is a Brazilian

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, gener ...

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 ...

and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

descent, fighting out of Fighting Kairos Gym. He is the former K-1 Super Welterweight champion. He has faced several notable fighters of his weight division such as

Kaew Fairtex Kaew Fairtex ( Thai: แก้ว แฟร์เท็กซ์; born, September 5, 1984) is a Thai kickboxer and the former WBC Muay Thai World champion at super featherweight and current WPMF World champion at super lightweight. He trains out ...

Hideaki Yamazaki Hideaki Yamazaki ( 山崎秀晃, born February 5, 1987) is a Japanese Shotokan kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2009, Yamazaki is the former Krush Lightweight and Krush Sup ...

Yasuomi Soda is a Japanese kickboxer fighting out of the Silver Wolf Gym, the same gym of the legendary kickboxer Masato. He was the RISE kickboxing Super Lightweight champion, winning his title against Japanese kickboxer Koji Yoshimoto. He was K-1 World ...

Masaaki Noiri is a Japanese kickboxer who competes in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. He began practicing karate as a young boy and had great success in both full contact karate and amateur kickboxing in his early teens, which included winning the ...

Massaro Glunder Massaro Glunder-Timisela is a Dutch- Moluccan professional kickboxer. He is a former W5 72.5 kg Intercontinental champion. Glunder was ranked in the Featherweight top ten by Combat Press from October 2015 until May 2016. Kickboxing caree ...

and Hiroya. He was ranked in the featherweight top ten by Combat Press between June 2015 and March 2017. He was also ranked in the top ten by Liverkick.com.

Kickboxing

Krush title run

He began his kickboxing career fight under the banner of MA Japan. He amassed an 8-2-1 record with them, with six of his wins coming by KO. He capped off his time with MA Japan by winning the MA Japan Super Lightweight Championship. In his Krush debut, Kimura fought NOMAN. He beat him by KO in the first round. In his second fight with Krush, he KO'd

Daizo Sasaki Daizo Sasaki (born 20 November 1990) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight divisions of Krush and K-1. He is the former Krush Super Lightweight champion, the former Krush Lightweight champion, the 2018 K-1 Sup ...

in the first round. In his third fight with Krush, he TKO'd Ryuji Kajiwara in the third round. Following his three fight winning streak, Kimura fought Yuji Takeuchi in a 63 kg title eliminator. He won by a first round KO. Minoru fought the reigning Krush Lightweight champion

during Krush 35. Yamazaki won by KO, just 47 seconds into the fight.

K-1 Super Lightweight title run

Kimura rebounded from his failed title bid with a TKO win over

during Krush 39. In his next fight he faced the forme Krush and ISKA champion Thomas Adamandopoulos, whom he beat by a second round TKO. Kimura took part in the 2014 K-1 Super Lightweight Grand Prix. He lost to

in the quarter finals. Kimura was scheduled to fight the 2014 K-1 Welterweight Grand Prix winner

in January 2015. Kimura won by majority decision. He beat Hiroya by a first round TKO. He beat

by decision, after an extra fought round was fought. He was scheduled to fight

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 tournam ...

during K-1's 2015 Survival Wars. He won the fight by unanimous decision. His four fight winning streak earned him a chance to fight for the K-1 Super Lightweight title in a rematch with

in November 2015. Fairtex won by KO in the first round.

Winning the Krush title

Following his failed title, Kimura traded wins and losses over his next five fights. The first loss was to

in the K-1 Welterweight Grand Prix quarter finals. Noiri beat him by KO in the first round. He beat NOMAN by a unanimous decision in June 2016. He lost to Kohei Nishikawa by KO during Krush 74. He beat Kenji during Krush 76 by a first round TKO. He took part in the 2017 K-1 Welterweight Grand Prix, and faced

Yuta Kubo is retired Japanese lightweight kickboxer. He won the Japanese national tournament of K-1 at Lightweight in 2011. In June 2020, Kubo announced his retirement from kickboxing, and transition into coaching at his own gym: "PURGE TOKYO". He's a ...

in the quarter finals. Kimura lost a unanimous decision. Minoru was scheduled to fight

Yasuhiro Kido Yasuhiro Kido ( ja, 城戸康裕; born December 25, 1982) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super welterweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2003, he is the 2008 K-1 World MAX Japan tournament winner and th ...

in November 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision to begin a four fight winning streak. Kimura fought Jin Hirayama during K'Festa 1, and won the fight by a first round KO. He fought Kazuki Yamagiwa in June 2018, and won the fight by a first round left hook KO. Kimura fought Hitoshi Tsukakoshi, during Krush 91, for the Krush Welterweight title. He won the fight by TKO, after knocking Tsukakoshi down three times in the first round.

