is a Brazilian

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 ...

who competed in the

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term ''welterweight'' was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify th ...

division for

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

and currently competes in the same division for the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

Background

Yamauchi was born in Anjō, Aichi to a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

father and a Japanese-Brazilian mother, but his family moved to

Curitiba, Paraná Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

when he was 3 years old. He started in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 9, followed by

Muay Thai Muay Thai or Muaythai (, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, the Art of Eight Limbs or the Science of Eight Limbs, is a Thai martial art and full-contact combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinch fighting, cl ...

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

during his youth. At the age of 14, he became Paraná State's amateur boxing champion in 2007, defeating then-reigning champion

John Lineker John Lineker (born June 12, 1990) is a Brazilian Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion. Lineker formerly competed in the bantamweight divisio ...

, who was 17.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Before moving to professional mixed martial arts, Yamauchi scored seven wins as an amateur, with seven first-round stoppages. Yamauchi started his professional career in 2010, when he was just 17 years old. From October 2010 to May 2013, he fought for many organizations throughout Brazil and won a featherweight title and a featherweight tournament in ''Iron Fight Combat'' and ''Smash Fight'' respectively. In January 2013, it was announced that Yamauchi signed a multi-fight contract with

Bellator MMA

Yamauchi made his promotional debut against fellow promotional newcomer Musa Toliver on September 13, 2013 at Bellator 99. He won via submission due to a rear-naked choke early in the first round. In his second fight for the promotion, Yamauchi faced

Saul Almeida Saul Almeida (born June 4, 1992) is a Brazilian-American professional boxer and mixed martial artist. A professional mixed martial artist since 2008, Almeida has fought in Bellator, World Series of Fighting, Absolute Championship Berkut, and ...

on November 22, 2013 at Bellator 109. He won via knockout in the first round. Yamauchi faced Will Martinez in the quarterfinal match of Bellator season ten featherweight tournament on February 28, 2014 at

Bellator 110 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced

Mike Richman Michael Richman (born June 23, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer currently competing with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where he is a former BKFC Light Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor in mix ...

on May 17, 2014 at Bellator 120. He won the back-and-forth fight via unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced Martin Stapleton on September 19, 2014 at Bellator 125. He won via submission in the first round. Yamauchi was expected to face former Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran at Bellator 139 on June 26, 2015. However, Yamauchi pulled out of the fight due to injury and was replaced by Emmanuel Sanchez. Yamauchi faced Isao Kobayashi at Bellator 144 on October 23, 2015. Yamauchi dominated the fight on the ground for the first two rounds, before defeating his opponent via submission in the third, after dropping Kobayashi with a punch and securing a rear-naked choke. With the win, Yamauchi became the first to finish Isao Yobayashi. Yamauchi next faced fellow prospect,

Bubba Jenkins Bubba Jenkins (born February 5, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division. He has also notably competed for Bellator MMA, Absolute Championship Berkut, Professiona ...

, at Bellator 151 on March 4, 2016. Early in the first round, Yamauchi was able to secure Jenkins' back standing, remaining there for rest of the round. However, in the next two rounds, Jenkins utilised his superior wrestling to take Yamauchi down and control the fight en route to a unanimous verdict.

Move up to lightweight division

Yamauchi faced

Ryan Couture Ryan Duane Couture (born August 27, 1982) is a former American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2009 ...

at Bellator 162 on October 21, 2016. He won the fight via submission just over a minute into the first round and became the first fighter to submit Couture. Yamauchi faced Valeriu Mircea at Bellator 168 on December 10, 2016. After a near knockout loss, Yamauchi defeated Mircea via a triangle choke submission in the first round. Yamauchi faced Adam Piccolotti at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017. He won the fight via submission in the first round. Yamauchi next faced Michael Chandler at Bellator 192 on January 20, 2018. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Yamauchi faced Saad Awad at Bellator 229 on October 4, 2019. He won the fight via a verbal submission due to an armbar in the first round. Yamauchi faced Daron Cruickshank at Bellator & Rizin: Japan on December 29, 2019. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. Yamauchi was next expected to face PFL veteran Nate Andrews at Bellator 254 on December 10, 2020. However at weigh ins, Goiti weighed in at 162.8 lbs, 6.8 lbs over the lightweight limit.

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is a large casino and entertainment complex located on 240 acres (97 ha) of the Mohegan Indian Reservation in Uncasville, Connecticut, along the banks of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is owned and operated by the fe ...

commission head, Mike Mazzulli, said that from now on Yamauchi will be required to fight at

, 170 lbs. Yamauchi faced Dan Moret on April 9, 2021 at

Bellator 256 Bellator 256: Bader vs. Machida 2 was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on April 9, 2021, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event was headlined by a Quarterfinal of the Bellator L ...

. He lost the bout via a controversial split decision, where 9/9 media members scored the fight for Yamauchi. Yamauchi faced

Chris Gonzalez Matthew Christopher Gonzalez (born July 29, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist and former Greco–Roman wrestler who currently competes in the lightweight division. He has previously had a 10 bout stint in Bellator MMA. As a wrestler, ...

on July 31, 2021 at

Bellator 263 Bellator 263: Pitbull vs. McKee was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on July 31, 2021, at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The event marked Bellator's first outside of the Mohegan Sun bubble and the first Be ...

