Riki Fukuda Explained

Riki Fukuda
Birth Date:January 6, 1981
Birth Place:Gifu, Japan[1]
Nationality:Japanese
Weight Lb:185
Weight Class:Heavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
Reach:73inches
Stance:Southpaw
Team:Grabaka
American Kickboxing Academy
Haleo Top Team[2]
Years Active:2004–present
Mma Kowin:12
Mma Decwin:12
Mma Koloss:3
Mma Decloss:6
Mma Nc:1
Sherdog:10229

, is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2004, he has formerly competed for the UFC, EliteXC, DEEP, DREAM, K-1 (MMA), Shooto, and Pancrase. Currently, he runs an izakaya-style restaurant in Leiden, The Netherlands.

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Fukuda was a member of the Yamanashi Gakuin University's wrestling team. At the All Japan University Championships, he placed third in 2002 and second in 2003 in his weight class. Fukuda then joined Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and made his professional wrestling debut in March 2003.

Early career

In his professional mixed martial arts debut at SuperBrawl, Fukuda surprised many by taking Joe Doerksen to decision. Over the years, he has worked for the Japanese promotions Shooto, Pancrase and K-1. In February 2007, he made his debut in the EliteXC promotion at EliteXC Destiny. He then lost a close decision to Joey Villasenor on the September 15, 2007 card.

Fukuda fought at DREAM.8 as a late replacement for Yoon Dong-Sik, where he defeated Murilo Rua by unanimous decision. At DEEP 42, Riki defeated Yuichi Nakanishi via unanimous decision to become the DEEP Middleweight Champion. Fukuda successfully defended the title against Hiromitsu Kanehara at DEEP 46. At DEEP 49, Riki successfully defended the title against Ryuta Sakurai winning the fight via TKO due to knees. During his bout with Sakurai, Fukuda was able to push the pace, causing Sakurai to fall out of the cage twice. In the first round, Fukuda successfully completed a takedown, but in the process Sakurai fell out of the ring and hit his face on the bell. In the second round, Fukuda landed a knee to the midsection which cause Sakurai to fall, but as he fell he landed on the ground outside the ring; head first. Fukuda was given the victory by TKO, when Sakurai was not able to continue from the head injury.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, it was revealed Fukuda had signed with the UFC. Fukuda made his promotional debut against TUF 11 alumni, Nick Ring on February 27, 2011, at UFC 127.[3] Fukuda lost his UFC debut by a controversial unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). All three judges gave Ring the first two rounds with Fukuda winning the final round, despite controlling all three rounds with takedowns. Despite the loss on the scorecards, UFC president Dana White felt Fukuda won the bout and stated on his Twitter account that both fighters would be paid a win bonus.[4]

Fukuda was expected to face Rafael Natal on August 6, 2011, at UFC 133.[5] However, Fukuda was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury sustained in a car accident[6] and replaced by Costas Philippou.[7]

Fukuda faced Steve Cantwell on February 26, 2012, at UFC 144.[8] Fukuda defeated Cantwell via unanimous decision.

Fukuda lost to Costas Philippou on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148 via unanimous decision.[9]

Fukuda next defeated Tom DeBlass via unanimous decision on November 10, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 6.[10]

Fukuda faced Brad Tavares on March 3, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 8 and lost via unanimous decision.[11] Fukuda was subsequently released from the organization after testing positive for banned substances during his post fight drug screening.[12] It was later revealed to be linked to over the counter cold medicine Fukuda had taken when he fell ill during his process of making weight for the bout.

