Mario Yamasaki
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Mario Yamasaki (born April 22, 1964) is a Brazilian
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
referee licensed in many states, most recognizable from his duties with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...
(UFC), as well as founder and chief instructor of the International Yamasaki Academy. Yamasaki is a veteran of over 490 fights in the
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...
,
Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...
, WEC,
EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...
and
Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...
.


Biography

Yamasaki was born in São Paulo, Brazil, the oldest of two sons born to Shigeru Yamasaki.Tatame Magazine >> Mario Masaki Interview
. URL accessed on October 16, 2010.
Yamasaki's family has been teaching martial arts in Brazil for two generations. His father is half-Japanese. Yamasaki and his younger brother Fernando, a 7th Red & Black Belt in BJJ, originally began training in judo as children under their father Shigeru, an 8th degree Red/White belt in the art and their uncle Shigueto Yamasaki. In 1986, at the age of 22 Yamasaki began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under 5th degree black belt Marcelo Behring (a black belt under his father Flavio Behring and
Rickson Gracie Rickson Gracie (; born November 21, 1959) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He is a member of the Gracie family: the third oldest son of Hélio Gracie, brother to Rorion and Relson Gracie, and half-brother to Rolker, Royce, Robin ...
), who began teaching jiu-jitsu at the same gym in São Paulo where Yamasaki taught judo. Yamasaki's training under Behring would only last a short time as he would soon move to the United States, traveling frequently back to Brazil to continue his jiu-jitsu training under Behring, until the latter switched gyms. Yamasaki would continue his training in jiu-jitsu under his brother Fernando, who had begun training under Otavio de Almeida and Roberto Lage. In January 2002, Otavio de Almeida, president of the ''Federação de Jiu-Jitsu Brasileiro de São Paulo, Brasil'' (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation of São Paulo, Brazil) promoted Yamasaki to 4th degree black belt.


UFC career

Yamasaki first became affiliated with the UFC (then owned by Semaphore Entertainment Group), when both he and his brother helped the promotion organize their first event in Brazil, UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil in São Paulo. After the event, Yamasaki asked UFC referee 'Big' John McCarthy if there were any referee positions available with the company, and was told that the company was looking for someone, marking the beginning of Yamasaki's career as an MMA referee. At
UFC 142 ''UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was the first UFC event of the year, and was broadcast live on pay-per-view ...
Yamasaki controversially disqualified
Erick Silva Erick Silva (born June 21, 1984) is a Brazilian former mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division. A professional from 2005 till 2019, he competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator MMA, and Jungle Fight, where he ...
for illegal blows to the head of Carlo Prater. After the bout, in-ring announcer
Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...
criticized Yamasaki for making a bad decision. The UFC upheld his decision and did not seek appeal. At UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Anders, Yamasaki was criticized by observers, including
Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...
, after he failed to stop a fight between
Valentina Shevchenko Valentina Anatolyevna Shevchenko (born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyz professional Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter and Kickboxing, kickboxer. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight divisi ...
and
Priscila Cachoeira Priscila Cachoeira Gomes da Silva (born 19 August 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal life Cachoeira had a troubled childhood growing ...
: Shevchenko landed over two hundred strikes to Cachoeira's three. Yamasaki later said that he let the fight go on because he wanted to "allow achoeirato be a warrior and keep fighting". Dana White has previously repeatedly called for Yamasaki to be precluded from refereeing future UFC events, due to numerous similar controversies. Since the event, Yamasaki has not applied for any UFC refereeing jobs although he has refereed a few other smaller organizations' events. He announced in 2021 that he planned on applying for more regular officiating assignments, as well as taking a judging course organized by the
California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the event ...
.


Personal life

Yamasaki lives between São Paulo, Brazil, and
Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...
, with his wife and children, where he co-owns and operates a chain of Brazilian jiu-jitsu schools. Yamasaki also owns a construction company in the United States. Yamasaki comes from a martial arts family. Both his father Shigueru Yamasaki and uncle Shigueto Yamasaki are high ranking
judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
in Brazil. His brother Fernando Yamasaki holds black belt ranks in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo. His cousin Shigueto Yamasaki, Jr. represented Brazil competing in
judo at the 1992 Summer Olympics The Judo competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics was contested in fourteen weight classes, seven each for men and women. The seven men's weight classes continued to be those first used in 1980. This was the first Olympic competition to award me ...
.


References


External links


Yamasaki Academy

List of bouts officiated by Mario Yamasaki
at Tapology.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Yamasaki, Mario Living people 1963 births Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian male judoka Martial arts school founders Brazilian emigrants to the United States Brazilian sportspeople of Japanese descent People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial arts referees Martial artists from São Paulo 20th-century Brazilian sportsmen