in Brazilian jiujitsu jiu-jitsu under Marcio Laselva.
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* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
to:
* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Matthias Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
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-->-- Shuichiro Katsumura on the Ninja Choke.
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-->-- Shuichiro Katsumura on the Ninja {{Ninja}} Choke.
* GratuitousNinja: Wore a ninja outfit for an entrance and has a move he calls the {{Ninja}} Choke.
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* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was the first man to beat Hayato Sakurai ending his 18 win streak. He suffered this in UFC against Chris Weidman.
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* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was the first man to beat Hayato Sakurai ending his 18 win streak. He suffered this in UFC against Chris Weidman.
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* TheApprentice: To Kenichi Tanaka.
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* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and jeet kune do.
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* OldMaster: A former instructor of the Super Tiger Gym. Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as and also teaches kali, silat, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and jeet kune do.
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* CoolTeacher: He now owns the Capture International Gym where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym. He now owns the Capture International Gym where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym. He now owns the Capture International Gym where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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* TheApprentice: One of the first trainees under Sayama.
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* TheApprentice: One of the first trainees under Sayama.
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* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym.
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* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym. He now owns the Capture International Gym where he instructs in MMA and pro wrestling.
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!!!Koki Kitahara
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/SatoruSayama and Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real first name is Tatsumi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before he started training in shoot wrestling at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym.
* StartMyOwn: Founded his own wrestling promotion, Capture International.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: A veteran wrestler for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, Canadian National Wrestling Alliance, Super World of Sports, Wrestle Association R, and Tenryu Project.
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/SatoruSayama and Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real first name is Tatsumi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before he started training in shoot wrestling at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OldMaster: Was an instructor at the Super Tiger Gym.
* StartMyOwn: Founded his own wrestling promotion, Capture International.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: A veteran wrestler for Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, Canadian National Wrestling Alliance, Super World of Sports, Wrestle Association R, and Tenryu Project.
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* CoolTeacher: He served as an instructor at Super Tiger Gym and had a hand in training Mitsuya Nagai and Tri-Force owner Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa. He now owns and is the head instructor of Strapple MMA Gym.
to:
* CoolTeacher: He served as an instructor at Super Tiger Gym and had a hand in training Mitsuya Nagai and Tri-Force owner Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa. He now owns and is the head instructor of Strapple MMA Gym.
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* OldMaster: He served as an instructor at Super Tiger Gym and had a hand in training Mitsuya Nagai and Tri-Force owner Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa.
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* WrestlingFamily: His younger brother is Yukihiro Nakamura was also a trainee under Sayama.
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* WrestlingFamily: His Has a younger brother is brother, Yukihiro Nakamura who was also a trainee under Sayama.
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!!!Naoyuki Taira
* TheApprentice: To Takashi Azuma, Isamu Kuwata, Wrestling/SatoruSayama, Caesar Takeshi, Sot Chitalada, and Carley Gracie.
* CombatReferee: He has served as a referee in ZST, K-1, shootboxing, and professional wrestling matches.
* CoolTeacher: He served as an instructor at Super Tiger Gym and had a hand in training Mitsuya Nagai and Tri-Force owner Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa. He now owns and is the head instructor of Strapple MMA Gym.
* GuestFighter: Had a few fights in RINGS.
* IKnowKarate: A Kyokushin black belt and also trained in Daidōjuku, boxing at Tokyo's Teiken Boxing Gym, shoot wrestling at Super Tiger Gym, shootboxing at Caesar Gym, UsefulNotes/MuayThai at Sot Chitalada Gym in Thailand, sambo, kung fu, and is a 2nd degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and trained at Carley Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
* InkSuitActor: Is the model for Manga/BakiTheGrappler's main character, Baki Hanma.
* RedBaron: "Gurappurā" ("The Grappler").
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Has wrestled for Wrestling/MichinokuProWrestling and Battlarts.
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* AscendedFanboy: Was inspired by Creator/BruceLee movies to pursue martial arts.
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* IKnowKarate: And kung fu, and kickboxing. Notably, he knows Kansui-ryu UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, the style founded by Wrestling/AntonioInoki. He also learned kali, silat, and jeet kune do when he went to America under Dan Inosanto
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, and jeet kune do.
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, and jeet kune do.
to:
* IKnowKarate: And kung fu, and kickboxing. Notably, he knows Kansui-ryu UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, the style founded by Wrestling/AntonioInoki. He also learned kali, silat, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and jeet kune do when he went to America under Dan Inosanto
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and jeet kune do.
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and jeet kune do.
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* WrestlingFamily: His younger brother is Yukihiro Nakamura was also a trainee under Sayama.
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* BadassFamily: Has a younger brother named Leif Paulson who is an outstanding up and coming grappler in his own right.
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* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Purebred Omiya.
to:
* CoolTeacher: A Head trainer at PUREBRED Arena and a former trainer at Purebred PUREBRED Omiya.
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* CoolTeacher: Founded the Red Sword Gym.
to:
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Red Sword Gym.Muso Senjyutsu (Red Sword) Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]
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* CoolTeacher: An instructor at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
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* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling. He also trained at Shooto Jam Water under Mitsuhiro Saji.
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!!!Toru Nakayama
* TheApprentice: To Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa.
* CoolTeacher: The head trainer of Tri-Force Gotanda.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tri-Force Academy, is a black belt, a 2007 BJJF All Japan middleweight open champion at brown belt, a 2010 All-Japan Middleweight Champion at black belt, placed 3rd in the lightweight European open championships, and a 2011 Tokyo International Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu middleweight and openweight champion. He also trained in sambo as well as combat and shoot wrestling under Team IMPRESS.
* TheApprentice: To Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa.
* CoolTeacher: The head trainer of Tri-Force Gotanda.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tri-Force Academy, is a black belt, a 2007 BJJF All Japan middleweight open champion at brown belt, a 2010 All-Japan Middleweight Champion at black belt, placed 3rd in the lightweight European open championships, and a 2011 Tokyo International Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu middleweight and openweight champion. He also trained in sambo as well as combat and shoot wrestling under Team IMPRESS.
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!!!Yasuyuki Tokuoka
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Otoko".
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Otoko".
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!!!Yoshifumi Dogaki
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kenpo]]: Nippon Kenpo, he also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 13 losses, and 6 draws.
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kenpo]]: Nippon Kenpo, he also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 13 losses, and 6 draws.
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!!!Hiroyasu Kodera
* TheApprentice: To Naoyuki Abe.
* FanNickname: "Hiro".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as kickboxing and shoot wrestling and trained at MMA Dojo STF.
* TheApprentice: To Naoyuki Abe.
* FanNickname: "Hiro".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as kickboxing and shoot wrestling and trained at MMA Dojo STF.
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* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner before training under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
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* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner before training under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained in koppo at Chogokai gym.
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* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Tsudanuma Dojo.
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* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Tsudanuma MMA Dojo.
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* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the Shooting Gym Tsudanuma and founded Tanaka Juku.
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* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the Shooting Gym Tsudanuma and founded Super Tiger Gym Tanaka Juku.
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!!!Akitoshi Tamura
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Tsudanuma MMA Dojo.
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner and also trained in shoot wrestling trained Super Tiger Gym Tanaka Juku.
* MinoredInAssKicking: He competed in a lethwei tournament on July 10 & 11, 2004 and knocked out local fighter Aya Bo Sein in the second round to become the first foreigner to beat a lethwei practitioner in an official match.
* RedBaron: "Tetsujin" ("Ironman").
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Tsudanuma MMA Dojo.
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner and also trained in shoot wrestling trained Super Tiger Gym Tanaka Juku.
* MinoredInAssKicking: He competed in a lethwei tournament on July 10 & 11, 2004 and knocked out local fighter Aya Bo Sein in the second round to become the first foreigner to beat a lethwei practitioner in an official match.
* RedBaron: "Tetsujin" ("Ironman").
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!!!Takeshi Yamazaki
* TheApprentice: To Sanae Kikuta.
* CoolTeacher: Head Instructor of Reversal Gym Shinjuku Me, We.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Grabaka.
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!!!Martijn Meenhuis
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* CoolTeacher: Owner and headcoach of TCT - Training Center Twente.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo along with shoot wrestling. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and was a Dutch UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} Junior Champion in 1997.
* RedBaron: "The Tsunami".
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* CoolTeacher: Owner and headcoach of TCT - Training Center Twente.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo along with shoot wrestling. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and was a Dutch UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} Junior Champion in 1997.
* RedBaron: "The Tsunami".
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[[folder:Debuted in When Shooto Was Shin-Kakutōgi AKA The Amateur Years AKA Shooto's Forefathers (1985-88)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20141217_1217792.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Not To Confused With Shooting Sports]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1499747026275_42g.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Boys Be A Tiger]]
!!!Noriaki Kiguchi
* BadassTeacher / OldMaster: Owns the Kiguchi Gym where he trained guys like Takanori Gomi, Rumina Sato, Baret Yoshida, Naoki Sakurada, Norifumi Yamamoto, Noboru Asahi, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Genki Sudo, etc.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Champion under Victor Koga's tutelage. He also trained amateur wrestling in school, and UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling under Wrestling/SatoruSayama, which he started teaching it at his own gym.
* NonActionGuy: Was a teacher for many of the Shooto guys though he never competed himself.
* OddFriendship: With pro wrestler Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer.
* StartMyOwn / UrExample: Founded Combat Wrestling and has been hosting events since the 1990s.
!!!Yorinaga Nakamura
-->''"He was definitely one of the most knowledgeable guys on leglocks."''
--->--Erik Paulson
* TheApprentice: One of the first trainees under Sayama.
* IKnowKarate: And kung fu, and kickboxing. Notably, he knows Kansui-ryu UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, the style founded by Wrestling/AntonioInoki. He also learned kali, silat, and jeet kune do when he went to America under Dan Inosanto
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, and jeet kune do.
* UnknownCharacter: He was the first high level Shooto trainer and the winner of the first tournament in the promotion, but as the event was amateur and untelevised and he left for United States shortly after to teach shoot wrestling, almost nobody in the sport's fandom has seen him fight.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Has no relation to Keitaro.
!!!Toshiharu Suzuki
* CombatReferee: For a long time, Suzuki was Shooto's only referee. He is now the head referee of Shooto.
* GameMaster: He is the official rulemaker of Shooto and is a board member of the International Shooto Commission.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in When Shooto was Shooting AKA When Shooto Went Pro (1989-94)]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/29d05238_c1b3_4c8d_abe5_a1c9ced764c9.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:220:When Shooto Was Shooto]]
[[quoteright:239:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_shooto_logo1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:239:Since 1991]]
!!!Shinji Abe
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only one fight against Noboru Asahi. He lost of course.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Kazuya, or Yoshihiko.
!!!Yoshihiko Abe
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only two fights. He lost in both.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Kazuya, or Shinji.
!!!Toshio Ando
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only two fights. He lost in both.
!!!Noboru Asahi
-->''"They often call off my passivity. But look, out of my 30 fights, only 5 have went to the judges..."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira who beat him twice.
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Tokyo Yellow Mans Gym after he retired.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Rumina Sato and Enson Inoue. He also debuted earlier than the others.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Kijin" ("The Strange Man", due to the weird shape of his nose and face).
* TheRival: To Yuki Nakai.
* TheWorfEffect: By Royler Gracie at the Vale Tudo Japan.
!!!Kazumi Chikiyoshi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only one fight beaten by Noboru Asahi.
!!!Yutaka Fuji
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A very short career with three fights. He lost all three.
!!!Mitsuo Fujikura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A very short career with 3 fights, winning his first, drawing his second, and losing his last.
!!!Yuji Fujita
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one win out of seven fights, the rest were losses.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yoshihiro or Norio.
!!!Tomokazu Fukaya
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kenji Kawaguchi, which he lost.
!!!Satoshi Fukuoka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 3 fights, two losses and a draw.
!!!Yuji Hashiguchi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, he lost both fights.
!!!Tetsuya Hirada
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}
!!!Satoshi Honma
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before he joined the Super Tiger Gym.
* MinoredInAssKicking: Aside from MMA he also has a win in kickboxing against English kickboxing champion Wayne "Homeboy" Turner at K-1 Survival '99.
!!!Yoshimasa Ishikawa
* CoolTeacher: A trainer for Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym and also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
!!!Takashi Ishizaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one win in Shooto with 4 losses and a draw.
!!!Kazuyuki Itagaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a loss against Hidehiko Satake.
!!!Takenori Ito
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Tsudanuma Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yuji.
!!!Yuji Ito
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UrExample: Though he lost, he was in the main event fight at the first pro Shooto event with Yuichi Watanabe. He did avenge his loss a year later though.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Takenori.
!!!Jun Kanetaka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takeshi Miyanaga. He lost.
!!!Hiroyuki Kanno
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Saginuma.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Kenji Kawaguchi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Erik Paulson.
* ArchEnemy: Most of his losses came at the hands of foreigners.
* TheBusCameBack: He has done this twice. He retired from full time fighting in 1999, then came back in 2006 with a TKO win against Deividas Petrauskas at Shooto: The Devilock. He came back again in 2015 losing to Yuki Kondo at Pancrase: 271.
* CoolOldGuy: Was in the first pro Shooto event and his latest fight was in 2015, do the math.
* CoolTeacher: The head trainer of Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UrExample: Was the first Shooto light heavyweight champion.
* TheWorfEffect: Was undefeated with 10 wins and 4 draws till he was KO'ed by Dutch kickboxer Jan Lomulder at Vale Tudo Japan 1994. He did get his revenge at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
!!!Jun Kikawada
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer of Shooting Gym Kobe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
!!!Junichi Kubota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Suguru Shigeno, which ended in a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Misaki.
!!!Misaki Kubota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only three fights in Shooto, two losses and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Junichi.
!!!Masakazu Kuramochi
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the R-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* HiddenDepths: Opened up a video game arcade when he retired from fighting.
!!!Kazuhiro Kusayanagi
* CoolTeacher: Founded the K'z Factory Shooto Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: A trainee under Noriaki Kiguchi before training with Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* TheRival: To Naoki Sakurada.
* TheWorfEffect: Got KO'ed by David Levicki at Vale Tudo 1994 in over a minute.
!!!Takuya Kuwabara
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Takenori Gomi.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: A decent fighter with draws against Caol Uno and Hayato Sakurai and took decision losses from Takenori Gomi twice and Rumina Sato, he was just never considered a big star.
* RedBaron: "Massoh".
!!!Yasushi Maeda
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hiroshi Matsuoka, though he did win it.
!!!Hiroshi Matsuoka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yasushi Maeda, he lost.
!!!Hiroaki Matsutani
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at K'z Factory Shooto Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Takeshi Miyanaga
* EmbarrassingNickname: He was called "Johnny" for some reason.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Makoto Mizoguchi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, he lost both.
!!!Eiji Mizuno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had three fights in Shooto, a win, a loss, and a draw.
!!!Keiichi Motomura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Masaya Onodera and lost.
!!!Yoshiaki Murai
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head of his MMA team Midzukijuku.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, which he both lost.
!!!Tadashi Murakami
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Mamoru Okochi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Yuki Nakai
-->''"That night I could have died. And I would have chosen to die."''
* BadassTeacher: Started up the Paraestra Shooto Gyms and trained fighters like Shinya Aoki, Masakazu Imanari, Masakatsu Ueda, Satoru Kitaoka, Yukinori Sasa, Kazuya Satoh, Yusuke Honma, Yoshihiko Matsumoto, Arabe Kenji, etc.
* BloodKnight: Bleeding and wobbling, Nakai left the ring after the Pittman fight [[ScreamingWarrior screaming for Rickson.]].
* CoolVersusAwesome: Had a grappling match in Shooto with fellow HandicappedBadass Jean-Jacques Machado.
* {{Determinator}}: A gouged eye and two beatdowns are not enough to stop Yuki.
* DiabolusExNihilo: From the Gracie point of view during the Vale Tudo Japan, Nakai became a stylistically worrying opponent for them after they watched him fend off Pittman with a kind of guard they had never seen. It can be seen in the ''Choke'' documentary, when Rickson looks confused while his brother Royler tries to explain with BuffySpeak how it is Nakai's butterfly guard.
* HandicappedBadass: Had to retire from MMA due to the damaged to his eye, as he lost its eyesight and couldn't see the punches, but he keep competing in grappling, he even rumpled the legendary Ricardo de la Riva Goded in a jiu-jitsu match.
* HonorBeforeReason: Kept his half blindness a secret to protect the reputation of MMA, knowing that if the press found it out, a herd of MoralGuardians would decry unjustly the sport for being violent and etc. Also, he made a point by releasing the heel hook on Gordeau when he tapped out - [[WhatYouAreInTheDark how many people would have not felt inclined to]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil pay him the same way and leave him crippled forever?]]
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Most specifically, kosen judo. He is a former Shichitei champion from the Hokkaido university, as well as apprentice of famous Kodokan master Kanae Hirata, he actually started his UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} training in Hokkaido Sapporo North high school, along with amateur wrestling. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, although he never trained formally at it (he was given the belt by Carlos Gracie after Nakai did well in the world BJJ championships, which he trained with the help of real BJJ black belt Enson Inoue).
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Submitted Gerard Gordeau with an eye destroyed, then submitted Craig Pittman half blind and outsized by almost his own weight, and went to stale Rickson Gracie for a time until he was tapped out.
* TheRival: To Noboru Asahi, the cause of his sole defeat before hitting the VTJ.
* OldMaster: A renowned one in grappling, also the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in Japan and president of the Japanese BJJ confederation.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He is a pretty small guy, but [[Franchise/StarWars the Force is strong in him.]]
* TellMeHowYouFight: Has declared in several occasions the idea that fighting is a form of communication, and he teaches martial arts, according to him, to help people to communicate, which is a trouble in the often socially difficult Japanese community.
!!!Takashi Nishizawa
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only three fights in Shooto, with 2 losses and won his last fight.
!!!Hiroki Noritsugi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Got beaten twice in United Full Contact Federation Ultimate Fighting 2 by Dennis Hallman.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained with Matt Hume at AMC Pankration.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto losing against Yuki Nakai.
!!!Norito Ogasawara
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A loss to Takenori Ito was his only fight.
!!!Kenji Ogusu
* CoolTeacher: Founded the K.O. Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He later became a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career mostly filled with draws though he only lost once.
!!!Tomonori Ohara
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Tokai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym and also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 5 wins, 12 losses and a draw.
!!!Masahiro Oishi
* CoolOldGuy: He started MMA in 1993 and his last fight was in 2014.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Jackal".
!!!Mamoru Okochi
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Had his own MMA team Okochi Gundan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Takayuki.
!!!Yasunori Okuda
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: An MMA record of 2 wins and 6 losses, though one of his wins was over a debuting Akihiro Gono at the 1994 Lumax Cup.
!!!Masaya Onodera
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with three fights, a win, a loss, and a draw.
!!!Makoto Ozaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto losing against Kenichi Tanaka.
* UrExample: Was in the first pro Shooto fight against Kenichi Tanaka.
!!!Erik Paulson
-->''"I have trained under Dan Inosanto, Yori Nakamura, the Gracies as well as the Machados. I have had a total of over 40 coaches and trainers to develop my overall game."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Paul Jones.
* TheApprentice: To Yorinaga Nakamura and is his most well known student.
* BraidsOfAction: Horrifyingly deconstructed in the 1995 World Combat Championships, in which he fought with long hair tied in braids because he could not cut it for work schedules (he was a stuntman and double in a film). His opponent James Warring took advantage of it in a very bad way - he pulled it and literally dragged Paulson ByTheHair through the mat, making his corner throw the towel.
* CoolTeacher: Most known as MMA trainer and helped train guys like Josh Barnett, Wrestling/KenShamrock, Renato Sobral, Cub Swanson, Sean Sherk, James Wilksand, and Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And many, ''many'' other martial arts, especially Jeet Kune Do, kali, UsefulNotes/WingChun and silat.
* MightyWhitey: Was the first non-Japanese Shooto champion, besting Kenji Kawaguchi in an upset.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: His reason to learn other martial arts was that UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} failed him as a self-defense art when he was bullied as a child (actually due again to his long hair, which got pulled - it seems that Erik couldn't take a break).
* RedBaron: "The Storm", "The American Wonder".
* StartMyOwn: Founder of Combat Submission Wrestling and STX Kickboxing.
* UrExample: Along with Chad Stahelski of all people, they were the first foreigners to fight in Shooto. He is also the first one in Shooto to have trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: With the Gracies. He started his training in BJJ with them and was the one that invited Rickson Gracie to the first Vale Tudo Japan event, they had a falling out when they found out he had enter the World Combat Championship event, which Renzo was also entering and continued his training in BJJ with the Machado Brothers.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Infamously played in the WCC tournament, in which he was classified as a striker and thus he had forbidden to use submissions, which got him gassed and destroyed after a tough round against a UsefulNotes/MuayThai fighter. When he faced kickboxing champion James Warring in the next round, he barely could attempt to take him down, and his hair made the rest.
!!!Tomoyuki Saito
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only two wins in his career with 4 draws and 3 losses.
!!!Kazuhiro Sakamoto
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer for Shooting Gym Yokohama, now the head trainer of Shooting Gym Tokyo.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before becoming a trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheRival: With Kenichi Tanaka as they fought 4 times with each getting two wins and losses.
!!!Naoki Sakurada
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten by Kenji Kawaguchi twice.
* TheApprentice: Was one of Noriaki Kiguchi's first students.
* CoolTeacher: Better known as a trainer than a fighter. He helped Noriaki Kiguchi train many others in combat wrestling and teaches Shooto at his own gym, the Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: One of the first guys to learn the sport and of course shoot wrestling and fought in the first pro Shooto event.
* RedBaron: "Mr Gutsman".
!!!Hidehiko Satake
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a win against Kazuyuki Itagaki.
!!!Yasuto Sekishima
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Narita.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained in shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi and combat wrestling under Noriaki Kiguchi.
* UrExample: The first Shooto middleweight champion.
!!!Suguru Shigeno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only two wins on his record with 5 losses and 5 draws.
!!!Chad Stahelski
* CoolTeacher: Worked as an instructor at the Inosanto Martial Arts Academy before his film career.
* HeAlsoDid: Kind of inverted as he is more famously known from his stunt double work with Brandon Lee on Film/TheCrow and Creator/KeanuReeves on Film/TheMatrix and as a co-director of Film/JohnWick. Barely anyone knows that he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: As well as Jeet Kune Do and shoot wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura and many other martial arts at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Lost his fight with Manabu Yamada.
* UrExample: Along with Erik Paulson, was the first foreigners to fight in Shooto.
!!!Masato Suzuki
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained in boxing.
* {{Jobber}}: Well, he did have to face future Shooto superstars Rumina Sato, and Noboru Asahi who beat him twice.
!!!Akiyuki Takatsuka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight against Mamoru Okochi and lost.
!!!Akbar Talei
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Is the International Director of WNFCKO.
* CoolTeacher: Has First Class Coaching License for Full Contact and Kick Boxing, and has a Saiko Shihan Certificate in New Full Contact Karate, the highest coaching rank in Japan.
* IKnowKarate: A 7th dan in New Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} ("Gloved UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}" or "Shin-karate") and world champion. He also competed in kickboxing.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Sakamoto and lost.
* UrExample: The first Iranian in Shooto and K-1 and one of the first fighters in Shooto not trained in the Shooto system. Also brought the New Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} Style ("Gloved UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}" or "Shin-karate") to Iran and the Middle East.
!!!Kenichi Tanaka
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the Shooting Gym Tsudanuma and founded Tanaka Juku.
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner before training under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheRival: To Kazuhiro Sakamoto, who he fought with 4 times with 2 wins and losses over each other.
* WorthyOpponent: To Noboru Asahi who he drew with twice.
* UrExample: Was in the first pro Shooto fight with a win over Makoto Ozaki and was also the first Shooto Lightweight Champion.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Tomohiro or Koichi.
!!!Tomohiro Tanaka
* TheBusCameBack: Retired from full time fighting in 1992, then came back in 2011 at ZST - Swat! in Face 9 losing to Ken Komoda.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kenichi or Koichi.
!!!Kaoru Todori
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Kusayanagi which he lost.
!!!Takashi Tojo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with no wins, 2 losses and 3 draws.
!!!Kengo Tsuchida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was only in Shooto for two fights, which he both lost.
!!!Seiichi Tsurusaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for one fight against Takashi Nishizawa, which he lost.
!!!Kyuhei Ueno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Not a bad fighter by his record, but he was not at the level of the guys who beat him like Noboru Asahi, Yuki Naki, and Rumina Sato.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Shinsuke or Takeru.
!!!Yuichi Watanabe
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Mobara.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: A trainee under Satoru Sayama, he also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
* UrExample: The first Shooto Welterweight Champion.
!!!Manabu Yamada
-->''"He was a guy that came in from Shooto, who challenged me in the main event for the title of Pancrase champion, and who ''beat Suzuki'' in the semi-finals."''
--->--Wrestling/KenShamrock
* AlmightyJanitor: In Pancrase, where he spent most of his career after debuting in Shooto. He defeated both Pancrase founders, Suzuki and Funaki, as well as some other names, but never got promoted in status, and an arm injury aggravated in 1996 made the rest.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Fought for the Shooto Middleweight Championship against Kenji Kawaguchi twice and lost both times.
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/SatoruSayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* ArchEnemy: Jason [=DeLucia=].
* CoolTeacher: He is now an MMA and Seitai trainer. His gym is Hybrid Wrestling Yamada Dojo.
* CounterAttack: An expert in reversions and counters, he could catch opponents from nowhere.
* GameBreakingInjury: Broke his arm in a kickboxing match against Maurice Smith and fought through 1996 with the injury, having to retire for two years while getting surgery.
* HiddenDepths: Served as the dorm cook for the early Pancrase guys as his skills in that were reputedly quite good.
* IKnowKarate: One of the few good strikers by the Japanese side in Pancrase, though obviously not at the level of some foreigners.
* OldSoldier: Having been a Shooto contender before the rising of Pancrase, he was really the only guy in the promotion who knew what he was doing in the ring.
* RedBaron: "Oyabun" ("Kingpin").
* StoneWall: Passed hours with people like Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki and Wrestling/KenShamrock on his back with zero danger for him.
!!!Masaru Yano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hiroyuki Kanno and lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Katsuaki.
!!!Tadashi Yokoyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Is not related to Tetsuo.
!!!Tetsuo Yokoyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had a very short career with 4 fights and won only one of his last fight.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Is not related to Tadashi.
!!!Masanori Yoneyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto which he lost.
!!!Hiroshi Yoshida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Baret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Vale Tudo & Free Fight Era (1994-96)]]
[[quoteright:298:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_413.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:298:New Rules, New Attitude, More Colour ]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_3_72.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:When Shooto Went Worldwide]]
[[quoteright:299:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_2_60.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:299:We Now Have World Champions]]
!!!Sunay Ahmed
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopoulos.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Uchu Tatsumi.
!!!Katsuhisa Akasaki
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Akasaki Dojo A-Spirit.
* IKnowKarate: A regional champion. He also knows Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career with 6 wins, 20 losses, and a draw.
* RedBaron: "Genius of Kyushu".
!!!Jin Akimoto
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Mamoru Yamaguchi who beat him twice.
* AnimeThemeSong: He uses some version of the theme from Franchise/LupinIII as his entrance music.
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi and Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of his own gym, Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction. He is also a licensed junior high school teacher.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: A trainee under Noriaki Kiguchi before his start in Shooto.
* WorthyOpponent: Drew twice with Junji Ikoma.
!!!Ruud Alwart
* TheApprentice: To Peter van den Hemel.
* CoolTeacher: Now a kickboxing trainer at the Mejiro Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Mejiro Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Shinji Arano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainer under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto both he lost.
!!!Leandro Lima De Azevedo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: The first practioner of the art in Shooto.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Ron Balicki
* TheApprentice: To Dan Inosanto.
* BadassFamily: Is Dan Inosanto's son-in-law.
* BadassTeacher: Is more well known as a trainer.
* BodyguardingABadass: Was once a bodyguard of Creator/StevenSeagal.
* HeAlsoDid: Inverted as he is mostly known as a martial arts trainer, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer on many film projects. Few people know he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kali and Silat]]: Several styles of Filipino martial arts under many different masters. He also knows Jeet Kune Do, UsefulNotes/WingChun, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, Savate, and of course Shoot Wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto with a loss against Rumina Sato and a win against Tomoaki Hayama.
* KnifeNut: A 4 time knife fighting Champion in the Cold Steel Challenge weapons fighting tournament.
!!!Arthur Cathiard
* TheApprentice: To Rickson Gracie.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Unlike Erik Paulson who also trained in BJJ and was the first guy in Shooto to do it, Paulson was mostly presented as a Shooto representative from America. This makes Arthur the first true representative of BJJ in Shooto.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yuki Nakai and lost.
!!!Kenzi Daikanyama
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost. He got better outside of Shooto.
!!!Gordon Dehdman
* AfroAsskicker
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And trained at Poseidon gym in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Egan Inoue, he lost.
!!!Jonathan Eusebio
* HeAlsoDid: Kind of inverted, as he is more well known as a stunt coordinator and performer, fight choreographer, martial arts technical advisor, and actor for film and television. His credits include [[Film/ThreeHundred 300]], Film/JohnWick, Film/TheExpendables, Film/TheBourneSeries, Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd, Film/{{Shooter}}, Film/{{Collateral}}, Creator/MichaelBay's Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014 and its sequel, etc. Barely anyone knows he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Filipino Martial Arts]]: Studied at the Inosanto Academy, training in a wide range of disciplines, including kali, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Western boxing, shoot wrestling, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, kickboxing and more.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Toshiyuki Wado, which he lost.
!!!Joe Estes
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He beat Enson Inoue in his Shooto debut, Enson did get his revenge in the rematch.
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And trained in kickboxing at AMC Pankration.
!!!Carl Franks
* CoolTeacher: A pencak silat instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained under Relson Gracie and Egan Inoue. He also trained in pencak silat, boxing, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and also trained under Matt Hume at AMC Pankration.
* {{Jobber}}: He only fought in Shooto once to a No Contest against Remco Pardoel. He had more success outside Shooto.
!!!Zane Frazier
* HeroKiller: Apparently won a fight against Frank Dux, which got him invited to UFC 1.
* IKnowKarate: A 4 degree black belt in American Kenpo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and was a World Kickboxing Federation (WKF) United States super heavyweight champion.
* {{Jobber}}: Was a low level fighter and one of Dick Vrij's victims.
* RedBaron: "Nasty".
!!!Masato Fujiwara
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Paraestra Tokyo along with shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career with 5 wins, 12 losses, and 6 draws.
!!!Akihiro Gono
-->''"1-2-1-2-3-4! Bounce with me, bounce with me, bounce with me BOUNCE!!"''
* AffectionateParody: His "DJ GOZMA" persona, a parody of Japanese pop star DJ OZMA which he plays at his entrances.
* AfroAsskicker: Wears an afro wig as the mentioned parody.
