Michihiro Omigawa (Japanese: 小見川道大, Omigawa Michihiro, born December 19, 1975) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist, judoka and submission grappler, who mainly competed in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2005, Omigawa competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Cage Rage, World Victory Road, DREAM, DEEP, and Shooto.

Michihiro Omigawa
小見川道大
Born (1975-12-19) December 19, 1975 (age 48)
Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Other namesMichi[1]
NationalityJapanese
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight145.1 lb (65.8 kg; 10.36 st)
DivisionFeatherweight
Lightweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)
StyleJudo, Boxing
Fighting out ofTokyo, Japan
TeamNeo Judo Academy Omigawa Dojo
Rank  3rd Dan Black Belt in Judo
Kickboxing record
Total3
Wins2
Losses1
By knockout1
Mixed martial arts record
Total35
Wins19
By knockout5
By submission5
By decision9
Losses15
By knockout2
By submission1
By decision12
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Last updated on: February 26, 2022
Michihiro Omigawa
Medal record
Representing  Japan
Men's Judo
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Busan -66 kg
Asian Championships
Silver medal – second place 2001 Ulaanbaatar -66 kg
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 1999 Palma de Mallorca -66 kg

Background edit

Omigawa is from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and began training in judo when he was in elementary school. He attended Tsuchiuranichidai High School with fellow mixed martial artists Hayato Sakurai and Kazuyuki Miyata. Omigawa's grandfather, who he was named after, died the day before his graduation. Omigawa attended the International Budo University in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan.[2]

Omigawa has won various judo tournaments and medals during his career. He received the silver medal at the 2001 Asian Judo Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and earned a bronze medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea all for the 66 kg weight class division.[2]

Early mixed martial arts career edit

Omigawa made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2005 against future UFC veteran Aaron Riley at PRIDE Bushido 7. Omigawa and Riley traded punches before Omigawa was knocked out by a head kick six minutes into the first round. Omigawa then fought for the British Cage Rage organization against future two-time K-1 HERO'S Middleweight Champion Gesias Calvacante. He again lost this fight by knockout, this time from an overhand right.

After a majority decision loss to Kazunori Yokota brought Omigawa's record to 1-4, he then strung together three consecutive wins in the DEEP organization, before making his UFC debut at UFC 76 against Matt Wiman. He lost this fight via unanimous decision. Omigawa then fought again for the UFC at UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman against Thiago Tavares and lost again via unanimous decision.

After cutting down to the Featherweight division, Omigawa's recognition and career began to take off. Though he lost his division debut against future WEC and UFC veteran Jung Chan-Sung, Omigawa made a resurgence when he entered the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix tournament promoted by World Victory Road. As a heavy underdog he defeated the likes of LC Davis via unanimous decision and Nam Phan via TKO. In the semi-final he faced then-undefeated Pancrase Featherweight Champion and future Sengoku Featherweight Champion Marlon Sandro. This fight was originally ruled as a majority draw before Omigawa was awarded the victory by split decision. This brought Omigawa to the final of the tournament against Masanori Kanehara (the semi-finalist loser) who stood in for Hatsu Hioki as Hioki could not continue to compete. Omigawa lost by a close split decision against Kanehara but in return earned him the recognition as a strong Featherweight.

After the tournament Omigawa continued to earn a spot as a world top five Featherweight, defeating the likes of Hatsu Hioki via a controversial split decision, Hiroyuki Takaya via TKO at Dynamite!! 2009, Micah Miller, and Cole Escovedo via armbar.

Return to the UFC edit

The 12-8-1 Omigawa re-signed with the UFC in the Featherweight division and he faced then-undefeated Chad Mendes on February 5, 2011 at UFC 126.[3] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Omigawa was defeated by Darren Elkins via unanimous decision on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131.[4] The decision was considered controversial, and despite the loss, UFC president Dana White stated on his Twitter account that both fighters would be paid a win bonus.[5]

Omigawa faced British fighter Jason Young on November 5, 2011 at UFC 138[6] and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Omigawa next faced former Jungle Fight Lightweight Champion Yuri Alcântara on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.[7] Omigawa lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Omigawa fought fellow judoka Manny Gamburyan on August 4, 2012 at UFC on FOX 4.[8] He lost via unanimous decision. After back-to-back losses in the UFC, Omigawa was released from the promotion yet again.[9]

Post-UFC edit

Omigawa fought at DREAM 18 against Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year's Eve 2012. Omigawa lost via unanimous decision. The loss puts Omigawa at 1-6 in his last seven fights, all of which have gone to a decision.

