Gilbert Nakatani

California native Gilbert Nakatani knows what it takes to thrive in a sport like MMA. After all, by the time he was only 3 years old, he was being raised by his grandmother and extended family after his mother passed away and his father left the scene.

But Nakatani’s circumstances never defined his outcome.

Due to his natural athleticism, early on he took to sports such as football and baseball. It wasn’t until he arrived at high school, though, when he found a true passion for wrestling. Nakatani began to train in the art diligently, eventually making it onto the high school team and competing in prestigious state tournaments.

However, after he graduated high school, things began to fall apart for Nakatani. Without wrestling to provide him with a foundation, he found himself unstable, and he began to get into trouble.

Before he took a turn for the worst, though, Nakatani’s friend introduced him to Aragon Training Academy and he returned to the mats. He began training and eventually competing in MMA under head coach Josh Aragon, and together, the two re-invented Nakatani into a mixed martial arts monster.

He racked up an 8-1 professional record on the local scene before catching the attention of ONE Championship in 2024.

Now part of the organization’s deep flyweight division, Nakatani is taking on all comers as he aims for the ONE Flyweight MMA World Title.