Shinya Aoki
 |
Name | Shinya Aoki |
| Nickname | Tobikan Judan | |
| Association | Paraestra Tokyo / Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu / Nippon Top Team | |
| Weight Class | Lightweight (155 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 11" (181cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo | |
| Birth Date | May 9, 1983 | |
| Fighting Out Of | N/A | |
| Country | Japan | |
| Shinya Aoki Pictures | Official Website |
Shinya "Tobikan Judan" Aoki is a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police officer. Aoki is the current World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) Lightweight Champion and Shooto Middleweight Champion. Aoki holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt in Judo. He works as an instructor at Paraestra Kasai, but represents the Paraestra Tokyo head-school when competing. He is best known for his excellent flexibility, often taking opponents by surprise and earning him the nickname "Tobikan Judan," meaning "master of flying submissions." As of 2008, Aoki, along with DEEP champion Masakazu Imanari, and Sengoku champion Satoru Kitaoka have founded the "Nippon Top Team" as a group of elite Japanese grapplers competing in MMA. As well as his MMA credentials, Aoki has garnered several submission grappling accolades including two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu championship, a Budo Open championship, and an ADCC Japan championship.
He is the current DREAM Lightweight Champion.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 32 - 6 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) (1 NC) |
| Wins | 1 (T)KOs 21 Submissions 8 Decisions 2 Other |
| Losses | 4 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 2 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Antonio McKee | Submission (Punch) | DREAM.18: Special NYE 2012 | 12/31/2012 | 2 | 0:24 | Non-title |
| Win | Arnaud Lepont | Submission (Triangle Choke) | One FC 6: Rise of Kings | 10/6/2012 | 1 | 1:25 | |
| Loss | Eddie Alvarez | TKO (Punches) | BFC: Bellator Fighting Championships 66 | 4/20/2012 | 1 | 2:14 | |
| Win | Satoru Kitaoka | Decision (Unanimous) | Dream: Fight For Japan! New Year! 2011 | 12/31/2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Defended DREAM Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Rob McCullough | Submission (Neck Crank) | DREAM.17 | 9/24/2011 | 1 | 4:57 | Non-title bout |
| Win | Rich Clementi | Submission (Face Lock) | DREAM: Fight for Japan | 5/29/2011 | 2 | 2:17 | Non-title bout |
| Win | Lyle Beerbohm | Submission (Neck Crank) | Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley | 4/09/2011 | 1 | 1:33 | |
| Win | Yokthai Sithoar | Submission (Keylock) | Deep: 50 Impact | 10/24/2010 | 1 | 1:00 | |
| Win | Marcus Aurelio | Decision (Unanimous) | DREAM.16 | 9/24/2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Non-title bout |
| Win | Tatsuya Kawajiri | Submission (Achilles Lock) | DREAM 15 | 7/10/2010 | 1 | 1:53 | Defended DREAM Lightweight Championship |
| Loss | Gilbert Melendez | Decision (Unanimous) | Strikeforce: Nashville | 4/17/2010 | 5 | 5:00 | For Strikeforce Lightweight Championship; United States debut |
| Win | Mizuto Hirota | Submission (Hammerlock) | FieLDS Dynamite!! 2009 | 12/31/2009 | 1 | 1:17 | At the time of the bout, Hirota was Sengoku's Lightweight Champion; Broke Hirota's arm |
| Win | Joachim Hansen | Submission (Armbar) | DREAM 11: Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round | 10/06/2009 | 2 | 4:56 | Won DREAM Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Vitor Ribeiro | Decision (Unanimous) | DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round | 7/20/2009 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Hayato Sakurai | TKO (Knees and Punches) | DREAM 8: Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Opening Round | 4/5/2009 | 1 | 0:27 | DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round |
| Win | David Gardner | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | DREAM 7: Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Opening Round | 3/08/2009 | 1 | 5:58 | |
