Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama

Besides being one of the most popular mixed martial artists in Japan and Korea, K-1 HERO’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion Yoshihiro Akiyama is also an accomplished judoka, having won gold in judo at both the Asian Games and Asian Championships. In addition to his success in competition, he is also a reality television star in Korea.

Akiyama first began training in judo at the age of three, and would go on to add karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and submission grappling to his repertoire as part of a rewarding professional career in the cage. He made his mixed martial arts debut in 2004 under the K-1 banner, and made an immediate impact with an armbar submission.

This run of success would continue in Japan, where he won the K-1 HERO’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament on the way to an incredible 12-1 record before taking his talents to North America. After competing for several years in the Western Hemisphere, “Sexyama” now finds himself competing in Asia once again, where he will test his skills against the world’s best martial artists on the global stage of ONE Championship.