5 best Japanese fighters in UFC history

This weekend's UFC Fight Night event will see Japan's Tatsuro Taira look to claim a flyweight title shot. The promotion has never had a Japanese champion before, but Taira will hope to be the first.

While Japan has never had a UFC champion, plenty of big-name Japanese stars have competed in the octagon, with some having more success than others. Legendary names like Tatsuya Kawajiri and 'Kid' Yamamoto didn't do too well in the promotion, but some others definitely shone at times.

With that in mind, here are the five best Japanese fighters in UFC history.

---

#5. Takanori Gomi - former UFC lightweight contender

Probably the biggest reason that the UFC has never had a Japanese titleholder is the fact that many of Japan's top fighters have tended to stay at home rather than head stateside.

That was certainly the case two decades ago, when a huge number of the world's top fighters competed in Japan's PRIDE ring. One such fighter was Takanori Gomi.

A dominant run in PRIDE from 2004 to 2007 saw him beat up the likes of Jens Pulver and Tatsuya Kawaijri. At that stage, 'The Fireball Kid' was widely recognized as the world's best 155-pounder.

Gomi did eventually make his way to the UFC, but by that stage, his prime had largely passed him by. Like Kawajiri, 'Kid' Yamamoto and Yoshihiro Akiyama, the octagon never saw the best of 'The Fireball Kid'.

Despite that, Gomi did produce some memorable displays. He faceplanted Tyson Griffin in his second octagon bout, showing a glimpse of the fighter who'd terorrised PRIDE, and also beat the highly regarded Mac Danzig. With different judges, he might've been given a win over Diego Sanchez, too.

Gomi eventually outstayed his welcome, ending his octagon run with five successive losses. However, primarily for his earlier accomplishments, he has a spot on this list.

---

#4. Kazushi Sakuraba - former UFC tournament winner

The UFC might not have seen a Japanese champion yet, but back in 1997, Japan did produce a UFC tournament winner. That fighter would go onto far better things later in his career.

His name? Kazushi Sakuraba.

Widely known as a pro-wrestler, Sakuraba entered the 'Ultimate Japan Heavyweight Tournament' with just one MMA bout to his name. His octagon debut, though, ended in controversy.

Shooting for a takedown against opponent 'Conan' Silveira, Sakuraba looked for a second like he'd gone down face-first, causing referee John McCarthy to step in.

By the point that it became clear Sakuraba wasn't knocked out, the fight had already been stopped, causing the Japanese star incredible frustration.

Thankfully, justice prevailed. Tank Abbott, who'd won the other tournament semi-final, was injured, and with McCarthy declaring Sakuraba's fight with Silveira a no contest, the matchmakers decided to book a rematch in the finals.

Sakuraba duly won with a slick armbar, becoming the first and only Japanese UFC tournament winner in the process.

Unfortunately, that was the last that the octagon ever saw of Sakuraba. He headed to PRIDE where he quickly became the promotion's poster-boy, beating four members of the Gracie family to become a true superstar.

While there were rumors of an octagon return over the years, Sakuraba never did return stateside, instead spending his legendary career fighting the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop.

Still, despite the octagon never seeing the best of him, Sakuraba was still inducted into the promotion's Hall of Fame in 2017, primarily for his PRIDE accomplishments. That alone earns him a spot on this list.

---

#3. Tatsuro Taira - UFC flyweight contender

While Tatsuro Taira still represents untapped potential more than anything else, the fact that he's climbed into title contention is still a huge achievement. With a win over Brandon Royval this weekend, Taira could challenge for the flyweight title in 2025.

Still just 24 years old, Taira's MMA career started in one of Japan's oldest promotions, Shooto, when he was a teenager.

Fighting at 125 and 135 pounds, Taira climbed the ladder rapidly, but it was his eighth career win, over DREAM and WEC veteran Yoshiro Maeda, that really put him on the map. The youngster needed just over a minute to tap Maeda with a rear-naked choke.

Just over a year later, he made his UFC debut, beating Carlos Candelario via decision. Since then, he has defeated a further five foes, finishing four of them.

Most recently, Taira dispatched former title challenger Alex Perez, injuring his knee in a takedown to secure a second round TKO win.

With dangerous abilities both standing and on the ground and an impressive 16-0 record, Taira is arguably the hottest fighter in the flyweight division right now. If anyone can become the UFC's first Japanese champion in the near future, it could be him.

---

#2. Yushin Okami - former UFC middleweight title challenger

While he fell at the final hurdle before he could claim a UFC title, there haven't been many more successful Japanese fighters in the octagon than Yushin Okami.

'Thunder' debuted in the promotion in 2006, and remained a staple of the middleweight division right until his release in 2013, although he did make a brief return in 2017.

In his first few years with the promotion, Okami's brand of solid striking, physical strength and excellent top game made him a nightmare for a number of the top 185-pounders in the world.

He defeated the likes of Mike Swick, Evan Tanner, and Mark Munoz, and then beat Nate Marquardt in late 2010 to claim a title shot.

Of course, that shot famously did not go his way, as he became another victim of Anderson Silva's highlight reel, losing via TKO in the second round.

Following that loss, 'Thunder' never quite recaptured the magic. He suffered a major upset loss to Tim Boetsch in his comeback fight, and while he did rebound to win three in a row afterwards, a knockout loss to Jacare Souza saw him lose his spot on the roster.

At his peak, though, Okami was a truly fantastic fighter with very few, if any weaknesses. It's easy to imagine a world without Anderson Silva in which he could well have claimed the 185-pound title at some point.

With that in mind, 'Thunder' should definitely be regarded as one of the UFC's best-ever Japanese fighters.

---

#1. Kyoji Horiguchi - former UFC flyweight title challenger

While many of the top Japanese fighters to step into the UFC came there after their prime had ended, Kyoji Horiguchi was basically the opposite. He departed the promotion far too early, even if he found success there.

'The Typhoon' debuted in the octagon back in 2013 at the age of just 23 and was seen at the time as a hot prospect coming out of the legendary 'Kid' Yamamoto's gym.

It didn't take him long to make a major impact. After knocking out Dustin Pague in his debut, he reeled off a further three wins to become the top contender to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson's title.

However, Horiguchi was not quite ready to take on 'Mighty Mouse' and was largely dominated by him en route to a fifth-round submission loss.

'The Typhoon' bounced back with three straight wins, though, and appeared to be back on his way into contention before he abruptly departed in 2017 at the end of his contract.

Quite why Dana White and company didn't attempt to keep him remains a mystery, but it should probably be considered a mistake.

Horiguchi headed over to Japan's RIZIN promotion, where he went on a dominant run that ended with him claiming their bantamweight title. He later claimed the Bellator bantamweight crown too, becoming a rare cross-promotional titleholder.

Since leaving the UFC, 'The Typhoon' has beaten the likes of Manel Kape, Sergio Pettis and Darrion Caldwell. Currently sporting a record of 33-5, Horiguchi remains one of the best fighters outside the world's top promotion.

Had he remained with them in 2017, he could well have gone onto become the first Japanese champion. Given that he only ever lost one fight - to an all-time great - in the octagon, he stands as the UFC's best Japanese fighter.