Road FC edit

In May 2013, it was announced that Omigawa had signed with Korea's ROAD FC and would debut against fellow judo practitioner, Bae Young Kwon at Road FC 12. After a back and forth fight, Omigawa lost a controversial decision.

Shootboxing edit

Bringing his boxing and judo skills to the kickboxing/grappling hybrid sport of shootboxing, Omigawa entered the 2013 –65 kg S-Cup held at Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013 in Tokyo, Japan on November 15, 2013. After defeating Yuki Hiroshi Kimaya by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals, he then faced fellow mixed martial artist "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura in the semis. The fight was ruled a majority draw after the regulation three rounds and so went to an extension round to produce a winner, after which Omigawa was given the nod by all three judges. In the tournament final, he fell victim to a flying knee from Hiroaki Suzuki, losing by knockout in round two.[10][11]

Retirement Bout edit

After winning the next 6 bouts after his loss in Road FC, mostly fighting under the banner of DEEP, Omigawa announced that he would be facing Daisuke Nakamura in his retirement bout at DEEP 106 on February 26, 2022. He lost the bout the fight via armbar in the third and retired afterwards.[12]

Championships and accomplishments edit

Kickboxing edit

Mixed martial arts edit

Kickboxing record edit

Kickboxing record
2 wins (0 KOs), 1 loss, 0 draws
Date Result Opponent Event Location Method Round Time Record
2013-11-15 Loss   Hiroaki Suzuki Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013, Final Tokyo, Japan KO (right flying knee) 2 2-1
For the 2013 65kg S-Cup Championship.
2013-11-15 Win   Akiyo Nishiura Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013, Semi Finals Tokyo, Japan Extension round decision (unanimous) 4 3:00 2-0
2013-11-15 Win   Yuki Hiroshi Kimaya Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013, Quarter Finals Tokyo, Japan Decision (unanimous) 3 3:00 1-0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
35 matches 19 wins 15 losses
By knockout 5 2
By submission 5 1
By decision 9 12
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 19–15–1 Daisuke Nakamura Submission (armbar) DEEP 106 Impact February 26, 2022 3 0:51 Tokyo, Japan
Win 19–14–1 Akihiko Mouri KO (punch) DEEP 92 Impact October 22, 2019 3 1:49 Tokyo, Japan
Win 18–14–1 Yuka Ohara Submission (head and arm choke) DEEP 90 Impact June 29, 2019 2 2:03 Tokyo, Japan
Win 17–14–1 Teddy Violet Decision (split) WSOF Global Championship 2 February 7, 2016 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 16–14–1 Yoshifumi Nakamura Decision (unanimous) Grandslam MMA 3: Way of the Cage September 12, 2015 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 15–14–1 Kosuke Umeda Submission (guillotine choke) DEEP Cage Impact 2015 July 20, 2015 1 1:26 Tokyo, Japan
Win 14–14–1 Peter Cepeda Submission (straight armbar) DEEP 68 Impact August 23, 2014 1 1:02 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 13–14–1 Bae Young Kwon Decision (unanimous) Road FC 012 June 22, 2013 2 5:00 Gwandong, South Korea
Loss 13–13–1 Tatsuya Kawajiri Decision (unanimous) DREAM 18 December 31, 2012 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 13–12–1 Manvel Gamburyan Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Shogun vs. Vera August 4, 2012 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 13–11–1 Iuri Alcântara Decision (unanimous) UFC 142 January 14, 2012 3 5:00 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win 13–10–1 Jason Young Decision (unanimous) UFC 138 November 5, 2011 3 5:00 Birmingham, England
Loss 12–10–1 Darren Elkins Decision (unanimous) UFC 131 June 11, 2011 3 5:00 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Loss 12–9–1 Chad Mendes Decision (unanimous) UFC 126 February 5, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–8–1 Cole Escovedo Submission (inverted armbar) DREAM 16 September 25, 2010 1 2:30 Nagoya, Japan
Win 11–8–1 Young Sam Jung Submission (guillotine choke) DREAM 15 July 7, 2010 1 7:31 Saitama, Japan
Win 10–8–1 Micah Miller Decision (unanimous) Astra: Yoshida's Farewell April 25, 2010 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 9–8–1 Hiroyuki Takaya TKO (punches) Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009 December 31, 2009 1 2:54 Saitama, Japan
Win 8–8–1 Hatsu Hioki Decision (split) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11 November 6, 2009 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 7–8–1 Masanori Kanehara Decision (split) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 9 August 2, 2009 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan Sengoku Featherweight Grandprix Final, Hioki was unable to compete in finals.
Win 7–7–1 Marlon Sandro Decision (split) 3 5:00 Sengoku Featherweight Grandprix Semifinal; originally a majority draw.
Win 6–7–1 Nam Phan TKO (punches) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8 May 2, 2009 1 4:52 Tokyo, Japan Sengoku Featherweight Grandprix Second Round.
Win 5–7–1 LC Davis Decision (unanimous) World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 March 30, 2009 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Sengoku Featherweight Grandprix Opening Round.
Draw 4–7–1 Shintaro Ishiwatari Draw Shooto: Shooto Tradition 5 January 18, 2009 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan Featherweight debut.
Loss 4–7 Jung Chan-Sung Decision (unanimous) Deep: Gladiator August 16, 2008 2 5:00 Okayama, Japan
Loss 4–6 Thiago Tavares Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman January 23, 2008 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 4–5 Matt Wiman Decision (unanimous) UFC 76 September 22, 2007 3 5:00 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 4–4 Naoki Matsushita TKO (punches) Deep: 29 Impact April 13, 2007 2 1:17 Tokyo, Japan
Win 3–4 Woo Jin Eoh TKO (punch) Deep: 28 Impact February 16, 2007 1 4:25 Tokyo, Japan
Win 2–4 Takaaki Aoki Decision (unanimous) Deep: clubDeep Tokyo: Future King Tournament 2006 December 9, 2006 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–4 Kazunori Yokota Decision (majority) Deep: 26 Impact October 10, 2006 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 1–3 Yoshihiro Tomioka Decision (unanimous) Deep: clubDeep Toyama: Barbarian Festival 4 June 18, 2006 3 5:00 Toyama, Toyama, Japan
Win 1–2 Jason Chambers Decision (split) ICON Sport: Lawler vs. Niko 2 February 25, 2006 3 5:00 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Loss 0–2 Gesias Cavalcante KO (punches) Cage Rage 14 December 3, 2005 1 0:49 London, England
Loss 0–1 Aaron Riley KO (head kick) PRIDE: Bushido 7 May 22, 2005 1 6:00 Tokyo, Japan

