Kazuyuki Fujita retires at age 45

Kazuyuki Fujita retired from mixed martial arts competition on Sunday, following a loss to Kaido Hoovelson at the 2016 RIZIN Openweight Grand Prix in Saitama, Japan.

Fujita was a national class freestyle and Greco wrestler in Japan, retiring in 1996 to begin competing in professional wrestling, a transition he had been preparing for since 1993. In January of 2000, the Inoki protege began learning mixed martial arts from Marco Ruas.

Because Japan, he simultaneously entered the 2000 Openweight Grand Prix, beating Hans Nijman via neck crank. Inoki sent Fujita to a four-man event in Texas in April, where he Dan Chase (0-9) and Will Childs (1-4). That was deemed sufficient to enter Fujita into a one-day, eight-man tournament that included Mark Kerr, Igor Vovchanchyn, Gary Goodridge, Kazushi Sakuraba, Royce Gracie, and Akira Shoji.

First match was vs. Kerr, who was then 12-0 with one No Contest, and arguably the greatest fighter in the sport. Kerr exhausted himself beating on Fujita, who endured, and then rallied to win a unanimous decision. Fujita’s second fight of the night was vs. Coleman, but his corner wisely threw in the towel immediately.

“I am not so great a puncher, not so great a kicker,” he told Sherdog afterwards. “I don’t really have anything all that great, but in today’s Vale Tudo, the strongest is the one that can take a beating.”

Fujita also picked up the ring name Ol’ Iron Head. It was fitting – he appeared sometimes to hurt his opponent’s knees with his head.

Next he Petey My Hearted Ken Shamrock, decisioned the ferocious Gilbert Yvel, and tapped out Yoshihiro Takayama. 2001 began a run of alternating wins and losses three times, but the losses were to Mirko CroCop, twice, and Fedor Emelianenko.

Fujita then went on a four-fight win streak, beating Imamu Mayfield, Bib Sapp, world wrestling champion Karam Gaber, and James Thompson.

In the PRIDE 2006 Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals Fujita lost to Wanderlei Silva via strikes, and his career never recovered. In the decade since, Fujita went just 2-8, including losing the last six.

Fujita leaves the sport with some huge wins, too many brave losses, and a reputation for toughness that only a handful of fighters can match.

He still competes as a professional wrestler for Inoki’s IGF, where they are hopefully relatively gentle with him. He’s taken enough punishment for this lifetime, and some number to follow.