Road Fighting Championship

In August 2013, Fukuda signed with South Korea based promotion ROAD FC.[13] Fukuda faced Hee Seung Kim in his debut bout at Road FC: Korea 1 on January 18, 2014.[14] He won the fight via second-round TKO.[15]

Fukuda then faced Dong Sik-Yoon at Road FC 16 on July 26, 2014.[16] He won the fight via TKO, extending his post-UFC record to 2–0.[17]

In his next fight, Fukuda faced Dool Hee Lee at Road FC 19 on November 9, 2014.[18] Fukuda controlled the first round, however, the fight was declared a no-contest in the second round, due to accidental groin shots.[19]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

|-| Loss| align=center| | Hoon Kim| TKO (punches)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 40| | align=center| 2| align=center| 2:38| Seoul, South Korea||-| Win| align=center| 24–8 (1)| Nae Chul Kim| Decision (unanimous)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 36| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Seoul, South Korea||-| Loss| align=center| 23–8 (1)| Jung Hwan Cha| KO (punches)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 28| | align=center| 2| align=center| 2:36| Seoul, South Korea| |-| Win| align=center| 23–7 (1)| Uh Jin Jeon| TKO (punches)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 24| | align=center| 1| align=center| 2:52| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 22–7 (1)| Dool Hee Lee| TKO (punches)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 22| | align=center| 2| align=center| 3:57| Seoul, South Korea||-| NC| align=center| 21–7 (1)| Dool Hee Lee| No Contest (accidental knee to groin)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 19| | align=center| 2| align=center| N/A| Seoul, South Korea||-| Win| align=center| 21–7| Dong-sik Yoon| TKO (punches)| Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 16| | align=center| 1| align=center| 3:36| Gumi, South Korea| |-| Win| align=center| 20–7| Hee Seung Kim| TKO (punches)| Road FC: Korea 1 | | align=center| 2| align=center| 2:09| Seoul, South Korea| |-| Loss| align=center| 19–7| Brad Tavares| Decision (unanimous)| | | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Saitama, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 19–6| Tom DeBlass| Decision (unanimous)| | | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Macau, SAR, China| |-| Loss| align=center| 18–6| Costas Philippou| Decision (unanimous)| UFC 148| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States| |-| Win| align=center| 18–5| Steve Cantwell| Decision (unanimous)| UFC 144| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Saitama, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 17–5| Nick Ring| Decision (unanimous)| UFC 127| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Sydney, Australia| |-| Win| align=center| 17–4| Ryuta Sakurai| TKO (knees)| DEEP: 49 Impact| | align=center| 2| align=center| 0:32| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 16–4| Hiromitsu Kanehara| Decision (unanimous)| DEEP: 46 Impact| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 15–4| Yuichi Nakanishi| Decision (unanimous)| DEEP: 42 Impact| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 14–4| Murilo Rua| Decision (unanimous)| DREAM 8| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Nagoya, Japan|Catchweight (196 lb) bout.|-| Win| align=center| 13–4| Ryuta Sakurai| TKO (punches)| DEEP: 40 Impact| | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:45| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 12–4| Jason Jones| Decision (unanimous)| Deep: 38 Impact| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 11–4| Hiroki Ozaki| Decision (unanimous)| DEEP: 37 Impact| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 10–4| Yuichi Nakanishi| Decision (unanimous)| DEEP: 35 Impact| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 10–3| Yuya Shirai| Decision (split)| DEEP: 35 Impact| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 9–3| Ryuta Sakurai| Decision (unanimous)| DEEP: 34 Impact| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 8–3| Joey Villaseñor| Decision (split)| | | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Honolulu, Hawaii, United States| |-| Win| align=center| 8–2| Hikaru Sato| TKO (punches)| Pancrase: 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals| | align=center| 1| align=center| 1:09| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 7–2| Chris Gates| TKO (submission to punches)| EliteXC Destiny| | align=center| 1| align=center| 1:18| Southaven, Mississippi, United States|Return to Middleweight.|-| Win| align=center| 6–2| Yuji Sakuragi| Decision (unanimous)| Pancrase: 2006 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan|Heavyweight debut.|-| Win| align=center| 5–2| Keitaro Maeda| TKO (punches)| GCM: D.O.G. 5| | align=center| 1| align=center| 4:40| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 4–2| Kozo Urita| KO (punch)| Pancrase: Blow 1| | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:40| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 4–1| Yuta Nakamura| TKO (punches)| Pancrase: Spiral 9| | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:57| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 3–1| Brandon Wolff| TKO (punches)| K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii| | align=center| 2| align=center| 2:49| Hawaii, United States|Middleweight debut.|-| Win| align=center| 2–1| Oleg Bazayev| KO (punches)| GCM: D.O.G. 2| | align=center| 1| align=center| 0:28| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Win| align=center| 1–1| Masaya Inoue| Decision (unanimous)| Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall| | align=center| 2| align=center| 5:00| Tokyo, Japan| |-| Loss| align=center| 0–1| Joe Doerksen| Decision (unanimous)| SuperBrawl 35| | align=center| 3| align=center| 5:00| Honolulu, Hawaii, United States|