* BigEntrance: Complete with dancers, fabulous attires and pop music.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: His opinion about his victory over Crosley Gracie, which admittedly would have been bigger business had it happened years before.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: You have to be some serious one to enter an arena doing what Gono does.
* ConfusionFu: Though not in a flashy way, his fighting style is quite unpredictable and full of dodges, counters and strikes from weird angles.
* CostumePorn: Started the trend in PRIDE.
* DancingIsSeriousBusiness
* EarlyBirdCameo: Originally debuted in RINGS but switch to Shooto after the 1994 Lumax cup.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: As well as Seidokaikan kickboxing.
* RedBaron: "The Japanese Sensation", "Grabaka no Kayaku Ko" ("Grabaka's Powder Keg"), "The Magic Man", "DJ GOZMA", "Impregnable Big Mouth"
!!!Genta Haga
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Masanori Suda, which he lost.
!!!Imre Hagendoorn
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Kazuhiro Sakamoto, which he lost.
* UrExample: Along with Maurice Roumimper, they were the first Dutch fighters in Shooto.
!!!Yoshinori Haraigawa
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Jin Akimoto, which he lost.
!!!Tomoaki Hayama
* CoolTeacher: Founded the X-One Gym Shonan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with two wins and three losses.
* RedBaron: "Shonan".
!!!Hisao Ikeda
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Uchu Tatsumi.
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Now the head instructor of Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Purebred Omiya.
* TheRival: Had a trilogy of fights with Masahiro Oishi.
!!!Egan Inoue
* ArchEnemy: Both Inoues have a bad relationship with Relson Gracie.
* BadassTeacher: Founded the Grappling Unlimited MMA and Jiu-Jitsu gyms and trained guys like Baret Yoshida in BJJ.
* BaldOfAwesome
* BashBrothers: With his younger brother Enson.
* GuestFighter: He had only one fight in Shooto.
* HiddenDepths: He is a pro racquetball player and spear fisher.
* IKnowKarate: Started his training in Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} then trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his brother under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie and is a black belt.
* TagAlongKid: He was brought to Shooto mostly because in was Enson's older brother.
!!!Enson Inoue
-->''"I was always on the dark side and everyone always thought, 'Enson's a gangster, Enson's a Yakuza...'"''
* ArchEnemy: Both Inoues have a bad relationship with Relson Gracie.
* BadassTeacher: Runs several MMA gyms located in Japan, Saipan, Palau and Guam under the name Purebred. He also has affiliated gyms located in Thailand, Canada and the USA. He also trained Norifumi Yamamoto in MMA after an incident with the {{Yakuza}}.
* BashBrothers: With his older brother Egan.
* TheBigGuy: Was for a long time the heaviest guy in Shooto, and one of of the most dangerous in the mat.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Yuki Nakai in BJJ.
* CurbStompBattle: A very fast grappler, most of his wins are in under two minutes and little more. Even his fight against Creator/RandyCouture only lasted 1:39.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Rumina Sato and Noboru Asahi. Interestingly, he arguably inherited his role among them from Yuki Nakai, as Nakai had to retire early while Enson (who became his training partner) debuted in the same year.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-jitsu]]: Trained it before his start in Shooto under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie. He also is black belt in taijutsu (no, not that [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Taijutsu]]). He also did amateur wrestling in college and before these he learned UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and Hapkido.
* KidsAreCruel: Was bullied by other kids, to which his father told him to fight back or he will kick his ass himself.
* RedBaron: "YamatoDamashii", "The Croc".
* StoutStrength: One of the heaviest Shooto fighters, and one to fear.
* UrExample: Was the only Shooto heavyweight champion.
* WrestlingFamily: He was married to one of Norifumi Yamamoto's sisters.
* {{Yakuza}}: It's known that he has connections with it.
!!!Tadeshi Kaneko
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Tadashi Murakami which he lost.
!!!Masataka Kawakami
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto. He lost both.
!!!Magnum Kawamura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, one win and one loss.
!!!Kuniaki Kobayashi
* CombatCommentator: Sometimes fills this role in NJPW shows.
* CoolOldGuy: The caretaker of the NJPW Dojo.
* {{Determinator}}: Survived colorectal and liver cancer, leaving him with a large scar under his chest.
* GameBreakingInjury: His fight with cancer forced him into retirement in 2000.
* GuestFighter: From Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling though only for an exhibition match with Wrestling/SatoruSayama.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: A junior heavyweight wrestler for all of his career.
* RedBaron: "Tiger Hunter".
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Was not a shooter, he was just an old NJPW wrestler mostly known for his feuds with Wrestling/SatoruSayama and Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa as Tiger Mask and Tiger Mask II respectively.
!!!Toru Koga
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career in Shooto with 3 losses.
!!!Hiroyuki Kojima
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained in this before fighting in Shooto.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Naoto.
!!!Naoto Kojima
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Paraestra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career in Shooto with one win, five losses, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki.
!!!Ed de Kruijf
* ADayInTheLimeLight: The winner of Cage Fight Tournament 1.
* TheApprentice: To Gerard Gordeau.
* IKnowKarate: Kyokushin at the Gordeau brothers' Kamakura gym.
* TheWorfEffect: Got worfed by Enson Inoue in his only fight in Shooto, Tom Erikson in Vale Tudo Japan 1997, and lost his second fight with Justin [=McCully=] in the first round by submission.
!!!Kazuyoshi Kudo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Jin Akimoto, which he lost.
!!!Anthony Lange
* TheApprentice: To John Will.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Is the former owner of Poseidon Gym, one of the first Australian MMA gyms and was its head fighter.
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym Lange MMA.
* IKnowKarate: As well as kickboxing, arnis, shoot wrestling, Stáv (a Nordic style of martial arts based upon runic postures), but most notably Brazilian jiu-jitsu in which he is a black belt, won the gold medal in 2003 at the International Masters in Brazil as a brown belt, a State, National and Pan Pacific champion, and a 2014 World Masters Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion.
!!!Jean-Jacques Machado
-->''"Don't worry Luiza, your son will be a champion."''
-->-- Carlos Gracie Sr. to Jean's mother after his birth.
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr.
* BadassFamily: A member of the Machado jiu-jitsu brothers and cousin of the Gracie family.
* BadassTeacher: Trained guys like Creator/ChuckNorris, Creator/StevenSeagal, Dan Inosanto, Creator/JoeRogan, Eddie Bravo, Richard Norton, Mark Kerr, Ricco Rodriguez, etc. He was also a former coach of Gracie Barra and now has two of his own academies.
* CoolVersusAwesome: Appeared in Shooto for a grappling match with Yuki Nakai.
* HandicappedBadass: Suffered birth defects resulting from Amniotic band syndrome, which left him with only the thumb and the little finger on his left hand. Didn't stop him from being a Rio de Janeiro Jiu-Jitsu State and National Cruiserweight Champion for 11 consecutive years from 1982 to 1992, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu American Champion for 4 consecutive years from 1995 to 1998, Grappling Style Challenge Japan Champion, two-time Black Belt Super Challenge Champion for 1998 and 2000, and a gold and two-time silver medalist in the ADCC.
* HeroKiller: Has victories over Wallid Ismail, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Caol Uno, Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka to name a few.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 7th degree coral (red and black) belt. He also competed in sambo and was a US National and Pan American Cruiserweight Champion.
* TheWorfEffect: Lost his only MMA fight to Frank Trigg at Vale Tudo Japan 1998.
!!!Andre Mannaart
* BadassTeacher: He is now a renowned trainer at the Amsterdam based Mejiro Gym, where he has coached fighters of the calibre of Peter Aerts and Remy Bonjasky.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His fight in Shooto against Enson Inoue was this before fighting in RINGS.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: A 4 time world champion.
* {{Jobber}}: His MMA career.
!!!Nozomu Matsumoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi, he lost of course.
!!!Michael [=McAuliffe=]
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Inosanto Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/WingChun: Trained under one of the original masters that came to America. He also has training in shoot wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura and many other martial arts at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Was Rumina Sato's first opponent, it was his first and last fight.
!!!Kendo Nagasaki
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Zane Frazier, which he lost.
* NamesTheSame: He is the Japanese version of the Kendo Nagasaki, Kazuo Sakurada. Not to be confused for the original British version, Peter Thornley or Kendo Nakazaki, a RJPW wrestler.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Was not a shooter, just a pro wrestler mostly known for his time in Canada and the US.
* TheWorfEffect: At the time, he had a reputation by pro wrestling insiders as being one of the toughest wrestlers in a street fight, this was probably one of the reasons why he was chosen to take the fight against Zane Frazier, though it didn't really matter as he lost my KO in the first round.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Trained in and trained guys like Wrestling/BretHart in the Hart Dungeon.
!!!Jutaro Nakao
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, the Jutaro Nakao MMA School.
* HeroicBuild: Nakao is known for his chiseled physique.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt in this and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: “The King of Triangle”.
* SignatureMove: Triangle chokes. He is also one of the few fighters who have a legal win through the popularly called "rape choke" or two-handed stranglehold, after defeating Thomas Denny with it.
* StoneWall: Known for having a high defense in the ring, being difficult to finish off by his opponents.
* TheWorfEffect: Was KO’ed by Katsunori Kikuno in the first round.
!!!Kimihito Nonaka
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Isamu Osugi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A representative of the style in the 1995 and 1996 Lumax Cups.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 5 losses.
!!!Maurice Roumimper
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, he lost both fights.
* UrExample: Along with Imre Hagendoorn, they were the first Dutch fighters in Shooto.
!!!Mitsuhiro Sakamoto
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Though he never lost, he had a short career with 2 wins and 3 losses.
!!!Hayato Sakurai
-->''"I've been punching opponents since I was 17. If I can't show my best, then I probably need to quit."''
* TheAce: If a 18-0 winning streak and a Shooto welterweight championship don't say it, nothing does.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Takanori Gomi.
* {{Bishonen}}
* BrokenAce: With no doubt one of the best fighters ever came from Japan, Sakurai was hit by a car crash, a felt defeat by Anderson Silva and several years of injuries and battle worn, which reached him all around TurnOfTheMillennium. He regained some of his skill and motivation through the years, but consensus is that he is not the same anymore.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Mach Dojo.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Finished Ricco Rodriguez in the absolute division of ADCC. Don't skip that Ricco outweighted him by ''90 ibs''.
* TheEeyore: Some of his interviews, especially the ones after the end of his streak, are quite depressing.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Rumina Sato, Noboru Asahi and Enson Inoue.
* HeroicBSOD: Had a hefty one after losing to Anderson Silva.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sakurai's signature UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} throws backfired horribly against Takanori Gomi, as he botched one of them and crashed head first on the ground, which allowed Gomi to dominate him and win the fight.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shootboxing]]: An all Japan amateur champion. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} (he is specially good at it; he possibly trained at the prestigious Newaza Kenkyukai), UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, and combat wrestling. Subverted for Brazilian jiu-jitsu as he has an honourary black belt.
* MasterOfAll: This was a guy whose flying knees, leg kicks and UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} throws were feared, who finished second in the 1999 ADCC submission tournament representing the always underdog art of shoot wrestling, and who curbstomped fighters from every background for five years.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: Being beaten down by his seniors at the amateur wrestling school club was an extra motivation for him to become the best.
* OneHitKill: Had some of the fastest flying knee victories ever.
* RedBaron: "Mach" (taken from the original UWF wrestler Mach Hayato), "Wild Charisma". Some of his training partners used to call him "Guts-san", supposedly in tribute to Guts Ishimatsu, though it could also be a tribute to one of his trainers Naoki "Mr Gutsman" Sakurada.
* ThreeAmigos: Was close friends with fellow fighters Michihiro Omigawa and Kazuyuki Miyata, who he knew in school.
* UnrelatedBrother: No relation to Ryuta.
!!!Arnold Sas
* TheApprentice: To Gerard Gordaeu.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Gordeau brothers’ Kamakura gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two MMA fights, one win and one loss.
!!!Rumina Sato
-->''"Flying armbars and triangles? I'm always like that."''
* TheAce: He submitted people with calf slicers and flying reverse triangle chokes (!), and was the first person in making Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts tap out, even before Sakuraba.
* AttackAttackAttack: His style of grappling was submission attempt after submission attempt, from every angle imaginable and not caring the consequences if failed.
* AuthorAppeal: Flashy grappling. Also, ironically given his background (though perhaps recurrent among Shooto fighters), he doesn't like ambiguity among pro wrestling and MMA.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter and instructor of the Shooto Gym K’z Factory affiliate in Odawara, the roots MMA and Jiu-Jitsu Gym.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Caol Uno. Hayato Sakurai also describes as a stern if brotherly mentor.
* {{Bishonen}}: Also works as a male model.
* BrattyHalfPint: Started competing in amateur Shooto before hitting 18.
* BrokenAce: Though one of the greatest grapplers in Japan, Sato suffered from very irregular performances, switching from tremendous victories to pathetic defeats sometimes at the same year. When he fought Gilbert Mendelez in 2005, most of pundits agreed that Rumina's old flame was reduced to embers and would not burn anymore.
* ChekhovsSkill: Taught his flying armbar to Rena Kubota much before she thought to fight in MMA, and she finished her debut match in RIZIN with this same technique.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He has photos of himself surfing waves with a Tiger Mask on, in tribute to his master.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: [[ManInWhite White tights]], with [[RedIsHeroic red]] or [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine golden]] stripes.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Noboru Asahi and Enson Inoue.
* GenderBlenderName: His first name, "Rumina", sounds vaguely female in Japan, which was somewhat embarrassing for him.
* GlassCannon: A fighter endowed with an awesome offensive grappling and a significant striking, but with a rather feeble defense and tendency to get injured.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And combat wrestling.
* MinoredInAsskicking: He was primarily a grappler, but had rather good striking. He beat kickboxer Mike Campbell in a shootboxing event.
* MurderousThighs: Loved to use triangle choke and inverted triangle chokes, sometimes as a position to secure his opponent before ground and pound.
* NervesOfSteel: Spent an entire round standing with Ricardo Botelho literally [[BigGuyRodeo hanging from his back]] and working a rear naked choke while Rumina defended the hold and waited patiently the end of the time. He was successful and ended taping out Botelho at the next.
* OneHitKill: His famous flying armbar victory.
* RedBaron: "Tsukiookami" ("Moon Wolf"), "Shooto Charisma".
* RefusalOfTheCall: PRIDE Fighting Championship and other promotions fought over Sato for their rosters, but he never wanted to fight outside of Shooto.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After being submitted by Canadian jiu-jitsu fighter Joel Gerson in an upset, Rumina got so frenzied that he chased Gerson to a grappling tournament in Canada and threw opponents right and left until he could reach him and submit him for the revenge. A similar case happened with John Lewis.
!!!Shingo Shigeta
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against a debuting Enson Inoue and lost.
!!!Kotaro Shimamoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Naoki Sakurada and lost.
!!!Ben Spijkers
* IKnowKarate: He trained a bit with Gerard Gordeau for his MMA fights, though he is more known for his UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, being a three time representative of the Netherlands at the Olympics with a bronze medal in 1988 and a silver medalist at the 1989 World Championships.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto, a loss to Erik Paulson and another loss to Renzo Gracie at the World Combat Championships.
!!!Rene Stigter
* IKnowKarate: A Kyokushin black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Sakamoto, which he lost.
!!!Masanori Suda
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won The Lumax Cup 97 Middleweight Tournament.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Sanae Kikuta at two Lumax Cups finals.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of Team Club J.
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer of Trinity Suns Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt before coming to Shooto.
* TheWorfEffect: Submitted by Shooto doormat Masato Fujiwara in just over two minutes.
!!!Yoshiyuki Takayama
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Yuzo Tateishi
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one win against a debuting Ikuhisa Minowa and 4 losses in Shooto.
!!!Uchu Tatsumi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheWorfEffect: A good fighter with draws against Noboru Asahi and his first fight with Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira, he suffered his first and only defeat in the second fight with Pequeno in the first round.
!!!Caol Uno
-->''"I'll show [Andre] Pederneiras that Wajutsu can definitely compete with Brazilian jiu-jitsu."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Defeated Rumina Sato twice and beat Ricardo Botelho in less time than him.
* BrokenAce: Originally thought to be the most promising Shooto apprentice from the era of the Shooto Shitenno, he went to have an irregular career due to high-level opposition and bad luck. Even today, he is known for winning fights in which he is supposed to lose and vice versa.
* ChallengeSeeker: Only see his record and read what opponents has he faced.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Uno Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He also trained in Yoshinori Nishi's Wajutsu Keishukai dojo, which is based on kudo. He also is a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* JapaneseRanguage: His true name is Kaoru Uno, but he writes it in a Western way to be easier to spell by English-speaking fans.
* NightmareFace: Very much like Noboru Asahi, Uno's interestingly shaped face and head are ruthlessly parodied by Japanese media. His nickname of Little Gremlin comes from it, in fact.
* RedBaron: "Uno Shoten" ("Uno's Death Ascension"), "PRINCE OF HERO'S", "Little Gremlin".
* StoneWall: His submission defense is legendary.
!!!Toshiyuki Wado
* TheApprentice: To Leo Vieira.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor at Club de Jiu-Jitsu and at Academia AZ.
* DoNotCallMePaul: For some reason, his real last name is Sato.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt.
!!!Katsuaki Yano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Masaru.
!!!Leonid Zaslavsky
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie: The first Australian fighter in Shooto.
* CoolTeacher: A wrestling coach at Sydney Uni Wrestling Club.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Freestyle Wrestling]]: Competed at the 1996 Olympics. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Poseidon Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, which he both lost.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Reconquista Year (1997)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_449.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Shootists Strike Back]]
!!!Ricardo Botelho
* FanNickname: "Ricky".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt.
* ShockingDefeatLegacy: The first Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to be submitted in international NHB / MMA competition.
!!!Abdelaziz Cherigui
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr..
* FrenchJerk: Along with Ali Mihoubi and Daniel Quoniam, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* IKnowKarate: A black belt. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has also trained in amateur wrestling and sambo.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two MMA fights which he both lost.
* RedBaron: "Samurai".
!!!Paul Coonin
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Uchu Tatsumi, he lost.
!!!Mauricio Corty
* CoolTeacher: Corty had instructed in Hawaii, Brazil, Japan and California and he brought Gracie Ju Jitsu to Northern Ireland. Was an instructor at Gracie Barra.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Rumina Sato, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is listed in MMA record sites as Maurice Corty.
!!!Ali Elias
-->''“Without wrestling, I’d be dead by now. Through wrestling, I achieved my personality, my education, my friends. It made me a physically and mentally tough person."''
* CoolTeacher: Elias has been a teacher and wrestling coach in Texas, Florida and now Maryland. He now teaches at the Bullis High School, a private school in Potomac, Md and is also the coach of a club team.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation (USWF) before his fight in Shooto, he fought in USWF for most of his career.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An inductee of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, a junior world runner-up and a high school world champion in 1978 as well as a five-time Iranian national champion and a member of the national team, he won the 150-pound NAIA national championship in 1990 and the NCAA Division II national title in 1991. While living in Germany, he posted a 125-1 record, losing only when he moved up a weight class to wrestle the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the world.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Legally changed his name from Amiri-Eliasi to Ali Elias.
!!!Alan Fried
* BadassIsraeli: His family is Jewish.
* CoolTeacher: He was an assistant coach for the Beachwood High School Wrestling Team in Beachwood, OH. He later moved to Medina, Ohio, where he founded the Highland Local School District Wrestling team and worked as an assistant coach. He also has his own wrestling academy.
* GameBreakingInjury: Injuries to his back and shoulder as well as a broken elbow had taken a toll and required two back surgeries in 1996 and two shoulder surgeries. These issues factored into his retirement from wrestling in 2000.
* GeniusBruiser: He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2002 and passed the Illinois State Bar Examination in 2003. He briefly took a position as law clerk at Reminger & Reminger, Co. L.P.A., where his brother Adam is a partner and practices probate law. Alan passed the Ohio Bar Examination in 2005 and practiced law in Cleveland until mid-2007, when he relocated back in Chicago, Illinois to become a Futures Trader.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Began wrestling in the 5th grade at the Longwood YMCA in Macedonia, Ohio, where a trio of coaches had a major impact on him: head coach Dave Mariola and assistants Bernie Weiskopf and Tim Rutherford. A year later, he traveled to neighboring Pennsylvania to win the Pennsylvania Junior state championship; he repeated as champion the following two years prior to entering high school. Fried also trained under Howard E. Ferguson at St. Edward High School amassing 139-3 record. He was a three-time Ohio State Champion in 1987, 1988, 1989, and finished third in 1986. He would also compete in the USA Junior Freestyle Championships, where he would become the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles. He became a three-time All-American, reaching the NCAA finals in 1991 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), 1992 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), and 1994 (National Champion, 142 lbs.) at part of the Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team. His high placements helped the Cowboys become team NCAA National Champions in 1990 and 1994. In international competition, Alan represented the USA on two age level World teams and in numerous Olympic age level international competitions. In the 20 years old and under World Championships in 1991, held in Previdza, Czechoslovakia, Alan won the Gold Medal, beating the wrestler from the former Soviet Union in the finals and was awarded the "Best Technical Wrestler" for the championships. In the 18 years old and under category, Fried placed 4th at World Championships in 1988, held in Wolfurt, Austria. He also finished 6th in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials, both at 152 lbs., and missed the U.S. Olympic Team.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Rumina Sato, he of course lost.
!!!Katsuhisa Fujii
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/NaoyaOgawa in Universal Fighting-Arts Organization.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Trained in this and amateur wrestling from middle school and also was a trainee of Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Shamoji" ("Gamecock").
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Has worked for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1, Wrestling/FightingOperaHustle and Universal Fighting-Arts Organization.
!!!Masaru Gokita
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Gokita Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Also shoot wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses, and 2 draws.
!!!Stuart Harrison
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one fight in Shooto, a loss against Erik Paulson.
!!!Mohammad Jarban
* TheApprentice: To Kenichi Tanaka.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and shoot wrestling at Tanaka Juku.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yuji Fujita, he did win though.
!!!Paul Jones
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Tony Castillo and Erik Paulson.
* CoolTeacher: He is now coaching wrestling, cross country, and football at Boys Ranch Texas High School. He has helped many teenagers participate in state wrestling with his coaching abilities
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: His loss to Chuck Lidell is his only loss in MMA.
* EarlyBirdCameo: First fought Erik Paulson to a draw at Extreme Fighting 4, and also fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation (USWF) before his fights in Shooto.
* HeroKiller: Beat both Erik Paulson and Sanae Kikuta in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]
* TheWorfEffect: Lost to Chuck Lidell at UFC 22 in about 4 minutes in the first round.
!!!Tetsuji Kato
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won the [=SuperBrawl=] 7 Light Heavyweight Tournament.
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* TheWorfEffect: A good fighter, he was Anderson Silva's first opponent in Shooto and in Japan, he lost by unanimous decision.
!!!Casemiro Nascimento Martins
-->''“It was the toughest experience in my career. My father and Rolls were in my corner and were very important to my victory. When the fight was over Zulu came up to me and said: ‘Yeah, kid, congratulations, but you’ve got all that help and I’m a self-made fighter.’ He was right. Thinking of these words, I realized how special a fighter Zulu was and how much I have to thank my family and God for."''
-->--Rickson Gracie on his first fight with Zulu.
-->''"At the beginning of the battle, Zulu went for his opponent’s waist, and Rickson let fly a knee strike that took two teeth from the maranhense’s mouth. The King wasn’t even affected. He shook his head, tossed about, and went back towards the boy. The fight was predicted to last at most three ten-minute rounds but, before being submitted, Zulu would escape several strikes and throw the blackbelt out of the ring three times, despite his mouth bleeding from the first strike, which did not stop. A rear-naked-choke ended the fight at two minutes of the second round."''
-->--From Correio Braziliense, a national Brazilian newspaper.
* TheApprentice: Averted, he only trained with Waldemar Santana for his fights with Rickson Gracie despite some sites saying he was Santana's top student. He does say he developed his style of fighting with his father.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: The patron saint of this trope for vale tudo. Being one is literally part of his fighting strategy.
* BadassFamily: His son Wágner da Conceição Martins AKA "Zuluzinho" ("Little Zulu" or "Zulu Jr.") is also a vale tudo and MMA fighter.
* BadassGrandpa: Was 50 when he fought in Shooto. His last fight was when he was 63.
* BloodKnight: He had a habit of making faces at opponents and mocking them in an effort to communicate to his opponent, that no matter how tough the fight was, he was enjoying himself.
* ChallengeSeeker: In his younger days, he would seek out opponents all over Brazil, from street fighters, both students and masters of martial art gyms, to tourists.
* CloudCuckoolander: Rei Zulu was known for many things, none of them particularly sane. He did acrobatics and silly faces every time he got into the ring, claimed to eat only molten iron, and gave interviews which would have made Wrestling/UltimateWarrior seem articulate.
* CoolOldGuy: 70 years old now and still carries out his daily physical training with heavy stones, tires, mallet and says he does not like attending gym, so he trains in his backyard.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Was Goliath in his fights with Rickson Gracie.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: His first fight with Rickson Gracie was his first loss.
* {{Determinator}}: In his prime, he got knee'd in the face by Rickson Gracie that took out two teeth and didn't even flinch.
* {{Expy}}: Though it would be difficult to recognize for non-old school MMA fans, Wrestling/BobSapp was the second coming of Zulu: a huge, ScaryBlackMan with a flamboyant personality who lacked fighting training but supplied it with size and strength. They both were wildly popular, got important victories over orthodox martial artists before being figured out and defeated themselves, and both became jobbers and entertainers towards the end of their careers.
* GlassCannon: In his prime he was mostly a cardio example, in his later years his chin couldn't take much anymore.
* InsistentTerminology: Claims to represent a style created by himself called "Tarracá" which was based around wrestling, street brawling, UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}-like footwork and mocking his opponents.
* IShallTauntYou: He makes faces and mocks his opponents as part of his fighting style.
* {{Jobber}}: At the end of his career.
* LargeHam: Does not begin to describe him.
* LightningBruiser: Renowned for not only his size but his power and quickness in his prime.
* NicknamingTheEnemy: Referred to Rickson as "Chicken Body" because of the vast weight difference between the two.
* OldSoldier: A legendary vale tudo fighter since the 1960's.
* RagsToRiches: A downplayed example as he never got really rich, but the reason he never had an martial arts training was because he could not afford it.
* RedBaron: "Rei Zulu" ("King Zulu") which is more popular than his real name.
* ScaryBlackMan: One of his appeals.
* ShockingDefeatLegacy: His fights with Rickson Gracie ended his reign as a top fighter.
* StoutStrength: Was notable for his size in his prime.
* ToBeAMaster: Aside from making money, more importantly Zulu fought to prove he was the best vale tudo fighter.
* UnskilledButStrong: Had no formal training in any martial arts when he started fighting vale tudo, but his strength and size especially for his era gave him an edge.
* TheWorfEffect: Was beaten by Enson Inoue in Shooto in less than a minute.
!!!Ali Mihoubi
* FrenchJerk: Along with Abdelaziz Cherigui and Daniel Quoniam, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* IKnowKarate: Kempo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one fight in Shooto, a loss to Rumina Sato. He also lost to Ralph Gracie at Extreme Fighting 3.
!!!Daniel Quoniam
* CoolTeacher: Has his own MMA Team, Team Quoniam.
* FrenchJerk: Along with Abdelaziz Cherigui and Ali Mihoubi, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A French national champion. Also trained in kickboxing, was one of the first French guys to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu, also one of the first black belts from France, was part the French Jiu-Jitsu team that competed in the first ever Mundial in Brazil in 1996, and was one of the first French guys to learn shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Katsuhisa Fujii, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is mistakingly recorded on MMA sites as Daniel Quonian.
* UrExample: Pioneered MMA in France.
!!!Ed Wedding
* TheApprentice: Trained under many masters like Richard Bustillo, Shane Rice, Andy Wang, Bob Bass, Fernando Vasconcelos, Ramon Rubia, Yorinaga Nakamura, etc.
* BadassTeacher: A Martial Arts and Self Defense Seminar Instructor for the Schwerin Police Force in Germany, the Acapulco Police in Mexico, and the U.S. Air Force bases El Segundo/San Pedro.
* CoolTeacher: Has a martial art-personal training site called Warrior Culture Personal Training. He is currently a UsefulNotes/MuayThai Instructor at Alliance Krav Maga, formerly a coach of PKG (Punch, Kick, Grapple) and the now-defunct RAW (Real American Wrestling) Gym
* IKnowKarate: Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, also UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}, American Kenpo, UsefulNotes/WingChun, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, boxing, jeet kune do, a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, the Doce Pares San Miguel System of Eskrima, shoot wrestling, etc.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Yoshiyuki Takayama, he lost.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Las Grandes Viajes Year (1998)]]
[[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/th_05577_shooto_122_1082lo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:190:Exit The Tiger (And His Mask), Enter The Dragon... Really Guys?]]
!!!Trent Bekis
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: A jujitsu instructor at DFMA Academy - Cho Wa Ryu Ju Jitsu.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Poseidon Gym and also know Japanese jujitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Michael Buell
* CoolTeacher: Had his own school, Buell Fighting Systems. It was said that he is almost always available for training and completely willing to work around one's schedule if you didn't mind his racism. It is defunct now.
* EarlyBirdCameo: First fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* {{Jerkass}}: A white nationalist.
!!!Ray Cooper
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* BadassFamily: His brother-in-law Ronald Jhun is also a MMA fighter.
* {{Determinator}}: Fought twice in [=SuperBrawl=] 3 in his MMA debut.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Trained at Jesus is Lord which is a MMA gym that mixes Christian fellowship together with MMA training. If fact the gym got it's name when he fought in [=SuperBrawl=] 3 and wore a shirt with Jesus is Lord on it before his fights.
* RedBaron: "Bradda".
* TheRival: Jake Shields.
* UrExample: The first MMA fighter of the Jesus is Lord MMA gym.
!!!Satoshi Fujisaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Drew with Dokonjonosuke Mishima in his debut, but had a short career and never got to be as notable.
!!!Yoshihiro Fujita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 2 wins, 6 losses, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yuji or Norio.
!!!Joel Gerson
-->''"I was a big fan of his. He submitted Rumina Sato... it was a huge deal, one of the biggest MMA fighters in the world. That dude's submitted a lot of people."''
-->-- Creator/JoeRogan
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Was the first man to beat Rumina Sato. Rumina got so frenzied that he chased Gerson to a grappling tournament in Canada and threw opponents right and left until he could reach him and submit him for the revenge.
* TheApprentice: To Moni Aizik.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Was the most senior student and lead instructor at the legendary Samurai Club.
* CanadaEh: A pioneer of BJJ and MMA in Canada and was the first Canadian in Shooto with Carlos Newton and Omar J. Salvosa, though Newton fought a little earlier at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Revolution MMA & Fitness Inc and is the head instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt, 3 Time Ontario Judo Champion, and trained extensively with the Canadian Olympic Judo Team. He also trained at the Samurai Club in Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion (including Open Weight Class Champion).