| Win | Eddie Alvarez | Submission (Heel Hook) | K-1: Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2008 | 12/31/2008 | 1 | 1:32 | Won vacant WAMMA Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Todd Moore | Submission (Neck Crank) | DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final | 9/23/2008 | 1 | 1:10 | |
| Loss | Joachim Hansen | TKO (Punches) | DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final | 7/21/2008 | 1 | 4:19 | Dream 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix Final for DREAM Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Caol Uno | Decision (Unanimous) | DREAM 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final | 7/21/2008 | 2 | 5:00 | Dream 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals |
| Win | Katsuhiko Nagata | Submission (Gogoplata) | DREAM 4: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Quarterfinals | 6/15/2008 | 1 | 5:12 | Dream 2009 Lightweight Grand Prix Ouarter-Finals |
| Win | Gesias Cavalcante | Decision (Unanimous) | DREAM 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round | 4/29/2008 | 2 | 5:00 | Rematch |
| NC | Gesias Cavalcante | No Contest (Aoki Injured by Illegal Elbows) | DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Opening Round | 3/15/2008 | 1 | 3:46 | Dream 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round |
| Win | Bu Kyung Jung | Decision (Unanimous) | Yarennoka: New Years Eve 2007 | 12/31/2007 | 2 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Brian Lo-A-Njoe | Submission (Armbar) | PRIDE 34: Kamikaze | 4/08/2007 | 1 | 1:33 | |
| Win | Akira Kikuchi | Decision (Split) | Shooto: Back to our Roots 1 | 2/17/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Defended Shooto Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Joachim Hansen | Submission (Gogoplata) | PRIDE: Shockwave 2006 | 12/31/2006 | 1 | 2:24 | |
| Win | Clay French | Submission (Flying Triangle Choke) | PRIDE Bushido 13 | 11/05/2006 | 1 | 3:57 | |
| Win | George Sotiropoulos | DQ (Groin Strike) | Shooto: Champion Carnival | 10/14/2006 | 2 | 0:05 | |
| Win | Jason Black | Submission (Triangle Choke) | PRIDE Bushido 12 | 8/26/2006 | 1 | 1:58 | |
| Win | Akira Kikuchi | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: The Victory of the Truth | 2/17/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Shooto Middleweight Championship |
| Win | Kuniyoshi Hironaka | TKO (Cut) | Shooto 2005: 11/6 in Korakuen Hall | 11/06/2005 | 1 | 2:10 | |
| Loss | Hayato Sakurai | Decision (Unanimous) | Shooto: Alive Road | 8/20/2005 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Shigetoshi Iwase | DQ (Low Blow) | Shooto 2005: 7/30 in Korakuen Hall | 7/30/2005 | 1 | 0:35 | |
| Win | Keith Wisniewski | Submission (Standing Armlock) | Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall | 1/29/2005 | 1 | 2:22 | |
| Loss | Jutaro Nakao | KO (Punch) | DEEP: 16th Impact | 10/30/2004 | 1 | 4:29 | |
| Win | Seichi Ikemoto | Submission (Armbar) | DEEP: 15th Impact | 7/03/2004 | 2 | 0:52 | |
| Win | Yasutoshi Ryu | Submission (Armbar) | DEEP: clubDEEP West Chofu | 11/24/2003 | 1 | 0:51 | |
| Win | Dai Okimura | Submission (Armbar) | DEEP: clubDEEP West Chofu | 11/24/2003 | 1 | 3:14 | |
Mixed Martial Arts Career
In August 2006, Aoki made his PRIDE Fighting Championships debut at Pride Bushido 12, submitting American Jason Black in under two minutes with a triangle choke. Following that win, Aoki was booked to face rising lightweight star Gilbert Melendez at the following Bushido card, Bushido 13. However, prior to the fight Melendez received an elbow injury (a burst bursa sac) in training and was forced to pull out of the fight. Aoki's opponent was changed to Clay French. Aoki submitted French in just under four minutes with a triangle choke. Afterwards, Melendez was shown in the crowd with a sling, and announced he would like to face Aoki at Pride Shockwave 2006 on New Year's Eve. Aoki agreed.
For unknown reasons, the proposed fight with Melendez did not take place. Instead, Aoki faced highly ranked lightweight fighter Joachim Hansen. Aoki submitted Hansen with a gogoplata — considered the first successful gogoplata in MMA competition.
After his win over Hansen, Aoki was set to rematch Kikuchi in Shooto, with Aoki's Shooto middleweight title (previously won from Kikuchi) on the line. Aoki successfully defended his title against Kikuchi, winning via split decision.
