Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, a former lightweight, bantamweight, and featherweight fighter, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 41.
Yamamoto had announced on Instagram on Aug. 21 that he was battling cancer. He was hospitalized and received treatment in Guam at the time of his death. He competed mostly as a lightweight and featherweight until the latter of his career where he competed mostly as a bantamweight. His MMA record is 17-1 record as the MMA star was arguably the biggest fighter to come out of Japan. Yamamoto defeated the likes of Royler Gracie, Caol Uno, and Genki Sudo, all by knockout.
Our condolences go out to Yamamoto’s family and friends.