!!!Manson Gibson
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Lost to Rick Roufus twice.
* ConfusionFu: Had a wild, unpredictable kickboxing style.
* EverythingIsBetterWithSpinning: He was known for his vicious use of spinning techniques especially backfists.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten guys like Caesar Takeshi, Tosca Petridis, Changpuek Kiatsongrit, and Coban Lookchaomaesaitong
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: Trained at the Windy City Gym and is a 12-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion..
* RedBaron: "The Master Blaster", "The Thai Killer", "The Black Creator/BruceLee".
* ScaryBlackMan: Is credited with over 100 wins and more than 80 KOs, including around 40 via headkick.
* TheWorfEffect: Had one MMA match against Jeremy Morrison at Combat Do Fighting Challenge 10 and lost almost immediately by rear naked choke.
!!!Dennis Hall
* TheApprentice: To Rico Chiapparelli.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Greco-Roman Wrestling]]: A 10-time US National Champion, a World Champion, and 3-time USA Olympian. He won a Silver Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: MMA sites mistakenly list him as Denis Hall.
!!!Takeyasu Hirono
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 9 wins, 16 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Zvonko Jakovcevic
* TheApprentice: To Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Tigar Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Caol Uno and lost.
* UrExample: Along with Ante Jurisic, the first Croatians in Shooto.
!!!Ante Jurisic
* TheApprentice: To Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Tigar Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kenji Kawaguchi and lost.
* UrExample: Along with Zvonko Jakovcevic, the first Croatians in Shooto.
!!!Masashi Kita
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer at Team Ikazuchi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: As well as boxing, amateur wrestling, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Jun Kitagawa
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Gonzui's Gym.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at Shooto Gyms Chokushin Kai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 8 losses, and 2 draws.
* RedBaron: "Gonzui".
!!!Hiroki Kotani
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassFamily: His brother Naoyuki is also a MMA fighter.
* BashBrothers: With his brother Naoyuki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained under Noriaki Kiguchi before his Shooto career. He also learned shoot wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 3 wins, 12 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Colin Mannsur
* TheApprentice: To Bob Schrijber
* CoolTeacher: Owns Mejiro Gym Wormer and Maxifit Wormer.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Sports Academy Schreiber. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}.
!!!Hiromichi Maruyama
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw.
!!!Mitsuo Matsumoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Gracie Barra Tokyo. He was also a welterweight amateur Shooto champion in 1997 and trained at Master Japan.
!!!Dokonjonosuke Mishima
-->''"Young, strong, and big!'' (laughs)''"''
* ActionFashionista: While his fashion is mostly for his entrances, he is a fine grappler with draws against names like Caol Uno, Yuki Nakai and Marcio Feitosa in submission matches and a victory over Masakazu Imanari in MMA.
* ConfusionFu: Uses UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}} kicks from time to time to confuse his opponents.
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Cobra Kai MMA Dojo.
* CostumePorn: In his entrances.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: He also learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* MultidisciplinaryScientist: He has professionally competed in MMA, amateur MMA, tag team MMA (no, really) grappling, shootboxing, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and pro wrestling.
* RealMenWearPink: Like pink bathrobes with stuffed animals.
* RedBaron: "Naniwa no Karuwazashi" ("The Acrobat from Naniwa").
* SesquipedalianSmith: Though his real first name is Yoshitomi.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Dokonjonosuke or Dokonjyonosuke?
!!!Takaharu Murahama
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real first name is Akihiro.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym. He later learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra Tokyo.
!!!Anthony Netzler
* TheApprentice: To Masaaki Hatsumi.
* AwesomeAussie: He is actually from New Zealand.
* CoolTeacher: Owns his own school, Bujinkan Moukokagedo Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Ninjutsu]]: Trained in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu and is a 15th dan black belt. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, combat and shoot wrestling.
* OddFriendship: With Enson Inoue as his training partner in Taijutsu.
* RedBaron: "Tatsuji".
!!!Masaki Nishizawa
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 1 win, 3 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Alexandre Franca Nogueira
* TheAce: He holds the record for longest title reign in any MMA organization, reigning as Shooto Lightweight Champion for six years, eight months, and two days before having to vacate the title due to a knee injury.
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre Mestre Eugenio Tadeu.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Pequeno Team.
* HeroKiller: Made his debut by submitting Noboru Asahi, then defeated him again for the Shooto Lightweight Championship in the rematch. He also has beaten Rumina Sato by submission.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: Trained at Club de luta as well as boxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: When he first started luta livre he regularly rolled with some girls in Eugenio Tadeu's gym, since he didn't know luta livre at the time he was regularly submitted, this went on for months.
* RedBaron: "Pequeno", "Guillotine Master", "Rei do Shooto Japonês" ("King of Japanese Shooto"), "Mikado" ("The Emperor").
* SignatureMove: The guillotine choke.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Despite having the same surname he is not related to the twin Nogueira brothers which is why some sites list him as Alexandre Pequeno.
!!!Takayuki Okochi
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of Team Aciu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 7 wins, 14 losses, and 3 draws.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Mamoru.
!!!Jay R. Palmer
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won two [=FutureBrawl=]s, the progenitor of [=Superbrawl=].
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Lost twice to Danny "Boy" Bennett.
* {{Determinator}}: He was described as squirrely as hell, aggressive, hard to control, and tough.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}: A black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Jutaro Nakao, he lost. He did have better success outside of Shooto.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: For a black Hawaiian he was quite short at 5ft 9.
* ScaryBlackMan: Noted for being a very aggressive fighter.
* UnskilledButStrong: He got through his fights by toughness and savagery, not technique.
!!!Eric Payne
-->''“I started fighting in 1998. I have 34 fights, with a total of 25 wins, 22 of which are by submission.”''
* CoolTeacher: A UsefulNotes/MuayThai instructor at Janjira Muay Thai Kansas LLC.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: He also trained in Brazilian jiujitsu under Marcio Laselva.
!!!Damien Riccio
-->''"The guy show up at Robin’s seminar and started to talk shit and wanted to fight Robin, so Robin did. They fought, the guy punched Robin and Robin shot in, the guy sprawled, Robin pulled guard and punched him from the guard, the blood on Robin’s shirt is from the guy's face. Then the fight stopped. Robin said to the guy that they should setup a time anytime he wants to and have a fight for real. The guy started talking shit about my family and all my brothers and all the Brazilians saying that they are nothing. I am in Spain right now, I am going to take care of this m***er. Robin invited him to my seminar this weekend so that we can have a fight and I will show him what Brazilians are all about, he guy already back down, saying that he has to work that weekend, but he will try. Well if he don't come, I will go see him. That is the story."''
-->-- Royce Gracie, edited slightly to correct his English.
-->''"The idea comes in to my head to challenge Robin. But everyone is taken with the fact that the Gracies are strongest and that nobody can beat them in free fight. So in spite of the wound to my leg I decide to go to challenge Robin in closed door. I say to him (The organiser) that I want to make a match of Vale Tudo against him. He bursts out laughing and says "against me, you ask me?" I say to him yes, and he asks me "Now?" I told him no - after your training course and with door closed without spectators. He answers me while laughing without problem. He (the organiser of the seminar) told me already to watch out because (Robin) Gracie is extremely good and that he will put to me on the ground and to beat me easily. I tell them not to worry, and we will see if Gracie will beat me so easily. I say to Robin YOU choose the rules which you want. Robin accepts while saying to my face its best (my way) the French way Robin accepts but decides to make it with spectators with video and Robin wanted a copy of the fight. He does not want the limit of time or gloves, and be Vale Tudo rules. He came in my city while protesting that Gracie Ju Jitsu was the best art in the world and that the Gracie's are said to accept all challenges. I came to challenge, to test myself against a Gracie. I say to him that I did nothing but note the famous GRACIE CHALLENGE I came to take up the challenge. He says to me that it is not him which did that but Rickson and Royce and which if I had a problem with them I was to go to see them has them and not him. Robin lost and is a liar."''
-->-- Damien Riccio, telling from his view the challenge against Robin Gracie.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Is most well known for his fight with Robin Gracie.
* TheApprentice: To his father Laurent Riccio, Jerome Le Banner and Fred Rado.
* ArchEnemy: Became an enemy of the Gracies when he beat Robin Gracie in a "Gracie Challenge" fight under vale tudo rules after a seminar Robin conducted in Perpignan, France. After that happened Royce accused Damien of disrespecting his family and Brazilians because of it, as Robin was not ready to fight and accepted the challenge anyway and then came to Damien's place of work with some of his brothers and tried to wreck the place and Royce actually hurt Damien's little brother Pepe, then sources say either Damien or his other brother Matthias grabbed either a pistol or shotgun and chased them out.
* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
* BaldOfAwesome
* BashBrothers: With his brothers Matthias and Pepe.
* BigBrotherInstinct: His brother Pepe was 12 when Royce attacked him, so it is not surprising if he was the one who pulled a pistol or shotgun to chased the Gracies out.
* {{Bouncer}}: A former bar bouncer in Perpignan.
* DownerEnding: Died of a heart attack in 2016.
* FrenchJerk: To the Gracies anyway.
* IKnowKarate: A shotokan black belt under his father. He also trained in kickboxing at Le Banner Xtreme Team and trained in shoot wrestling at the Creator/BasRutten Academy U.K..
* {{Jobber}}: More towards the end of his career.
!!!Matt Rocca
* BaldOfAwesome
* CanadaEh
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And also trained in Tang Soo Do. He also trained at the Lion's Den.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Ryuta Sakurai
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* CoolTeacher: Founded R-Blood MMA Academy.
* HeroicBuild
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also shoot wrestling at T-Blood MMA academy.
* RedBaron: "Mr. DEEP".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hayato.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Managed to hit a powerbomb on Taisuke Okuno at Deep: Cage Impact 2016.
!!!Omar Salvosa
* TheApprentice: To Marcus Soares.
* CanadaEh: A pioneer of BJJ and MMA in Canada and was one of the first Canadians in Shooto with Joel Gerson and Carlos Newton, though Newton fought a little earlier at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
* CoolTeacher: Owns a school, Salvosa BJJ Ascension and is the head instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Samurai Club and is now a 3rd degree black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion, a 2 time Lightweight World Kobudo Federation's Grappling Champion, won Gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship and again at the IBJJF Pan-American Championship in 2015 in the Masters Black Belt, Featherweight Division. He also trained in krav maga.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hisao Ikeda, he lost.
!!!Yuki Sasaki
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: First met Sanae Kikuta at the Seidokaikan dojo, trained together in Shooto and eventually was invited to Grabaka.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in Daidojuku and Seidokaikan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} before his Shooto training and is a black belt. He is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and has trained in shootboxing and shoot wrestling.
!!!Ian James Schaffa
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of his own MMA team.
* AwesomeAussie
* BloodKnight: Was known to accept fights on a days notice.
* CoolTeacher: The founder of MMAXFIT AUSTRALIA.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Used a spinning heel kick to defeat Genki Sudo in kickboxing, which is where he got his nickname, "The Goshu Hurricane".
* IKnowKarate: A black belt in Kyokushin and a New South Wales Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} Champion. He is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and trained at the Poseidon Gym under Anthony Lange, knows amateur wrestling, trained in boxing and kickboxing at Bondi Boxing Club under Tony Del Vecchio, and was bronze medalist at the 1999 Australian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, a New South Wales Cruiserweight Boxing Champion, a New South Wales Kickboxing Champion, and a professional kickboxer and boxer.
* HeroKiller: Has K-1 kickboxing KO win over Genki Sudo, decision wins against Keiji Ozaki; a 2006 Rise Kickboxing Champion, Gold Medalist at the Japanese National Championships, Akeomi Nitta; a WKA World Thai Boxing Super welterweight Champion, and Miyata Kazuyuki; a wrestling Olympian.
* RedBaron: "The Goshu Hurricane", "Sharky".
* ShoutOut: Japanese Hip Hop artist Sphere of Influence wrote a song dedicated to Ian called Goshu Hurricane.
!!!Adriano de Souza
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with other fighters Adriano "Smeagol" Souza and Adriano "Samurai" de Souza Silva and a pro surfer of the same name. They are Brazilian, he is from Holland.
!!!Kazumichi Takada
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 3 wins, 3 losses and a draw.
!!!Izuru Takeuchi
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto.
* CoolTeacher: He owns a gym, Absolute Okayama.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Made his debut in MMA at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '97 Middleweight Tournament.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute and placed 3rd in the 82 kg weight division of the 2005 Combat Sambo World Championships. He is also a 3rd dan in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, as well as in boxing, amateur wrestling and was on the Okayama national team, and combat wrestling and is a 2 time All Japan Combat Wrestling 85 kg Champion in 2002 and 2004.
!!!Koichi Tanaka
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Red Sword Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: In Shooto and Pancrase where he never won a fight in, he had more success outside them.
* RedBaron: "Super Red Slayer Guy".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kenichi or Tomohiro.
!!!Isao Tanimura
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "The Babanba".
!!!Katsuya Toida
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Naoya Uematsu.
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi and Naoki Sakurada.
* CoolTeacher: A head instructor at Wajutsu Keishukai Toikatsu Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Trained in this before he started training at Wajutsu Keishukai, he also trained in shoot and combat wrestling at the Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* TheRival: Baret Yoshida, who beat him twice in submission grappling, but lost to him in a MMA fight.
!!!Frank Trigg
-->''"Frank is a dangerous guy. He’s an exciting fighter... I always thought that he would be an interesting guy to fight. On top of that, he just has one of those faces that you want to punch.... When Joe Silva called me with the Trigg fight, I said, ‘Hell yeah.’ It’s a matchup that excites me a lot. Look, when my career is over and done with, I’m the one who can look back and say that I was the champ. He got there twice and choked both times -- literally. I refuse to lose to a guy that has a [expletive] tramp stamp. You’ve seen his back, right? C’mon. No way am I losing to a guy that walks around with that."''
-->-- Matt Serra
* TheApprentice: To Rico Chiapparelli at Real American Wrestling.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CombatCommentator
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* HeroKiller: Has victories over Jean Jacques Machado, Dennis Hallman, Jason Miller, Falaniko Vitale, etc.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A second dan black belt under sensei and former Olympian, Patrick Burris. He is also an amateur wrestler and an Olympic Trials Finalist. He also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a black belt in Wrestling/CatchWrestling under Neil Melansen at Xtreme Couture.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Worked for Wrestling/{{TNA}} as an analyst and on-screen character in 2008, aligning himself with Wrestling/KurtAngle, who used his passing resemblance to Trigg as part of a storyline.
!!!Hiroshi Tsuruya
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head of Paraestra Matsudo and started up the Paraestra Chiba Network.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An All-Japan Amateur Wrestling champion. He also trained in shoot wrestling and is a black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu and is a 2004 World Master Champion.
!!!Naoya Uematsu
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: Owns NEXUSENSE, and is the head instructor.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: First lost against Bao Quach after 11 wins and 2 draws.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten Caol Uno at the finals of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '97 Lightweight Tournament by submission, and Noboru Asahi by majority decision.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: He began at the age of 12 in Junior High School. He started training in Shooto when he was 16 and immediately became an undefeated champion in amateur competitions. He also trained in sumo, sambo, UsefulNotes/MuayThai at the Crosspoint Gym, and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with training under Biviano Fernandez and Leonardo Vieira.
* TheWorfEffect: His losses to Jens Pulver, Gilbert Melendez, Urijah Faber, and Daiki Hata.
!!!Emmanuel Yarbrough
-->''"Emmanuel's passion was to travel. Even though it was not an easy task for him, it never stopped him from following his dreams, and bringing smiles to the faces of all he would meet. He was to be the subject of a new reality show, and would have continued to bring smiles to all those who had the opportunity to be blessed by his infectious, compassionate, loving presence. He will be missed by his millions of fans around the world, friends and family."''
-->-- Beatrice H. Davis, Emmanuel's manager on his life after his death.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Has a victory in MMA over UWF alumni Tatsuo Nakano by smother and weight pressure.
* BigFun: Had a very cheery disposition and fan-friendly personality.
* DavidVersusGoliath: The Goliath in all his fights.
* DownerEnding: On December 21, 2015, Yarbrough died of a heart attack at the age of 51.
* FanNickname: "Manny".
* FatAndProud: Subverted, struggling throughout his life with obesity, Yarbrough often claimed "I am a prisoner in my body." By the age of 14 he already weighed 320 pounds, which he attributed to a poor diet of fried foods. In 2007, he was hospitalized for a week due to heart failure, and after seeing an obesity specialist and changing his diet he reduced his weight from over 800 to around 670 pounds.
* GentleGiant: Known among his peers as one of the biggest and nicest guys MMA has ever produced.
* TheGiant: He was 6 ft 8 in tall and has weighed up to 882 lb, holding the Guinness World Record for the heaviest living athlete. Keith Hackney's victory over Emmanuel is what got him named "The Giant Killer".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sumo]]: Was the 1995 World Amateur Sumo Champion, competed in 4 Sumo World Championships in Open Division placing in the top 3 every time and was considered to be one of the most famous sumo wrestlers outside Japan. He was also a brown belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} under Yoshisada Yonezuka and took second place at the U.S. Nationals in 1989 and was an amateur wrestler achieved All American status in the Heavyweight class in 1983 Division II and 1986 Division I.
* MightyGlacier
* TheOneWhoWearsShoes: In his Shooto fight against Tatsuo Nakano he wore shoes, it was not explained why.
* RedBaron: "The GentleGiant", "The Proverbial Immovable Object" in the UFC.
* ScaryBlackMan: An over 600 lb black man.
* StoutStrength: A former sumo over 600 lb.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Wrestled for Catch Wrestling Association in Germany, where he had gimmick matches based around his sumo career.
!!!Hiroaki Yoshioka
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Junji Ikoma.
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Paraestra Izumi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also knows shoot wrestling.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with a younger Hiroaki Yoshioka from Wajutsu Keishukai Brightness Monma Dojo.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in Pro Shooto's 10th Anniversary Year (1999)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shooto.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What A Difference A Decade Makes]]
!!!Kazuya Abe
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Abkz".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Shinji or Yoshihiko.
!!!Hiroyuki Abe
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He has a win by KO over Alexandre Franca Nogueira, he lost the rematch though.
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassTeacher: Owns a gym, the Abe Ani Combat Club and most famously trained Megumi Fujii.
* IKnowKarate: And UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Abe Ani".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kazuya, Shinji or Yoshihiko.
!!!Charles Diaz
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of his own fight team, C-4 FIGHT TEAM.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing at San Diego Fight Club.
* RedBaron: "C-4".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Ryan.
!!!Ryan Diaz
-->''“Martial Arts is my life. I have lived my life as a modern day samurai and travelled all over the world fighting and learning so I can bring you the most up to date techniques and drills. Fighting is my passion and now I get to teach that passion to you”''
* TheApprentice: To Trevor Lally, Jameson White, and Steve Rosenberg.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CoolTeacher: Owner and head instructor of Diaz Combat Sports.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Arizona Combat Sports.
* RedBaron: "The Lion".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Charles.
!!!Norio Fujita
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takayuki Okochi, it ended in a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yoshihiro or Yuji.
!!!Takanori Gomi
-->''"That little guy, I don't know what the fuck, he was doing some karate in there... He's fuckin' do some little Hadouken fuckin' punch in there to me. You know, he's knocking people out, busting their shit up."''
--->--Nick Diaz about Takanori Gomi
-->''"I chose to box because I didn't want to finish my life without a challenge."''
--->--Takanori Gomi about his fighting career
* AchillesHeel: Though a terrifying fighter, he was bad when fighting from his back.
* TheAlcoholic: According to Genki Sudo, Gomi spends more in sake than Wrestling/SatoruSayama in candy.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head fighter of Kugayama Rascal.
* BrattyHalfPint: Started training at 16 and effectively ran away from his house.
* BloodKnight: Ran away from home to be a professional fighter and amassed two winning streaks of 14-0 and 10-0 back to back against names like Sakurai, Mishima, Sato, Ralph Gracie, Tatsuya Kawajiri and others.
* BoxingBattler: A former boxer, and possibly the best puncher in the history of Japanese MMA.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Higashi Rinkan Rascal Gym.
* {{Determinator}}: Refused to tap to Marcus Aurelio's arm triangle choke and was rendered unconscious.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: A pure sprawl-and-brawler, he favours punching people in the f'n' head over more complicated strategies. The funny part is that he is actually a very good grappler, with four All Japan Combat Wrestling championships and some victories against decorated wrestlers on his belt; it's just that he likes more the other way.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: And amateur wrestling, and combat wrestling.
* MeaningfulRename: A tragic example. He changed his family name to Gomi, which means trash in Japanese, when his parents disowned him for wanting to become a professional fighter.
* RedBaron: "The Fireball Kid", "Tenkamuso no Hinotama Boy" ("The World's Unparalelled Fireball Boy").
* UrExample: He was the first and only PRIDE Lightweight Champion.
!!!Dennis Hallman
-->''"If I had to all the way to the other side of the world to avenge my only loss, then so be it. It was at UFC Japan, and even though there were hundreds more people in the audience this time, the sound level was very much the same as it had been at Monte's show. The cage had eight sides instead of four. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that I was looking into the eyes of the only man who had ever beaten me in a fight: Dennis Hallman."''
-->-- Matt Hughes on his rematch with Hallman in his autobiography, Made In America.
-->''"I won't say what the bet was about, but I lost a bet to those guys and losing the bet meant that I got to wear some speedos."''
-->-- Dennis Hallman on the "Speedoman" story.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Frank Trigg.
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Victory Athletics Combat Sports Academy and was a PCJWL Kid's Wrestling coach.
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Speedoman" after he lost a bet between Len Bentley and Sterling Ford and had to wear speedos in his fight with Brian Ebersole. He thought it was funny, but Dana White was not amused.
* GameBreakingInjury: Hallman had planned to continue his wrestling career at a community college, but broke his leg during the pre-season training, and had to be sidelined for the entire season. He then got into MMA.
** He also has Coeliac Disease, an autoimmune digestive reaction to wheat gluten, which hindered his ability to recover properly from physical activities such as training and fighting.
* HeroKiller: He beat Matt Hughes twice.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Started when he was eight years old. He was on the wrestling team at Yelm High School and won the 135-pound state championship in his senior year. He also trained in boxing, is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabiano Scherner, a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, and also trained at AMC Pankration.
* MinoredInAssKicking: His professional boxing record stands at 1-1-0.
* RedBaron: "Superman".
* UnderwearOfPower: His speedos in his fight with Brian Ebersole.
!!!Teruyuki Hashimoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Kita-Kanto.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 3 losses.
!!!Kieran Hewett
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
!!!Matt Hughes
-->''"You are the greatest champion of all time."''
-->-- Dana White to Hughes in the cage after beating B.J. Penn at UFC 63.
-->''"When you lose, say little... When you win, say less."''
-->-- Matt Hughes
* TheAce: Had an 18 win streak, and won two UFC welterweight titles.
* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: With his twin brother Mark.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: His brother Mark once beat him in the finals of a wrestling tournament.
** He also was beaten twice by Dennis Hallman in MMA.
* TheApprentice: To Pat Miletich.
* ArchEnemy: Matt Serra. Serra despised Hughes for insulting Gracie jiu-jitsu and treating GSP with disrespect during Season 4 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Their match was delayed for several months when Serra was injured during training, with the two finally meeting at UFC 98. Hughes won a back-and-forth unanimous decision that was awarded Fight of The Night honors.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Founded The H.I.T. (Hughes Intensive Training) Squad MMA team and is its top fighter.
* BadassFamily / WrestlingFamily: His brother Mark is also an amateur wrestler, MMA fighter and additionally a BJJ black belt.
* BadassTeacher: Has coached on the Series/TheUltimateFighter as a main coach and guest coach.
* BashBrothers: With his twin brother Mark.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In his autobiography, he states he and his brother once beat up their father for being a neglectful, abusive douche to them and their mom.
* CarpetOfVirility: Simple country boy Matt Hughes never does something as sissified as shave his chest.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Had a fight in Shooto with Akihiro Gono before coming to RINGS.
* FaceHeelTurn: In Season 2 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Through most of his fighting career, Hughes was generally liked and seen to be a down-to-earth country boy. During his stint as a coach, however, he came off as much more of a JerkAss. It was especially pronounced during his stint as a guest coach on Season 4, when he repeatedly antagonized fellow guest coach Georges St-Pierre, earning him the ire of Matt Serra. He continued this trend during his second coach stint on Season 6. His attempts to connect with his team through Bible study backfired, and he ultimately came off as self-important and condescending.
* GuestFighter: From Miletich Fighting Systems.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten guys like Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ricardo Almeida, and Matt Serra.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An accomplished wrestler.
* InsistentTerminology: Prefers to be known as an amateur and submission wrestler instead of a BJJ guy despite guys like Creator/JoeRogan saying he deserves a black belt.
* JerkAss: He has been on Series/TheUltimateFighter in some way three times as a coach and has displayed some boorish behavior. In Season 2, his former "Aw Shucks" Farmboy persona crumbled in many viewers' eyes as he verbally abused several of the fighters. As a guest coach on Season 4, he managed to stir shit between Matt Serra and a trainer, insult Georges St-Pierre, and bizarrely referred to an African American fighter's "big lips." He made a concerted effort to try NOT to come off as a jerkass when he coached Season 6 against Matt Serra.
* ManlyMenCanHunt: An avid hunter and was host of Outdoor Channel's Trophy Hunters TV. He has been criticized for this though.
* MetronomicManMashing: Is well known for slamming his opponents.
* {{Misblamed}}: His autobiography is a great source of things that gets him looking more of a dick then he really is.
** In the beating up his dad story, people seem to think he is actually bragging about.
** That he and his brother were sexually active with a minor, which was actually just a story of his brother and his wife kissing, though she was thirteen to his brother's twenty.
** That he and his brother threw someone out a window, usually stated to be their mom, when no such event was even mentioned.
** That he bad mouthed Creator/RandyCouture, which wasn't in the book either.
** That he and his brother tortured pigs for fun, even though castration is a regular part of pig farming, though one may call throwing a pig's testicle at a Marc Fiore just to be funny a little over the line.
* MistakenForRacist: Matt claims this, after the uproar on the online forums when he made fun of Din Thomas' "big lips" in Season 4 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Thomas is African American, and many found the comment racist. Matt insists it was just good-natured ribbing between friends.
** This is compounded with his singling out African American fighter Rashad Evans for showboating for no apparent reason in Season 2, and has made several public remarks over the years about his dislike for half-Mexican Tito Ortiz, who does not even fight in his weight class (although to be fair, it's Ortiz we are talking about, and Evans rubs a lot of people the wrong way), and recently culminated with pictures of him holding white supremacist paraphernalia (he claims he had no knowledge of the meanings of the symbols). Hughes is retired now and works for the UFC in Talent Relations, and this could jeapordize his job.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Is a born again Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his website.
* RealSongThemeTune: "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr.
* RedBaron: Surprisingly averted, though some people call him "The Gracie Killer" just like Wrestling/KazushiSakuraba for his wins against Royce, Renzo Gracie and their trainees.
* TheWorfEffect: His losses against Dennis Hallman, and his third fight with B.J. Penn.
* WorthyOpponent: B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre who both had a trilogy of fights with him.
!!!Ryota Ibaraki
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as boxing and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: Only had two fights in Shooto and lost in both.
!!!Tetsuharu Ikei
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Matoba".
!!!Seichi Ikemoto
* TheApprentice: To Yasuki Mori.
* CoolTeacher: Owns STYLE MMA Studio.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: In high school, trained in kickboxing at Team Boon! and shoot wrestling at Riroots Conan and is an All-Japan amateur Shooto champion.
* SignatureMove: His specialty is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.
!!!Kazuhiro Inoue
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained at Team IMPRESS and also in shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 3 draws.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Egan, Enson, or Masaya.
!!!Masaya Inoue
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also trained in shoot wrestling.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Egan, Enson, or Kazuhiro.
!!!Makoto Ishikawa
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
!!!Phil Johns
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* CoolTeacher: A co-head trainer of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at a [=HOOKnSHOOT=] event.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Bob Long as co-founders of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: A four-time All-American and an undefeated national champion. He also learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Little Giant".
* StartMyOwn: Had a fight promotion called Silverback Classic.
!!!Martijn de Jong
-->''"Coming from a 'striker' country, Martijin was in that first small group of fighters from Holland, who also knew how to submit people. He actually won way more fights by submission then he did by KO, and just that, shows that he was already thinking 'outside the box' in the early stages of the MMA scene."''
-->-- Creator/BasRutten, a foreword for Martijin's book; MMA, The Essentials of Mixed Martial Arts.
-->''"Martijn de Jong is the master of Mixed Martial Arts having many great techniques. I heard that my friend Martijin would issue a technique book. He is famous in Japan as a great fighter and also an excellent corner man. If I describe him in Japanese he is really 'Bugei Hyappan' which means 'all sorts of military arts'. He generously shows his techniques so this book will be many fighters' Bible."''
--> Kazuhiro Sakamoto, another foreword for MMA, The Essentials of Mixed Martial Arts.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: President of Shooto Europe, ADCC Holland and former CEO of the fight promotion, GLORY.
* CoolTeacher: Was the head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling Trainer of Golden Glory. He also owns his own gym, Tatsujin Dojo. He has instructed fighters like Alistair and Valentijn Overeem, Marloes Coenen, Gökhan Saki, etc.
* FormerlyFat: Struggled with his weight growing up, he once went up to over 120kg (265 lbs).
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin 1st dan black belt and a Dutch champion. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1st degree black belt under Remco Pardoel, a Japanese jujitsu 2nd dan black belt, trained in kickboxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai under Jan Lomulder, Greco-Roman wrestling under Andy Jekel, shoot wrestling under Kazuhiro Sakamoto and also UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}.
* RedBaron: "Tatsujin", "The Specialist", "Creator of Champions".
* StartMyOwn: A co-founder of the fight promotion, GLORY (Originally called Ultimate Glory).
!!!Masashi Kameda
* TheApprentice: To Dokonjonosuke Mishima.
* CoolTeacher: A Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor at Shooto Gym Blows, and STYLE MMA Studio.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A purple belt. He first started with shootboxing and trained in shoot wrestling at the Cobra Kai MMA Dojo.
!!!Shuichiro Katsumura
-->''“I wanted to find a way to be remembered when I went to fight in Lithuania [in 2006] and thought that the easiest way for people to know me as a Japanese fighter was to enter the ring dressed as a ninja. Before I left Japan, I told everyone that if my choke happened, I’d call it the ninja choke since that would be easy to remember, too.”''
-->-- Shuichiro Katsumura on the Ninja Choke.
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassTeacher: Owns Reversal Gym Yokohama Groundslam and is the head instructor.
* CoolTeacher: Is an elementary school teacher.
