Michinori Tanaka

Michinori Tanaka (田中 路教, Tanaka Michinori, born October 4, 1990) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the Legacy Fighting Alliance.[3] A professional mixed martial artist since 2010, Tanaka has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Michinori Tanaka
Born (1990-10-04) October 4, 1990
Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight (135 lb)
Reach67.5 in (171 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofYokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
TeamReversal Gym Yokohama Ground Slam (2009–2014)
Team Alpha Male
Rank2nd degree black belt in Judo[2]
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total16
Wins13
By submission6
By decision7
Losses3
By decision3
Notable school(s)Yokosuka Gakuin High School
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career

Shooto

Tanaka started his professional career in 2010. Until the first half of 2012, he fought only for Shooto, where he won the 2011 rookie 132-pound tournament.[4]

Pacific Xtreme Combat

Tanaka faced Crisanto Pitpitunge on May 18, 2013 at PXC 37 for the bantamweight title. He won the title via unanimous decision after five rounds.[5]

Tanaka defended his title against Kyle Aguon on October 25, 2013 at PXC 40. He defeated Aguon via unanimous decision over five rounds.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2014, it was announced that Tanaka has signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[7]

In his debut, Tanaka faced Roland Delorme on June 14, 2014 at UFC 174.[8] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Tanaka faced Kyung Ho Kang on September 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52.[9] He lost the fight via split decision. Despite the loss on the scorecards, Tanaka was awarded his first Fight of the Night bonus award.[10] Subsequently, Tanaka had his bonus award rescinded and in turn, was suspended for nine months after testing positive for banned substances during his post fight drug screening.[11]

Tanaka was briefly linked to a bout with Russell Doane on January 2, 2016 at UFC 195. However, Doane was forced from the bout with injury and replaced by Joe Soto.[12] He won the fight by split decision.[13]

Tanaka next faced Rani Yahya on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95.[14] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[15]

Tanaka faced promotional newcomer Ricardo Ramos on February 4, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 104.[16] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[17]

In May 2017, Tanaka was released from the company.

Post-UFC career

In January 2018, it was announced that Tanaka has signed a contract with the Absolute Championship Berkut.[18]

After two winning bouts in his native Japan, Tanaka signed a multi-fight contract with Legacy Fighting Alliance in April 2020.[3]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
16 matches 13 wins 3 losses
By knockout 0 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 7 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–3 Vladimir Leontyev Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 303 March 17, 2019 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 12–3 Rogerio Bontorin Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Grandslam 6 - Way of the Cage October 29, 2017 3 2:27 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 11–3 Ricardo Ramos Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. Korean Zombie February 4, 2017 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States
Loss 11–2 Rani Yahya Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg September 24, 2016 3 5:00 Brasília, Brazil
Win 11–1 Joe Soto Decision (split) UFC 195 January 2, 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–1 Kyung Ho Kang Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson September 20, 2014 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Tanaka tested positive for banned substances. Fight of the Night forfeited.
Win 10–0 Roland Delorme Decision (unanimous) UFC 174 June 14, 2014 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Win 9–0 Kyle Aguon Decision (unanimous) Pacific Xtreme Combat 40 October 25, 2013 5 5:00 Mangilao, Guam Defended the PXC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Crisanto Pitpitunge Decision (unanimous) Pacific Xtreme Combat 37 May 18, 2013 5 5:00 Pasig, Philippines Won the PXC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Caleb Vallotton Submission (triangle choke) Pacific Xtreme Combat 36 March 8, 2013 2 2:39 Mangilao, Guam
Win 6–0 Russell Doane Submission (rear-naked choke) Pacific Xtreme Combat 34 November 17, 2012 3 2:09 Quezon City, Philippines
Win 5–0 Jong Hoon Choi Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 3rd Round March 10, 2012 1 3:29 Tokyo, Japan
Win 4–0 Teruto Ishihara Decision (unanimous) Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2011 Final December 18, 2011 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Won the 2011 Shooto Rookie 132 lbs Championship.
Win 3–0 Takuya Ogura Submission (triangle choke) Shooto: Gig Tokyo 7 August 6, 2011 1 3:09 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–0 Hiroshi Roppongi Technical Submission (armbar) Shooto: Gig Saitama 3 April 10, 2011 2 1:29 Fujimi, Japan
Win 1–0 Yasutaka Hamaji Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Shooting Disco 13: Can't Stop Myself! October 16, 2010 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan

See also

References
  1. "Michinori Tanaka's profile". Tapology.com. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  2. "Michinori Tanaka – Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  3. Tristen Critchfield (April 26, 2020). "Legacy Fighting Alliance Signs UFC Veteran Michinori Tanaka". sherdog.com.
  4. Tony Loiseleur (December 18, 2011). "Shooto crowns 2011 rookie tournament champions in Tokyo". Sherdog.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  5. Anton Tabuena (May 20, 2013). "PXC 37 results and fight videos: Michinori Tanaka takes bantamweight title". Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  6. Wesley de Souza (October 26, 2013). "PXC 40 results: Michinori Tanaka retains title, Will Chope scores biggest win in his career". Thefightnation.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  7. Anton Tabuena (February 3, 2014). "UFC signs top Japanese prospect Michinori Tanaka". Bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  8. Joe Ferraro (2014-03-27). "Canadian Delorme added to UFC 174 in Vancouver". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  9. Anton Tabuena (2014-07-26). "Asian champions Michinori Tanaka and Kyung Ho Kang to face off at UFC: Japan". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2014-07-26.
  10. Staff (2014-09-20). "UFC Fight Night 52 bonuses: Hunt, Case, Kang, Tanaka win $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  11. Staff (2014-12-02). "UFC statement regarding Michinori Tanaka". ufc.com. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
  12. Staff (2015-12-01). "UFC 195 gets change-up: Russell Doane out, Joe Soto in vs. Michinori Tanaka". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  13. Ben Fowlkes (2016-01-02). "UFC 195 results: Michinori Tanaka keeps submission-happy Joe Soto from first UFC win". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-01-02.
  14. Staff (2016-08-03). "UFC's return to Brasilia starts to take shape". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  15. Ben Fowlkes (2016-09-24). "UFC Fight Night 95 results: Rani Yahya gets fourth straight with win over Michinori Tanaka". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-09-24.
  16. Guilherme Cruz (2017-01-10). "Ricardo Ramos takes on Michinori Tanaka at UFC Fight Night 104 in Houston". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-01-10.
  17. Steven Marrocco (2017-02-04). "UFC Fight Night 104 results: Ricardo Lucas Ramos chases Michinori Tanaka around for decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  18. "ACB signs top Japanese Michinori Tanaka". queel.me. January 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
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