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UFC 148 Media Notes. UFC. June 30, 2012.
  2. http://haleotopteam.com/
  3. Web site: .Nick Ring vs. Riki Fukuda Inked for UFC 127 February 27 in Australia . cagepotato.com. December 7, 2010.
  4. Web site: Dana White @ Twitter . twitter.com. February 27, 2011.
  5. News: Rafael "Sapo" Natal vs. Riki Fukuda Added to UFC 133 Card . Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . mmaweekly.com. April 14, 2011.
  6. Web site: Riki Fukuda out of UFC 133 due to car-accident injury . mmajunkie.com. June 20, 2011.
  7. Web site: Replacement Costa Philippou meets Rafael "Sapo" Natal at UFC 133. https://archive.today/20130128220532/http://mmajunkie.com/news/24063/replacement-constantinos-phillippou-meets-rafael-sapo-natal-at-ufc-133.mma. dead. January 28, 2013. MMA Junkie. June 20, 2011.
  8. News: Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda Likely for UFC 144 . Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . mmaweekly.com . 2011-11-23.
  9. Web site: UFC 148 adds middleweights Fukuda vs. Philippou. mmajunkie.com. 2012-03-21. dead. https://archive.today/20120710232040/http://mmajunkie.com/news/27927/ufc-148-adds-welterweights-maia-vs-kim-middleweights-fukuda-vs-philippou.mma. 2012-07-10.
  10. Web site: Tom DeBlass meets middleweight Riki Fukuda at UFC on FUEL TV 6. mmajunkie.com. August 22, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120824013444/http://mmajunkie.com/news/30318/tom-deblass-meets-middleweight-riki-fukuda-at-ufc-on-fuel-tv-6.mma. August 24, 2012.
  11. News: Brad Tavares vs. Riki Fukuda Confirmed for UFC on Fuel 8 . Mmaweekly.com | Ufc and Mma News, Results, Rumors, and Videos . mmaweekly.com. 13 December 2012.
  12. Web site: UFC releases Riki Fukuda following failed drug test . mmajunkie.com. March 20, 2013.
  13. Web site: Former UFC Middleweight Riki Fukuda Signs With South Korea's Road FC. mmainsider.com. August 27, 2013.
  14. Web site: Riki Fukuda vs. Kim Hee-Seung to headline inaugural 'ROAD FC – Korea' event. fightsportsasia.com. December 17, 2013.
  15. Web site: UFC Veteran Riki Fukuda Stops Hee Seung Kim in Road FC 'Korea 1' Headliner. sherdog.com. January 18, 2014.
  16. Web site: Yoon Dong-Sik to meet Riki Fukuda at ROAD FC 16 on July 26th. mma-in-asia.com. May 29, 2014.
  17. Web site: Nam Jin Jo Takes Flyweight Title, Riki Fukuda Stops Dong Sik Yoon at Road FC 16. sherdog.com. July 26, 2014.
  18. Web site: Riki Fukuda vs Lee Dool-Hee announced for ROAD FC 019. TheFightNation.com. October 1, 2014.
  19. Web site: Beyond the Octagon: UFC vets Riki Fukuda and Gilbert Smith, plus Tiger Sarnavskiy's flying knee. bloodyelbow.com. November 10, 2014.

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