* FriendToAllChildren: He once worked at a child care facility in Kamakura.
* IAmNotSpock: He will be the first to tell you that the “Real Manga/TigerMask” gimmick was something that was foisted upon him because the character’s background as a champion for orphans coincidentally aligned with his own work helping and teaching children. Consequently, he wanted to distance himself from the comparison, so much so that he had a Reversal brand T-shirt printed with the words “I’m not [the] real Manga/TigerMask” emblazoned on the front. He has accepted it now, not because he enjoys it (if anything, it dredges up dark ghosts of the past for him that he is reticent to talk about) but because it has new utility given the circumstances of Japan’s recent crises.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Was a 1998 All Japan Amateur Shooto Featherweight champion and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and combat wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
* JapaneseDelinquent: When he was in high school.
* NiceGuy: Self-admittedly not when he was in high school, but after college he worked at child care facility, volunteered to make supply runs to Tohoku after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and vowed to donate his next fight purse to charity while trying to not to receive attention. It was these characteristics that earned him the nickname “The Real Manga/TigerMask”.
* RedBaron: “The Real Manga/TigerMask”.
* SignatureMove: He invented a modified brabo choke he dubbed the Ninja Choke, and even has an instructional video on it.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Was a pro wrestling fan growing up and has worked for promotions like Hard Hit.
!!!Tetsuo Katsuta
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: As well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Hiroki Kita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling at Paraestra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 6 losses, and a draw.
!!!Ahmed Lazizi
* TheApprentice: To Fabio Holanda.
* CanadaEh
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Ronin MMA, an affiliate under Brazilian Top Team Canada.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a loss to Izuru Takeuchi.
!!!Dave Menne
* TheApprentice: To Greg Nelson.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Had a fight in Shooto before entering the RINGS King of Kings tournament.
* GuestFighter: From The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also learned UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* RedBaron: "The Warrior".
!!!Chikara Miyake
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi and Naoki Sakurada.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Chokushinkai MMA Dojo (originally called Cyokushinkai Kakutogi Dojo).
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin black belt and trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai, as well as combat and shoot wrestling and trained at Kiguchi Gym and Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 2 losses, and a draw.
* StartMyOwn: Developed his own form of UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}; Chokushinkai (also spelled Cyokushinkai) based on his background of Kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, combat and shoot wrestling.
!!!Yohei Nanbu
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Kawaguchi.
* CoolTeacher: Is now a instructor at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 7 losses, and 2 draws.
!!!Norio Nishiyama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: As well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 3 losses and a draw.
!!!Ademir Oliveira
* TheApprentice: To Francisco Carlos Pinto Sá (“Sazinho”).
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Team Oliveira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 4th degree black belt and trained at the Bueno Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hayato Sakurai and lost.
!!!Yoshinobu Ota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Shiou-Juku.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 3 draws.
!!!John Paun
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Top Notch Fitness.
!!!Rafles la Rose
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head trainer of Amsterdam Training Center.
* FrenchJerk
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo Deventer along with shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "The Snake Man".
!!!Tatsuya Sakurai
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS).
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 1 win, 1 loss, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hayato or Ryuta.
!!!Kohei Sato
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And also trained in shoot wrestling and won the 1998 All Japan Amateur Shooto Championships over Takashi Okada in the heavyweight class and had two pro fights in Shooto, winning both.
* RedBaron: "Tokyo Tower".
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: A wrestler for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1.
!!!Marcos da Silva
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 5 losses and a draw.
!!!Yohei Suzuki
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai and Matt Hume.
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Paraestra Tokyo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling at Paraestra Tokyo and also trained at AMC Pankration.
!!!Daiji Takahashi
* TheApprentice: To Jin Akimoto.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is head instructor of Burn MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Akimoto Dojo JUNGLE JUNCTION.
* {{Jobber}}: A career off 8 wins, 11 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Koji Takeuchi
* CoolTeacher: Owns HLC Gym.
* IKnowKarate: Kempo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, as well as UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 7 wins, 15 losses, and 5 draws.
!!!Din Thomas
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Caol Uno.
* TheApprentice: To Ricardo Liborio.
* CoolTeacher: Runs two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies.
* FightClubbing: He was arrested in 2007 for allegedly running illegal matches at his gym, though the Assistant State Attorney's office decided not to file formal charges against Thomas and filed paperwork dismissing the charge on which he was arrested. The Assistant D.A. stated if the fighter or participants were students of Thomas' school, and the purpose of the school is to teach martial arts, then they meet the exception to the law.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt. He also trained at American Top Team.
* RedBaron: "Dinyero".
* ScaryBlackMan
!!!Shinsuke Ueno
* TheApprentice: To Yasuki Mori.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at RiRoots Conan.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 1 loss, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kyuhei or Takeru.
!!!Takeru Ueno
* TheApprentice: To Jorge "Macaco" Patino.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Gracie Barra Tokyo aka Macaco Jiu Jitsu Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt. He also knows shoot wrestling and is a 1999 All Japan Amateur Shooto Lightweight Champion.
* {{Jobber}}: Only had 3 fights in Shooto, he lost all three.
!!!Hiroshi Umemura
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Nex-Sports.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt, he also knows kickboxing and shoot wrestling.
!!!Fumio Usami
-->''“I came to his gym when I was 19-years-old. I trust him with every aspect of my training.”''
-->-- Rin Nakai
* CoolTeacher: Owns Shooto Gym Shikoku aka Pancrase Venus. His most well known trainee is female Pancrase fighter Rin Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Freelance gym.
* RedBaron: "Wild".
!!!Takuya Wada
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto and Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, combat and shoot wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Mamoru Yamaguchi
-->''"I wanted the fans to recognize me besides my fighting skills, and this hairstyle is what I ended up with. Now, many fans recognize my afro … and me."''
* AfroAssKicker: An impressive one at that.
* BadassMustache / PornStache
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* CounterAttack: Is known for his counter striking.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: As well as UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, shootboxing and trained in shoot wrestling at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* TheRival: Had a trilogy of fights with Shinichi Kojima.
* ShoutOut: His afro is a tribute to Japanese boxing legend, Yoko Gushiken.
!!!Shiko Yamashita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Paraestra Sapporo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
!!!Kohei Yasumi
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Founded Lotus Setagaya Paraestra dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and a 2000 & 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Champion and of course shoot wrestling.
!!!Jinzaburo Yonezawa
* AfroAssKicker
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Gracie Barra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses and a draw.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The R.E.A.D. Year (2000)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shooto_logo_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Seeing R.E.A.D.]]
!!!Luiz Azeredo
-->''"I know I wasn’t the best fighter in the world, but I beat the best in the world, Anderson Silva, and many other great fighters like Niko Puhakka, Milton Vieira, Paul Daley and Cristiano Marcello."''
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He is notable for being the first person to have ever defeated Anderson Silva in an MMA bout. Anderson avenged his loss with a win over Azeredo in a UsefulNotes/MuayThai bout.
* TheApprentice: To Rudimar Fedrigo.
* CoolTeacher: A MMA and UsefulNotes/MuayThai coach at Renzo Gracie MMA Academy and at Class One MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Chute Boxe Academy as well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a 3rd Degree black belt.
* RedBaron: "The Joker".
!!!Marcio Ramos Barbosa
-->''"It is happening right now because people like me and my master Cromado kept holding the LL flag even when everybody else has left. Everybody else that could have done a lot for LL has left to go after their own goals. Me and Cromado were different: we've put LL before anything else in our lives and for the last years we have sacrificed a lot to keep LL alive. Now we are very proud to see it getting stronger and stronger."''
-->-- Marcelo Brigadeiro, on his master and the state of Luta Livre.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won his Shooto debut against Caol Uno.
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre mestres Joao Bosco and Eugenio Tadeu.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Renovação Fight Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: A 5th degree black belt and trained at Club de luta. He has also trained in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, boxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with BJJ mestre Marco Barbosa of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Cromado".
* ScaryBlackMan
!!!Ryan Bow
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Killer/Krazy Bee Gym (Purebred Tokyo). He opened his own gym in Japan, Kaminari Dojo Mixed Martial Arts Academy in 2005 till 2009. He briefly reopened it in the US but closed it again to travel, and pursue other ventures. He moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates as the head MMA coach at Team Nogueira Dubai. He has resigned from that position and has opened another gym, Fight Gods Mixed Martial Arts Academy and is the head instructor.
* {{Determinator}}: Has a cyst that is in his brain since he was young that affects his health.
* FishOutOfWater: Came to live in Japan by himself at the age of 17 so this was expected. He even wrote a book that was loosely based on his life in Tokyo called Black Samurai: The Misadventures of a Black American MMA Fighter in Japan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Earned his black belt from the Kodokan at the age of 18 and trained alongside Judo Olympic Gold Medalists Yoshida Hidehiko and Takimoto at Yoshida Dojo. He also trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai in Thailand under the former Lumpinee Stadium Champion, Santien Noi, combat wrestling under Noriaki Kiguchi, shoot wrestling under Enson Inoue, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Robert Drysdale and was awarded his black belt in BJJ by Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and former BJJ World Champion, Rafael Haubert in 2016. He also trained under Frank Shamrock at American Kickboxing Academy and under former Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team Coach, Sergio Cunha.
* OddFriendship: With Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto as students of Enson Inoue and head trainers of Killer/Krazy Bee Gym (originally Purebred Tokyo).
* RedBaron: "Kaminari".
* ScaryBlackMan
* {{Yakuza}}: He has experience working with them as a student of Enson Inoue.
!!!John Calvo
-->''"Back in the [=SuperBrawl=] days it was actually pretty raw. They didn’t have a boxing commission or a fighting commission. They didn’t even know how to judge it."''
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer for Guahan Top Team.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Has only one loss in MMA against Wrestling/DanSevern.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: And trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Purebred Guam.
* RedBaron: "Big John".
* StartMyOwn: A co-founder of the Jungle Rules promotion.
* UrExample: One of the first MMA fighters from Guam.
!!!Thomas Denny
* BullyHunter: Participated in Creator/{{MTV}}'s Series/BullyBeatdown.
* CoolTeacher: A head trainer of Team Wildman Vale Tudo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: Started when he was 10 years old, before turning to kickboxing when he was 19. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Wildman".
* TheWorfEffect: Denny participated in Creator/{{MTV}}'s Series/BullyBeatdown where he fought Dennis, "The Russian Meathead". To date, he is the only professional MMA fighter on the show to not score a single submission in the first round. During the 3 minutes in the submission round, Thomas was unable to apply a submission. He also failed to knock out the bully in the kickboxing round, constituting the only time in the history of the show in which the bully got away with all the money.
!!!Márcio Feitosa
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten in grappling matches by Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro twice.
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The Executive Director of Gracie Barra Brazil.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor for Gracie Barra International. Feitosa also helped develop the Gracie Barra in the United States, developing the systems to manage the schools and instructional content such as the 2nd version of the Gracie Barra Fundamentals, co-founding the Gracie Barra Headquarters, and managing 8 of his own schools located in California and Texas
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 5th degree black belt, a 3-time IBJJF World BJJ Champion in 1997, 2001, and 2002, a 5-time World Silver Medallist in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2006, a ADCC champion in 2001, a 4-time Brazilian National champion in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, a Brazilian Team Tournament champion, a 4-time Pan American Champion in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, a Canada Jiu-Jitsu champion.
* HeroKiller: Has defeated in BJJ and Nogi, Rodrigo Gracie, Leonardo Vieira, Carlos Machado, Caol Uno, Royler Gracie, etc.
* TheRival: Leonardo Vieira.
!!!Dan Gilbert
* BashBrothers: With his brother Joey.
* CoolTeacher: The head coach for Gilbert Grappling G2 Training Center with his brother Joey.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Was a ESPIOR Greco-Roman National Champion, a 2-time Junior National Greco Roman All American, a 2-time IHSA State Placer and a Div 1 Wrestler for Boise State University.
* WrestlingFamily: His brother Joey is also a wrestler and MMA fighter.
!!!Joey Gilbert
* BashBrothers: With his brother Dan.
* CoolTeacher: A wrestling coach for Gilbert Grappling G2 Training Center with his brother Dan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Was a Big Ten Freshman Wrestler of the year, a 2-Time All American for University of Michigan, and a 4-time IHSA State Champion.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 2 wins and 3 losses.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused for the pro boxer of the same name.
* WrestlingFamily: His brother Dan is also a wrestler and MMA fighter.
!!!Anthony Hamlett
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* CombatReferee: A professional referee in the Northwest and has referred for UFC. He has refereed over 3000 fights between amateur and pro. Is considered top ref in MMA in the Northwest.
* CoolTeacher: He is the head coach and manager of Northwest Elite Fight Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He is a three time All American for the USAF team ranked as high as 5th in nation after world team trials. He also trained at AMC Pankration.
* RedBaron: "Icee".
!!!Takuhito Hida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: As well as shoot wrestling and trained at Team IMPRESS.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win and 10 losses.
!!!Kentaro Imaizumi
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute. He also trained in combat wrestling.
!!!Shigetoshi Iwase
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS).
!!!Ronald Jhun
-->''"I like to stand up first then ground and pound second."''
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of 808 Top Team.
* BadassFamily: His brother-in-law Ray Cooper is also a MMA fighter.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head trainer of 808 Fight Factory.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: In high school. He also trained in boxing and kickboxing.
* ThreeAmigos: Was introduced to mixed martial arts by his brother-in-law, Ray Cooper, and David Pa'aluhi.
* RealMenLoveJesus: A former member of Jesus is Lord MMA.
* RedBaron: "The Machine Gun".
!!!Hideki Kadowaki
-->''"Just enjoy life!"''
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A grappling trainer at Marupuro Gym and TTM URUSHI DOJO.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajyutsu Keisyukai and was a 2000 All Japan Amateur Shooto Welter-weight runner up.
* SignatureMove: The Kadowaki special, which is a modified rear naked choke which is applied from the back crucifix position instead of the standard back mount.
!!!Tatsuya Kawajiri
-->''“I want to break his heart, and I want him to go away thinking, ‘I don’t want to face this guy anymore’. That’s how I fight.”''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Gilbert Melendez.
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* HeroicBuild
* IdenticalStranger: Stylistically speaking. He is unique among Japanese mixed martial artists in that he is one of the few Asian fighters to have truly embraced a more modern style of combat, electing to mix up his striking with western-style grappling and inflicting serious damage from top position on the ground.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS) and was a 1999 Amateur Shooto Eastern Japan Open Tournament Winner and the 2002 Shooto Welterweight Rookie Tournament Winner. He also trained in kickboxing and has a K-1 record of 2 wins and 1 loss.
* RedBaron: "Crusher".
!!!Homare Kuboyama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooto Gym K'Z Factory as well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Yuji Kusu
* TheApprentice: To Masanori Suda.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Club J.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Ryota Matsune
* TheApprentice: To Hiroshi Tsuruya.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Okinawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and a 2002 All-Japan Team Jiu-Jitsu champion, and also knows shoot wrestling and is a All-Japan Amateur Shooto Featherweight Champion.
* RedBaron: "The Shooto Junkie".
!!!Takumi Nakayama
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Is the head instructor of Paraestra Osaka.
* HeroicBuild
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: A third dan black belt, he also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt as well as combat and shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Da Japanese Ironman", "Ushi Shooter".
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His real name is written as 中山巧, his ring name is written as タクミ.
!!!Takashi Ochi
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Koiwa & Ayase.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also knows sambo, combat wrestling and is a All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion, and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 2 wins and 6 losses.
* RedBaron: "Doctor".
!!!Stephen Palling
-->''" I've said it, I'll always say it...and it isn't just 'cause I won...when B.J. (Penn) beat me, he just out-skilled me, but, the fight that I had that hurt me the most was with Stephen Palling in Hawaii. He hit me so hard, sometimes I was thinking, "Oh my god, I wish I was knocked out" because it hurt so bad!"''
-->-- Jen Pulver
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* {{Determinator}}: Had severe eye damage, a fractured orbital bone on one side, and a fractured cheek bone on the other side, after he fought Gilbert Melendez almost a year before his fight against Jens Pulver. Against the wishes of his doctor, Palling went on to fight two more times after the Melendez fight.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He also trained in boxing and kickboxing.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: He and Jens Pulver gave one to each other.
* RealMenLoveJesus: A member of Jesus is Lord MMA.
* RedBaron: "Bozo".
* WorthyOpponent: Jen Pulver views him as one.
!!!Huanderson Pavao
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre mestre Eugenio Tadeu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu mestre Julio César Pereira.
* BadassFamily: A cousin of Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira.
* CoolTeacher: A coach for [=GFTeam=].
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: Started training with his cousin Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira and was a Brazilian Champion in 2000, but the gym was too far away for him to continue so he joined Grappling Fight Team (formerly Gama Filho Team) to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu which he is now a 3rd degree black belt, a Brazilian National Inter Team Champion in 1997 as a blue belt and 1999 as a purple belt, a silver medallist at the International World Master Championship in 2006, and a 3 time Rio de Janeiro State Champion in 1999 as a blue and in 2003 and 2006 as a black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takanori Gomi, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: MMA sites have mistakenly listed him as Anderson Pavao.
!!!Greg Piper
* TheApprentice: To Matt Thornton.
* BadassFamily: His sister, Janna Piper is also a boxer and MMA fighter.
* CoolTeacher: A boxing coach for Straight Blast Gym and Team Quest.
* DownerEnding: Died in June 2006 at the age of 29.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: Trained under Fred Ryan at Grand Avenue Gym and had a pro record of 8-4-1. He also trained at Straight Blast Gym in Jeet Kune Do, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Matthias Riccio
* TheApprentice: To his father Laurent Riccio, Jerome Le Banner and Fred Rado.
* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
* BashBrothers: With his brothers Damien and Pepe.
* BigBrotherInstinct: His brother Pepe was 12 when Royce attacked him, so it is not surprising if he was the one who pulled a pistol or shotgun to chased the Gracies out.
* {{Bouncer}}: A former bar bouncer in Perpignan.
* CoolTeacher: An MMA trainer at SUPREME ARENA, Arts Martiaux Saint-Orens and has his own school, The Fire Team.
* FrenchJerk
* IKnowKarate: A shotokan black belt under his father Laurent Riccio, and a French national champion in 1995. He also trained in kickboxing at Le Banner Xtreme Team and is a European kickboxing champion in 2000 and trained in shoot wrestling at the Creator/BasRutten Academy U.K. and is a France champion in 1997.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 6 wins and 10 losses.
* RedBaron: "The Fire".
!!!Paul Rodriguez
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Has a win over Dennis Hallman.
* BadassFamily: His wife Caroline Rodriguez is also a BJJ pratitioner.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor at American Top Team Orlando & Longwood.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Liborio at American Top Team and also trained under Marcio Simas. He also trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai under Mejiro Gym instructor Bobby Robare.
!!!Chad W. Saunders
* TheApprentice: To Javier Mendez.
* BaldOfAwesome
* DownerEnding: Committed suicide by self-inflicted gun shot in 2010.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: Trained at American Kickboxing Academy, also in boxing, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Andy Wang
-->''"ANDY TAKE HIM DOWN!"''
-->-- BJ Penn, Andy's TUF coach.
-->''"One of my all time favorite pain in the ass fighters on #TUF…Mr Andy Wang. #DWCOTD #Warrior'"''
-->-- Dana White, on his twitter with a clip of Andy losing his TUF fight and his interview.
* TheApprentice: To Egan Inoue.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Wang is known for his flamboyant personality and bizarre fighting tactics.
* CoolTeacher: He moved back to Taipei in 2004 with the sole purpose of hoping to help the spread of MMA in Taiwan. He now lives in China and teaches BJJ in Beijing.
* EmbarrassingNickname: He is mockingly called "The Warrior" because of his loss on Series/TheUltimateFighter and stated afterwards after bawling like a baby that he was a warrior.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Grappling Unlimited and is a 3rd degree black belt.
* MenDontCry: Averted, he bawled like a baby after losing his match on Series/TheUltimateFighter, prompting his own coach, B.J. Penn, to make fun of him on national TV... and in fact, the episode title was "Waaaah!" This was, of course, after Penn yelled at the BJJ blackbelt the entire fight to go to the ground; Wang instead choosing to stand, bang, and lose. Penn later kicked Wang off his team, the first time this has ever happened.
* RedBaron: "The YellowPeril".
* UrExample: The first Taiwanese Chinese fighter on Series/TheUltimateFighter.
* WhatAnIdiot: He is responsible for the creation of the term; Stand and Wang, which is defined as 'When your primary strategy is to strike with an opponent when it's not your best chance at victory'.
!!!Justin Wisniewski
* BadassFamily: His brother Keith is also a BJJ practitioner and MMA fighter.
* BashBrothers: With his brother Keith.
* CoolTeacher: A co-founder of Duneland Vale Tudo with his brother Keith.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* RedBaron: "The Polish Connection". He shares this name with his brother.
* StartMyOwn: Started with his brother the Duneland Classic fight events.
!!!Hirotaka Yokoi
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka as part of the Alliance and RINGS Japan.
* AscendedFanBoy: Was a fan UWF pro wrestling and its offshoots.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His fight in Shooto was this as he then moved on to RINGS under the tutelage of Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: In highschool.
* RedBaron: "Kaibutsu-kun" ("Monster-kun") for his physical resemblance to the title character from 1980s anime series Kaibutsu-kun.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Has wrestled for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1.
!!!Baret Yoshida
* TheApprentice: To Egan Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: The head jiu-jitsu coach for The Arena MMA gym.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His participation in the 1999 ADCC that put Yoshida’s name on the map. Baret Yoshida had fought on the trials and made it to the final, though he lost. He was called to the finals as an alternate because one of the competitors had injured himself and could no longer compete. In that tournament, the younger and less experienced Baret gave a very tough challenge to one of the most dominant fighters to have ever competed, Royler Gracie. Yoshida lost a chance to medal, but he gained a legion of fans, and was invited into the tournament in the following years.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Grappling Unlimited and is a 3rd degree black belt.
* RedBaron: "The Finisher".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroshi.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The To The Top Year (2001)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3052_b1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Shooto]]
!!!Jeremy Bennett
* CoolTeacher: He was an urban assault instructor at the Urban Warfare Training Center.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and shootfighting.
* SemperFi: Served in the Marine Corps from 2003 until 2010, both active and reserve duties. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 2nd and 4th Marines as a infantryman, was stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, for eight months, later deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines and ended his career with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. .
!!!Mike Cardoso
* TheApprentice: To David Avellan.
* CombatReferee: For BJJ matches.
* CoolTeacher: Owns his own school, Cardoso Jiu Jitsu and is also a trainer for Extreme MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Teixeira and trained at the Freestyle Fighting Academy. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and UsefulNotes//{{Judo}}, and also trained in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and shootfighting.
!!!Tony [=DeDolph=]
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses, and a draw.
* UsefulNotes/NavySEALs: A petty officer and a member of SEAL Team 6.
!!!Rodney Ellis
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Southern Cross Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Started under Larry Papadopoulos at Spartan Gym, then Assed Haddad at the Osvaldo Alves academy, then Nova União Academy under André Pederneiras who presented him his black belt, now he continues to train under Marcelino Freitas and Fabiano "Babu" Freitas and is a 3rd degree black belt. He is a NSW BJJ Federation State Champion at purple belt in 2003 and brown belt in 2004, a 2001, 2005 & 2007 Australasian Submission Wrestling Runner Up (ADDC Qualifiers), a 2005 Rio de Janeiro State Runner-Up at brown belt, a 2007 and 2009 Pan Pacific Jiu-Jitsu Champion at black belt, a 2009 Australasian Submission Wrestling Champion (ADDC Qualifiers), and a Professional Gi Champion at 2010 Abu Dhabi Pro Gi. He is also a black belt in Goshin Ryu Ju-Jutsu under Gordon Griffiths.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Isao Tanimura, he lost.
* StartMyOwn: Founded the Australian Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix in 2014.
!!!Tomohiro Hashi
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 7 losses, and a draw.
* RedBaron: "Tomohirock '84".
!!!Eugene Hynson
* TheApprentice: To Steve Oliver.
* AwesomeAussie: From New Zealand actually.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Oliver MMA Kapiti, an affiliate of Oliver MMA & American Top Team New Zealand.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Started at the Spartan Gym under Larry Papadopolous and then later moved to Oliver MMA.
!!!Junji Ikoma
* TheApprentice: To Chikara Miyake.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Chokushinkai MMA Dojo.
* IKnowKarate: A chokushinkai black belt.
!!!Shinobu Ito
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* IKnowKarate: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 3 losses, and a draw.
!!!Toshiteru Ishii
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Wajutsu Keishukai Tiger Place (Yokohama).
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career 3 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws.
!!!Nobuyuki Kato
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Wajutsu Keishukai Real Japanese Wrestling G'2.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real given name is Shinyuki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also trained at Wajutsu Keishukai.
!!!Gildo Lima
* TheApprentice: To Rudimar Fedrigo.
* CoolTeacher: A UsefulNotes/MuayThai coach for Chute Boxe Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Chute Boxe Academy and also knows Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Masa Marcome
* TheApprentice: To Yorinaga Nakamura.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kazumichi Takada, he lost.
!!!Kim Mason
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* DepravedBisexual: Was in a sexual relationship with his murder victim Hartanto Santoso and had a girlfriend at the same time.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: And trained at AMC Pankration.
* JerkAss: He was described as a young man who "felt he had absolute power over other human beings" and wanted "the good life" and didn't want to work for it, once talking Hartanto Santoso, a nursing assistant into a $400 loan and, after choking him then bound and gagging him with duct tape in January 2001, trying to rob him of $700 by threatening to inject him with drain cleaner and also pointed a 9-mm handgun at his head. Mason was charged with kidnapping and robbery. On Jan. 29, 2001, a Superior Court judge released him without bail at the urging of his father, John Mason, a retired Seattle assistant police chief. He was then charged with murdering Santoso, who so feared for his life that he asked police to put him in jail or let him sleep on the police-station floor after Mason was released, then went missing with his apartment filled with blood. After a 10-week trial, a jury found Mason guilty. The trial court imposed a sentence of life without possibility of parole.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Apparently he murdered Hartanto Santoso because he was a christian and in a sexual relationship with Santoso and that Santoso would expose him as a homosexual.
* RedBaron: "The Sensation".
!!!Eiji Murayama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Sonic Squad Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 1998 All-Japan Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and also trained in shoot wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Ivan Salaverry
-->''"I believe that everyone has the fighting spirit in them. It's innate. It's genetic. It's hard-wired into each and every one of us."''
* TheApprentice: To Maurice Smith, Matt Hume and Tito Ortiz.
* CanadaEh
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Ivan Salaverry MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: A black prajied, trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt under Marcelo Alonso, learned UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, amateur wrestling, and trained at places like AMC Pankration, Team Punishment, Carlson Gracie BJJ, and Brazilian Top Team.
* JackOfAllStats: Is known for his well-rounded skills.
* SignatureMove: He is also notable for being a pioneer of the crucifix-style position from side control, which is often referred to as "The Salaverry" during Mixed Martial Arts broadcasts, particularly by UFC commentator Creator/JoeRogan.
!!!Tsutomu Shiiki
* TheApprentice: To Chikara Miyake.
* IKnowKarate: A chokushinkai black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Masato Shiozawa
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
!!!Anderson Silva
-->''“To be honest with you, I really don’t like to hurt my opponents; this just happens to be our job. But if somebody disrespects me they will pay for it. I promise.”''
* TheAce: Silva holds the longest title streak in UFC history, a record of 2457 days, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: His UFC title reign was stopped by Chris Weidman and he also lost the rematch.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CounterAttack: Has a deadly striking game that that combines this with NonchalantDodge.
* CurbStompBattle: Silva exploded into the UFC after a fairly unexceptional career in other promotions. He dispatched the rugged Chris Leben so ruthlessly in his debut that he was immediately given a title shot. Though many fans didn't think he even deserved the shot, Silva demolished the two-time defending champ Rich Franklin in the first round. Since then, Silva has dispatched a number of other worthy opponents with ease, including a thrashing of Forrest Griffin, in which Silva spent a large portion of the fight taunting Griffin with his hands down before knocking him out with a backpedaling jab.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was the first man to beat Hayato Sakurai ending his 18 win streak. He suffered this in UFC against Chris Weidman.
** This also happened to him against Chris Weidman.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: After watching Ong Bak, Silva suddenly wanted to win a fight by leading reverse elbow. His coaches completely shot this down, so he practiced the technique privately with his wife. Come his fight with Tony Fryklund, that's exactly how Silva won.
* HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath: Silva became demotivated and thought about quitting MMA after his loss to Daiju Takase, but was convinced to keep on fighting by Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
* HeroKiller: Beat Hayato Sakurai for the Shooto middleweight championship. He has also beaten guys like Wrestling/AlexanderOtsuka, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Carlos Newton, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen, Demian Meia, Stephan Bonnar, etc.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: What he is primarily known for along with being a 3rd degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. He is also a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, a 5th dan black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and even tried appealing to the Brazilian Taekwondo Confederation to consider him for the 2016 Olympics, trained a bit in UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}, and also competed in two pro boxing matches.
* NonchalantDodge: Is the patron saint of this trope in MMA. Particularly types one and three, but sometimes two as well.
* RealSongThemeTune: "No Sunshine" by DMX.
* RedBaron: "The Spider".
* ScaryBlackMan
* TemptingFate: Silva repeatedly clowned title contender Chris Weidman by dropping his hands and presenting his chin. When Weidman connected with a glancing blow, Silva theatrically mimed being hurt. Weidman responded with more punches, landing flush on Silva's chin and ending the middleweight champ's record-breaking win streak.
* TheWorfEffect: Was the favorite in his bouts with Daiju Takase and Ryo Chonan, till he got caught by Daiju in a triangle and by Ryo in a flying scissor heel hook respectively.
!!!Daisuke Sugie
* TheApprentice: To Yoichi Suzuki.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of CARPE DIEM HOPE Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real name is Daisuke Shiraki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at ALIVE MMA Dojo and is a black belt.
* RedBaron: "Amazon".
!!!Roemer Trumpert
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo along with shoot wrestling.
!!!Tomoharu Umezawa
* TheApprentice: To Hiroyuki Abe.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Abe Ani Combat Club SPIDER Real Wrestling Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as amateur, combat, and shoot wrestling and trained at Abe Ani Combat Club.
!!!Yasuhiro Urushitani
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Wajutsu Keishukai HEARTS, and now a trainer at TRIBE TOKYO MMA.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai. He is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Norifumi Yamamoto
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of Killer/Krazy Bee MMA team.
* BrattyHalfPint: Is quite short at 5 ft 4 and about 143 ib and is described as having a controversial persona and once got in trouble with {{Yakuza}} before being bailed out by his brother-in-law Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Yamamoto Sports Academy.
* DavidVsGoliath: As one of the shortest and lightest guys in MMA who usually competes in the Lightweight division with a 10 ib disadvantage this is expected.
