Sanae Kikuta

Sanae Kikuta (菊田 早苗) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division.

In 1986, he won the junior high school judo Kantō tournament in the 78 kg class.

In 1989, he won the championship (as a member of the Tokyo team) in the judo boys' team division at the National Athletic Meet.

He also learned under Toshihiko Koga at the Nippon Sport Science University.

During his university tenure, Kikuta also tried Professional Wrestling, failing to enter New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but being accepted in Union of Wrestling Forces International and training with them for a time before leaving.

After considering finding a job as a Judo teacher, Kikuta applied again to the entrance exam for NJPW, but he failed for a second time, this time due to showing dehydration symptoms during a sparring with fellow examinee Kenichi Yamamoto.

Kikuta left college and went to train Kickboxing under Stan Longinidis in Australia.

Upon his return to Japan, Kikuta started training at Seidokaikan and won the All Japan amateur Shootboxing heavyweight championship.

However, after watching Royce Gracie win the first Ultimate Fighting Championship events, he became interested in Mixed Martial Arts.

After a single match for Shooto, Kikuta joined the Pancrase fighting organization in April 1994.

He scored big victories over veterans Minoru Suzuki and Ryushi Yanagisawa, and shortly after he founded the Grabaka team along with Genki Sudo, Eiji Ishikawa and Hiroo Matsunaga.

A professional competitor since 1996, he has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, DREAM, World Victory Road, DEEP, Shooto, and Vale Tudo Japan.

Kikuta had his MMA debut for the first tournament hosted in 1996 by Lumax Cup, which featured the use of keikogi.

Kikuta won after beating Egan Inoue and Masanori Suda.

He then went to compete in the Vale Tudo Japan event, but was defeated by Mushtaq Abdullah by forearm choke.

After returning to Lumax Cup, he won the 1997 tournament, too, defeating Suda again.

Kikuta made his worldwide MMA debut for the PRIDE promotion at its second event, where he faced Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Renzo Gracie in a special rules match.

The fight turned out to be a slow, methodical bout which lasted six fifteen minutes rounds, whose end saw Renzo submitting Kikuta via guillotine choke at the sixth one.

Kikuta returned to PRIDE to face Takada Dojo understudy Daijiro Matsui.

Again, the fight was a technical battle, ending with a draw after none of the fighters could finish the other.

At PRIDE 20, Kikuta fought Alexander Otsuka.

This time the fight was a controversial one, with Otsuka throwing several knees to the groin which weren't penalized.

Despite so, Sanae controlled the match with dominant positions and soccer kicks, and won by unanimous decision.

At UFO Legend, Kikuta fought PRIDE competitor Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The two grappling specialists exchanged assaults on the ground, with the Brazilian taking down Kikuta and attacking his half guard before the Japanese capitalized on a failed calf slicer to switch positions.

Kikuta pressed from the top, but Nogueira regained full guard and scrambled to switch positions again, where the Japanese defended again from half guard.

At the second round, Kikuta looked to take the match to the ground again, but it took a sudden twist when Nogueira landed a surprising right hook, knocking Sanae out completely.

Nogueira was declared the winner.

In his sole apparition for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Kikuta took part in the event Ultimate Japan III in April 2000.

He defeated Eugene Jackson in dominant fashion, taking him down and locking an armbar for the submission.

He is the former Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion (2001–2003) and the winner of the ADCC 88 kg class in 2001.

Kikuta became a student at the Super Tiger Gym when he was in the 6th-grade elementary school, learning Shooto under Satoru Sayama, but he left the feeling that he wasn't being given enough attention in the combative aspect.

Kikuta started training in Judo in his junior high school.

Kikuta also participated in the ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2001 and won its 88 kg class.

In September 2001 he won the title of Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion.

He currently runs the Grabaka gym in Nakano, Tokyo, which trains fighters such as Kazunori Yokota, Akihiro Gono, and formerly Genki Sudo, and Kazuo Misaki.

Sanae fought again for PRIDE in the event Shockwave 2005, taking on Makoto Takimoto, judo gold medalist and apprentice to Hidehiko Yoshida.

Kikuta opened the fight pulling guard, after which the two judoka traded positions and submission attempts with Sanae coming over in most of them.

Having maintained the advantage for all of the three rounds both standing and on the ground, Kikuta was given the unanimous decision win.

On January 4, 2009, at World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku Rebellion 2009, Kikuta faced fellow judoka Hidehiko Yoshida.