is a Japanese

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

currently competing in

KNOCK OUT A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several Contact sports, full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of World Taekwondo Federation#Sparri ...

and in the

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. ...

. He is the current KNOCK OUT Black Super Lightweight champion. As of April 2023, he is ranked as the ninth best super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Beyond Kick.

Mixed martial arts career

Pancrase

Suzuki made his professional mixed martial arts debut against Katsuyuki Hironaka at Pancrase 284 on February 5, 2017. He won the fight by a second-round technical knockout and amassed a 2–2 record during the following year, before being placed in the Pancrase Flyweight Neo Blood tournament. Suzuki faced Kento Mizutani in the tournament quarterfinals at Pancrase 294 on March 11, 2018. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. Suzuki faced Satoru Enomoto in the tournament semifinals at Pancrase 297 on July 1, 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Suzuki captured the tournament title with a unanimous decision victory over Kohei Sugiyama in the tournament finals at Pancrase 299 on September 9, 2018. Suzuki was expected to face Tatsuyuki Nakamura at Pancrase 302 on December 9, 2018. The fight was cancelled the day before it was supposed to take place, as Suzuki missed weight by 2.8 kg at the official weigh-ins. Genki Yamaguchi, chairman of Suzuki's gym, suggested he switch to kickboxing after this weight miss.

Rizin

Early promotional career

Suzuki made his Rizin debut against Shoji Maruyama at Rizin 30 - Saitama on September 19, 2021. He lost the fight by a first-round knockout, 20 seconds into the opening round. Suzuki faced Sora Yamamoto at Rizin Trigger 1 on November 28, 2021. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Suzuki faced the 2017

K-1 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii. Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...

Lightweight Grand Prix runner-up

Ren Hiramoto Ren Hiramoto (born 27 June 1998; ) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, currently fighting in the featherweight division of Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2015, he is the 2016 Krush and 2017 K-1 lightweight tourn ...

at Rizin Landmark 2 on March 6, 2023. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Suzuki revealed in the post-fight interview that he had suffered injuries in both of his hands prior to the bout taking place. Suzuki faced Kyohei Hagiwara at Super Rizin & Rizin 38 on September 25, 2022. He was able to take Hagiwara down in the second round and forced him to tap to a rear naked choke at the midway point of the round. Suzuki faced the 2011 DREAM Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix Runner Up and two-weight

DEEP Deep or The Deep may refer to: Places United States * Deep Creek (Appomattox River tributary), Virginia * Deep Creek (Great Salt Lake), Idaho and Utah * Deep Creek (Mahantango Creek tributary), Pennsylvania * Deep Creek (Mojave River tributary ...

champion

Masakazu Imanari is a Japanese mixed martial artist and submission wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional competitor since 2000, he is a veteran of ONE Championship, DEEP, ZST, Pancrase, PRIDE F ...

at Rizin Landmark Vol.4 on November 6, 2022. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Suzuki faced Yoshiki Nakahara at

Bellator MMA vs. Rizin ''Bellator MMA vs. Rizin FF'' and ''Rizin 40'' (also known as '' Bellator MMA x Rizin 1'') was a mixed martial arts event being co-promoted by Bellator MMA and the Rizin Fighting Federation that took place on December 31, 2022, at the Saitama Supe ...

on December 31, 2022. He won the fight by a first-round knockout. Suzuki was expected to challenge

Kleber Koike Erbst is a Brazilian-born Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is the current Rizin Featherweight Champion. He has also competed in Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), where is ...

for the Rizin Featherweight Championship at Rizin 43 – Sapporo on June 24, 2023. Erbst missed weight by 400g at the official weigh-ins and was accordingly stripped of his title, leaving only Suzuki eligible to capture the newly vacant belt. Although Suzuki tapped to a triangle choke at the 2:59 minute mark of the opening round, the fight result was immediately overturned into a no-contest, due to Erbst's weight miss. Suzuki faced former Bellator Lightweight Champion and reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

in a short notice 154-pound catchweight bout on July 30, 2023, at Bellator MMA x Rizin 2. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Featherweight champion

Suzuki challenged the reigning Rizin FF Featherweight champion Vugar Keramov at Rizin Landmark 7 on November 4, 2023. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout via upkick and ground and pound from bottom position. Suzuki made his maiden Rizin Featherweight Championship defense against

Masanori Kanehara Masanori Kanehara (born November 18, 1982) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing the Bantamweight division in DEEP and Rizin FF. A professional competitor since 2003, Kanehara has formerly competed for World Victory Road, K ...

at Rizin 46 on April 29, 2024. He retained the title by a first-round technical knockout. Suzuki next attempted to defend his title in a rematch against

at Rizin 49 on December 31, 2024. He lost the bout and title via unanimous decision.

