Known for his occasional appearances in MMA, he famously defeated Ryan Gracie in Pride 15 on July 29, 2001.
He won the Junior Heavyweight Wrestling Championship twice in Japan.
While he became best known by Americans for being an MMA fighter, he gained more attention as a Wrestler in his home country of Japan.
During his career he married a woman who lived in Russia, and he began spending much of his offseason time there.
On December 20, 2007, he fought Kurt Angle for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but lost.
