Yuki Nakai

Yuki Nakai (中井祐樹, Nakai Yūki) is a retired Japanese Shooto practitioner and mixed martial artist, who currently practices and teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competed in the Vale Tudo Japan 1995, where he was greatly outweighed by every opponent in the tournament. Despite the weight differences and despite the suffering a severe eye injury in the first bout, Nakai managed to make it to the finals where he lost to Rickson Gracie. Nakai is considered to be a legend of Shooto by many fighters and fans. He is the founder of the Paraestra Shooto gyms and coaches such fighters as PRIDE and DREAM stand out Shinya Aoki, who is also a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nakai.

History

He was born August 18 in 1970. After he graduated from Hokkaido Sapporo North high school, he entered Hokkaido University. He belonged to the judo club and won the NANATEI judo championship when he was forth grade. NANATEI judo is very different from ordinary judo. People do Newaza more often than Tachiwaza in this judo.

Vale Tudo Japan 1995

In 1995, as the current Shooto welterweight champion, Nakai was selected by the Shooto Commission to represent Shooto in the Vale Tudo tournament Vale Tudo Japan 1995. His first opponent was Gerard Gordeau, a Dutch Savate fighter. Gordeau illegally eye-gouged Nakai during their fight, causing Nakai to lose vision in his right eye. Despite the eye injury, Nakai proceeded to defeat Gordeau by heel hook in the fourth round. The next fights, on the same night he came out with a bandage on his eye, ready to fight. In his second bout, Nakai defeated the American fighter Craig Pittman by armbar, and in the third and final bout, he lost to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Rickson Gracie by rear naked choke at 6:22 of the first round.

Yuki Nakai became permanently blind in his right eye due to Gerard Gordeau's illegal tactics. For years he kept his blindness a secret to protect the reputation of Mixed Martial Arts. The injury forced Nakai to retire from mixed martial arts competition, but impressed with Rickson Gracie's technique, he took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where he currently holds a black belt and is the president of the Japanese Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu.

Nakai speaks Japanese, and English.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown

7 matches	5 wins	2 losses
By submission	4	1
By decision	1	1

Result	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time
Loss	Rickson Gracie	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	Vale Tudo Japan 1995	April 20, 1995	1	6:22
Win	Craig Pittman	Submission (Armbar)	Vale Tudo Japan 1995	April 20, 1995	1	15:30
Win	Gerard Gordeau	Submission (Heel Hook)	Vale Tudo Japan 1995	April 20, 1995	1	26:41
Win	Miraoki Matsutani	Submission (Heel Hook)	Shooto: Vale Tudo Access 3	January 21, 1995	1	0:19
Win	Kazuhiro Kusayanagi	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto: Vale Tudo Access 2	November 7, 1994	4	4:00
Loss	Noboru Asahi	Decision (Unanimous)	Shooto 1993	November 25, 1993	5	3:00
Win	Hiroshi Sumi	Submission (Heel Hook)	Shooto 1993	April 26, 1993	1	0:53

References

• Abu Dhabi Combat Club. Yuki Nakai's Jiu Jitsu 'Mook'. news.adcombat.com. URL last accessed April 6, 2006.
• Frymer, William. A Sacred Cup named SHOOTO. boutreviewusa.com. URL last accessed April 6, 2006..
• Sherdog.com. Nakai talks Vale Tudo, SHOOTO and Rickson, Gerard Gordeau, Yuki Nakai. www.sherdog.com. URL last accessed April 6, 2006.

External links

• Paraestra (his gym)
• Sherdog MMA Profile