Post title reign

Suzuki faced

Mikuru Asakura is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight (MMA), featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. He also competed for Road Fighting Championship, Fighting Network Rings and Deep (mixed martia ...

at Rizin: Otoko Matsuri on May 4, 2025. He lost the fight by a third-round technical knockout. The fight was stopped on the advice of the ringside physician 2 minutes and 56 seconds into the final round, due to a cut on the eyebrow.

Kickboxing & Muay Thai career

Lightweight

Early career

Suzuki made his professional kickboxing debut against Ryoga "Vulcan" Imoto at Shoot Boxing 2019 Young Caeser Cup Central 25 on May 26, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with two scorecards of 30–28 and one scorecard of 30–26. Suzuki won a single shoot point in the opening round, awarded to him for successfully planting Imoto on his back with a hip throw. Suzuki faced Yosuke at REBELS 62 on October 4, 2019. He won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. Suzuki knocked his opponent down with a right cross 35 seconds into the opening round and knocked him down for the second time with a left uppercut 40 seconds later, which forced Yosuke's corner to throw in the towel. Suzuki faced the 37-fight veteran Satoru Hashimoto in a -64 kg catchweight bout at the

REBELS A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

cross-promotional event on October 4, 2019. He need just 45 seconds to floor Hashimoto with a flurry of punches, which left the veteran unable to rise from the canvas. Suzuki faced Yoshiki in another -64 kg catchweight bout at KNOCK OUT 2019 BREAKING DAWN on November 1, 2019. He won the fight by a second-round knockout. Suzuki knocked his opponent down with a short left hook at the midway point of the round and knocked him out with a right straight soon after. The contest was briefly stopped early in the first round, as the referee accidentally poked Yoshiki in the eye while separating the fighters from the clinch.

KNOCK OUT Grand Prix

On December 16, 2019, it was announced that Suzuki would be one of eight participants in the 2020 KNOCK OUT Black -64 kg Grand Prix, which was held on February 11, 2020, at the

Ota City General Gymnasium Ota City General Gymnasium is an arena in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and exte ...

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Suzuki was booked to face

Kyokushin is a style of karate originating in Japan. It is a full-contact style of stand-up fighting and is rooted in a philosophy of self-improvement, discipline, and hard training. Kyokushin Kaikan is the martial arts organization founded in 1964 ...

karate standout and future K-1 Lightweight champion Yuki Yoza in the tournament quarterfinals. He won the fight by majority decision, with scores of 29–28, 28–28 and 29–28. The pivotal moment of the bout happened in the first minute of the final round, when Suzuki was able to knock Yoza down with a lead leg knee strike. This knockdown awarded him an automatic 10–8 scorecard and edged the scorecards in his favor, as the fight might have otherwise ended in a draw or a victory for Yoza. Suzuki faced the SHOOT BOXING Japan Lightweight champion Renta Nishioka in the tournament semifinals. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Two of the judges scored the fight 30–28 for Nishioka, while the third judge awarded the shootboxer a slightly wide 30–28 scorecard. After suffering his first loss under kickboxing rules, Suzuki was booked to face the BigBang super lightweight champion Shoya Sugiyama in a -64 kg catchweight bout at KNOCK OUT CHAMPIONSHIP 2 on September 12, 2020. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. The referee stepped in to stop the contest at the 2:19 minute mark of the final round, judging Sugiyama to have suffered too much damage.

Super lightweight

Move up in weight

Suzuki moved up to super lightweight (-65 kg) to face Yasuhiro Matsuo at REBELS 67 on November 8, 2020. He needed just 77 seconds to thrice knock Matsuo down, which resulted in an automatic technical knockout victory for him. During his in-ring post-fight speech, Suzuki asked the promotion for another fight at REBELS 69 on December 6, just 28 days later. REBELS granted his wish and booked him to face Naoya Atsumi. Suzuki needed just 31 seconds to knock Atsumi out with a right hook. Suzuki faced Masaya Kubo at KNOCK OUT ～The REBORN～ on March 13, 2021. He knocked Kubo out with a right straight at the midway point of the opening round.

KNOCK OUT champion

Suzuki faced Keijiro Miyakoshi for the inaugural KNOCK OUT Black Super Lightweight Championship at KNOCK OUT 2021 vol.3 on July 18, 2021. He knocked Miyakoshi down with a left hook nine seconds into the opening round. Although Miyakoshi was able to rise from the canvas in time to beat the eight-count, he was knocked down for a second time with a series of hooks 33 seconds later, after which the referee stopped the contest. Suzuki faced Tapruwan Hadesworkout at KNOCK OUT 2022 vol.1 on January 22, 2022. He twice knocked Tapruwan down with a right hook in the first round, with the second knockdown rendering the Thai unable to rise from the canvas. Suzuki faced Marcos Rios, who was at the time regarded as the tenth best kickboxer at his weight, at KNOCK OUT 2023 Super Bout Blaze on March 4, 2023. He won the fight by a first-round knockout, after twice knocking Rios down.

