Best Judo Fighters in MMA History (Top 10)
Founded by the great Kano Jigoro, Judo is a very popular martial art that puts a lot of emphasis on grappling. When it comes to MMA, its effectiveness has never been under question since the early days.
Along with BJJ, Judo has been a part of modern MMA since the early beginnings. These two in fact have a lot in common as BJJ emerges from Judo. Yet, due to various reasons, Judo has never enjoyed the same fame as BJJ in MMA. But don’t think for a second that it is less useful.
Over the years, there have been many great Judo fighters shifting to MMA and doing well. We did our best to bring you the best ones you perhaps already know, and the ones you have never heard of. If you think we cut any, be sure to add your favorites in the comments below!
If you like Martial Arts content, make sure you check out our youtube channel:
Karo Parisyan
Prior to shifting to MMA in ’99, Karo was a famous name in the Judo worldd and a very skilled judoka. As a black belt, Karo was an International champ four times and a Junior National champ six times. The biggest moment of his Judo career came when he competed at the 2004 Olympic Judo trials.
Even though MMA was not that popular in the late 90s, there was a lot of hype behind Karo’s arrival. As 17 year old, he managed to win his debut via submission and compile a record of 7–2 before signing with the UFC in 2003.
Karo kicked off his UFC career by stopping Dave Strasser inside the first round. Yet, the loss to GSP in the next fight forced him to move to the WEC promotion where he won the 170lbs title by beating Shonie Carter.
He came back to the UFC in 2004. In the next four years, he would beat some huge names like Nick Diaz and Matt Serr. And, some fans may recall his war against Diego Sanchez. Even though he had a good run, Karo never fought for the UFC title.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda was the face of Judo in MMA, and she takes a lot of credit for putting it on the map. I mean, there were judokas in MMA long before her. But let’s be honest, we all think of her when we hear the word “judo”. On top of that, she was the first female UFC champ, and, a very dominant one:
- Strikeforce 135lbs champion
- UFC 135lbs champion (six title defenses)
Unlike some other fighters, Ronda was all about using her judo skills inside the cage. She would put her hip throws and sweeps to work from the opening seconds of the fight and no-one could defend from it. Like a true judoka, she would follow the takedown with strong top control and the famous armbar which was her signature move.
Ronda got enrolled in Judo by her mother who was a famous judoka. After growing up playing on the mats, Ronda would pursue a serious career and achieve the following:
- Pan American champ (2x)
- Pan American Games Gold medalist
- US Open gold medalist (5x)
The biggest moment of her Judo career came when she won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. She would retire shortly after at the age of 21 to pursue a career in MMA.
Rick Hawn
Few modern MMA fans can recall the career of Rick Hawn mainly because he never fought inside the UFC cage. But this doesn’t mean he wasn’t a very skilled fighter. The man was judo throwing machine inside the cage!
Rick started training Judo at the age of 12 and was very talented. The biggest moment of his career came when he qualified to live and train at the Olympic Training Center in 1996. After working his way up and training for eight years, he received a call to take part in the 2004 Olympic games. He was able to work his way all the way to the quarter-finals where he lost to Mehman Azizov to secure 9th place overall.
Rick shifted to MMA after retiring from Judo in 2009. After putting together a record of 8–0 in the regional circuit, he signed with Bellator in 2010.
Right away, Rick went on to go all the way to the Season four tournament finals where he lost to Jay Heiron. But, he would bounce back by losing some weight and winning the 155lbs Season six tournament. He then went back up to the 170lbs weight class for Season nine to win his second tournament
Hector Lombard
In his prime, Hector was perhaps the most intimidating 170lbs fighter on the planet earth. I mean, the man had a body of a Greek god and was a pure smashing machine inside the steel cage. We dare going even further saying he was the most violent Bellator champ ever. But, this stays open for debate.
Even though we know him for violent KO’s and standup brawls, Hector is actually an elite grappler. Yet, he never really put his Judo skills to work in MMA simply because he had that God-given power to put people out with a single touch of the wrist.
Hector is a 4th-degree black belt in Judo and a former member of the Cuban National Team. In his career, he won the following:
- Cuban National Champion (4x)
- International Judo Champion (5x)
Further, Hector is also a black belt in BJJ and his kickboxing skills were among the best in the game. Even though he never made it big in the UFC, he is still one of the most feared 179lbs fighters ever.
🚨 Are you enjoying this article? Consider signing up for our newsletter to get updates weekly about content and soon-to-be exclusive articles for subscribers only.
