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Akihiro Gono - FightWiki

Akihiro Gono

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AkihiroGono.jpg NameAkihiro Gono
NicknameThe Japanese Sensation
AssociationN/A
Weight ClassWelterweight (170 lbs.) / Lightweight (155 lbs.)
Height5' 9" (175 cm)
StyleKickboxing
Birth DateOctober 7, 1974
Fighting Out OfNakano, Tokyo, Japan
CountryJapan
Akihiro Gono PicturesOfficial Website


Akihiro "The Japanese Sensation" Gono is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights as a Lightweight, though he previously fought much of his career as a Welterweight. He is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. His fighting style is characterized by skillfully avoiding strikes, using fast counter punches and generally getting the opponent to fight his way. He fought for the UFC, but was released after his second loss in a row. After being dropped from the UFC, Gono signed with Sengoku, returning to Japan.


Contents

Professional Record

Record32 - 18 - 7 (Win – Loss – Draw)
Wins7 (T)KOs
8 Submissions
16 Decisions
1 Other
Losses5 (T)KOs
4 Submissions
9 Decisions


Result Opponent Method Event Title Date Round Time Notes
Loss Michael Chandler TKO (Punches) BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 67 5/4/2012 1 0:56 Non-title Bout
Loss Daisuke Nakamura Decision (Unanimous) Deep: 57 Impact 2/18/2012 3 5:00
Loss Jadamba Narantungalag Decision (Unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championship 14 8/22/2010 3 5:00 Lightweight debut
Win Diego Gonzalez Decision (Unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 3/07/2010 3 5:00
Win Hayato Sakurai Submission (Armbar) FieLDS Dynamite!! 2009 12/31/2009 2 3:56
Win Yoon Young Kim Decision (Unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11 11/07/2009 3 5:00
Loss Dan Hornbuckle KO (Head Kick) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 8/02/2009 3 2:50
Loss Jon Fitch Decision (Unanimous) UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2 1/31/2009 3 5:00 After his second loss, Gono was released from the UFC
Loss Dan Hardy Decision (Split) UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben 10/18/2008 3 5:00
Win Tamdan McCrory Submission (Armbar) UFC 78: Validation 11/17/2007 2 3:19 UFC debut; Won Submission of the Night Honors
Win Yuki Kondo Decision (Split) PRIDE Shockwave 2006 12/31/2006 2 5:00
Loss Denis Kang Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 13 11/05/2006 2 5:00 PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinals
Win Gegard Mousasi Submission (Armbar) PRIDE Bushido 12 8/26/2006 2 4:24 PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Win Hector Lombard Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 11 6/04/2006 2 5:00 PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round
Win Dae Won Kim Submission (Armbar) PRIDE Bushido 10 4/02/2006 1 9:00
Loss Dan Henderson KO (Punch) PRIDE Bushido 9 9/25/2005 1 7:58
Win Daniel Acacio Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 9 9/25/2005 2 5:00
Win Crosley Gracie Decision (Unanimous) PRIDE Bushido 7 5/22/2005 2 5:00
Win Tim McKenzie TKO (Punches) Pancrase: Brave 10 11/07/2004 2 2:53
Win Tsuyoshi Kurihara KO (Punch) Pancrase: Brave 6 6/22/2004 1 2:15
Loss Mauricio Rua TKO (Soccer Kicks) PRIDE Bushido 2 2/15/2004 1 9:04
Win Nilson de Castro Decision (Unanimous) Pancrase: Hybrid 10 11/30/2003 3 5:00
Win Daisuke Watanabe KO (Punch) Pancrase: Hybrid 9 10/31/2003 2 3:49
Win Nilson de Castro DQ (Groin Strike) Pancrase: 10th Anniversary Show 8/31/2003 1 0:29
Win Flavio Luiz Moura Decision (Majority) Pancrase: Hybrid 5 5/18/2003 2 5:00
Win Chris Haseman Decision (Majority) ZST: The Battle Field 2 3/09/2003 2 5:00
Draw Chael Sonnen Draw Pancrase: Hybrid 2 2/16/2003 2 5:00
Win Keiichiro Yamamiya TKO (Punches) Pancrase: Spirit 9 12/21/2002 3 3:49
Draw Osami Shibuya Draw Pancrase: Spirit 6 8/25/2002 3 5:00
Win Kousei Kubota Decision (Unanimous) Pancrase: Spirit 4 5/11/2002 3 5:00
Loss Yuki Kondo TKO (Corner Stoppage) Pancrase: Proof 7 12/01/2001 3 0:52
Win Keiichiro Yamamiya Decision (Unanimous) Pancrase: Proof 6 10/30/2001 3 5:00
Draw Dustin Denes Draw DEEP: 2nd Impact 8/18/2001 3 5:00
Win Daisuke Watanabe TKO (Doctor Stoppage) Pancrase: Proof 4 6/26/2001 2 0:52
Draw Murilo Rua Draw Shooto: To the Top 4 5/01/2001 3 5:00
Win Ivan Salaverry KO (Spinning Back Kick) Shooto: To the Top 1 1/19/2001 1 3:06
Win Masanori Suda Decision (Unanimous) Shooto: R.E.A.D. 12 11/12/2000 3 5:00
Win Andy Wang Decision (Unanimous) Shooto: R.E.A.D. 5 5/22/2000 3 5:00
Draw Larry Papadopoulos Draw Shooto: R.E.A.D. 1 1/14/2000 3 5:00
Loss Lance Gibson Decision (Majority) SB 13: SuperBrawl 13 9/07/1999 3 5:00
Loss Matt Hughes Decision (Unanimous) Shooto: 10th Anniversary Event 5/29/1999 3 5:00
Draw Marcos da Silva Draw Shooto: Devilock Fighters 1/15/1999 3 5:00
Win Adriano de Souza Submission (Armbar) Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 6 11/27/1998 1 2:46
Win Matt Rocca Submission (Armbar) Shooto: Shoot the Shooto XX 4/26/1998 1 3:12
Loss Larry Papadopoulos Decision (Split) Shooto: Reconquista 4 10/12/1997 3 5:00
Draw Jutaro Nakao Draw Shooto: GIG 6/25/1997 3 5:00
Win Tsunemichi Nagano Decision (Unanimous) Daidojuku: WARS 4 3/11/1997 5 3:00
Win Masato Fujiwara Decision (Unanimous) Shooto: Reconquista 1 1/18/1997 4 3:00
Loss Kazuhiro Kusayanagi Submission (Armbar) Shooto: Let's Get Lost 10/04/1996 4 2:52
Win Masanori Suda Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Shooto: Free Fight Kawasaki 7/28/1996 4 0:33
Loss Todd Bjornethun Submission (Armbar) Shooto: Vale Tudo Junction 3 5/07/1996 3 1:12
Loss Kazunari Murakami Decision Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '96 3/30/1996 2 3:00
Win Yasushi Warita Submission (Achilles Lock) Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '96 3/30/1996 1 0:54
Win Tatsuharu Doi Decision (Majority) Daidojuku: WARS 3 2/17/1996 2 3:00
Loss Egan Inoue Submission (Armbar) Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '95 10/13/1995 1 1:33
Win Kazunari Murakami KO (Kick) Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '95 10/13/1995 1 2:25
Loss Yasunori Okuda Submission (Toe Hold) Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '94 4/23/1994 1 1:51