* HeroKiller: Defeated guys like Royler Gracie, Caol Uno and Genki Sudo to win K-1 HERO's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Freestyle Wrestling]]: Comes from a WrestlingFamily, wrestled in the United States at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, capturing three state championships (with a third-place finish as a freshman), during that time he lived and received training from Townsend and Tricia Saunders and even tried to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in freestyle wrestling until an injury forced him back into MMA. He also trained briefly under Choi Mu Bae in Greco-Roman wrestling. He also learned kickboxing, combat wrestling and of course shoot wrestling.
* OneHitKill: Has the fastest ever knockout in a major MMA promotion by 4 seconds against Kazuyuki Miyata. As of December 24, 2011, only Duane Ludwig tied this record with his win over Jonathan Goulet.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Is 5 ft 4 in height and about 143 Ib who competes in the Lightweight class (which the weight limit is 155 ib in K-1 HERO's and DREAM) and usually won during his time in those promotions.
* RedBaron: "Kid".
* WrestlingFamily: A freestyle wrestling family, his father Ikuei Yamamoto representing Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters Miyu and Seiko both won world championships in freestyle wrestling.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Treasure Hunt Year (2002)]]
[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_4254.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Not All Treasure Is Silver And Gold]]
[[/folder]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20141217_1217792.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Not To Confused With Shooting Sports]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1499747026275_42g.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Boys Be A Tiger]]
!!!Noriaki Kiguchi
* BadassTeacher / OldMaster: Owns the Kiguchi Gym where he trained guys like Takanori Gomi, Rumina Sato, Baret Yoshida, Naoki Sakurada, Norifumi Yamamoto, Noboru Asahi, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Genki Sudo, etc.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Champion under Victor Koga's tutelage. He also trained amateur wrestling in school, and UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling under Wrestling/SatoruSayama, which he started teaching it at his own gym.
* NonActionGuy: Was a teacher for many of the Shooto guys though he never competed himself.
* OddFriendship: With pro wrestler Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer.
* StartMyOwn / UrExample: Founded Combat Wrestling and has been hosting events since the 1990s.
!!!Yorinaga Nakamura
-->''"He was definitely one of the most knowledgeable guys on leglocks."''
--->--Erik Paulson
* TheApprentice: One of the first trainees under Sayama.
* IKnowKarate: And kung fu, and kickboxing. Notably, he knows Kansui-ryu UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, the style founded by Wrestling/AntonioInoki. He also learned kali, silat, and jeet kune do when he went to America under Dan Inosanto
* OldMaster: Introduced and teaches shoot wrestling in Dan Inosanto's academy as well as kali, silat, and jeet kune do.
* UnknownCharacter: He was the first high level Shooto trainer and the winner of the first tournament in the promotion, but as the event was amateur and untelevised and he left for United States shortly after to teach shoot wrestling, almost nobody in the sport's fandom has seen him fight.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Has no relation to Keitaro.
!!!Toshiharu Suzuki
* CombatReferee: For a long time, Suzuki was Shooto's only referee. He is now the head referee of Shooto.
* GameMaster: He is the official rulemaker of Shooto and is a board member of the International Shooto Commission.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in When Shooto was Shooting AKA When Shooto Went Pro (1989-94)]]
[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/29d05238_c1b3_4c8d_abe5_a1c9ced764c9.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:220:When Shooto Was Shooto]]
[[quoteright:239:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/usa_shooto_logo1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:239:Since 1991]]
!!!Shinji Abe
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only one fight against Noboru Asahi. He lost of course.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Kazuya, or Yoshihiko.
!!!Yoshihiko Abe
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only two fights. He lost in both.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Kazuya, or Shinji.
!!!Toshio Ando
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only two fights. He lost in both.
!!!Noboru Asahi
-->''"They often call off my passivity. But look, out of my 30 fights, only 5 have went to the judges..."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira who beat him twice.
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Tokyo Yellow Mans Gym after he retired.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Rumina Sato and Enson Inoue. He also debuted earlier than the others.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Kijin" ("The Strange Man", due to the weird shape of his nose and face).
* TheRival: To Yuki Nakai.
* TheWorfEffect: By Royler Gracie at the Vale Tudo Japan.
!!!Kazumi Chikiyoshi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for only one fight beaten by Noboru Asahi.
!!!Yutaka Fuji
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A very short career with three fights. He lost all three.
!!!Mitsuo Fujikura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A very short career with 3 fights, winning his first, drawing his second, and losing his last.
!!!Yuji Fujita
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one win out of seven fights, the rest were losses.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yoshihiro or Norio.
!!!Tomokazu Fukaya
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kenji Kawaguchi, which he lost.
!!!Satoshi Fukuoka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 3 fights, two losses and a draw.
!!!Yuji Hashiguchi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, he lost both fights.
!!!Tetsuya Hirada
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}
!!!Satoshi Honma
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before he joined the Super Tiger Gym.
* MinoredInAssKicking: Aside from MMA he also has a win in kickboxing against English kickboxing champion Wayne "Homeboy" Turner at K-1 Survival '99.
!!!Yoshimasa Ishikawa
* CoolTeacher: A trainer for Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym and also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
!!!Takashi Ishizaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one win in Shooto with 4 losses and a draw.
!!!Kazuyuki Itagaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a loss against Hidehiko Satake.
!!!Takenori Ito
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Tsudanuma Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yuji.
!!!Yuji Ito
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UrExample: Though he lost, he was in the main event fight at the first pro Shooto event with Yuichi Watanabe. He did avenge his loss a year later though.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Takenori.
!!!Jun Kanetaka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takeshi Miyanaga. He lost.
!!!Hiroyuki Kanno
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Saginuma.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Kenji Kawaguchi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Erik Paulson.
* ArchEnemy: Most of his losses came at the hands of foreigners.
* TheBusCameBack: He has done this twice. He retired from full time fighting in 1999, then came back in 2006 with a TKO win against Deividas Petrauskas at Shooto: The Devilock. He came back again in 2015 losing to Yuki Kondo at Pancrase: 271.
* CoolOldGuy: Was in the first pro Shooto event and his latest fight was in 2015, do the math.
* CoolTeacher: The head trainer of Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UrExample: Was the first Shooto light heavyweight champion.
* TheWorfEffect: Was undefeated with 10 wins and 4 draws till he was KO'ed by Dutch kickboxer Jan Lomulder at Vale Tudo Japan 1994. He did get his revenge at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
!!!Jun Kikawada
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer of Shooting Gym Kobe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
!!!Junichi Kubota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Suguru Shigeno, which ended in a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Misaki.
!!!Misaki Kubota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only three fights in Shooto, two losses and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Junichi.
!!!Masakazu Kuramochi
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the R-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* HiddenDepths: Opened up a video game arcade when he retired from fighting.
!!!Kazuhiro Kusayanagi
* CoolTeacher: Founded the K'z Factory Shooto Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: A trainee under Noriaki Kiguchi before training with Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* TheRival: To Naoki Sakurada.
* TheWorfEffect: Got KO'ed by David Levicki at Vale Tudo 1994 in over a minute.
!!!Takuya Kuwabara
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Takenori Gomi.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: A decent fighter with draws against Caol Uno and Hayato Sakurai and took decision losses from Takenori Gomi twice and Rumina Sato, he was just never considered a big star.
* RedBaron: "Massoh".
!!!Yasushi Maeda
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hiroshi Matsuoka, though he did win it.
!!!Hiroshi Matsuoka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yasushi Maeda, he lost.
!!!Hiroaki Matsutani
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at K'z Factory Shooto Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Takeshi Miyanaga
* EmbarrassingNickname: He was called "Johnny" for some reason.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Makoto Mizoguchi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, he lost both.
!!!Eiji Mizuno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had three fights in Shooto, a win, a loss, and a draw.
!!!Keiichi Motomura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Masaya Onodera and lost.
!!!Yoshiaki Murai
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head of his MMA team Midzukijuku.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, which he both lost.
!!!Tadashi Murakami
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Mamoru Okochi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Yuki Nakai
-->''"That night I could have died. And I would have chosen to die."''
* BadassTeacher: Started up the Paraestra Shooto Gyms and trained fighters like Shinya Aoki, Masakazu Imanari, Masakatsu Ueda, Satoru Kitaoka, Yukinori Sasa, Kazuya Satoh, Yusuke Honma, Yoshihiko Matsumoto, Arabe Kenji, etc.
* BloodKnight: Bleeding and wobbling, Nakai left the ring after the Pittman fight [[ScreamingWarrior screaming for Rickson.]].
* CoolVersusAwesome: Had a grappling match in Shooto with fellow HandicappedBadass Jean-Jacques Machado.
* {{Determinator}}: A gouged eye and two beatdowns are not enough to stop Yuki.
* DiabolusExNihilo: From the Gracie point of view during the Vale Tudo Japan, Nakai became a stylistically worrying opponent for them after they watched him fend off Pittman with a kind of guard they had never seen. It can be seen in the ''Choke'' documentary, when Rickson looks confused while his brother Royler tries to explain with BuffySpeak how it is Nakai's butterfly guard.
* HandicappedBadass: Had to retire from MMA due to the damaged to his eye, as he lost its eyesight and couldn't see the punches, but he keep competing in grappling, he even rumpled the legendary Ricardo de la Riva Goded in a jiu-jitsu match.
* HonorBeforeReason: Kept his half blindness a secret to protect the reputation of MMA, knowing that if the press found it out, a herd of MoralGuardians would decry unjustly the sport for being violent and etc. Also, he made a point by releasing the heel hook on Gordeau when he tapped out - [[WhatYouAreInTheDark how many people would have not felt inclined to]] [[PayEvilUntoEvil pay him the same way and leave him crippled forever?]]
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Most specifically, kosen judo. He is a former Shichitei champion from the Hokkaido university, as well as apprentice of famous Kodokan master Kanae Hirata, he actually started his UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} training in Hokkaido Sapporo North high school, along with amateur wrestling. He also has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, although he never trained formally at it (he was given the belt by Carlos Gracie after Nakai did well in the world BJJ championships, which he trained with the help of real BJJ black belt Enson Inoue).
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Submitted Gerard Gordeau with an eye destroyed, then submitted Craig Pittman half blind and outsized by almost his own weight, and went to stale Rickson Gracie for a time until he was tapped out.
* TheRival: To Noboru Asahi, the cause of his sole defeat before hitting the VTJ.
* OldMaster: A renowned one in grappling, also the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in Japan and president of the Japanese BJJ confederation.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: He is a pretty small guy, but [[Franchise/StarWars the Force is strong in him.]]
* TellMeHowYouFight: Has declared in several occasions the idea that fighting is a form of communication, and he teaches martial arts, according to him, to help people to communicate, which is a trouble in the often socially difficult Japanese community.
!!!Takashi Nishizawa
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only three fights in Shooto, with 2 losses and won his last fight.
!!!Hiroki Noritsugi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Got beaten twice in United Full Contact Federation Ultimate Fighting 2 by Dennis Hallman.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained with Matt Hume at AMC Pankration.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto losing against Yuki Nakai.
!!!Norito Ogasawara
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A loss to Takenori Ito was his only fight.
!!!Kenji Ogusu
* CoolTeacher: Founded the K.O. Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He later became a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career mostly filled with draws though he only lost once.
!!!Tomonori Ohara
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Tokai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym and also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 5 wins, 12 losses and a draw.
!!!Masahiro Oishi
* CoolOldGuy: He started MMA in 1993 and his last fight was in 2014.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Jackal".
!!!Mamoru Okochi
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Had his own MMA team Okochi Gundan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Takayuki.
!!!Yasunori Okuda
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: An MMA record of 2 wins and 6 losses, though one of his wins was over a debuting Akihiro Gono at the 1994 Lumax Cup.
!!!Masaya Onodera
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with three fights, a win, a loss, and a draw.
!!!Makoto Ozaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto losing against Kenichi Tanaka.
* UrExample: Was in the first pro Shooto fight against Kenichi Tanaka.
!!!Erik Paulson
-->''"I have trained under Dan Inosanto, Yori Nakamura, the Gracies as well as the Machados. I have had a total of over 40 coaches and trainers to develop my overall game."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Paul Jones.
* TheApprentice: To Yorinaga Nakamura and is his most well known student.
* BraidsOfAction: Horrifyingly deconstructed in the 1995 World Combat Championships, in which he fought with long hair tied in braids because he could not cut it for work schedules (he was a stuntman and double in a film). His opponent James Warring took advantage of it in a very bad way - he pulled it and literally dragged Paulson ByTheHair through the mat, making his corner throw the towel.
* CoolTeacher: Most known as MMA trainer and helped train guys like Josh Barnett, Wrestling/KenShamrock, Renato Sobral, Cub Swanson, Sean Sherk, James Wilksand, and Wrestling/BrockLesnar.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And many, ''many'' other martial arts, especially Jeet Kune Do, kali, UsefulNotes/WingChun and silat.
* MightyWhitey: Was the first non-Japanese Shooto champion, besting Kenji Kawaguchi in an upset.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: His reason to learn other martial arts was that UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} failed him as a self-defense art when he was bullied as a child (actually due again to his long hair, which got pulled - it seems that Erik couldn't take a break).
* RedBaron: "The Storm", "The American Wonder".
* StartMyOwn: Founder of Combat Submission Wrestling and STX Kickboxing.
* UrExample: Along with Chad Stahelski of all people, they were the first foreigners to fight in Shooto. He is also the first one in Shooto to have trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: With the Gracies. He started his training in BJJ with them and was the one that invited Rickson Gracie to the first Vale Tudo Japan event, they had a falling out when they found out he had enter the World Combat Championship event, which Renzo was also entering and continued his training in BJJ with the Machado Brothers.
* WorfHadTheFlu: Infamously played in the WCC tournament, in which he was classified as a striker and thus he had forbidden to use submissions, which got him gassed and destroyed after a tough round against a UsefulNotes/MuayThai fighter. When he faced kickboxing champion James Warring in the next round, he barely could attempt to take him down, and his hair made the rest.
!!!Tomoyuki Saito
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only two wins in his career with 4 draws and 3 losses.
!!!Kazuhiro Sakamoto
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer for Shooting Gym Yokohama, now the head trainer of Shooting Gym Tokyo.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in this before becoming a trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheRival: With Kenichi Tanaka as they fought 4 times with each getting two wins and losses.
!!!Naoki Sakurada
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten by Kenji Kawaguchi twice.
* TheApprentice: Was one of Noriaki Kiguchi's first students.
* CoolTeacher: Better known as a trainer than a fighter. He helped Noriaki Kiguchi train many others in combat wrestling and teaches Shooto at his own gym, the Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: One of the first guys to learn the sport and of course shoot wrestling and fought in the first pro Shooto event.
* RedBaron: "Mr Gutsman".
!!!Hidehiko Satake
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a win against Kazuyuki Itagaki.
!!!Yasuto Sekishima
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Narita.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: Trained under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained in shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi and combat wrestling under Noriaki Kiguchi.
* UrExample: The first Shooto middleweight champion.
!!!Suguru Shigeno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only two wins on his record with 5 losses and 5 draws.
!!!Chad Stahelski
* CoolTeacher: Worked as an instructor at the Inosanto Martial Arts Academy before his film career.
* HeAlsoDid: Kind of inverted as he is more famously known from his stunt double work with Brandon Lee on Film/TheCrow and Creator/KeanuReeves on Film/TheMatrix and as a co-director of Film/JohnWick. Barely anyone knows that he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: As well as Jeet Kune Do and shoot wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura and many other martial arts at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Lost his fight with Manabu Yamada.
* UrExample: Along with Erik Paulson, was the first foreigners to fight in Shooto.
!!!Masato Suzuki
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym. He also trained in boxing.
* {{Jobber}}: Well, he did have to face future Shooto superstars Rumina Sato, and Noboru Asahi who beat him twice.
!!!Akiyuki Takatsuka
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight against Mamoru Okochi and lost.
!!!Akbar Talei
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Is the International Director of WNFCKO.
* CoolTeacher: Has First Class Coaching License for Full Contact and Kick Boxing, and has a Saiko Shihan Certificate in New Full Contact Karate, the highest coaching rank in Japan.
* IKnowKarate: A 7th dan in New Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} ("Gloved UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}" or "Shin-karate") and world champion. He also competed in kickboxing.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Sakamoto and lost.
* UrExample: The first Iranian in Shooto and K-1 and one of the first fighters in Shooto not trained in the Shooto system. Also brought the New Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} Style ("Gloved UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}" or "Shin-karate") to Iran and the Middle East.
!!!Kenichi Tanaka
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at the Shooting Gym Tsudanuma and founded Tanaka Juku.
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin practitioner before training under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheRival: To Kazuhiro Sakamoto, who he fought with 4 times with 2 wins and losses over each other.
* WorthyOpponent: To Noboru Asahi who he drew with twice.
* UrExample: Was in the first pro Shooto fight with a win over Makoto Ozaki and was also the first Shooto Lightweight Champion.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Tomohiro or Koichi.
!!!Tomohiro Tanaka
* TheBusCameBack: Retired from full time fighting in 1992, then came back in 2011 at ZST - Swat! in Face 9 losing to Ken Komoda.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kenichi or Koichi.
!!!Kaoru Todori
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Kusayanagi which he lost.
!!!Takashi Tojo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with no wins, 2 losses and 3 draws.
!!!Kengo Tsuchida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was only in Shooto for two fights, which he both lost.
!!!Seiichi Tsurusaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Was in Shooto for one fight against Takashi Nishizawa, which he lost.
!!!Kyuhei Ueno
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Not a bad fighter by his record, but he was not at the level of the guys who beat him like Noboru Asahi, Yuki Naki, and Rumina Sato.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Shinsuke or Takeru.
!!!Yuichi Watanabe
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Shooting Gym Mobara.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/CatchWrestling: A trainee under Satoru Sayama, he also learned shootboxing under Caesar Takeshi.
* UrExample: The first Shooto Welterweight Champion.
!!!Manabu Yamada
-->''"He was a guy that came in from Shooto, who challenged me in the main event for the title of Pancrase champion, and who ''beat Suzuki'' in the semi-finals."''
--->--Wrestling/KenShamrock
* AlmightyJanitor: In Pancrase, where he spent most of his career after debuting in Shooto. He defeated both Pancrase founders, Suzuki and Funaki, as well as some other names, but never got promoted in status, and an arm injury aggravated in 1996 made the rest.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Fought for the Shooto Middleweight Championship against Kenji Kawaguchi twice and lost both times.
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/SatoruSayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* ArchEnemy: Jason [=DeLucia=].
* CoolTeacher: He is now an MMA and Seitai trainer. His gym is Hybrid Wrestling Yamada Dojo.
* CounterAttack: An expert in reversions and counters, he could catch opponents from nowhere.
* GameBreakingInjury: Broke his arm in a kickboxing match against Maurice Smith and fought through 1996 with the injury, having to retire for two years while getting surgery.
* HiddenDepths: Served as the dorm cook for the early Pancrase guys as his skills in that were reputedly quite good.
* IKnowKarate: One of the few good strikers by the Japanese side in Pancrase, though obviously not at the level of some foreigners.
* OldSoldier: Having been a Shooto contender before the rising of Pancrase, he was really the only guy in the promotion who knew what he was doing in the ring.
* RedBaron: "Oyabun" ("Kingpin").
* StoneWall: Passed hours with people like Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki and Wrestling/KenShamrock on his back with zero danger for him.
!!!Masaru Yano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hiroyuki Kanno and lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Katsuaki.
!!!Tadashi Yokoyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Is not related to Tetsuo.
!!!Tetsuo Yokoyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had a very short career with 4 fights and won only one of his last fight.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Is not related to Tadashi.
!!!Masanori Yoneyama
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto which he lost.
!!!Hiroshi Yoshida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Baret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Vale Tudo & Free Fight Era (1994-96)]]
[[quoteright:298:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_413.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:298:New Rules, New Attitude, More Colour ]]
[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_3_72.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:When Shooto Went Worldwide]]
[[quoteright:299:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/images_2_60.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:299:We Now Have World Champions]]
!!!Sunay Ahmed
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopoulos.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Uchu Tatsumi.
!!!Katsuhisa Akasaki
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Akasaki Dojo A-Spirit.
* IKnowKarate: A regional champion. He also knows Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career with 6 wins, 20 losses, and a draw.
* RedBaron: "Genius of Kyushu".
!!!Jin Akimoto
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Mamoru Yamaguchi who beat him twice.
* AnimeThemeSong: He uses some version of the theme from Franchise/LupinIII as his entrance music.
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi and Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of his own gym, Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction. He is also a licensed junior high school teacher.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: A trainee under Noriaki Kiguchi before his start in Shooto.
* WorthyOpponent: Drew twice with Junji Ikoma.
!!!Ruud Alwart
* TheApprentice: To Peter van den Hemel.
* CoolTeacher: Now a kickboxing trainer at the Mejiro Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Mejiro Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Shinji Arano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainer under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto both he lost.
!!!Leandro Lima De Azevedo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: The first practioner of the art in Shooto.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Ron Balicki
* TheApprentice: To Dan Inosanto.
* BadassFamily: Is Dan Inosanto's son-in-law.
* BadassTeacher: Is more well known as a trainer.
* BodyguardingABadass: Was once a bodyguard of Creator/StevenSeagal.
* HeAlsoDid: Inverted as he is mostly known as a martial arts trainer, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer on many film projects. Few people know he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kali and Silat]]: Several styles of Filipino martial arts under many different masters. He also knows Jeet Kune Do, UsefulNotes/WingChun, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, Savate, and of course Shoot Wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto with a loss against Rumina Sato and a win against Tomoaki Hayama.
* KnifeNut: A 4 time knife fighting Champion in the Cold Steel Challenge weapons fighting tournament.
!!!Arthur Cathiard
* TheApprentice: To Rickson Gracie.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Unlike Erik Paulson who also trained in BJJ and was the first guy in Shooto to do it, Paulson was mostly presented as a Shooto representative from America. This makes Arthur the first true representative of BJJ in Shooto.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yuki Nakai and lost.
!!!Kenzi Daikanyama
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost. He got better outside of Shooto.
!!!Gordon Dehdman
* AfroAsskicker
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And trained at Poseidon gym in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Egan Inoue, he lost.
!!!Jonathan Eusebio
* HeAlsoDid: Kind of inverted, as he is more well known as a stunt coordinator and performer, fight choreographer, martial arts technical advisor, and actor for film and television. His credits include [[Film/ThreeHundred 300]], Film/JohnWick, Film/TheExpendables, Film/TheBourneSeries, Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd, Film/{{Shooter}}, Film/{{Collateral}}, Creator/MichaelBay's Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014 and its sequel, etc. Barely anyone knows he fought in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Filipino Martial Arts]]: Studied at the Inosanto Academy, training in a wide range of disciplines, including kali, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Western boxing, shoot wrestling, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, kickboxing and more.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Toshiyuki Wado, which he lost.
!!!Joe Estes
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He beat Enson Inoue in his Shooto debut, Enson did get his revenge in the rematch.
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And trained in kickboxing at AMC Pankration.
!!!Carl Franks
* CoolTeacher: A pencak silat instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained under Relson Gracie and Egan Inoue. He also trained in pencak silat, boxing, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and also trained under Matt Hume at AMC Pankration.
* {{Jobber}}: He only fought in Shooto once to a No Contest against Remco Pardoel. He had more success outside Shooto.
!!!Zane Frazier
* HeroKiller: Apparently won a fight against Frank Dux, which got him invited to UFC 1.
* IKnowKarate: A 4 degree black belt in American Kenpo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and was a World Kickboxing Federation (WKF) United States super heavyweight champion.
* {{Jobber}}: Was a low level fighter and one of Dick Vrij's victims.
* RedBaron: "Nasty".
!!!Masato Fujiwara
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Paraestra Tokyo along with shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career with 5 wins, 12 losses, and 6 draws.
!!!Akihiro Gono
-->''"1-2-1-2-3-4! Bounce with me, bounce with me, bounce with me BOUNCE!!"''
* AffectionateParody: His "DJ GOZMA" persona, a parody of Japanese pop star DJ OZMA which he plays at his entrances.
* AfroAsskicker: Wears an afro wig as the mentioned parody.
* BigEntrance: Complete with dancers, fabulous attires and pop music.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: His opinion about his victory over Crosley Gracie, which admittedly would have been bigger business had it happened years before.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: You have to be some serious one to enter an arena doing what Gono does.
* ConfusionFu: Though not in a flashy way, his fighting style is quite unpredictable and full of dodges, counters and strikes from weird angles.
* CostumePorn: Started the trend in PRIDE.
* DancingIsSeriousBusiness
* EarlyBirdCameo: Originally debuted in RINGS but switch to Shooto after the 1994 Lumax cup.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: As well as Seidokaikan kickboxing.
* RedBaron: "The Japanese Sensation", "Grabaka no Kayaku Ko" ("Grabaka's Powder Keg"), "The Magic Man", "DJ GOZMA", "Impregnable Big Mouth"
!!!Genta Haga
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Masanori Suda, which he lost.
!!!Imre Hagendoorn
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Kazuhiro Sakamoto, which he lost.
* UrExample: Along with Maurice Roumimper, they were the first Dutch fighters in Shooto.
!!!Yoshinori Haraigawa
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Jin Akimoto, which he lost.
!!!Tomoaki Hayama
* CoolTeacher: Founded the X-One Gym Shonan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with two wins and three losses.
* RedBaron: "Shonan".
!!!Hisao Ikeda
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Uchu Tatsumi.
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Now the head instructor of Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Purebred Omiya.
* TheRival: Had a trilogy of fights with Masahiro Oishi.
!!!Egan Inoue
* ArchEnemy: Both Inoues have a bad relationship with Relson Gracie.
* BadassTeacher: Founded the Grappling Unlimited MMA and Jiu-Jitsu gyms and trained guys like Baret Yoshida in BJJ.
* BaldOfAwesome
* BashBrothers: With his younger brother Enson.
* GuestFighter: He had only one fight in Shooto.
* HiddenDepths: He is a pro racquetball player and spear fisher.
* IKnowKarate: Started his training in Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} then trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his brother under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie and is a black belt.
* TagAlongKid: He was brought to Shooto mostly because in was Enson's older brother.
!!!Enson Inoue
-->''"I was always on the dark side and everyone always thought, 'Enson's a gangster, Enson's a Yakuza...'"''
* ArchEnemy: Both Inoues have a bad relationship with Relson Gracie.
* BadassTeacher: Runs several MMA gyms located in Japan, Saipan, Palau and Guam under the name Purebred. He also has affiliated gyms located in Thailand, Canada and the USA. He also trained Norifumi Yamamoto in MMA after an incident with the {{Yakuza}}.
* BashBrothers: With his older brother Egan.
* TheBigGuy: Was for a long time the heaviest guy in Shooto, and one of of the most dangerous in the mat.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Yuki Nakai in BJJ.
* CurbStompBattle: A very fast grappler, most of his wins are in under two minutes and little more. Even his fight against Creator/RandyCouture only lasted 1:39.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Rumina Sato and Noboru Asahi. Interestingly, he arguably inherited his role among them from Yuki Nakai, as Nakai had to retire early while Enson (who became his training partner) debuted in the same year.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-jitsu]]: Trained it before his start in Shooto under Joe Lewis and Relson Gracie. He also is black belt in taijutsu (no, not that [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Taijutsu]]). He also did amateur wrestling in college and before these he learned UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and Hapkido.
* KidsAreCruel: Was bullied by other kids, to which his father told him to fight back or he will kick his ass himself.
* RedBaron: "YamatoDamashii", "The Croc".
* StoutStrength: One of the heaviest Shooto fighters, and one to fear.
* UrExample: Was the only Shooto heavyweight champion.
* WrestlingFamily: He was married to one of Norifumi Yamamoto's sisters.
* {{Yakuza}}: It's known that he has connections with it.
!!!Tadeshi Kaneko
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Tadashi Murakami which he lost.
!!!Masataka Kawakami
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto. He lost both.
!!!Magnum Kawamura
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, one win and one loss.
!!!Kuniaki Kobayashi
* CombatCommentator: Sometimes fills this role in NJPW shows.
* CoolOldGuy: The caretaker of the NJPW Dojo.
* {{Determinator}}: Survived colorectal and liver cancer, leaving him with a large scar under his chest.
* GameBreakingInjury: His fight with cancer forced him into retirement in 2000.
* GuestFighter: From Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling though only for an exhibition match with Wrestling/SatoruSayama.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: A junior heavyweight wrestler for all of his career.
* RedBaron: "Tiger Hunter".
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Was not a shooter, he was just an old NJPW wrestler mostly known for his feuds with Wrestling/SatoruSayama and Wrestling/MitsuharuMisawa as Tiger Mask and Tiger Mask II respectively.
!!!Toru Koga
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career in Shooto with 3 losses.
!!!Hiroyuki Kojima
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained in this before fighting in Shooto.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Naoto.
!!!Naoto Kojima
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Paraestra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career in Shooto with one win, five losses, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki.
!!!Ed de Kruijf
* ADayInTheLimeLight: The winner of Cage Fight Tournament 1.
* TheApprentice: To Gerard Gordeau.
* IKnowKarate: Kyokushin at the Gordeau brothers' Kamakura gym.
* TheWorfEffect: Got worfed by Enson Inoue in his only fight in Shooto, Tom Erikson in Vale Tudo Japan 1997, and lost his second fight with Justin [=McCully=] in the first round by submission.
!!!Kazuyoshi Kudo
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight against Jin Akimoto, which he lost.
!!!Anthony Lange
* TheApprentice: To John Will.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Is the former owner of Poseidon Gym, one of the first Australian MMA gyms and was its head fighter.
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym Lange MMA.
* IKnowKarate: As well as kickboxing, arnis, shoot wrestling, Stáv (a Nordic style of martial arts based upon runic postures), but most notably Brazilian jiu-jitsu in which he is a black belt, won the gold medal in 2003 at the International Masters in Brazil as a brown belt, a State, National and Pan Pacific champion, and a 2014 World Masters Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World Champion.
!!!Jean-Jacques Machado
-->''"Don't worry Luiza, your son will be a champion."''
-->-- Carlos Gracie Sr. to Jean's mother after his birth.
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr.
* BadassFamily: A member of the Machado jiu-jitsu brothers and cousin of the Gracie family.
* BadassTeacher: Trained guys like Creator/ChuckNorris, Creator/StevenSeagal, Dan Inosanto, Creator/JoeRogan, Eddie Bravo, Richard Norton, Mark Kerr, Ricco Rodriguez, etc. He was also a former coach of Gracie Barra and now has two of his own academies.
* CoolVersusAwesome: Appeared in Shooto for a grappling match with Yuki Nakai.
* HandicappedBadass: Suffered birth defects resulting from Amniotic band syndrome, which left him with only the thumb and the little finger on his left hand. Didn't stop him from being a Rio de Janeiro Jiu-Jitsu State and National Cruiserweight Champion for 11 consecutive years from 1982 to 1992, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu American Champion for 4 consecutive years from 1995 to 1998, Grappling Style Challenge Japan Champion, two-time Black Belt Super Challenge Champion for 1998 and 2000, and a gold and two-time silver medalist in the ADCC.