Submission grappling record edit

KO PUNCHES
Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Notes
Draw   Thomas Mietz Draw Quintet Fight Night 2 February 3, 2019 1 10:00
Draw   Daisuke Nakamura Draw Quintet April 11, 2018 1 10:00

References edit

  1. ^ "Michihiro "Michi" Omigawa". Sherdog. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  2. ^ a b "Michihiro Omigawa ("Michi") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology.com. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  3. ^ "Shogun vs. Evans moved to UFC 128 in Newark". mixedmartialarts.com. December 14, 2010.
  4. ^ "Darren Elkins dropping to 145, likely meets Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 131". mmajunkie.com. February 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 23, 2011.
  5. ^ "Dana White @ Twitter". twitter.com. June 10, 2011.
  6. ^ "Omigawa vs Jason Young at UFC 138". fightersonly.com. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  7. ^ "Michihiro Omigawa vs. Yuri Alcantara Booked For UFC 142". bloodyelbow.com. November 24, 2011.
  8. ^ "Michihiro Omigawa vs. Manny Gamburyan in Place for UFC on FOX 4". mmafighting.com. May 19, 2012.
  9. ^ Brian Hemminger (October 3, 2012). "Four more fighters released by the UFC including Michihiro Omigawa". MMAMania.com.
  10. ^ "LiverKick – Your source for everything kickboxing". Liverkick.com. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  11. ^ "バウトレビュー - REPORTS [シュートボクシング] 鈴木博昭、S-cup 65kg日本トーナメント優勝:11.16 両国". Boutreview.com. 2013-11-17. Retrieved 2017-06-01.
  12. ^ "【DEEP】小見川道大が最終回に中村大介の腕十字で一本負けで引退(ゴング格闘技)". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-02-27.

External links edit