Biography

Akihiro Gono began fighting mixed martial arts in 1994, beginning with the Lumax Cup: Tournament of Japan '94. He would go on to fight in the Shooto organization, as well as Pancrase. He began fighting in PRIDE Bushido with Bushido 2 in 2004.


Mixed Martial Arts Career

Gono holds wins over such fighters as Gegard Mousasi, Yuki Kondo, Ivan Salaverry, Crosley Gracie, Daniel Acacio, and Dae Won Kim. He has also fought many tough opponents, with losses to such fighters as Mauricio Rua, Dan Henderson, Matt Hughes, and Yuki Kondo.

Gono began making his ring entrances in Pride FC more elaborate in 2006 with the creation of a character, DJ Gozma (a parody of Japanese musician DJ OZMA). The entrances have involved Gono wearing a vintage suit, including shoes, an orange wig, and accompanied by oddly dressed male dancers while the song age♂age♂EVERY☆Night by DJ OZMA plays in the background. Also, when the fighters are introduced in the ring, Gono drops his suit's pants to reveal zebra stripped fighting briefs.


UFC Career

Gono defeated Tamdan McCrory at UFC 78, by verbal submission due to an Armbar at 3:19 of the second round. It was reported (first by Dave Meltzer) that he came out to his usual entrance with his DJ GOZMA persona. He also won the Submission of the Night Honors.

Gono then took on Dan Hardy at UFC 89, but suffered defeat via Split Decision. Gono was left swollen and bloody by several of Hardy's left hooks. Gono rocked Hardy on more than one occasion. In the third round Gono pushed Hardy to the canvas, and while there landed an illegal knee to the face of the downed fighter. Causing the fight to be stopped for a lengthy period. Hardy recovered and went on to win the split decision. The judges saw the bout 29-28 (twice) for Hardy, and 29-28 for Gono.

Gono then lost to Jon Fitch in a preliminary bout at UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn 2.

At the end of March 2009, Gono was released from his contract with the UFC. It came to light that after he was released, he began talks with Sengoku.


Sengoku Career

Returning back to Japan, Gono signed with Sengoku, and made his debut at Sengoku: Ninth Battle on August 2, 2009. Gono fought Dan Hornbuckle, who defeated him with a vicious head kick at 2:50 of the third round.

Hoping to finally get back on the winning track, Gono faced Yoon Young Kim on November 7, 2009 at Sengoku: Eleventh Battle, finally picking up a win, earning a unanimous decision.

Gono returned to action on December 31, 2009 at FieLDS Dynamite!! 2009 where he faced off against Japanese legend Hayato Sakurai. He shocked the crowd with not only an impressive entrance, but with and impressive fight, catching Sakurai in an Armbar in the second round.

In Gono's next outing with Sengoku he faced Swedish M-1 veteran Diego Gonzalez on March 6, 2010. The bout took place at Sengoku: Twelfth Battle. The action was tight throughout the three-round affair, but the hometown fighter earned the nod, wining the Decision (Unanimous).

Gono next decided to drop down to compete at Lightweight (155 lbs.). His debut took place on August 22, 2010 at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Raiden Championship 14 against little known Mongolian martial artist and K-1 veteran Jadamba Narantungalag. Narantungalag simply outworked and out-maneuvered his veteran opponent and eventually scored a unanimous-decision win with rare 30-28, 30-29 and 30-28 scores. Unable to mount much of an offense, Gono repeatedly was taken to the mat, took punishment from the clinch, saw his kicks easily checked, and then fought off submission attempts late in the fight.


Ranks and Titles

Amateur

  • 3-time champion in All-Japan Martial Arts Championship


Professional

  • Champion in Japanese National Kickboxing Championship
  • PRIDE Grand Prix 3rd place in 2005 (Welterweight)
  • PRIDE Grand Prix 3rd place in 2006 (Welterweight)
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