About Mei Yamaguchi
Status: Former ONE Athlete
DEEP Jewels World Champion Mei Yamaguchi was born in Tokyo, and she started learning karate at the age of 6 because she wanted to be like action star Jackie Chan. She went to school in Los Angeles, and grew up dividing her time between Japan and the United States. After she tragically lost her mother to illness, Yamaguchi found comfort in martial arts and threw herself into training.
After moving back to Japan, she made her professional mixed martial arts debut in 2007, and won a four-woman tournament two years later to become the Valkyrie Featherweight Champion. In 2015, Yamaguchi claimed the second championship of her veteran career by defeating three tough opponents to win the DEEP Jewels Featherweight Grand Prix and the belt. Following great success in Japan, she finally made her ONE Championship debut in May 2016 with a shot at the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship, and she went five action-packed rounds with Angela Lee.
Despite a valiant effort that was undoubtedly the toughest test of Lee’s career to date, Yamaguchi ultimately lost by unanimous decision in a bout that deservedly won several Bout of the Year awards. After taking the time to correct all the mistakes she made the first time, the veteran Japanese warrior bounced back with huge wins over top contenders Jenny Huang and Gina Iniong to earn another shot at the coveted belt, and she continues her quest for the World Title today.
ONE Championship Records
Event Results
Result | Method | Round | Method and round | Opponent | Opponent and event | Country | Date | Event | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DRAW
Technical Decision
TD
R1 (12)
|
Technical Decision
R1 (12)
|
R1 (12) |
Danielle KellyUnited States
ONE XMar 26, 2022
|
United States | Mar 26, 2022 |
ONE XMar 26, 2022
|
|||||
LOSS
Unanimous Decision
UD
R3 (5:00)
|
Unanimous Decision
R3 (5:00)
|
R3 (5:00) |
Jihin RadzuanMalaysia
Bad BloodFeb 11, 2022
|
Malaysia | Feb 11, 2022 |
Bad BloodFeb 11, 2022
|
|||||
LOSS
Unanimous Decision
UD
R3 (5:00)
|
Unanimous Decision
R3 (5:00)
|
R3 (5:00) |
Julie MezabarbaBrazil
EmpowerSep 3, 2021
|
Brazil | Sep 3, 2021 |
EmpowerSep 3, 2021
|
Mei Yamaguchi and Julie Mezabarba kicked off ONE: EMPOWER with this 💥 matchup! #ONEEmpower |
||||
LOSS
Unanimous Decision
UD
R3 (5:00)
|
Unanimous Decision
R3 (5:00)
|
R3 (5:00) |
Denice ZamboangaPhilippines
King of the JungleFeb 28, 2020
|
Philippines | Feb 28, 2020 |
King of the JungleFeb 28, 2020
|
Denice Zamboanga 🇵🇭 defeats Mei Yamaguchi 🇯🇵 |
||||
WIN
Unanimous Decision
UD
R3 (5:00)
|
Unanimous Decision
R3 (5:00)
|
R3 (5:00) |
Jenny HuangTaipei, China
CENTURY PART IIOct 13, 2019
|
Taipei, China | Oct 13, 2019 |
CENTURY PART IIOct 13, 2019
|
Mei Yamaguchi digs DEEP to edge out Jenny Huang and secure a unanimous decision victory in front of a raucous home crowd! 🇯🇵 |
||||
WIN
Submission
SUB
R1 (3:46)
|
Submission
R1 (3:46)
|
R1 (3:46) |
Laura BalinArgentina
Enter the DragonMay 17, 2019
|
Argentina | May 17, 2019 |
Enter the DragonMay 17, 2019
|
Mei Yamaguchi pulls off a slick armbar on Laura Balin in the first round, staking her claim to a ONE Atomweight World Title shot! 🇯🇵 |