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Also known as “Sexyama”, Yoshihiro was a Japanese MMA sensation and one of the most charismatic fighters in history. From wild entrances to crazy wars inside the ring/cage, Akiyama was a true showman.
He made his first steps on the mats and has been into Judo since the age of three. As a member of the Korean National team, he won the 2001 Asian championships and 2002 Asian Games.
Two years later, he would step to fight in MMA for the first time at K-1 Dynamite. The biggest moment of his career came when he made his UFC debut at the historic UFC 100 event. Back then, Akiyama was a huge star in both Japan and Korea and people lost their minds when he beat Alan Belcher in a decision.
Yet, Akiyama never has made it big inside the UFC. He would lose five out of six next fights and retire from the UFC in 2012.
Satoshi Ishii
Ishi is one of the most gifted judokas to ever set a foot inside the MMA cage. Even though he has never achieved much fighting for PFL or Bellator, we just have to rank him high on our list. The man is a 6th dan black belt in Judo!
Ishi began training Judo when he was in fifth grade and he went on to become a Junior World champ while competing as a teenager. Further, he became the “All Japan” Judo champ in 2006 and 2008. And he won the “World Judo Team” competition as a member of the National team in 2007.
A year later, Ishi hit his Judo prime and took part in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to win a gold medal. He then took a two-year layoff and return to Judo to compete in the “US championships” where he won every single match.
Kim Dong Hyun
Kim was one of the most successful South Korean fighters in MMA and a very talented martial artist. He spent most of his MMA days fighting for the UFC where he put together a record of 13–4. It’s such a shame we never saw him fighting for the UFC belt as he was really close to securing that spot. But, he was one of those fighters whose losses came at the wrong time.
Kim started training Judo very late at the age of 14. Unlike some of the others from this list, Kim never took part in a Judo competition. Instead, he focused on applying these skills in MMA where we could often see him using judo techniques. As a very talented athlete, Kim is a black belt in:
- 4th dan black belt in Judo
- 3rd dan black belt in Taekwondo
- Black belt in Hapkido
- Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
Inside the UFC cage, he holds wins over notable names like Nate Diaz and Matt Brown.
Shinya Aoki
Aoki is a Japanese MMA star and a former champ in many MMA promotions like “ONE FC”, “Shooto, and “Dream.” He is also an elite Judoka and a 3rd-degree black belt.
To be honest, he never took part in any Judo matches, but, he is using it a lot in MMA. In fact, it’s fair to say he build his career in MMA utilizing Judo skills.
Even though he is way out of his prime, Aoki is still one of the best grapplers in modern MMA. What he does best is using his striking to set up the entries and get a hold of his rivals. He shines by mixing various chain wrestling and judo techniques to advance to the canvas.
He does his best work on the mats where he is very active. Aoki has a broad BJJ arsenal and is always looking to place various chokes and joint locks. In his grappling career, he won many tournaments including the “All Japan Jiu-Jitsu” and ADCC Japan Championship.
Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor is, by many, the greatest MMA fighter of all time. Even though this stays open for debate, we can all unite around the fact that Fedor has been the most dominant one. I mean, the man once was on a 27 fight winning streak. No-one could beat him for over eight years, including during the glory days of Pride.
Even though we all know him as a vicious striker, Fedor is a really good grappler and a black belt in Judo. Ahead of joining MMA, he took part in many Judo matches and tournaments. Yet, we must say he had much more success fighting in MMA and Sambo than in Judo.
Fedor has never relied too much on using his Judo skills inside the ring or cage. But, we could often see him defending takedowns and throwing his rivals off balance using various throws and sweeps. But he has built his entire success on using very explosive standup skills.
Dan Kelly
Dan is a true MMA and UFC veteran who has wins over some elite UFC fighters like Rashad Evans and Chris Camozzi. At one point, Dan had a UFC record of 7–1 and was really close to a title contender spot. Yet, the loss to Derek Brunson has shattered his UFC dream in pieces.
What many fans don’t know, however, is that Dan had a lot of success competing in Judo as well.
Dan started to train Judo at the age of seven and took part in his first tournament six years later. He was a member of the Junior National Judo team, and he made it to the senior team two years later.
Dan was so talented he represented Australia in four different Olympic games! And, he even went on to coach the Australian team at the 2016 Rio Olympic games.
📬 Get weekly updates straight to your inbox
💬 We also have a chat room! (We use Discord) join here
Martial arts unleashed is the fastest growing Martial Arts Publication and media company in the world with almost 1 million followers across the unleashed network. Give us a follow on medium for weekly articles.