* HeroKiller: Has victories over Wallid Ismail, Yuki Nakai, Hayato Sakurai, Caol Uno, Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka to name a few.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 7th degree coral (red and black) belt. He also competed in sambo and was a US National and Pan American Cruiserweight Champion.
* TheWorfEffect: Lost his only MMA fight to Frank Trigg at Vale Tudo Japan 1998.
!!!Andre Mannaart
* BadassTeacher: He is now a renowned trainer at the Amsterdam based Mejiro Gym, where he has coached fighters of the calibre of Peter Aerts and Remy Bonjasky.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His fight in Shooto against Enson Inoue was this before fighting in RINGS.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: A 4 time world champion.
* {{Jobber}}: His MMA career.
!!!Nozomu Matsumoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi, he lost of course.
!!!Michael [=McAuliffe=]
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at the Inosanto Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/WingChun: Trained under one of the original masters that came to America. He also has training in shoot wrestling under Yorinaga Nakamura and many other martial arts at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Was Rumina Sato's first opponent, it was his first and last fight.
!!!Kendo Nagasaki
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Zane Frazier, which he lost.
* NamesTheSame: He is the Japanese version of the Kendo Nagasaki, Kazuo Sakurada. Not to be confused for the original British version, Peter Thornley or Kendo Nakazaki, a RJPW wrestler.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Was not a shooter, just a pro wrestler mostly known for his time in Canada and the US.
* TheWorfEffect: At the time, he had a reputation by pro wrestling insiders as being one of the toughest wrestlers in a street fight, this was probably one of the reasons why he was chosen to take the fight against Zane Frazier, though it didn't really matter as he lost my KO in the first round.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Trained in and trained guys like Wrestling/BretHart in the Hart Dungeon.
!!!Jutaro Nakao
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, the Jutaro Nakao MMA School.
* HeroicBuild: Nakao is known for his chiseled physique.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt in this and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: “The King of Triangle”.
* SignatureMove: Triangle chokes. He is also one of the few fighters who have a legal win through the popularly called "rape choke" or two-handed stranglehold, after defeating Thomas Denny with it.
* StoneWall: Known for having a high defense in the ring, being difficult to finish off by his opponents.
* TheWorfEffect: Was KO’ed by Katsunori Kikuno in the first round.
!!!Kimihito Nonaka
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Purebred Omiya.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Isamu Osugi
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A representative of the style in the 1995 and 1996 Lumax Cups.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 5 losses.
!!!Maurice Roumimper
* {{Jobber}}: Had only two fights in Shooto, he lost both fights.
* UrExample: Along with Imre Hagendoorn, they were the first Dutch fighters in Shooto.
!!!Mitsuhiro Sakamoto
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Though he never lost, he had a short career with 2 wins and 3 losses.
!!!Hayato Sakurai
-->''"I've been punching opponents since I was 17. If I can't show my best, then I probably need to quit."''
* TheAce: If a 18-0 winning streak and a Shooto welterweight championship don't say it, nothing does.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Takanori Gomi.
* {{Bishonen}}
* BrokenAce: With no doubt one of the best fighters ever came from Japan, Sakurai was hit by a car crash, a felt defeat by Anderson Silva and several years of injuries and battle worn, which reached him all around TurnOfTheMillennium. He regained some of his skill and motivation through the years, but consensus is that he is not the same anymore.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Mach Dojo.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Finished Ricco Rodriguez in the absolute division of ADCC. Don't skip that Ricco outweighted him by ''90 ibs''.
* TheEeyore: Some of his interviews, especially the ones after the end of his streak, are quite depressing.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Rumina Sato, Noboru Asahi and Enson Inoue.
* HeroicBSOD: Had a hefty one after losing to Anderson Silva.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sakurai's signature UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} throws backfired horribly against Takanori Gomi, as he botched one of them and crashed head first on the ground, which allowed Gomi to dominate him and win the fight.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shootboxing]]: An all Japan amateur champion. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} (he is specially good at it; he possibly trained at the prestigious Newaza Kenkyukai), UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, and combat wrestling. Subverted for Brazilian jiu-jitsu as he has an honourary black belt.
* MasterOfAll: This was a guy whose flying knees, leg kicks and UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} throws were feared, who finished second in the 1999 ADCC submission tournament representing the always underdog art of shoot wrestling, and who curbstomped fighters from every background for five years.
* NeverBeHurtAgain: Being beaten down by his seniors at the amateur wrestling school club was an extra motivation for him to become the best.
* OneHitKill: Had some of the fastest flying knee victories ever.
* RedBaron: "Mach" (taken from the original UWF wrestler Mach Hayato), "Wild Charisma". Some of his training partners used to call him "Guts-san", supposedly in tribute to Guts Ishimatsu, though it could also be a tribute to one of his trainers Naoki "Mr Gutsman" Sakurada.
* ThreeAmigos: Was close friends with fellow fighters Michihiro Omigawa and Kazuyuki Miyata, who he knew in school.
* UnrelatedBrother: No relation to Ryuta.
!!!Arnold Sas
* TheApprentice: To Gerard Gordaeu.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Gordeau brothers’ Kamakura gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two MMA fights, one win and one loss.
!!!Rumina Sato
-->''"Flying armbars and triangles? I'm always like that."''
* TheAce: He submitted people with calf slicers and flying reverse triangle chokes (!), and was the first person in making Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts tap out, even before Sakuraba.
* AttackAttackAttack: His style of grappling was submission attempt after submission attempt, from every angle imaginable and not caring the consequences if failed.
* AuthorAppeal: Flashy grappling. Also, ironically given his background (though perhaps recurrent among Shooto fighters), he doesn't like ambiguity among pro wrestling and MMA.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter and instructor of the Shooto Gym K’z Factory affiliate in Odawara, the roots MMA and Jiu-Jitsu Gym.
* BigBrotherMentor: To Caol Uno. Hayato Sakurai also describes as a stern if brotherly mentor.
* {{Bishonen}}: Also works as a male model.
* BrattyHalfPint: Started competing in amateur Shooto before hitting 18.
* BrokenAce: Though one of the greatest grapplers in Japan, Sato suffered from very irregular performances, switching from tremendous victories to pathetic defeats sometimes at the same year. When he fought Gilbert Mendelez in 2005, most of pundits agreed that Rumina's old flame was reduced to embers and would not burn anymore.
* ChekhovsSkill: Taught his flying armbar to Rena Kubota much before she thought to fight in MMA, and she finished her debut match in RIZIN with this same technique.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He has photos of himself surfing waves with a Tiger Mask on, in tribute to his master.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: [[ManInWhite White tights]], with [[RedIsHeroic red]] or [[GoldAndWhiteAreDivine golden]] stripes.
* FourIsDeath: Was a part of the called "Shooto Shitenno" along with Hayato Sakurai, Noboru Asahi and Enson Inoue.
* GenderBlenderName: His first name, "Rumina", sounds vaguely female in Japan, which was somewhat embarrassing for him.
* GlassCannon: A fighter endowed with an awesome offensive grappling and a significant striking, but with a rather feeble defense and tendency to get injured.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And combat wrestling.
* MinoredInAsskicking: He was primarily a grappler, but had rather good striking. He beat kickboxer Mike Campbell in a shootboxing event.
* MurderousThighs: Loved to use triangle choke and inverted triangle chokes, sometimes as a position to secure his opponent before ground and pound.
* NervesOfSteel: Spent an entire round standing with Ricardo Botelho literally [[BigGuyRodeo hanging from his back]] and working a rear naked choke while Rumina defended the hold and waited patiently the end of the time. He was successful and ended taping out Botelho at the next.
* OneHitKill: His famous flying armbar victory.
* RedBaron: "Tsukiookami" ("Moon Wolf"), "Shooto Charisma".
* RefusalOfTheCall: PRIDE Fighting Championship and other promotions fought over Sato for their rosters, but he never wanted to fight outside of Shooto.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After being submitted by Canadian jiu-jitsu fighter Joel Gerson in an upset, Rumina got so frenzied that he chased Gerson to a grappling tournament in Canada and threw opponents right and left until he could reach him and submit him for the revenge. A similar case happened with John Lewis.
!!!Shingo Shigeta
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against a debuting Enson Inoue and lost.
!!!Kotaro Shimamoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Naoki Sakurada and lost.
!!!Ben Spijkers
* IKnowKarate: He trained a bit with Gerard Gordeau for his MMA fights, though he is more known for his UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, being a three time representative of the Netherlands at the Olympics with a bronze medal in 1988 and a silver medalist at the 1989 World Championships.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto, a loss to Erik Paulson and another loss to Renzo Gracie at the World Combat Championships.
!!!Rene Stigter
* IKnowKarate: A Kyokushin black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only fight in Shooto against Kazuhiro Sakamoto, which he lost.
!!!Masanori Suda
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won The Lumax Cup 97 Middleweight Tournament.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Sanae Kikuta at two Lumax Cups finals.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of Team Club J.
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer of Trinity Suns Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt before coming to Shooto.
* TheWorfEffect: Submitted by Shooto doormat Masato Fujiwara in just over two minutes.
!!!Yoshiyuki Takayama
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
!!!Yuzo Tateishi
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: And Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one win against a debuting Ikuhisa Minowa and 4 losses in Shooto.
!!!Uchu Tatsumi
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* TheWorfEffect: A good fighter with draws against Noboru Asahi and his first fight with Alexandre Franca "Pequeno" Nogueira, he suffered his first and only defeat in the second fight with Pequeno in the first round.
!!!Caol Uno
-->''"I'll show [Andre] Pederneiras that Wajutsu can definitely compete with Brazilian jiu-jitsu."''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Defeated Rumina Sato twice and beat Ricardo Botelho in less time than him.
* BrokenAce: Originally thought to be the most promising Shooto apprentice from the era of the Shooto Shitenno, he went to have an irregular career due to high-level opposition and bad luck. Even today, he is known for winning fights in which he is supposed to lose and vice versa.
* ChallengeSeeker: Only see his record and read what opponents has he faced.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Uno Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He also trained in Yoshinori Nishi's Wajutsu Keishukai dojo, which is based on kudo. He also is a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* JapaneseRanguage: His true name is Kaoru Uno, but he writes it in a Western way to be easier to spell by English-speaking fans.
* NightmareFace: Very much like Noboru Asahi, Uno's interestingly shaped face and head are ruthlessly parodied by Japanese media. His nickname of Little Gremlin comes from it, in fact.
* RedBaron: "Uno Shoten" ("Uno's Death Ascension"), "PRINCE OF HERO'S", "Little Gremlin".
* StoneWall: His submission defense is legendary.
!!!Toshiyuki Wado
* TheApprentice: To Leo Vieira.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor at Club de Jiu-Jitsu and at Academia AZ.
* DoNotCallMePaul: For some reason, his real last name is Sato.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt.
!!!Katsuaki Yano
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: A trainee under Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, both which he lost.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Masaru.
!!!Leonid Zaslavsky
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie: The first Australian fighter in Shooto.
* CoolTeacher: A wrestling coach at Sydney Uni Wrestling Club.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Freestyle Wrestling]]: Competed at the 1996 Olympics. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Poseidon Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two fights in Shooto, which he both lost.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Reconquista Year (1997)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault_449.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The Shootists Strike Back]]
!!!Ricardo Botelho
* FanNickname: "Ricky".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt.
* ShockingDefeatLegacy: The first Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt to be submitted in international NHB / MMA competition.
!!!Abdelaziz Cherigui
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr..
* FrenchJerk: Along with Ali Mihoubi and Daniel Quoniam, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* IKnowKarate: A black belt. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has also trained in amateur wrestling and sambo.
* {{Jobber}}: Had two MMA fights which he both lost.
* RedBaron: "Samurai".
!!!Paul Coonin
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Uchu Tatsumi, he lost.
!!!Mauricio Corty
* CoolTeacher: Corty had instructed in Hawaii, Brazil, Japan and California and he brought Gracie Ju Jitsu to Northern Ireland. Was an instructor at Gracie Barra.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Carlos Gracie Jr.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Rumina Sato, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is listed in MMA record sites as Maurice Corty.
!!!Ali Elias
-->''“Without wrestling, I’d be dead by now. Through wrestling, I achieved my personality, my education, my friends. It made me a physically and mentally tough person."''
* CoolTeacher: Elias has been a teacher and wrestling coach in Texas, Florida and now Maryland. He now teaches at the Bullis High School, a private school in Potomac, Md and is also the coach of a club team.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation (USWF) before his fight in Shooto, he fought in USWF for most of his career.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An inductee of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, a junior world runner-up and a high school world champion in 1978 as well as a five-time Iranian national champion and a member of the national team, he won the 150-pound NAIA national championship in 1990 and the NCAA Division II national title in 1991. While living in Germany, he posted a 125-1 record, losing only when he moved up a weight class to wrestle the No. 3-ranked wrestler in the world.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Legally changed his name from Amiri-Eliasi to Ali Elias.
!!!Alan Fried
* BadassIsraeli: His family is Jewish.
* CoolTeacher: He was an assistant coach for the Beachwood High School Wrestling Team in Beachwood, OH. He later moved to Medina, Ohio, where he founded the Highland Local School District Wrestling team and worked as an assistant coach. He also has his own wrestling academy.
* GameBreakingInjury: Injuries to his back and shoulder as well as a broken elbow had taken a toll and required two back surgeries in 1996 and two shoulder surgeries. These issues factored into his retirement from wrestling in 2000.
* GeniusBruiser: He graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 2002 and passed the Illinois State Bar Examination in 2003. He briefly took a position as law clerk at Reminger & Reminger, Co. L.P.A., where his brother Adam is a partner and practices probate law. Alan passed the Ohio Bar Examination in 2005 and practiced law in Cleveland until mid-2007, when he relocated back in Chicago, Illinois to become a Futures Trader.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Began wrestling in the 5th grade at the Longwood YMCA in Macedonia, Ohio, where a trio of coaches had a major impact on him: head coach Dave Mariola and assistants Bernie Weiskopf and Tim Rutherford. A year later, he traveled to neighboring Pennsylvania to win the Pennsylvania Junior state championship; he repeated as champion the following two years prior to entering high school. Fried also trained under Howard E. Ferguson at St. Edward High School amassing 139-3 record. He was a three-time Ohio State Champion in 1987, 1988, 1989, and finished third in 1986. He would also compete in the USA Junior Freestyle Championships, where he would become the first wrestler to win four Junior National Freestyle titles. He became a three-time All-American, reaching the NCAA finals in 1991 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), 1992 (second place finish, 134 lbs.), and 1994 (National Champion, 142 lbs.) at part of the Oklahoma State Cowboys wrestling team. His high placements helped the Cowboys become team NCAA National Champions in 1990 and 1994. In international competition, Alan represented the USA on two age level World teams and in numerous Olympic age level international competitions. In the 20 years old and under World Championships in 1991, held in Previdza, Czechoslovakia, Alan won the Gold Medal, beating the wrestler from the former Soviet Union in the finals and was awarded the "Best Technical Wrestler" for the championships. In the 18 years old and under category, Fried placed 4th at World Championships in 1988, held in Wolfurt, Austria. He also finished 6th in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Trials, both at 152 lbs., and missed the U.S. Olympic Team.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Rumina Sato, he of course lost.
!!!Katsuhisa Fujii
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/NaoyaOgawa in Universal Fighting-Arts Organization.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Trained in this and amateur wrestling from middle school and also was a trainee of Sayama at the Super Tiger Gym.
* RedBaron: "Shamoji" ("Gamecock").
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Has worked for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1, Wrestling/FightingOperaHustle and Universal Fighting-Arts Organization.
!!!Masaru Gokita
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Gokita Gym.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Also shoot wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses, and 2 draws.
!!!Stuart Harrison
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one fight in Shooto, a loss against Erik Paulson.
!!!Mohammad Jarban
* TheApprentice: To Kenichi Tanaka.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and shoot wrestling at Tanaka Juku.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Yuji Fujita, he did win though.
!!!Paul Jones
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Tony Castillo and Erik Paulson.
* CoolTeacher: He is now coaching wrestling, cross country, and football at Boys Ranch Texas High School. He has helped many teenagers participate in state wrestling with his coaching abilities
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: His loss to Chuck Lidell is his only loss in MMA.
* EarlyBirdCameo: First fought Erik Paulson to a draw at Extreme Fighting 4, and also fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation (USWF) before his fights in Shooto.
* HeroKiller: Beat both Erik Paulson and Sanae Kikuta in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]
* TheWorfEffect: Lost to Chuck Lidell at UFC 22 in about 4 minutes in the first round.
!!!Tetsuji Kato
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won the [=SuperBrawl=] 7 Light Heavyweight Tournament.
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* TheWorfEffect: A good fighter, he was Anderson Silva's first opponent in Shooto and in Japan, he lost by unanimous decision.
!!!Casemiro Nascimento Martins
-->''“It was the toughest experience in my career. My father and Rolls were in my corner and were very important to my victory. When the fight was over Zulu came up to me and said: ‘Yeah, kid, congratulations, but you’ve got all that help and I’m a self-made fighter.’ He was right. Thinking of these words, I realized how special a fighter Zulu was and how much I have to thank my family and God for."''
-->--Rickson Gracie on his first fight with Zulu.
-->''"At the beginning of the battle, Zulu went for his opponent’s waist, and Rickson let fly a knee strike that took two teeth from the maranhense’s mouth. The King wasn’t even affected. He shook his head, tossed about, and went back towards the boy. The fight was predicted to last at most three ten-minute rounds but, before being submitted, Zulu would escape several strikes and throw the blackbelt out of the ring three times, despite his mouth bleeding from the first strike, which did not stop. A rear-naked-choke ended the fight at two minutes of the second round."''
-->--From Correio Braziliense, a national Brazilian newspaper.
* TheApprentice: Averted, he only trained with Waldemar Santana for his fights with Rickson Gracie despite some sites saying he was Santana's top student. He does say he developed his style of fighting with his father.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: The patron saint of this trope for vale tudo. Being one is literally part of his fighting strategy.
* BadassFamily: His son Wágner da Conceição Martins AKA "Zuluzinho" ("Little Zulu" or "Zulu Jr.") is also a vale tudo and MMA fighter.
* BadassGrandpa: Was 50 when he fought in Shooto. His last fight was when he was 63.
* BloodKnight: He had a habit of making faces at opponents and mocking them in an effort to communicate to his opponent, that no matter how tough the fight was, he was enjoying himself.
* ChallengeSeeker: In his younger days, he would seek out opponents all over Brazil, from street fighters, both students and masters of martial art gyms, to tourists.
* CloudCuckoolander: Rei Zulu was known for many things, none of them particularly sane. He did acrobatics and silly faces every time he got into the ring, claimed to eat only molten iron, and gave interviews which would have made Wrestling/UltimateWarrior seem articulate.
* CoolOldGuy: 70 years old now and still carries out his daily physical training with heavy stones, tires, mallet and says he does not like attending gym, so he trains in his backyard.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Was Goliath in his fights with Rickson Gracie.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: His first fight with Rickson Gracie was his first loss.
* {{Determinator}}: In his prime, he got knee'd in the face by Rickson Gracie that took out two teeth and didn't even flinch.
* {{Expy}}: Though it would be difficult to recognize for non-old school MMA fans, Wrestling/BobSapp was the second coming of Zulu: a huge, ScaryBlackMan with a flamboyant personality who lacked fighting training but supplied it with size and strength. They both were wildly popular, got important victories over orthodox martial artists before being figured out and defeated themselves, and both became jobbers and entertainers towards the end of their careers.
* GlassCannon: In his prime he was mostly a cardio example, in his later years his chin couldn't take much anymore.
* InsistentTerminology: Claims to represent a style created by himself called "Tarracá" which was based around wrestling, street brawling, UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}-like footwork and mocking his opponents.
* IShallTauntYou: He makes faces and mocks his opponents as part of his fighting style.
* {{Jobber}}: At the end of his career.
* LargeHam: Does not begin to describe him.
* LightningBruiser: Renowned for not only his size but his power and quickness in his prime.
* NicknamingTheEnemy: Referred to Rickson as "Chicken Body" because of the vast weight difference between the two.
* OldSoldier: A legendary vale tudo fighter since the 1960's.
* RagsToRiches: A downplayed example as he never got really rich, but the reason he never had an martial arts training was because he could not afford it.
* RedBaron: "Rei Zulu" ("King Zulu") which is more popular than his real name.
* ScaryBlackMan: One of his appeals.
* ShockingDefeatLegacy: His fights with Rickson Gracie ended his reign as a top fighter.
* StoutStrength: Was notable for his size in his prime.
* ToBeAMaster: Aside from making money, more importantly Zulu fought to prove he was the best vale tudo fighter.
* UnskilledButStrong: Had no formal training in any martial arts when he started fighting vale tudo, but his strength and size especially for his era gave him an edge.
* TheWorfEffect: Was beaten by Enson Inoue in Shooto in less than a minute.
!!!Ali Mihoubi
* FrenchJerk: Along with Abdelaziz Cherigui and Daniel Quoniam, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* IKnowKarate: Kempo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}.
* {{Jobber}}: Has only one fight in Shooto, a loss to Rumina Sato. He also lost to Ralph Gracie at Extreme Fighting 3.
!!!Daniel Quoniam
* CoolTeacher: Has his own MMA Team, Team Quoniam.
* FrenchJerk: Along with Abdelaziz Cherigui and Ali Mihoubi, were the first French fighters in Shooto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: A French national champion. Also trained in kickboxing, was one of the first French guys to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu, also one of the first black belts from France, was part the French Jiu-Jitsu team that competed in the first ever Mundial in Brazil in 1996, and was one of the first French guys to learn shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Katsuhisa Fujii, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is mistakingly recorded on MMA sites as Daniel Quonian.
* UrExample: Pioneered MMA in France.
!!!Ed Wedding
* TheApprentice: Trained under many masters like Richard Bustillo, Shane Rice, Andy Wang, Bob Bass, Fernando Vasconcelos, Ramon Rubia, Yorinaga Nakamura, etc.
* BadassTeacher: A Martial Arts and Self Defense Seminar Instructor for the Schwerin Police Force in Germany, the Acapulco Police in Mexico, and the U.S. Air Force bases El Segundo/San Pedro.
* CoolTeacher: Has a martial art-personal training site called Warrior Culture Personal Training. He is currently a UsefulNotes/MuayThai Instructor at Alliance Krav Maga, formerly a coach of PKG (Punch, Kick, Grapple) and the now-defunct RAW (Real American Wrestling) Gym
* IKnowKarate: Shotokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, also UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}, American Kenpo, UsefulNotes/WingChun, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, boxing, jeet kune do, a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, the Doce Pares San Miguel System of Eskrima, shoot wrestling, etc.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Yoshiyuki Takayama, he lost.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Las Grandes Viajes Year (1998)]]
[[quoteright:190:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/th_05577_shooto_122_1082lo.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:190:Exit The Tiger (And His Mask), Enter The Dragon... Really Guys?]]
!!!Trent Bekis
* TheApprentice: To Anthony Lange.
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: A jujitsu instructor at DFMA Academy - Cho Wa Ryu Ju Jitsu.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Poseidon Gym and also know Japanese jujitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi and lost.
!!!Michael Buell
* CoolTeacher: Had his own school, Buell Fighting Systems. It was said that he is almost always available for training and completely willing to work around one's schedule if you didn't mind his racism. It is defunct now.
* EarlyBirdCameo: First fought in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* {{Jerkass}}: A white nationalist.
!!!Ray Cooper
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* BadassFamily: His brother-in-law Ronald Jhun is also a MMA fighter.
* {{Determinator}}: Fought twice in [=SuperBrawl=] 3 in his MMA debut.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Trained at Jesus is Lord which is a MMA gym that mixes Christian fellowship together with MMA training. If fact the gym got it's name when he fought in [=SuperBrawl=] 3 and wore a shirt with Jesus is Lord on it before his fights.
* RedBaron: "Bradda".
* TheRival: Jake Shields.
* UrExample: The first MMA fighter of the Jesus is Lord MMA gym.
!!!Satoshi Fujisaki
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: Drew with Dokonjonosuke Mishima in his debut, but had a short career and never got to be as notable.
!!!Yoshihiro Fujita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 2 wins, 6 losses, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yuji or Norio.
!!!Joel Gerson
-->''"I was a big fan of his. He submitted Rumina Sato... it was a huge deal, one of the biggest MMA fighters in the world. That dude's submitted a lot of people."''
-->-- Creator/JoeRogan
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Was the first man to beat Rumina Sato. Rumina got so frenzied that he chased Gerson to a grappling tournament in Canada and threw opponents right and left until he could reach him and submit him for the revenge.
* TheApprentice: To Moni Aizik.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Was the most senior student and lead instructor at the legendary Samurai Club.
* CanadaEh: A pioneer of BJJ and MMA in Canada and was the first Canadian in Shooto with Carlos Newton and Omar J. Salvosa, though Newton fought a little earlier at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Revolution MMA & Fitness Inc and is the head instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A black belt, 3 Time Ontario Judo Champion, and trained extensively with the Canadian Olympic Judo Team. He also trained at the Samurai Club in Krav Maga and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion (including Open Weight Class Champion).
!!!Manson Gibson
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Lost to Rick Roufus twice.
* ConfusionFu: Had a wild, unpredictable kickboxing style.
* EverythingIsBetterWithSpinning: He was known for his vicious use of spinning techniques especially backfists.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten guys like Caesar Takeshi, Tosca Petridis, Changpuek Kiatsongrit, and Coban Lookchaomaesaitong
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: Trained at the Windy City Gym and is a 12-time Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion..
* RedBaron: "The Master Blaster", "The Thai Killer", "The Black Creator/BruceLee".
* ScaryBlackMan: Is credited with over 100 wins and more than 80 KOs, including around 40 via headkick.
* TheWorfEffect: Had one MMA match against Jeremy Morrison at Combat Do Fighting Challenge 10 and lost almost immediately by rear naked choke.
!!!Dennis Hall
* TheApprentice: To Rico Chiapparelli.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Greco-Roman Wrestling]]: A 10-time US National Champion, a World Champion, and 3-time USA Olympian. He won a Silver Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Noboru Asahi, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: MMA sites mistakenly list him as Denis Hall.
!!!Takeyasu Hirono
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 9 wins, 16 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Zvonko Jakovcevic
* TheApprentice: To Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Tigar Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Caol Uno and lost.
* UrExample: Along with Ante Jurisic, the first Croatians in Shooto.
!!!Ante Jurisic
* TheApprentice: To Branko "The Croatian Tiger" Cikatić.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at the Tigar Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kenji Kawaguchi and lost.
* UrExample: Along with Zvonko Jakovcevic, the first Croatians in Shooto.
!!!Masashi Kita
* CoolTeacher: Head trainer at Team Ikazuchi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: As well as boxing, amateur wrestling, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Jun Kitagawa
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Gonzui's Gym.
* IKnowKarate: As well as shoot wrestling, trained at Shooto Gyms Chokushin Kai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 8 losses, and 2 draws.
* RedBaron: "Gonzui".
!!!Hiroki Kotani
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassFamily: His brother Naoyuki is also a MMA fighter.
* BashBrothers: With his brother Naoyuki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained under Noriaki Kiguchi before his Shooto career. He also learned shoot wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A record of 3 wins, 12 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Colin Mannsur
* TheApprentice: To Bob Schrijber
* CoolTeacher: Owns Mejiro Gym Wormer and Maxifit Wormer.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Sports Academy Schreiber. He also knows UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}.
!!!Hiromichi Maruyama
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw.
!!!Mitsuo Matsumoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Gracie Barra Tokyo. He was also a welterweight amateur Shooto champion in 1997 and trained at Master Japan.
!!!Dokonjonosuke Mishima
-->''"Young, strong, and big!'' (laughs)''"''
* ActionFashionista: While his fashion is mostly for his entrances, he is a fine grappler with draws against names like Caol Uno, Yuki Nakai and Marcio Feitosa in submission matches and a victory over Masakazu Imanari in MMA.
* ConfusionFu: Uses UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}} kicks from time to time to confuse his opponents.
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Cobra Kai MMA Dojo.
* CostumePorn: In his entrances.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: He also learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* MultidisciplinaryScientist: He has professionally competed in MMA, amateur MMA, tag team MMA (no, really) grappling, shootboxing, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and pro wrestling.
* RealMenWearPink: Like pink bathrobes with stuffed animals.
* RedBaron: "Naniwa no Karuwazashi" ("The Acrobat from Naniwa").
* SesquipedalianSmith: Though his real first name is Yoshitomi.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Dokonjonosuke or Dokonjyonosuke?
!!!Takaharu Murahama
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real first name is Akihiro.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym. He later learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Gracie Barra Tokyo.
!!!Anthony Netzler
* TheApprentice: To Masaaki Hatsumi.
* AwesomeAussie: He is actually from New Zealand.
* CoolTeacher: Owns his own school, Bujinkan Moukokagedo Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Ninjutsu]]: Trained in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu and is a 15th dan black belt. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, combat and shoot wrestling.
* OddFriendship: With Enson Inoue as his training partner in Taijutsu.
* RedBaron: "Tatsuji".
!!!Masaki Nishizawa
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 1 win, 3 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Alexandre Franca Nogueira
* TheAce: He holds the record for longest title reign in any MMA organization, reigning as Shooto Lightweight Champion for six years, eight months, and two days before having to vacate the title due to a knee injury.
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre Mestre Eugenio Tadeu.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Pequeno Team.
* HeroKiller: Made his debut by submitting Noboru Asahi, then defeated him again for the Shooto Lightweight Championship in the rematch. He also has beaten Rumina Sato by submission.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: Trained at Club de luta as well as boxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* IWasBeatenByAGirl: When he first started luta livre he regularly rolled with some girls in Eugenio Tadeu's gym, since he didn't know luta livre at the time he was regularly submitted, this went on for months.
* RedBaron: "Pequeno", "Guillotine Master", "Rei do Shooto Japonês" ("King of Japanese Shooto"), "Mikado" ("The Emperor").
* SignatureMove: The guillotine choke.
* UnrelatedBrothers: Despite having the same surname he is not related to the twin Nogueira brothers which is why some sites list him as Alexandre Pequeno.
!!!Takayuki Okochi
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of Team Aciu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 7 wins, 14 losses, and 3 draws.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Mamoru.
!!!Jay R. Palmer
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won two [=FutureBrawl=]s, the progenitor of [=Superbrawl=].
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Lost twice to Danny "Boy" Bennett.
* {{Determinator}}: He was described as squirrely as hell, aggressive, hard to control, and tough.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}}: A black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had one fight in Shooto against Jutaro Nakao, he lost. He did have better success outside of Shooto.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: For a black Hawaiian he was quite short at 5ft 9.
* ScaryBlackMan: Noted for being a very aggressive fighter.
