Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto has passed away after a battle with cancer, at the age of 41.
Kid Norifumi was born into combat sports. His father Ikuei Yamamoto represented Japan at the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, Germany. His sisters Miyu and Seiko each earned world championships in freestyle. He went to high school in Tempe, Arizona, living with Townsend Saunders; ‘kid’ won states three years in a row, and got 3rd was a freshman.
He started MMA in 2001 and by the close of 2007 was 17-1, at one point beating Royler Gracie, Caro Uno, and Genki Sudo. Other wins during that mighty run include Josh Thomson, Jeff Curran, Bibiano Fernandes, andRani Yahya. During this period kid fought at bantamweight, featherweight, and even fought up at lightweight.
‘kid’ then took time off from MMA to focus on the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing, in an attempt to realize a lifelong goal of Olympic gold in freestyle. Unfortunately, he dislocated his elbow in a qualifying tournament, and was pinned.
Norimfumi returned to MMA but did not thereafter enjoy the same level of success, going 1-5 (1 NC) with his last four fights in the UFC. His last fight was on February 28, 2015, at UFC 184.
Earlier this year he announced that he was suffering from cancer, and now it has taken his life. The terrible news came via his longtime gym, Krazy Bee.
The UnderGround extends our deepest condolences to his friends, family, and fellow fans.