Championships and accomplishments

Kickboxing

**2021 KNOCK OUT Black Super Lightweight Championship

Mixed martial arts

**2016 Rizin FF Flyweight Amateur Tournament Championship **2023 Rizin Featherweight Championship ***One successful title defense *

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

**2018 Pancrase Flyweight Neo Blood Tournament Championship Awards *eFight **2x "Fighter of the Month" (July 2023, November 2023)

Personal life

Born to a Peruvian father and Japanese mother, his ancestry includes a mix of Japanese, Peruvian, Russian, and Spanish heritage.

Philanthropy

Influenced by his senior gym mate Kohei Tokeshi, he regularly conducts free events for children using a portion of his fight purses as part of his philanthropic activities. Following his title match in Azerbaijan, he visited a local orphanage to hold an event.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 13–6 (1) ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , Rizin: Otoko Matsuri , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:56 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–5 (1) , Karshyga Dautbek , Decision (split) , Rizin 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Takamatsu file:Takamatsu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Takamatsu City Hall file:Takamatsu city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center file:Takamatsu200910cut.JPG, 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a capital ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–4 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 49 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , Rizin 46 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4;20 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 (1) , Vugar Karamov , KO (upkick and punches) , Rizin Landmark 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Azerbaijan , , - , Win , align=center, ,

, KO (punch) , Super Rizin 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 , Saitama, Japan , , - , NC , align=center, ,

, NC (missed weight) , Rizin 43 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:59 ,

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Yoshiki Nakahara , KO (punches) ,

Rizin 40 ''Bellator MMA vs. Rizin FF'' and ''Rizin 40'' (also known as '' Bellator MMA x Rizin 1'') was a mixed martial arts event being co-promoted by Bellator MMA and the Rizin Fighting Federation that took place on December 31, 2022, at the Saitama Supe ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin Landmark 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Kyohei Hagiwara , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Super Rizin & Rizin 38 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin Landmark 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Sora Yamamoto , Decision (unanimous) , Rizin Trigger 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Shoji Maruyama , KO (punches) , Rizin 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:20 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Kohei Sugiyama , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase 299 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–2 , Satoru Enomoto , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase 297 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Kento Mizutani , TKO (elbows) , Pancrase 294 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 , Naoto Ayuta , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase 290 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Kota Kawabata , Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase 287 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kohei Sugiyama , TKO (punches) , Pancrase 285 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:08 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Katsuyuki Hironaka , KO (punches) , Pancrase 284 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

, Japan , , -

Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#cfc" , 2023-03-04 , , Win , , align=left, Marcos Rios , , KNOCK OUT 2023 Super Bout Blaze , ,

, , KO (Right hook) , , 1 , , 0:46 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2022-01-22 , , Win , , align=left, Tapruwan Hadesworkout , , KNOCK OUT 2022 vol.1 , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:17 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2021-07-18 , , Win , , align=left, Keijiro Miyakoshi , , KNOCK OUT 2021 vol.3 , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 0:42 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2021-03-13 , , Win , , align=left, Masaya Kubo , , KNOCK OUT ～The REBORN～ , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 1:22 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2020-12-06 , , Win , , align=left, Naoya Atsumi , , REBELS 69 , ,

, , KO (Right hook) , , 1 , , 0:31 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2020-11-08 , , Win , , align=left, Yasuhiro Matsuo , , REBELS 67 , ,

, , TKO (Three knockdowns) , , 1 , , 1:17 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2020-09-12 , , Win , , align=left, Shoya Sugiyama , , KNOCK OUT CHAMPIONSHIP 2 , ,

, , TKO (Referee stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:19 , - , - style="background:#fbb" , 2020-02-10 , , Loss , , align=left, Renta Nishioka , , KNOCK OUT CHAMPIONSHIP 1, Tournament Semi-finals , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2020-02-10 , , Win , , align=left, Yuki Yoza , , KNOCK OUT CHAMPIONSHIP 1, Tournament Quarter-finals , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2019-11-01 , , Win , , align=left, Yoshiki , , KNOCK OUT 2019 BREAKING DAWN , ,

, , KO (Right straight) , , 2 , , 1:39 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2019-10-04 , , Win , , align=left, Satoru Hashimoto , , KNOCK OUT × REBELS , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 0:45 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2019-08-10 , , Win , , align=left, Yosuke , , REBELS 62 , ,

, , TKO (Corner stoppage) , , 1 , , 1:18 , - , - style="background:#cfc" , 2019-05-26 , , Win , , align=left, Ryoga Imoto , , Shoot Boxing 2019 Young Caeser Cup Central 25 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Exhibition boxing record

Bibliography

* 『夢を叶える「稲妻メンタル」』Yume wo kanaeru inazuma mentaru（

Futabasha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...

、2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Chihiro Living people 1999 births 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Japanese male kickboxers Japanese male mixed martial artists People from Mitaka, Tokyo Kickboxers from Tokyo Flyweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Rizin Fighting Federation champions