Hideki “Shrek” Sekine

Status: Former ONE Athlete

Seven-time BJJ Champion Hideki Sekine was born in Hamamatsu, Japan, a city known for its large Brazilian population. When he was 6 years old, he began training in judo after being the victim of bullying, and fell in love with the art, continuing his training all the way through college at Yamanashi Gakuin University.

After college, he dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler, but his family vehemently opposed his desired career path. Sekine joined the Hamamatsu police force instead, and driven by a desire to learn more about the prevalent culture in the town he policed, took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2008.

Intrigued at testing his skills in the cage, Sekine received special permission from the police force to compete professionally, compiling a perfect 7-0 record in his native Japan, with six of those wins coming by way of stoppage. Upon receiving a shot at ONE Heavyweight World Champion Brandon Vera’s title, Sekine immediately resigned from his job to train full-time, and realize his dreams of becoming a world champion, a quest he is still endlessly pursuing today.