5 Defining Moments: Goiti Yamauchi

Goiti Yamauchi made waves in Bellator MMA and embodies the spirit of a modern-day gladiator, having fostered comprehensive skills in muay thai, boxing and wrestling in his martial arts pursuits.

Holding the record for most submission wins (nine) in Bellator history, Yamauchi now faces the formidable challenge of squaring off against grappling phenom Neiman Gracie in his Professional Fighters League debut at PFL 3 this Friday in Chicago. It serves as a rematch between the grappling savants, as they met previously at Bellator 284, where Yamauchi punched out Gracie in the second round of their August 2022 encounter. The confrontation also marks Yamauchi’s first appearance since he suffered a ruptured patella tendon in a Bellator 292 loss to Michael Page on March 10, 2023.

Ahead of his second showdown with Gracie, a look at five of the moments that have defined Yamauchi during his standout career:

1. First Dip into Championship Waters

The Japanese-Brazilian fighter compiled a solid 11-1 record after turning professional in October 2010, with an impressive 10 victories sealed by submission finishes. He competed in several regional Brazilian organizations and was handed his first shot at championship gold against Jurandir Sardinha at Iron Fight Combat 3 for the company’s featherweight championship. He won the fight by decision, claimed the featherweight strap and marched ahead to the next stage of his quest.

2. Vanquishing the Indomitable

In what was his biggest test to that point in his career, Yamauchi locked horns with seasoned veteran Saul Almeida at Bellator 109, leveraging the momentum secured with a unanimous decision victory over Musa Toliver in his promotional debut. Prior to that, Almeida had competed against revered combatants like Rob Font and Calvin Kattar but had never been knocked out or vanquished via knockout loss before. That narrative would be rewritten, as Yamauchi handed Almeida the first such defeat of his career with punches inside the first round. While a botched weight cut that led the fight to be contested at a catchweight may have overshadowed the triumph, it did not halt Yamauchi’s chances of competing against Will Martinez in the promotion’s 2014 featherweight tournament quarterfinals.

Breaking the Streak

After a unanimous decision loss to Martinez in the aforementioned featherweight tournament, Yamauchi established and sustained a pattern where he secured three straight wins sprinkled between sporadic defeats. During the second cycle of this recurring pattern, Yamauchi registered two submission victories over Ryan Couture and Valeriu Mircea before taking on the then-undefeated Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 183. Piccolotti was on a nine-fight winning streak, with five victories under the Bellator banner. Yamauchi dispatched his opponent decisively and handed him his first loss via quick rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

4. Taking Out Titans

It can be safely said that Yamauchi has a penchant for taking the wind out of the sails of streaking fighters on a roll. In his clash against Christopher Gonzalez, an accomplished Greco-Roman wrestler on a six-fight winning streak, Yamauchi put his striking skills to good use. In the opening round, the pair engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, with Yamauchi applying deliberate pressure to mitigate his opponent’s movement while against the cage. There, he unloaded with a flurry of punches before dropping Gonzales with a right hand and pounding out the finish at the 3:03 mark of the first round.

5. The Battle of Grappling Giants

In the headlining bout at Bellator 284, Yamauchi headed into battle with Gracie at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. From the opening bell, Yamauchi’s game plan was clear: test Gracie’s chin and take control of grappling exchanges. In doing so, he managed to drop the Brazilian in the first round and maintained the same pressure in the subsequent stanza. He took on Gracie in the center of the cage and invited him to swing. Yamauchi launched a hard uppercut, toppled his opponent to the canvas and pounded out the finish at the 3:58 mark of the second round.