* UnskilledButStrong: He got through his fights by toughness and savagery, not technique.
!!!Eric Payne
-->''“I started fighting in 1998. I have 34 fights, with a total of 25 wins, 22 of which are by submission.”''
* CoolTeacher: A UsefulNotes/MuayThai instructor at Janjira Muay Thai Kansas LLC.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: He also trained in Brazilian jiujitsu under Marcio Laselva.
!!!Damien Riccio
-->''"The guy show up at Robin’s seminar and started to talk shit and wanted to fight Robin, so Robin did. They fought, the guy punched Robin and Robin shot in, the guy sprawled, Robin pulled guard and punched him from the guard, the blood on Robin’s shirt is from the guy's face. Then the fight stopped. Robin said to the guy that they should setup a time anytime he wants to and have a fight for real. The guy started talking shit about my family and all my brothers and all the Brazilians saying that they are nothing. I am in Spain right now, I am going to take care of this m***er. Robin invited him to my seminar this weekend so that we can have a fight and I will show him what Brazilians are all about, he guy already back down, saying that he has to work that weekend, but he will try. Well if he don't come, I will go see him. That is the story."''
-->-- Royce Gracie, edited slightly to correct his English.
-->''"The idea comes in to my head to challenge Robin. But everyone is taken with the fact that the Gracies are strongest and that nobody can beat them in free fight. So in spite of the wound to my leg I decide to go to challenge Robin in closed door. I say to him (The organiser) that I want to make a match of Vale Tudo against him. He bursts out laughing and says "against me, you ask me?" I say to him yes, and he asks me "Now?" I told him no - after your training course and with door closed without spectators. He answers me while laughing without problem. He (the organiser of the seminar) told me already to watch out because (Robin) Gracie is extremely good and that he will put to me on the ground and to beat me easily. I tell them not to worry, and we will see if Gracie will beat me so easily. I say to Robin YOU choose the rules which you want. Robin accepts while saying to my face its best (my way) the French way Robin accepts but decides to make it with spectators with video and Robin wanted a copy of the fight. He does not want the limit of time or gloves, and be Vale Tudo rules. He came in my city while protesting that Gracie Ju Jitsu was the best art in the world and that the Gracie's are said to accept all challenges. I came to challenge, to test myself against a Gracie. I say to him that I did nothing but note the famous GRACIE CHALLENGE I came to take up the challenge. He says to me that it is not him which did that but Rickson and Royce and which if I had a problem with them I was to go to see them has them and not him. Robin lost and is a liar."''
-->-- Damien Riccio, telling from his view the challenge against Robin Gracie.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Is most well known for his fight with Robin Gracie.
* TheApprentice: To his father Laurent Riccio, Jerome Le Banner and Fred Rado.
* ArchEnemy: Became an enemy of the Gracies when he beat Robin Gracie in a "Gracie Challenge" fight under vale tudo rules after a seminar Robin conducted in Perpignan, France. After that happened Royce accused Damien of disrespecting his family and Brazilians because of it, as Robin was not ready to fight and accepted the challenge anyway and then came to Damien's place of work with some of his brothers and tried to wreck the place and Royce actually hurt Damien's little brother Pepe, then sources say either Damien or his other brother Matthias grabbed either a pistol or shotgun and chased them out.
* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
* BaldOfAwesome
* BashBrothers: With his brothers Matthias and Pepe.
* BigBrotherInstinct: His brother Pepe was 12 when Royce attacked him, so it is not surprising if he was the one who pulled a pistol or shotgun to chased the Gracies out.
* {{Bouncer}}: A former bar bouncer in Perpignan.
* DownerEnding: Died of a heart attack in 2016.
* FrenchJerk: To the Gracies anyway.
* IKnowKarate: A shotokan black belt under his father. He also trained in kickboxing at Le Banner Xtreme Team and trained in shoot wrestling at the Creator/BasRutten Academy U.K..
* {{Jobber}}: More towards the end of his career.
!!!Matt Rocca
* BaldOfAwesome
* CanadaEh
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And also trained in Tang Soo Do. He also trained at the Lion's Den.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Ryuta Sakurai
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* CoolTeacher: Founded R-Blood MMA Academy.
* HeroicBuild
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also shoot wrestling at T-Blood MMA academy.
* RedBaron: "Mr. DEEP".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hayato.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Managed to hit a powerbomb on Taisuke Okuno at Deep: Cage Impact 2016.
!!!Omar Salvosa
* TheApprentice: To Marcus Soares.
* CanadaEh: A pioneer of BJJ and MMA in Canada and was one of the first Canadians in Shooto with Joel Gerson and Carlos Newton, though Newton fought a little earlier at Vale Tudo Japan 1997.
* CoolTeacher: Owns a school, Salvosa BJJ Ascension and is the head instructor.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Samurai Club and is now a 3rd degree black belt and a 5 Time Canadian Jiu Jitsu Champion, a 2 time Lightweight World Kobudo Federation's Grappling Champion, won Gold at the IBJJF No-Gi World Championship and again at the IBJJF Pan-American Championship in 2015 in the Masters Black Belt, Featherweight Division. He also trained in krav maga.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hisao Ikeda, he lost.
!!!Yuki Sasaki
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: First met Sanae Kikuta at the Seidokaikan dojo, trained together in Shooto and eventually was invited to Grabaka.
* IKnowKarate: Trained in Daidojuku and Seidokaikan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} before his Shooto training and is a black belt. He is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and has trained in shootboxing and shoot wrestling.
!!!Ian James Schaffa
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of his own MMA team.
* AwesomeAussie
* BloodKnight: Was known to accept fights on a days notice.
* CoolTeacher: The founder of MMAXFIT AUSTRALIA.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Used a spinning heel kick to defeat Genki Sudo in kickboxing, which is where he got his nickname, "The Goshu Hurricane".
* IKnowKarate: A black belt in Kyokushin and a New South Wales Full Contact UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} Champion. He is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and trained at the Poseidon Gym under Anthony Lange, knows amateur wrestling, trained in boxing and kickboxing at Bondi Boxing Club under Tony Del Vecchio, and was bronze medalist at the 1999 Australian National Greco-Roman Wrestling Championships, a New South Wales Cruiserweight Boxing Champion, a New South Wales Kickboxing Champion, and a professional kickboxer and boxer.
* HeroKiller: Has K-1 kickboxing KO win over Genki Sudo, decision wins against Keiji Ozaki; a 2006 Rise Kickboxing Champion, Gold Medalist at the Japanese National Championships, Akeomi Nitta; a WKA World Thai Boxing Super welterweight Champion, and Miyata Kazuyuki; a wrestling Olympian.
* RedBaron: "The Goshu Hurricane", "Sharky".
* ShoutOut: Japanese Hip Hop artist Sphere of Influence wrote a song dedicated to Ian called Goshu Hurricane.
!!!Adriano de Souza
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with other fighters Adriano "Smeagol" Souza and Adriano "Samurai" de Souza Silva and a pro surfer of the same name. They are Brazilian, he is from Holland.
!!!Kazumichi Takada
* TheApprentice: To Masashi Horibe.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Koppo]]: Trained at the Ugokai Wild Phoenix Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career with 3 wins, 3 losses and a draw.
!!!Izuru Takeuchi
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto.
* CoolTeacher: He owns a gym, Absolute Okayama.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Made his debut in MMA at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '97 Middleweight Tournament.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute and placed 3rd in the 82 kg weight division of the 2005 Combat Sambo World Championships. He is also a 3rd dan in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, as well as in boxing, amateur wrestling and was on the Okayama national team, and combat wrestling and is a 2 time All Japan Combat Wrestling 85 kg Champion in 2002 and 2004.
!!!Koichi Tanaka
* CoolTeacher: Founded the Red Sword Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: In Shooto and Pancrase where he never won a fight in, he had more success outside them.
* RedBaron: "Super Red Slayer Guy".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kenichi or Tomohiro.
!!!Isao Tanimura
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: And shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "The Babanba".
!!!Katsuya Toida
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Naoya Uematsu.
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi and Naoki Sakurada.
* CoolTeacher: A head instructor at Wajutsu Keishukai Toikatsu Dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Trained in this before he started training at Wajutsu Keishukai, he also trained in shoot and combat wrestling at the Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* TheRival: Baret Yoshida, who beat him twice in submission grappling, but lost to him in a MMA fight.
!!!Frank Trigg
-->''"Frank is a dangerous guy. He’s an exciting fighter... I always thought that he would be an interesting guy to fight. On top of that, he just has one of those faces that you want to punch.... When Joe Silva called me with the Trigg fight, I said, ‘Hell yeah.’ It’s a matchup that excites me a lot. Look, when my career is over and done with, I’m the one who can look back and say that I was the champ. He got there twice and choked both times -- literally. I refuse to lose to a guy that has a [expletive] tramp stamp. You’ve seen his back, right? C’mon. No way am I losing to a guy that walks around with that."''
-->-- Matt Serra
* TheApprentice: To Rico Chiapparelli at Real American Wrestling.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CombatCommentator
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted in Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* HeroKiller: Has victories over Jean Jacques Machado, Dennis Hallman, Jason Miller, Falaniko Vitale, etc.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: A second dan black belt under sensei and former Olympian, Patrick Burris. He is also an amateur wrestler and an Olympic Trials Finalist. He also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a black belt in Wrestling/CatchWrestling under Neil Melansen at Xtreme Couture.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Worked for Wrestling/{{TNA}} as an analyst and on-screen character in 2008, aligning himself with Wrestling/KurtAngle, who used his passing resemblance to Trigg as part of a storyline.
!!!Hiroshi Tsuruya
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head of Paraestra Matsudo and started up the Paraestra Chiba Network.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An All-Japan Amateur Wrestling champion. He also trained in shoot wrestling and is a black belt in Brazilian jiujitsu and is a 2004 World Master Champion.
!!!Naoya Uematsu
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: Owns NEXUSENSE, and is the head instructor.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: First lost against Bao Quach after 11 wins and 2 draws.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten Caol Uno at the finals of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '97 Lightweight Tournament by submission, and Noboru Asahi by majority decision.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: He began at the age of 12 in Junior High School. He started training in Shooto when he was 16 and immediately became an undefeated champion in amateur competitions. He also trained in sumo, sambo, UsefulNotes/MuayThai at the Crosspoint Gym, and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with training under Biviano Fernandez and Leonardo Vieira.
* TheWorfEffect: His losses to Jens Pulver, Gilbert Melendez, Urijah Faber, and Daiki Hata.
!!!Emmanuel Yarbrough
-->''"Emmanuel's passion was to travel. Even though it was not an easy task for him, it never stopped him from following his dreams, and bringing smiles to the faces of all he would meet. He was to be the subject of a new reality show, and would have continued to bring smiles to all those who had the opportunity to be blessed by his infectious, compassionate, loving presence. He will be missed by his millions of fans around the world, friends and family."''
-->-- Beatrice H. Davis, Emmanuel's manager on his life after his death.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Has a victory in MMA over UWF alumni Tatsuo Nakano by smother and weight pressure.
* BigFun: Had a very cheery disposition and fan-friendly personality.
* DavidVersusGoliath: The Goliath in all his fights.
* DownerEnding: On December 21, 2015, Yarbrough died of a heart attack at the age of 51.
* FanNickname: "Manny".
* FatAndProud: Subverted, struggling throughout his life with obesity, Yarbrough often claimed "I am a prisoner in my body." By the age of 14 he already weighed 320 pounds, which he attributed to a poor diet of fried foods. In 2007, he was hospitalized for a week due to heart failure, and after seeing an obesity specialist and changing his diet he reduced his weight from over 800 to around 670 pounds.
* GentleGiant: Known among his peers as one of the biggest and nicest guys MMA has ever produced.
* TheGiant: He was 6 ft 8 in tall and has weighed up to 882 lb, holding the Guinness World Record for the heaviest living athlete. Keith Hackney's victory over Emmanuel is what got him named "The Giant Killer".
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sumo]]: Was the 1995 World Amateur Sumo Champion, competed in 4 Sumo World Championships in Open Division placing in the top 3 every time and was considered to be one of the most famous sumo wrestlers outside Japan. He was also a brown belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} under Yoshisada Yonezuka and took second place at the U.S. Nationals in 1989 and was an amateur wrestler achieved All American status in the Heavyweight class in 1983 Division II and 1986 Division I.
* MightyGlacier
* TheOneWhoWearsShoes: In his Shooto fight against Tatsuo Nakano he wore shoes, it was not explained why.
* RedBaron: "The GentleGiant", "The Proverbial Immovable Object" in the UFC.
* ScaryBlackMan: An over 600 lb black man.
* StoutStrength: A former sumo over 600 lb.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Wrestled for Catch Wrestling Association in Germany, where he had gimmick matches based around his sumo career.
!!!Hiroaki Yoshioka
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Junji Ikoma.
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Paraestra Izumi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also knows shoot wrestling.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with a younger Hiroaki Yoshioka from Wajutsu Keishukai Brightness Monma Dojo.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in Pro Shooto's 10th Anniversary Year (1999)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shooto.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:What A Difference A Decade Makes]]
!!!Kazuya Abe
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Abkz".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroyuki, Shinji or Yoshihiko.
!!!Hiroyuki Abe
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He has a win by KO over Alexandre Franca Nogueira, he lost the rematch though.
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassTeacher: Owns a gym, the Abe Ani Combat Club and most famously trained Megumi Fujii.
* IKnowKarate: And UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Abe Ani".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kazuya, Shinji or Yoshihiko.
!!!Charles Diaz
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of his own fight team, C-4 FIGHT TEAM.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing at San Diego Fight Club.
* RedBaron: "C-4".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Ryan.
!!!Ryan Diaz
-->''“Martial Arts is my life. I have lived my life as a modern day samurai and travelled all over the world fighting and learning so I can bring you the most up to date techniques and drills. Fighting is my passion and now I get to teach that passion to you”''
* TheApprentice: To Trevor Lally, Jameson White, and Steve Rosenberg.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CoolTeacher: Owner and head instructor of Diaz Combat Sports.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Arizona Combat Sports.
* RedBaron: "The Lion".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Charles.
!!!Norio Fujita
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takayuki Okochi, it ended in a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Yoshihiro or Yuji.
!!!Takanori Gomi
-->''"That little guy, I don't know what the fuck, he was doing some karate in there... He's fuckin' do some little Hadouken fuckin' punch in there to me. You know, he's knocking people out, busting their shit up."''
--->--Nick Diaz about Takanori Gomi
-->''"I chose to box because I didn't want to finish my life without a challenge."''
--->--Takanori Gomi about his fighting career
* AchillesHeel: Though a terrifying fighter, he was bad when fighting from his back.
* TheAlcoholic: According to Genki Sudo, Gomi spends more in sake than Wrestling/SatoruSayama in candy.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head fighter of Kugayama Rascal.
* BrattyHalfPint: Started training at 16 and effectively ran away from his house.
* BloodKnight: Ran away from home to be a professional fighter and amassed two winning streaks of 14-0 and 10-0 back to back against names like Sakurai, Mishima, Sato, Ralph Gracie, Tatsuya Kawajiri and others.
* BoxingBattler: A former boxer, and possibly the best puncher in the history of Japanese MMA.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Higashi Rinkan Rascal Gym.
* {{Determinator}}: Refused to tap to Marcus Aurelio's arm triangle choke and was rendered unconscious.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: A pure sprawl-and-brawler, he favours punching people in the f'n' head over more complicated strategies. The funny part is that he is actually a very good grappler, with four All Japan Combat Wrestling championships and some victories against decorated wrestlers on his belt; it's just that he likes more the other way.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: And amateur wrestling, and combat wrestling.
* MeaningfulRename: A tragic example. He changed his family name to Gomi, which means trash in Japanese, when his parents disowned him for wanting to become a professional fighter.
* RedBaron: "The Fireball Kid", "Tenkamuso no Hinotama Boy" ("The World's Unparalelled Fireball Boy").
* UrExample: He was the first and only PRIDE Lightweight Champion.
!!!Dennis Hallman
-->''"If I had to all the way to the other side of the world to avenge my only loss, then so be it. It was at UFC Japan, and even though there were hundreds more people in the audience this time, the sound level was very much the same as it had been at Monte's show. The cage had eight sides instead of four. But that didn't matter. What mattered is that I was looking into the eyes of the only man who had ever beaten me in a fight: Dennis Hallman."''
-->-- Matt Hughes on his rematch with Hallman in his autobiography, Made In America.
-->''"I won't say what the bet was about, but I lost a bet to those guys and losing the bet meant that I got to wear some speedos."''
-->-- Dennis Hallman on the "Speedoman" story.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Frank Trigg.
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Victory Athletics Combat Sports Academy and was a PCJWL Kid's Wrestling coach.
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Speedoman" after he lost a bet between Len Bentley and Sterling Ford and had to wear speedos in his fight with Brian Ebersole. He thought it was funny, but Dana White was not amused.
* GameBreakingInjury: Hallman had planned to continue his wrestling career at a community college, but broke his leg during the pre-season training, and had to be sidelined for the entire season. He then got into MMA.
** He also has Coeliac Disease, an autoimmune digestive reaction to wheat gluten, which hindered his ability to recover properly from physical activities such as training and fighting.
* HeroKiller: He beat Matt Hughes twice.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Started when he was eight years old. He was on the wrestling team at Yelm High School and won the 135-pound state championship in his senior year. He also trained in boxing, is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabiano Scherner, a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, and also trained at AMC Pankration.
* MinoredInAssKicking: His professional boxing record stands at 1-1-0.
* RedBaron: "Superman".
* UnderwearOfPower: His speedos in his fight with Brian Ebersole.
!!!Teruyuki Hashimoto
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Kita-Kanto.
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 3 losses.
!!!Kieran Hewett
* TheApprentice: To Larry Papadopolous.
* AwesomeAussie
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at the Spartan Gym.
!!!Matt Hughes
-->''"You are the greatest champion of all time."''
-->-- Dana White to Hughes in the cage after beating B.J. Penn at UFC 63.
-->''"When you lose, say little... When you win, say less."''
-->-- Matt Hughes
* TheAce: Had an 18 win streak, and won two UFC welterweight titles.
* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: With his twin brother Mark.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: His brother Mark once beat him in the finals of a wrestling tournament.
** He also was beaten twice by Dennis Hallman in MMA.
* TheApprentice: To Pat Miletich.
* ArchEnemy: Matt Serra. Serra despised Hughes for insulting Gracie jiu-jitsu and treating GSP with disrespect during Season 4 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Their match was delayed for several months when Serra was injured during training, with the two finally meeting at UFC 98. Hughes won a back-and-forth unanimous decision that was awarded Fight of The Night honors.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Founded The H.I.T. (Hughes Intensive Training) Squad MMA team and is its top fighter.
* BadassFamily / WrestlingFamily: His brother Mark is also an amateur wrestler, MMA fighter and additionally a BJJ black belt.
* BadassTeacher: Has coached on the Series/TheUltimateFighter as a main coach and guest coach.
* BashBrothers: With his twin brother Mark.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In his autobiography, he states he and his brother once beat up their father for being a neglectful, abusive douche to them and their mom.
* CarpetOfVirility: Simple country boy Matt Hughes never does something as sissified as shave his chest.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Had a fight in Shooto with Akihiro Gono before coming to RINGS.
* FaceHeelTurn: In Season 2 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Through most of his fighting career, Hughes was generally liked and seen to be a down-to-earth country boy. During his stint as a coach, however, he came off as much more of a JerkAss. It was especially pronounced during his stint as a guest coach on Season 4, when he repeatedly antagonized fellow guest coach Georges St-Pierre, earning him the ire of Matt Serra. He continued this trend during his second coach stint on Season 6. His attempts to connect with his team through Bible study backfired, and he ultimately came off as self-important and condescending.
* GuestFighter: From Miletich Fighting Systems.
* HeroKiller: Has beaten guys like Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Ricardo Almeida, and Matt Serra.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: An accomplished wrestler.
* InsistentTerminology: Prefers to be known as an amateur and submission wrestler instead of a BJJ guy despite guys like Creator/JoeRogan saying he deserves a black belt.
* JerkAss: He has been on Series/TheUltimateFighter in some way three times as a coach and has displayed some boorish behavior. In Season 2, his former "Aw Shucks" Farmboy persona crumbled in many viewers' eyes as he verbally abused several of the fighters. As a guest coach on Season 4, he managed to stir shit between Matt Serra and a trainer, insult Georges St-Pierre, and bizarrely referred to an African American fighter's "big lips." He made a concerted effort to try NOT to come off as a jerkass when he coached Season 6 against Matt Serra.
* ManlyMenCanHunt: An avid hunter and was host of Outdoor Channel's Trophy Hunters TV. He has been criticized for this though.
* MetronomicManMashing: Is well known for slamming his opponents.
* {{Misblamed}}: His autobiography is a great source of things that gets him looking more of a dick then he really is.
** In the beating up his dad story, people seem to think he is actually bragging about.
** That he and his brother were sexually active with a minor, which was actually just a story of his brother and his wife kissing, though she was thirteen to his brother's twenty.
** That he and his brother threw someone out a window, usually stated to be their mom, when no such event was even mentioned.
** That he bad mouthed Creator/RandyCouture, which wasn't in the book either.
** That he and his brother tortured pigs for fun, even though castration is a regular part of pig farming, though one may call throwing a pig's testicle at a Marc Fiore just to be funny a little over the line.
* MistakenForRacist: Matt claims this, after the uproar on the online forums when he made fun of Din Thomas' "big lips" in Season 4 of Series/TheUltimateFighter. Thomas is African American, and many found the comment racist. Matt insists it was just good-natured ribbing between friends.
** This is compounded with his singling out African American fighter Rashad Evans for showboating for no apparent reason in Season 2, and has made several public remarks over the years about his dislike for half-Mexican Tito Ortiz, who does not even fight in his weight class (although to be fair, it's Ortiz we are talking about, and Evans rubs a lot of people the wrong way), and recently culminated with pictures of him holding white supremacist paraphernalia (he claims he had no knowledge of the meanings of the symbols). Hughes is retired now and works for the UFC in Talent Relations, and this could jeapordize his job.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Is a born again Christian and regularly posts Bible verses on his website.
* RealSongThemeTune: "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams, Jr.
* RedBaron: Surprisingly averted, though some people call him "The Gracie Killer" just like Wrestling/KazushiSakuraba for his wins against Royce, Renzo Gracie and their trainees.
* TheWorfEffect: His losses against Dennis Hallman, and his third fight with B.J. Penn.
* WorthyOpponent: B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre who both had a trilogy of fights with him.
!!!Ryota Ibaraki
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer at Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as boxing and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: Only had two fights in Shooto and lost in both.
!!!Tetsuharu Ikei
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Matoba".
!!!Seichi Ikemoto
* TheApprentice: To Yasuki Mori.
* CoolTeacher: Owns STYLE MMA Studio.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: In high school, trained in kickboxing at Team Boon! and shoot wrestling at Riroots Conan and is an All-Japan amateur Shooto champion.
* SignatureMove: His specialty is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.
!!!Kazuhiro Inoue
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: Trained at Team IMPRESS and also in shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 3 draws.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Egan, Enson, or Masaya.
!!!Masaya Inoue
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Kakogawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also trained in shoot wrestling.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Egan, Enson, or Kazuhiro.
!!!Makoto Ishikawa
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
!!!Phil Johns
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* CoolTeacher: A co-head trainer of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at a [=HOOKnSHOOT=] event.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Bob Long as co-founders of Silverbacks Vale Tudo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: A four-time All-American and an undefeated national champion. He also learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Little Giant".
* StartMyOwn: Had a fight promotion called Silverback Classic.
!!!Martijn de Jong
-->''"Coming from a 'striker' country, Martijin was in that first small group of fighters from Holland, who also knew how to submit people. He actually won way more fights by submission then he did by KO, and just that, shows that he was already thinking 'outside the box' in the early stages of the MMA scene."''
-->-- Creator/BasRutten, a foreword for Martijin's book; MMA, The Essentials of Mixed Martial Arts.
-->''"Martijn de Jong is the master of Mixed Martial Arts having many great techniques. I heard that my friend Martijin would issue a technique book. He is famous in Japan as a great fighter and also an excellent corner man. If I describe him in Japanese he is really 'Bugei Hyappan' which means 'all sorts of military arts'. He generously shows his techniques so this book will be many fighters' Bible."''
--> Kazuhiro Sakamoto, another foreword for MMA, The Essentials of Mixed Martial Arts.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: President of Shooto Europe, ADCC Holland and former CEO of the fight promotion, GLORY.
* CoolTeacher: Was the head Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling Trainer of Golden Glory. He also owns his own gym, Tatsujin Dojo. He has instructed fighters like Alistair and Valentijn Overeem, Marloes Coenen, Gökhan Saki, etc.
* FormerlyFat: Struggled with his weight growing up, he once went up to over 120kg (265 lbs).
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin 1st dan black belt and a Dutch champion. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu 1st degree black belt under Remco Pardoel, a Japanese jujitsu 2nd dan black belt, trained in kickboxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai under Jan Lomulder, Greco-Roman wrestling under Andy Jekel, shoot wrestling under Kazuhiro Sakamoto and also UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}.
* RedBaron: "Tatsujin", "The Specialist", "Creator of Champions".
* StartMyOwn: A co-founder of the fight promotion, GLORY (Originally called Ultimate Glory).
!!!Masashi Kameda
* TheApprentice: To Dokonjonosuke Mishima.
* CoolTeacher: A Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor at Shooto Gym Blows, and STYLE MMA Studio.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A purple belt. He first started with shootboxing and trained in shoot wrestling at the Cobra Kai MMA Dojo.
!!!Shuichiro Katsumura
-->''“I wanted to find a way to be remembered when I went to fight in Lithuania [in 2006] and thought that the easiest way for people to know me as a Japanese fighter was to enter the ring dressed as a ninja. Before I left Japan, I told everyone that if my choke happened, I’d call it the ninja choke since that would be easy to remember, too.”''
-->-- Shuichiro Katsumura on the Ninja Choke.
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* BadassTeacher: Owns Reversal Gym Yokohama Groundslam and is the head instructor.
* CoolTeacher: Is an elementary school teacher.
* FriendToAllChildren: He once worked at a child care facility in Kamakura.
* IAmNotSpock: He will be the first to tell you that the “Real Manga/TigerMask” gimmick was something that was foisted upon him because the character’s background as a champion for orphans coincidentally aligned with his own work helping and teaching children. Consequently, he wanted to distance himself from the comparison, so much so that he had a Reversal brand T-shirt printed with the words “I’m not [the] real Manga/TigerMask” emblazoned on the front. He has accepted it now, not because he enjoys it (if anything, it dredges up dark ghosts of the past for him that he is reticent to talk about) but because it has new utility given the circumstances of Japan’s recent crises.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Was a 1998 All Japan Amateur Shooto Featherweight champion and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and combat wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
* JapaneseDelinquent: When he was in high school.
* NiceGuy: Self-admittedly not when he was in high school, but after college he worked at child care facility, volunteered to make supply runs to Tohoku after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and vowed to donate his next fight purse to charity while trying to not to receive attention. It was these characteristics that earned him the nickname “The Real Manga/TigerMask”.
* RedBaron: “The Real Manga/TigerMask”.
* SignatureMove: He invented a modified brabo choke he dubbed the Ninja Choke, and even has an instructional video on it.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Was a pro wrestling fan growing up and has worked for promotions like Hard Hit.
!!!Tetsuo Katsuta
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: As well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Hiroki Kita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling at Paraestra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 6 losses, and a draw.
!!!Ahmed Lazizi
* TheApprentice: To Fabio Holanda.
* CanadaEh
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Ronin MMA, an affiliate under Brazilian Top Team Canada.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto, a loss to Izuru Takeuchi.
!!!Dave Menne
* TheApprentice: To Greg Nelson.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Had a fight in Shooto before entering the RINGS King of Kings tournament.
* GuestFighter: From The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also learned UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* RedBaron: "The Warrior".
!!!Chikara Miyake
* TheApprentice: To Noriaki Kiguchi and Naoki Sakurada.
* CoolTeacher: Owns Chokushinkai MMA Dojo (originally called Cyokushinkai Kakutogi Dojo).
* IKnowKarate: A kyokushin black belt and trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai, as well as combat and shoot wrestling and trained at Kiguchi Gym and Gutsman Shooto Dojo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 2 losses, and a draw.
* StartMyOwn: Developed his own form of UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}; Chokushinkai (also spelled Cyokushinkai) based on his background of Kyokushin UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, combat and shoot wrestling.
!!!Yohei Nanbu
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Kawaguchi.
* CoolTeacher: Is now a instructor at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 7 losses, and 2 draws.
!!!Norio Nishiyama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: As well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 2 wins, 3 losses and a draw.
!!!Ademir Oliveira
* TheApprentice: To Francisco Carlos Pinto Sá (“Sazinho”).
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Team Oliveira Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 4th degree black belt and trained at the Bueno Gym.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Hayato Sakurai and lost.
!!!Yoshinobu Ota
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Shiou-Juku.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 4 wins, 6 losses, and 3 draws.
!!!John Paun
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: As well as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at Top Notch Fitness.
!!!Rafles la Rose
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head trainer of Amsterdam Training Center.
* FrenchJerk
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo Deventer along with shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "The Snake Man".
!!!Tatsuya Sakurai
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS).
* {{Jobber}}: A short career of 1 win, 1 loss, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hayato or Ryuta.
!!!Kohei Sato
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: And also trained in shoot wrestling and won the 1998 All Japan Amateur Shooto Championships over Takashi Okada in the heavyweight class and had two pro fights in Shooto, winning both.
* RedBaron: "Tokyo Tower".
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: A wrestler for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1.
!!!Marcos da Silva
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 5 losses and a draw.
!!!Yohei Suzuki
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai and Matt Hume.
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Paraestra Tokyo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling at Paraestra Tokyo and also trained at AMC Pankration.
!!!Daiji Takahashi
* TheApprentice: To Jin Akimoto.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is head instructor of Burn MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Akimoto Dojo JUNGLE JUNCTION.
* {{Jobber}}: A career off 8 wins, 11 losses, and 4 draws.
!!!Koji Takeuchi
* CoolTeacher: Owns HLC Gym.
* IKnowKarate: Kempo UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, as well as UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 7 wins, 15 losses, and 5 draws.
!!!Din Thomas
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten twice by Caol Uno.
* TheApprentice: To Ricardo Liborio.
* CoolTeacher: Runs two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies.
* FightClubbing: He was arrested in 2007 for allegedly running illegal matches at his gym, though the Assistant State Attorney's office decided not to file formal charges against Thomas and filed paperwork dismissing the charge on which he was arrested. The Assistant D.A. stated if the fighter or participants were students of Thomas' school, and the purpose of the school is to teach martial arts, then they meet the exception to the law.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt. He also trained at American Top Team.
* RedBaron: "Dinyero".