Following his victory, Aoki announced that he was to be the Shooto representative in the forthcoming Pride Lightweight Grand Prix tournament. Aoki's next fight was at Pride 34, where he faced little known Dutch fighter Brian Lo-A-Njoe. At the event Aoki submitted Lo-A-Njoe in the first round with an armbar. Following the fight, Aoki once again confirmed his participation in the Lightweight Grand Prix. With the purchase of Pride by the majority owners of Zuffa LLC, the Pride Lightweight Grand Prix was cancelled.
On November 21, 2007, Aoki's participation on the New Year's Eve MMA card Yarennoka! was announced. Originally, his opponent was to be two-time K-1 Hero's Middleweight Grand Prix champion Gesias Calvancante. Rumors that Calvancante was injured surfaced only two weeks before the bout, though Calvancante denied them before eventually admitted the injury and withdrawing from the fight. Aoki defeated Korean Olympic Judo silver medalist Jung Bu-Kyung, Calvancante's replacement, via unanimous decision in what was Jung Bu-Kyung's mixed martial arts debut. Aoki had promised to use a never before seen submission in the match but was unable to finish the debut fighter.
DREAM Career
Aoki finally faced Calvancante on March 15, 2008 at the opening round of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix tournament. Early in the first round, the referee stopped the action when Calvancante apparently landed illegal elbow strikes to the back of Aoki's neck. The ringside doctor announced that Aoki was unable to continue due to the injury and Calvancante apologized for the incident. The fight resulted in a no contest. Elbow strikes to the neck and spine area are illegal under Dream rules. Aoki was later found to have sustained concussion of the cervical vertebra.
They had their rematch at Dream 2 on April 29, 2008. In that match, Aoki defeated Calvancante via unanimous decision, and shocked the Mixed Martial Arts and Jiu-Jitsu world with his use of the De La Riva guard to deliver multiple heel kicks to Calvancate's Head. He sustained a severely bruised rib and tore cartilage in his costal area during the match. At Dream 4, Aoki defeated Katsuhiko Nagata via a mounted gogoplata (possibly the first ever in professional competition) submission to advance to the semi-finals of the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix. At Dream 5, Aoki defeated Caol Uno by unanimous decision. Later that night, Eddie Alvarez was set to fight Aoki, but had to bow out due to injury from his previous match that evening. Joachim Hansen took his place and defeated Aoki by TKO (punches) at 4:19 round 1 to become the first Dream Lightweight Champion.
At Dynamite!! 2008 on New Years Eve, Aoki finally squared off against American Eddie Alvarez. Aoki started quickly, securing Alvarez's back after catching a kick, before being thrown to the canvas by the stronger American. In a scramble, Aoki latched onto the foot of Alvarez and applied a heel hook. Alvarez fought the hold, but tapped out shortly after Aoki adjusted his grip. Alvarez also suffered ligament damage in his knee and may miss his next fight. With the win, Aoki is now ranked as the number-one or number-two lightweight fighter in the world, arguably only behind BJ Penn. With his victory over Alvarez, Aoki became the very first WAMMA Undisputed World Lightweight Champion.
Dream has signed Aoki to compete in two events. First, Aoki defeated David Gardner at the March 8, 2009 featherweight-grand-prix card at Dream 7 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Aoki, who is still recognized by Shooto as its middleweight (168 pounds (76 kg)) champion, also moved back to that weight to fight in Dream's welterweight grand prix at Dream 8 in 2009. His first match in the tournament was a rematch with Hayato Sakurai. Aoki lost the fight in twenty-seven seconds via TKO due to punches and knees following an Aoki takedown. As a result of the match, Aoki did not advance in the DREAM 2009 Welterweight Grand Prix.
Aoki met WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko during a five-minute "special exhibition" at an April 29 M-1 Challenge (presented by Affliction) event in Tokyo. Emelianenko made Aoki tap out from a Achilles Lock just before the bell sounded to end the exhibition.
Aoki next fought at DREAM 10: Welterweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round on July 20, 2009 against Brazilian Vitor Ribeiro, defeating him via unanimous decision. He earned himself a title shot against then-current DREAM Lightweight Champion Joachim Hansen on October 6, 2009 at DREAM 11: Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round. With only four-seconds left in the fight, Aoki capitalized on one small mistake made by Hansen, submitting him with an armbar. The win made Aoki the new DREAM Lightweight Champion, as well as the first Japanese Champion in DREAM.