. He won the bout via TKO in the first round, only the second knockout win in Goiti's career. Yamauchi was scheduled to face Derek Anderson on March 12, 2022 at

Bellator 276 Bellator 276: Borics vs. Burnell was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on March 12, 2022, at the Family Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Background The main event featured a Featherweight title el ...

. The week of the event, the bout was scrapped for unknown reasons.

Move up to welterweight

Moving up to Welterweight, Yamauchi faced Levan Chokheli on April 23, 2022 at

Bellator 279 ''Bellator 279: Cyborg vs. Blencowe 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA held on April 23, 2022, at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. Background The main event featured Bellator Women's F ...

. He won the bout via armbar in the first round. Yamauchi headlined Bellator 284 on August 12, 2022 against fellow BJJ expert Neiman Gracie. He won the bout in the second round after knocking out Gracie with an uppercut. Yamauchi faced

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divi ...

on March 10, 2023 at Bellator 292. He lost the bout 26 seconds into the bout after a leg kick ruptured his patella tendon.

Professional Fighter's League

In his PFL debut, Yamauchi faced Neiman Gracie in a rematch at PFL 3 on April 19, 2024. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Yamauchi next faced Andrey Koreshkov at PFL 6 (2024) on June 28, 2024, losing the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

**Most submission wins in Bellator MMA history (nine) **Tied for most submission wins in Bellator Lightweight division history (five) **First fighter in Bellator MMA history to earn wins in three weight classes **First fighter in Bellator MMA history to earn stoppages in three weight classes * Iron Fight Combat ** Iron Fight Combat featherweight title (One time) * Smash Fight ** Smash Fight featherweight tournament winner (2013)

Amateur boxing

* Paraná State Amateur Boxing Championship (2007)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 30–7 , Yura Naito , KO (punches) , Pancrase 353 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:10 ,

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Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–4 , Daron Cruickshank , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator & Rizin: Japan , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:11 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 24–4 , Saad Awad , Verbal submission (armbar) , Bellator 229 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

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Daniel Weichel Daniel Weichel (born November 22, 1984) is a German former professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Featherweight division for Bellator MMA. He has also competed in M-1 Global and Shooto. Background Born and raised in Germany, ...

, Decision (split) , Bellator 210 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–4 , Michael Chandler , Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 192 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–3 , Adam Piccolotti , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 183 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:19 ,

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, Italy , , - , Win , align=center , 20–3 ,

, Submission (armbar) , Bellator 162 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:01 ,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 151 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center , 18–2 , Martin Stapleton , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 125 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 4:37 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

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, Decision (unanimous) , Bellator 120 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 13–1 , Diego Marlon , Submission (armbar) , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:54 , , - , Win , align=center , 12–1 , Jurandir Sardinha , Decision (unanimous) , Iron Fight Combat 3 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Feira de Santana Feira de Santana (; Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Saint Anne's Fair") is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 616,272 according to Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 11–1 , José Ivanildo Lopes , Decision (unanimous) , Iron Fight Combat 2 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

Aracaju Aracaju () is the capital of the state of Sergipe, Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country on the coast, about 350 km (217 mi) north of Salvador, Bahia, Salvador. According to the 2020 estimate, the city has 664,908 inha ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 10–1 , Gustavo Wurlitzer , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Power Fight Extreme 8 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:19 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 9–1 , Dymitry Damiani , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Iron Fight Combat 1 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:40 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 8–1 , Juliano Wandalen , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Shooto Brazil 31 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 0:56 ,

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

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Itajaí Itajaí () is a municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It is located on the northern central coast of Santa Catarina and is part of the Vale do Itajaí Mesoregion, on the right bank of the Itajaí-Açu river mouth. It lies at th ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 6–1 , Jonathan José de Faria , Submission (armbar) , Brave FC: Gold Edition , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:02 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center , 5–1 , Rodrigo Cavalheiro Correia , Decision (unanimous) , Adventure Fighters Tournament 1 , , align=center , 3 , align=center , 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 5–0 , Tiago Sartori , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Capital Fight 4 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 1:41 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 4–0 , Arivaldo Lima Silva , Submission (armbar) , Brazilian Fight League 12 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 2:56 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 3–0 , Alessandro Martins , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Brave FC: Tryouts , , align=center , 1 , align=center , 1:29 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 2–0 , Eduardo Wellington , Submission , Brazilian Fight League: Fight Night 1 , , align=center , 1 , align=center , N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center , 1–0 , Andre Pedroso , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiators FC 2 , , align=center , 2 , align=center , 0:31 ,

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamauchi, Goiti 1993 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Japanese male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian male Muay Thai practitioners Japanese male Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Curitiba Martial artists from Aichi Prefecture 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen 21st-century Japanese sportsmen Japanese people of Brazilian descent Japanese emigrants to Brazil Naturalized citizens of Brazil People from Anjō