* ScaryBlackMan
!!!Shinsuke Ueno
* TheApprentice: To Yasuki Mori.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at RiRoots Conan.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 1 loss, and a draw.
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Kyuhei or Takeru.
!!!Takeru Ueno
* TheApprentice: To Jorge "Macaco" Patino.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Gracie Barra Tokyo aka Macaco Jiu Jitsu Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt. He also knows shoot wrestling and is a 1999 All Japan Amateur Shooto Lightweight Champion.
* {{Jobber}}: Only had 3 fights in Shooto, he lost all three.
!!!Hiroshi Umemura
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Nex-Sports.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt, he also knows kickboxing and shoot wrestling.
!!!Fumio Usami
-->''“I came to his gym when I was 19-years-old. I trust him with every aspect of my training.”''
-->-- Rin Nakai
* CoolTeacher: Owns Shooto Gym Shikoku aka Pancrase Venus. His most well known trainee is female Pancrase fighter Rin Nakai.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Freelance gym.
* RedBaron: "Wild".
!!!Takuya Wada
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto and Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute and also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, combat and shoot wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Mamoru Yamaguchi
-->''"I wanted the fans to recognize me besides my fighting skills, and this hairstyle is what I ended up with. Now, many fans recognize my afro … and me."''
* AfroAssKicker: An impressive one at that.
* BadassMustache / PornStache
* CoolTeacher: An instructor at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* CounterAttack: Is known for his counter striking.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: As well as UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, UsefulNotes/MuayThai, shootboxing and trained in shoot wrestling at Shooting Gym Yokohama.
* TheRival: Had a trilogy of fights with Shinichi Kojima.
* ShoutOut: His afro is a tribute to Japanese boxing legend, Yoko Gushiken.
!!!Shiko Yamashita
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Paraestra Sapporo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
!!!Kohei Yasumi
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Founded Lotus Setagaya Paraestra dojo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and a 2000 & 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Champion and of course shoot wrestling.
!!!Jinzaburo Yonezawa
* AfroAssKicker
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Gracie Barra Tokyo.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses and a draw.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The R.E.A.D. Year (2000)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shooto_logo_2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Seeing R.E.A.D.]]
!!!Luiz Azeredo
-->''"I know I wasn’t the best fighter in the world, but I beat the best in the world, Anderson Silva, and many other great fighters like Niko Puhakka, Milton Vieira, Paul Daley and Cristiano Marcello."''
* ADayInTheLimeLight: He is notable for being the first person to have ever defeated Anderson Silva in an MMA bout. Anderson avenged his loss with a win over Azeredo in a UsefulNotes/MuayThai bout.
* TheApprentice: To Rudimar Fedrigo.
* CoolTeacher: A MMA and UsefulNotes/MuayThai coach at Renzo Gracie MMA Academy and at Class One MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Chute Boxe Academy as well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a 3rd Degree black belt.
* RedBaron: "The Joker".
!!!Marcio Ramos Barbosa
-->''"It is happening right now because people like me and my master Cromado kept holding the LL flag even when everybody else has left. Everybody else that could have done a lot for LL has left to go after their own goals. Me and Cromado were different: we've put LL before anything else in our lives and for the last years we have sacrificed a lot to keep LL alive. Now we are very proud to see it getting stronger and stronger."''
-->-- Marcelo Brigadeiro, on his master and the state of Luta Livre.
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Won his Shooto debut against Caol Uno.
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre mestres Joao Bosco and Eugenio Tadeu.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head instructor of Renovação Fight Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: A 5th degree black belt and trained at Club de luta. He has also trained in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, boxing and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused with BJJ mestre Marco Barbosa of Barbosa Jiu-Jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Cromado".
* ScaryBlackMan
!!!Ryan Bow
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Killer/Krazy Bee Gym (Purebred Tokyo). He opened his own gym in Japan, Kaminari Dojo Mixed Martial Arts Academy in 2005 till 2009. He briefly reopened it in the US but closed it again to travel, and pursue other ventures. He moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates as the head MMA coach at Team Nogueira Dubai. He has resigned from that position and has opened another gym, Fight Gods Mixed Martial Arts Academy and is the head instructor.
* {{Determinator}}: Has a cyst that is in his brain since he was young that affects his health.
* FishOutOfWater: Came to live in Japan by himself at the age of 17 so this was expected. He even wrote a book that was loosely based on his life in Tokyo called Black Samurai: The Misadventures of a Black American MMA Fighter in Japan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: Earned his black belt from the Kodokan at the age of 18 and trained alongside Judo Olympic Gold Medalists Yoshida Hidehiko and Takimoto at Yoshida Dojo. He also trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai in Thailand under the former Lumpinee Stadium Champion, Santien Noi, combat wrestling under Noriaki Kiguchi, shoot wrestling under Enson Inoue, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Robert Drysdale and was awarded his black belt in BJJ by Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and former BJJ World Champion, Rafael Haubert in 2016. He also trained under Frank Shamrock at American Kickboxing Academy and under former Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team Coach, Sergio Cunha.
* OddFriendship: With Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto as students of Enson Inoue and head trainers of Killer/Krazy Bee Gym (originally Purebred Tokyo).
* RedBaron: "Kaminari".
* ScaryBlackMan
* {{Yakuza}}: He has experience working with them as a student of Enson Inoue.
!!!John Calvo
-->''"Back in the [=SuperBrawl=] days it was actually pretty raw. They didn’t have a boxing commission or a fighting commission. They didn’t even know how to judge it."''
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: A trainer for Guahan Top Team.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Has only one loss in MMA against Wrestling/DanSevern.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: And trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Purebred Guam.
* RedBaron: "Big John".
* StartMyOwn: A co-founder of the Jungle Rules promotion.
* UrExample: One of the first MMA fighters from Guam.
!!!Thomas Denny
* BullyHunter: Participated in Creator/{{MTV}}'s Series/BullyBeatdown.
* CoolTeacher: A head trainer of Team Wildman Vale Tudo.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: Started when he was 10 years old, before turning to kickboxing when he was 19. He also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* RedBaron: "Wildman".
* TheWorfEffect: Denny participated in Creator/{{MTV}}'s Series/BullyBeatdown where he fought Dennis, "The Russian Meathead". To date, he is the only professional MMA fighter on the show to not score a single submission in the first round. During the 3 minutes in the submission round, Thomas was unable to apply a submission. He also failed to knock out the bully in the kickboxing round, constituting the only time in the history of the show in which the bully got away with all the money.
!!!Márcio Feitosa
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Beaten in grappling matches by Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro twice.
* TheApprentice: To Carlos Gracie Jr.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The Executive Director of Gracie Barra Brazil.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor for Gracie Barra International. Feitosa also helped develop the Gracie Barra in the United States, developing the systems to manage the schools and instructional content such as the 2nd version of the Gracie Barra Fundamentals, co-founding the Gracie Barra Headquarters, and managing 8 of his own schools located in California and Texas
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 5th degree black belt, a 3-time IBJJF World BJJ Champion in 1997, 2001, and 2002, a 5-time World Silver Medallist in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2006, a ADCC champion in 2001, a 4-time Brazilian National champion in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, a Brazilian Team Tournament champion, a 4-time Pan American Champion in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, a Canada Jiu-Jitsu champion.
* HeroKiller: Has defeated in BJJ and Nogi, Rodrigo Gracie, Leonardo Vieira, Carlos Machado, Caol Uno, Royler Gracie, etc.
* TheRival: Leonardo Vieira.
!!!Dan Gilbert
* BashBrothers: With his brother Joey.
* CoolTeacher: The head coach for Gilbert Grappling G2 Training Center with his brother Joey.
* EarlyBirdCameo: Debuted at Steve Nelson's Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Was a ESPIOR Greco-Roman National Champion, a 2-time Junior National Greco Roman All American, a 2-time IHSA State Placer and a Div 1 Wrestler for Boise State University.
* WrestlingFamily: His brother Joey is also a wrestler and MMA fighter.
!!!Joey Gilbert
* BashBrothers: With his brother Dan.
* CoolTeacher: A wrestling coach for Gilbert Grappling G2 Training Center with his brother Dan.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: Was a Big Ten Freshman Wrestler of the year, a 2-Time All American for University of Michigan, and a 4-time IHSA State Champion.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 2 wins and 3 losses.
* NamesTheSame: Not to be confused for the pro boxer of the same name.
* WrestlingFamily: His brother Dan is also a wrestler and MMA fighter.
!!!Anthony Hamlett
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* CombatReferee: A professional referee in the Northwest and has referred for UFC. He has refereed over 3000 fights between amateur and pro. Is considered top ref in MMA in the Northwest.
* CoolTeacher: He is the head coach and manager of Northwest Elite Fight Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He is a three time All American for the USAF team ranked as high as 5th in nation after world team trials. He also trained at AMC Pankration.
* RedBaron: "Icee".
!!!Takuhito Hida
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Combat Wrestling]]: As well as shoot wrestling and trained at Team IMPRESS.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win and 10 losses.
!!!Kentaro Imaizumi
* TheApprentice: To Tenshin Matsumoto.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Sambo]]: Trained at SK Absolute. He also trained in combat wrestling.
!!!Shigetoshi Iwase
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS).
!!!Ronald Jhun
-->''"I like to stand up first then ground and pound second."''
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: The head fighter of 808 Top Team.
* BadassFamily: His brother-in-law Ray Cooper is also a MMA fighter.
* CoolTeacher: Owns and is the head trainer of 808 Fight Factory.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: In high school. He also trained in boxing and kickboxing.
* ThreeAmigos: Was introduced to mixed martial arts by his brother-in-law, Ray Cooper, and David Pa'aluhi.
* RealMenLoveJesus: A former member of Jesus is Lord MMA.
* RedBaron: "The Machine Gun".
!!!Hideki Kadowaki
-->''"Just enjoy life!"''
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A grappling trainer at Marupuro Gym and TTM URUSHI DOJO.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajyutsu Keisyukai and was a 2000 All Japan Amateur Shooto Welter-weight runner up.
* SignatureMove: The Kadowaki special, which is a modified rear naked choke which is applied from the back crucifix position instead of the standard back mount.
!!!Tatsuya Kawajiri
-->''“I want to break his heart, and I want him to go away thinking, ‘I don’t want to face this guy anymore’. That’s how I fight.”''
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Was beaten twice by Gilbert Melendez.
* TheApprentice: To Kenji Seki.
* HeroicBuild
* IdenticalStranger: Stylistically speaking. He is unique among Japanese mixed martial artists in that he is one of the few Asian fighters to have truly embraced a more modern style of combat, electing to mix up his striking with western-style grappling and inflicting serious damage from top position on the ground.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at T-Blood Mixed Martial Arts Academy (originally Team TOPS) and was a 1999 Amateur Shooto Eastern Japan Open Tournament Winner and the 2002 Shooto Welterweight Rookie Tournament Winner. He also trained in kickboxing and has a K-1 record of 2 wins and 1 loss.
* RedBaron: "Crusher".
!!!Homare Kuboyama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Shooto Gym K'Z Factory as well as combat wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Yuji Kusu
* TheApprentice: To Masanori Suda.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at Club J.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Ryota Matsune
* TheApprentice: To Hiroshi Tsuruya.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Okinawa.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and a 2002 All-Japan Team Jiu-Jitsu champion, and also knows shoot wrestling and is a All-Japan Amateur Shooto Featherweight Champion.
* RedBaron: "The Shooto Junkie".
!!!Takumi Nakayama
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: Is the head instructor of Paraestra Osaka.
* HeroicBuild
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UseulNotes/{{Judo}}: A third dan black belt, he also trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt as well as combat and shoot wrestling.
* RedBaron: "Da Japanese Ironman", "Ushi Shooter".
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His real name is written as 中山巧, his ring name is written as タクミ.
!!!Takashi Ochi
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Paraestra Koiwa & Ayase.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt and also knows sambo, combat wrestling and is a All-Japan Combat Wrestling Champion, and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 2 wins and 6 losses.
* RedBaron: "Doctor".
!!!Stephen Palling
-->''" I've said it, I'll always say it...and it isn't just 'cause I won...when B.J. (Penn) beat me, he just out-skilled me, but, the fight that I had that hurt me the most was with Stephen Palling in Hawaii. He hit me so hard, sometimes I was thinking, "Oh my god, I wish I was knocked out" because it hurt so bad!"''
-->-- Jen Pulver
* TheApprentice: To Bob Ostovich.
* {{Determinator}}: Had severe eye damage, a fractured orbital bone on one side, and a fractured cheek bone on the other side, after he fought Gilbert Melendez almost a year before his fight against Jens Pulver. Against the wishes of his doctor, Palling went on to fight two more times after the Melendez fight.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: He also trained in boxing and kickboxing.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: He and Jens Pulver gave one to each other.
* RealMenLoveJesus: A member of Jesus is Lord MMA.
* RedBaron: "Bozo".
* WorthyOpponent: Jen Pulver views him as one.
!!!Huanderson Pavao
* TheApprentice: To Luta Livre mestre Eugenio Tadeu and Brazilian jiu-jitsu mestre Julio César Pereira.
* BadassFamily: A cousin of Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira.
* CoolTeacher: A coach for [=GFTeam=].
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Luta Livre]]: Started training with his cousin Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira and was a Brazilian Champion in 2000, but the gym was too far away for him to continue so he joined Grappling Fight Team (formerly Gama Filho Team) to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu which he is now a 3rd degree black belt, a Brazilian National Inter Team Champion in 1997 as a blue belt and 1999 as a purple belt, a silver medallist at the International World Master Championship in 2006, and a 3 time Rio de Janeiro State Champion in 1999 as a blue and in 2003 and 2006 as a black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Takanori Gomi, he lost.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: MMA sites have mistakenly listed him as Anderson Pavao.
!!!Greg Piper
* TheApprentice: To Matt Thornton.
* BadassFamily: His sister, Janna Piper is also a boxer and MMA fighter.
* CoolTeacher: A boxing coach for Straight Blast Gym and Team Quest.
* DownerEnding: Died in June 2006 at the age of 29.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: Trained under Fred Ryan at Grand Avenue Gym and had a pro record of 8-4-1. He also trained at Straight Blast Gym in Jeet Kune Do, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
* {{Jobber}}: A MMA career of 1 win and 3 losses.
!!!Matthias Riccio
* TheApprentice: To his father Laurent Riccio, Jerome Le Banner and Fred Rado.
* BadassFamily: His brother Damien Riccio is also an MMA fighter and his father Laurent Riccio is a 6th dan shotokan master.
* BashBrothers: With his brothers Damien and Pepe.
* BigBrotherInstinct: His brother Pepe was 12 when Royce attacked him, so it is not surprising if he was the one who pulled a pistol or shotgun to chased the Gracies out.
* {{Bouncer}}: A former bar bouncer in Perpignan.
* CoolTeacher: An MMA trainer at SUPREME ARENA, Arts Martiaux Saint-Orens and has his own school, The Fire Team.
* FrenchJerk
* IKnowKarate: A shotokan black belt under his father Laurent Riccio, and a French national champion in 1995. He also trained in kickboxing at Le Banner Xtreme Team and is a European kickboxing champion in 2000 and trained in shoot wrestling at the Creator/BasRutten Academy U.K. and is a France champion in 1997.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 6 wins and 10 losses.
* RedBaron: "The Fire".
!!!Paul Rodriguez
* ADayInTheLimeLight: Has a win over Dennis Hallman.
* BadassFamily: His wife Caroline Rodriguez is also a BJJ pratitioner.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor at American Top Team Orlando & Longwood.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Liborio at American Top Team and also trained under Marcio Simas. He also trained in UsefulNotes/MuayThai under Mejiro Gym instructor Bobby Robare.
!!!Chad W. Saunders
* TheApprentice: To Javier Mendez.
* BaldOfAwesome
* DownerEnding: Committed suicide by self-inflicted gun shot in 2010.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: Trained at American Kickboxing Academy, also in boxing, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Andy Wang
-->''"ANDY TAKE HIM DOWN!"''
-->-- BJ Penn, Andy's TUF coach.
-->''"One of my all time favorite pain in the ass fighters on #TUF…Mr Andy Wang. #DWCOTD #Warrior'"''
-->-- Dana White, on his twitter with a clip of Andy losing his TUF fight and his interview.
* TheApprentice: To Egan Inoue.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Wang is known for his flamboyant personality and bizarre fighting tactics.
* CoolTeacher: He moved back to Taipei in 2004 with the sole purpose of hoping to help the spread of MMA in Taiwan. He now lives in China and teaches BJJ in Beijing.
* EmbarrassingNickname: He is mockingly called "The Warrior" because of his loss on Series/TheUltimateFighter and stated afterwards after bawling like a baby that he was a warrior.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Grappling Unlimited and is a 3rd degree black belt.
* MenDontCry: Averted, he bawled like a baby after losing his match on Series/TheUltimateFighter, prompting his own coach, B.J. Penn, to make fun of him on national TV... and in fact, the episode title was "Waaaah!" This was, of course, after Penn yelled at the BJJ blackbelt the entire fight to go to the ground; Wang instead choosing to stand, bang, and lose. Penn later kicked Wang off his team, the first time this has ever happened.
* RedBaron: "The YellowPeril".
* UrExample: The first Taiwanese Chinese fighter on Series/TheUltimateFighter.
* WhatAnIdiot: He is responsible for the creation of the term; Stand and Wang, which is defined as 'When your primary strategy is to strike with an opponent when it's not your best chance at victory'.
!!!Justin Wisniewski
* BadassFamily: His brother Keith is also a BJJ practitioner and MMA fighter.
* BashBrothers: With his brother Keith.
* CoolTeacher: A co-founder of Duneland Vale Tudo with his brother Keith.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: and UsefulNotes/MuayThai.
* RedBaron: "The Polish Connection". He shares this name with his brother.
* StartMyOwn: Started with his brother the Duneland Classic fight events.
!!!Hirotaka Yokoi
* TheApprentice: To Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka as part of the Alliance and RINGS Japan.
* AscendedFanBoy: Was a fan UWF pro wrestling and its offshoots.
* EarlyBirdCameo: His fight in Shooto was this as he then moved on to RINGS under the tutelage of Wrestling/TsuyoshiKohsaka.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}: In highschool.
* RedBaron: "Kaibutsu-kun" ("Monster-kun") for his physical resemblance to the title character from 1980s anime series Kaibutsu-kun.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Has wrestled for Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1.
!!!Baret Yoshida
* TheApprentice: To Egan Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: The head jiu-jitsu coach for The Arena MMA gym.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: His participation in the 1999 ADCC that put Yoshida’s name on the map. Baret Yoshida had fought on the trials and made it to the final, though he lost. He was called to the finals as an alternate because one of the competitors had injured himself and could no longer compete. In that tournament, the younger and less experienced Baret gave a very tough challenge to one of the most dominant fighters to have ever competed, Royler Gracie. Yoshida lost a chance to medal, but he gained a legion of fans, and was invited into the tournament in the following years.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Grappling Unlimited and is a 3rd degree black belt.
* RedBaron: "The Finisher".
* UnrelatedBrothers: No relation to Hiroshi.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The To The Top Year (2001)]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3052_b1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:It's A Long Way To The Top If Ya Wanna Shooto]]
!!!Jeremy Bennett
* CoolTeacher: He was an urban assault instructor at the Urban Warfare Training Center.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Boxing]]: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, UsefulNotes/MuayThai and shootfighting.
* SemperFi: Served in the Marine Corps from 2003 until 2010, both active and reserve duties. He deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the 2nd and 4th Marines as a infantryman, was stationed in Ramadi, Iraq, for eight months, later deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and the Philippines and ended his career with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. .
!!!Mike Cardoso
* TheApprentice: To David Avellan.
* CombatReferee: For BJJ matches.
* CoolTeacher: Owns his own school, Cardoso Jiu Jitsu and is also a trainer for Extreme MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A black belt under Ricardo Teixeira and trained at the Freestyle Fighting Academy. He also has black belts in UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} and UsefulNotes//{{Judo}}, and also trained in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, and shootfighting.
!!!Tony [=DeDolph=]
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 5 losses, and a draw.
* UsefulNotes/NavySEALs: A petty officer and a member of SEAL Team 6.
!!!Rodney Ellis
* AwesomeAussie
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Southern Cross Jiu-Jitsu Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Started under Larry Papadopoulos at Spartan Gym, then Assed Haddad at the Osvaldo Alves academy, then Nova União Academy under André Pederneiras who presented him his black belt, now he continues to train under Marcelino Freitas and Fabiano "Babu" Freitas and is a 3rd degree black belt. He is a NSW BJJ Federation State Champion at purple belt in 2003 and brown belt in 2004, a 2001, 2005 & 2007 Australasian Submission Wrestling Runner Up (ADDC Qualifiers), a 2005 Rio de Janeiro State Runner-Up at brown belt, a 2007 and 2009 Pan Pacific Jiu-Jitsu Champion at black belt, a 2009 Australasian Submission Wrestling Champion (ADDC Qualifiers), and a Professional Gi Champion at 2010 Abu Dhabi Pro Gi. He is also a black belt in Goshin Ryu Ju-Jutsu under Gordon Griffiths.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Isao Tanimura, he lost.
* StartMyOwn: Founded the Australian Jiu-Jitsu Grand Prix in 2014.
!!!Tomohiro Hashi
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 7 losses, and a draw.
* RedBaron: "Tomohirock '84".
!!!Eugene Hynson
* TheApprentice: To Steve Oliver.
* AwesomeAussie: From New Zealand actually.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Oliver MMA Kapiti, an affiliate of Oliver MMA & American Top Team New Zealand.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Started at the Spartan Gym under Larry Papadopolous and then later moved to Oliver MMA.
!!!Junji Ikoma
* TheApprentice: To Chikara Miyake.
* CoolTeacher: Head instructor of Chokushinkai MMA Dojo.
* IKnowKarate: A chokushinkai black belt.
!!!Shinobu Ito
* TheApprentice: To Yuki Nakai.
* IKnowKarate: As well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu and shoot wrestling.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 1 win, 3 losses, and a draw.
!!!Toshiteru Ishii
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Wajutsu Keishukai Tiger Place (Yokohama).
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
* {{Jobber}}: A career 3 wins, 8 losses, and 3 draws.
!!!Nobuyuki Kato
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Wajutsu Keishukai Real Japanese Wrestling G'2.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real given name is Shinyuki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Amateur Wrestling]]: And also trained at Wajutsu Keishukai.
!!!Gildo Lima
* TheApprentice: To Rudimar Fedrigo.
* CoolTeacher: A UsefulNotes/MuayThai coach for Chute Boxe Academy.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: Trained at Chute Boxe Academy and also knows Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Masa Marcome
* TheApprentice: To Yorinaga Nakamura.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Shoot Wrestling]]: Trained at the Inosanto Academy.
* {{Jobber}}: Had only one fight in Shooto against Kazumichi Takada, he lost.
!!!Kim Mason
* TheApprentice: To Matt Hume.
* DepravedBisexual: Was in a sexual relationship with his murder victim Hartanto Santoso and had a girlfriend at the same time.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Kickboxing]]: And trained at AMC Pankration.
* JerkAss: He was described as a young man who "felt he had absolute power over other human beings" and wanted "the good life" and didn't want to work for it, once talking Hartanto Santoso, a nursing assistant into a $400 loan and, after choking him then bound and gagging him with duct tape in January 2001, trying to rob him of $700 by threatening to inject him with drain cleaner and also pointed a 9-mm handgun at his head. Mason was charged with kidnapping and robbery. On Jan. 29, 2001, a Superior Court judge released him without bail at the urging of his father, John Mason, a retired Seattle assistant police chief. He was then charged with murdering Santoso, who so feared for his life that he asked police to put him in jail or let him sleep on the police-station floor after Mason was released, then went missing with his apartment filled with blood. After a 10-week trial, a jury found Mason guilty. The trial court imposed a sentence of life without possibility of parole.
* RealMenLoveJesus: Apparently he murdered Hartanto Santoso because he was a christian and in a sexual relationship with Santoso and that Santoso would expose him as a homosexual.
* RedBaron: "The Sensation".
!!!Eiji Murayama
* TheApprentice: To Kazuhiro Kusayanagi.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Sonic Squad Jiu-Jitsu and MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: A 1998 All-Japan Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and also trained in shoot wrestling at Shooto Gym K'z Factory.
!!!Ivan Salaverry
-->''"I believe that everyone has the fighting spirit in them. It's innate. It's genetic. It's hard-wired into each and every one of us."''
* TheApprentice: To Maurice Smith, Matt Hume and Tito Ortiz.
* CanadaEh
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Ivan Salaverry MMA.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: A black prajied, trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is a black belt under Marcelo Alonso, learned UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}, amateur wrestling, and trained at places like AMC Pankration, Team Punishment, Carlson Gracie BJJ, and Brazilian Top Team.
* JackOfAllStats: Is known for his well-rounded skills.
* SignatureMove: He is also notable for being a pioneer of the crucifix-style position from side control, which is often referred to as "The Salaverry" during Mixed Martial Arts broadcasts, particularly by UFC commentator Creator/JoeRogan.
!!!Tsutomu Shiiki
* TheApprentice: To Chikara Miyake.
* IKnowKarate: A chokushinkai black belt.
* {{Jobber}}: A career of 3 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws.
!!!Masato Shiozawa
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai.
!!!Anderson Silva
-->''“To be honest with you, I really don’t like to hurt my opponents; this just happens to be our job. But if somebody disrespects me they will pay for it. I promise.”''
* TheAce: Silva holds the longest title streak in UFC history, a record of 2457 days, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: His UFC title reign was stopped by Chris Weidman and he also lost the rematch.
* BaldOfAwesome
* CounterAttack: Has a deadly striking game that that combines this with NonchalantDodge.
* CurbStompBattle: Silva exploded into the UFC after a fairly unexceptional career in other promotions. He dispatched the rugged Chris Leben so ruthlessly in his debut that he was immediately given a title shot. Though many fans didn't think he even deserved the shot, Silva demolished the two-time defending champ Rich Franklin in the first round. Since then, Silva has dispatched a number of other worthy opponents with ease, including a thrashing of Forrest Griffin, in which Silva spent a large portion of the fight taunting Griffin with his hands down before knocking him out with a backpedaling jab.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Was the first man to beat Hayato Sakurai ending his 18 win streak. He suffered this in UFC against Chris Weidman.
** This also happened to him against Chris Weidman.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: After watching Ong Bak, Silva suddenly wanted to win a fight by leading reverse elbow. His coaches completely shot this down, so he practiced the technique privately with his wife. Come his fight with Tony Fryklund, that's exactly how Silva won.
* HeroicBlueScreenOfDeath: Silva became demotivated and thought about quitting MMA after his loss to Daiju Takase, but was convinced to keep on fighting by Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
* HeroKiller: Beat Hayato Sakurai for the Shooto middleweight championship. He has also beaten guys like Wrestling/AlexanderOtsuka, Dan Henderson, Vitor Belfort, Carlos Newton, Rich Franklin, Nate Marquardt, Forrest Griffin, Chael Sonnen, Demian Meia, Stephan Bonnar, etc.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know]] UsefulNotes/MuayThai: What he is primarily known for along with being a 3rd degree Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. He is also a black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}, a 5th dan black belt in UsefulNotes/{{Taekwondo}} and even tried appealing to the Brazilian Taekwondo Confederation to consider him for the 2016 Olympics, trained a bit in UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}, and also competed in two pro boxing matches.
* NonchalantDodge: Is the patron saint of this trope in MMA. Particularly types one and three, but sometimes two as well.
* RealSongThemeTune: "No Sunshine" by DMX.
* RedBaron: "The Spider".
* ScaryBlackMan
* TemptingFate: Silva repeatedly clowned title contender Chris Weidman by dropping his hands and presenting his chin. When Weidman connected with a glancing blow, Silva theatrically mimed being hurt. Weidman responded with more punches, landing flush on Silva's chin and ending the middleweight champ's record-breaking win streak.
* TheWorfEffect: Was the favorite in his bouts with Daiju Takase and Ryo Chonan, till he got caught by Daiju in a triangle and by Ryo in a flying scissor heel hook respectively.
!!!Daisuke Sugie
* TheApprentice: To Yoichi Suzuki.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of CARPE DIEM HOPE Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
* DoNotCallMePaul: His real name is Daisuke Shiraki.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at ALIVE MMA Dojo and is a black belt.
* RedBaron: "Amazon".
!!!Roemer Trumpert
* TheApprentice: To Martijin de Jong.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: Trained at Tatsujin Dojo along with shoot wrestling.
!!!Tomoharu Umezawa
* TheApprentice: To Hiroyuki Abe.
* CoolTeacher: The head instructor of Abe Ani Combat Club SPIDER Real Wrestling Team.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu]]: As well as amateur, combat, and shoot wrestling and trained at Abe Ani Combat Club.
!!!Yasuhiro Urushitani
* TheApprentice: To Yoshinori Nishi.
* CoolTeacher: A former trainer at Wajutsu Keishukai HEARTS, and now a trainer at TRIBE TOKYO MMA.
* IKnowKarate: Trained at the Daidōjuku-based Wajutsu Keishukai. He is also a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
!!!Norifumi Yamamoto
* TheApprentice: To Enson Inoue.
* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: Head of Killer/Krazy Bee MMA team.
* BrattyHalfPint: Is quite short at 5 ft 4 and about 143 ib and is described as having a controversial persona and once got in trouble with {{Yakuza}} before being bailed out by his brother-in-law Enson Inoue.
* CoolTeacher: Has his own gym, Yamamoto Sports Academy.
* DavidVsGoliath: As one of the shortest and lightest guys in MMA who usually competes in the Lightweight division with a 10 ib disadvantage this is expected.
* HeroKiller: Defeated guys like Royler Gracie, Caol Uno and Genki Sudo to win K-1 HERO's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.
* [[IKnowKarate I Know Freestyle Wrestling]]: Comes from a WrestlingFamily, wrestled in the United States at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe, Arizona, capturing three state championships (with a third-place finish as a freshman), during that time he lived and received training from Townsend and Tricia Saunders and even tried to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in freestyle wrestling until an injury forced him back into MMA. He also trained briefly under Choi Mu Bae in Greco-Roman wrestling. He also learned kickboxing, combat wrestling and of course shoot wrestling.
* OneHitKill: Has the fastest ever knockout in a major MMA promotion by 4 seconds against Kazuyuki Miyata. As of December 24, 2011, only Duane Ludwig tied this record with his win over Jonathan Goulet.
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Is 5 ft 4 in height and about 143 Ib who competes in the Lightweight class (which the weight limit is 155 ib in K-1 HERO's and DREAM) and usually won during his time in those promotions.
* RedBaron: "Kid".
* WrestlingFamily: A freestyle wrestling family, his father Ikuei Yamamoto representing Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich and his sisters Miyu and Seiko both won world championships in freestyle wrestling.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Debuted in The Treasure Hunt Year (2002)]]
[[quoteright:260:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_4254.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:250:Not All Treasure Is Silver And Gold]]
[[/folder]]