He returned to action on December 31, 2009 at FieLDS Dynamite!! 2009, where he faced off against Sengoku's newly crowned Lightweight Champion, Mizuto Hirota. The bout pitted the current DREAM Lightweight Champion against the current Sengoku Lightweight title holder. Aoki wasted little time getting the fight to the mat. Once there, Aoki swarmed on the attack and immediately worked Hirota into a compromising position. With Hirota's arm wrenched behind his back, Aoki torqued the limb and shoulder while securing mount. Unable to force a submission, Aoki turned Hirota to his back and continued to work the isolated appendage. With a Hammerlock in place, and the weight of his body against Hirota's single arm, Aoki cranked the hold until the arm snapped. The match was immediately halted, though it was far too late to save the arm. Aoki stood up, and in a show of poor sportsmanship stuck a middle finger in the face of his injured opponent, at his opponents corner, and the entire crowd in attendance.
- "After my fight, I was excited," Aoki tried to explain, "and so I did something rude that I should apologize for. But that showed just how excited I was over that fight."
- "When I had his arm behind his back, I could feel it popping," said Aoki, referring to cracking Hirota's humerus. "I thought, 'Well, this guy's pride just won't let him tap, will it?' So without hesitation, I broke it. I heard it break, and I thought, 'Ah, there, I just broke it.' I was stopped afterward, but even if I hadn't been, continuing to break it more would have been fine by me."
Aoki was also called out by Tatsuya Kawajiri, after Kawajiri's Decision (Unanimous) win over Kazunori Yokota at the New Year's Eve event, and Aoki responded by saying he would accept the challenge and awaited the fight.
His next fight would end up being his US-debut at Strikeforce: Nashville, where he faced off against Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez for the title. Aoki ended up being no match what-so-ever for Melendez, who dictated the fight in all aspects, earning the Decision (Unanimous), earning 50-45 on all scorecards.
It was learned after the bout that Aoki had joined the Cesar Gracie fight team, training alongside the likes of Jake Shields, Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, and of course, Gilbert Melendez.
Aoki would next return at DREAM 15 on July 10, 2010, where he defended his Lightweight title against Tatsuya Kawajiri, who since losing to Eddie Alvarez back in 2008 had strung together four decisive victories. Aoki latched onto a leg early and refused to let go. Kawajiri tried desperately to kick free, but Aoki had the limb in full control. Aoki rolled to his side and torqued an Achilles Lock on the appendage, and Kawajiri finally tapped after apparently damaging the leg, at 1:53 of the first round. After successfully defending his title, he said that he wanted a re-match with Gilbert Melendez.
He returned to action at DREAM 16 on September 24, 2010, where he fought Marcus Aurelio in a non-title fight. While the flow of the bout did now always remain action-packed, Aoki controlled both the pace and positioning throughout. Aurelio's best moments came in the closing of the first round when Aoki slipped out of a pair of submission attempts, but when he settled back into top position, it appeared he had the result secure. In the second, Aoki added a nice punching flurry to the mix, and Aurelio's face showed the wear. It was ultimately an easy choice for the three judges, who awarded Aoki a well-deserved Decision (Unanimous) win.
Championships and Accomplishments
- Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Black Belt in Judo
- Shooto Middleweight Champion (2006-2010)
- DREAM 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix Finalist (2008)
- WAMMA Lightweight Champion (2008)
- DREAM Lightweight Champion (2009)
- Defeated then-Sengoku Lightweight Champion Mizuto Hirota in Champion vs. Champion bout (2009)
Grappling Credentials
- ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships
- ADCC 2005 66-76kg: Quarter finals. Absolute: First round exit.
- ADCC Japan 66-76kg: 1st place
- Record of opponents:
- Won: Marcos Avellan (pts)
- Lost: Marcelo Garcia (Rear Naked Choke), Roger Gracie (Toe Hold)
- Misc. Rickson Gracie Invitational: 1st place Campeonato Japones 2004, brown belt 1st place Campeonato Japones 2005, black belt 1st place GI Grappling 05, 1st place Top five collegiate Judoka.