Krush title reign

After winning the Krush title, he lost to Jordann Pikeur by TKO, after being knocked down three times inside of the third round. Minoru fought Hiromi Wajima during K'Festa 2. He won the fight by a first round KO. Kimura's first title defense was against Kaisei Kondo during Krush 101. He beat Kondo in the second round by KO. Kimura fought Cruz Briggs in June 2019. He beat Briggs by a first round KO. Kimura was scheduled to face Sho Oizumi two months later. He beat Oizumi by a first round KO. Minoru faced Jordan Valdinocci at K-1's 2019 Yokohamatsuri event. Valdinocci came into the fight as a late replacement. He won the fight in the second round, by a body shot KO. He fought Marcel Adeyemi in December 2019. He beat Adeyemi by a first round KO.

K-1 Title reign

Kimura participated in K-1's 2020 Super Welterweight tournament. He won the quarterfinal bout against Kaito by a first round KO. He defeated Eder Lopes in the semifinals by first round KO as well. In the tournament finals he faced Hiromi Wajima, whom he likewise beat by a first round KO. He was scheduled to fight the HEAT Kick Middleweight champion Abiral Ghimire during K-1 World GP 2020 in Tokyo in a non-title bout. He won the fight by TKO in the second round, after the ringside doctor stopped the fight, due to a cut above Abiral's left eye. Kimura was scheduled to make his first K-1 Welterweight title defense against Hiromi Wajima, whom he had previously beaten by knockout, at K-1 World GP 2021 in Osaka on December 4, 2021. He lost the fight by a third-round knockout, as he was unable to beat the eight count after suffering a body kick knockdown.

Mixed martial arts

In September 2016, Kimura made his mixed martial arts debut for the

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (Rizin FF or Rizin) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Rizin was founded to be the sp ...

in Tokyo. He faced Charles Bennett and lost the fight via TKO just seven seconds into the first round.

Titles and accomplishments

* K-1 ** 2020 K-1 World GP 2020 -70kg Championship Tournament Winner ** 2020 K-1 Fighter of the Year Award * Krush ** 2018 Krush Welterweight Champion *Martial Arts Japan Kickboxing Federation ** 2012 MAJKF Super Lightweight Champion ** 2011 MAJKF Rookie Tournament winner

Kickboxing record

, - style="text-align:center; background:#fbb" , 2021-12-04 , , Loss, , align=left, Hiromi Wajima , , K-1 World GP 2021 in Osaka , ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan , , KO (Body kick) , , 3 , , 2:50 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-12-13, , Win , , align=left, Abiral Himalayan Cheetah , , K-1 World GP 2020 Winter's Crucial Bout , ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.4 ...

, , TKO (Doctor Stoppage), , 2, , 2:50 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-03-22, , Win , , align=left, Hiromi Wajima, , K-1: K’Festa 3, -70kg Tournament Final, ,

Saitama, Japan is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lyin ...

, , TKO (Corner Stoppage), , 1, , 1:10 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-03-22, , Win , , align=left, Eder Lopes, , K-1: K’Festa 3, -70kg Tournament Semi Finals , ,

, , KO (Right Cross), , 1, , 1:02 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-03-22, , Win , , align=left, Kaito , , K-1: K’Festa 3, -70kg Tournament Quarter Finals , ,

, , KO (Punches), , 1, , 2:10 , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2019-12-28, , Win, , align=left, Marcel Adeyemi , , K-1 World GP 2019 Japan: ～Women's Flyweight Championship Tournament～ , ,

Nagoya, Japan is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, , KO (Punches) , , 1, , 1:18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-11-24 , , Win, , align=left, Jordan Valdinocci , , K-1 World GP 2019 Yokohamatsuri , ,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of ...

, , KO (Body Punches) , , 2, , 2:28 , - , - style="background:#CCFFCC;" , 2019-08-24, , Win , , align=left, Sho Oizumi , , K-1 World GP 2019: Japan vs World 5 vs 5 & Special Superfight in Osaka , ,

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, , KO (Punches), , 1 , , 2:17 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-06-30, , Win , , align=left, Cruz Briggs , , K-1 World GP 2019: Super Bantamweight World Tournament , ,

, , KO (Right overhand) , , 1 , , 1:37 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2019-05-18, , Win, , align=left, Kaisei Kondo , , Krush 101 , ,

, , TKO (Body punches) , , 2 , , 1:43 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2019-03-10, , Win, , align=left, Hiromi Wajima , , K-1 World GP 2019: K’FESTA 2 , ,

, , KO (Left Hook) , , 1 , , 2:20 , - , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2018-11-03 , , Loss , , align=left, Jordann Pikeur , , K-1 World GP 2018: 3rd Super Lightweight Championship Tournament , ,

Saitama Prefecture, Japan is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 (1,4 ...

, , KO (4 knockdowns) , , 3 , , 1:30 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-08-05 , , Win , , align=left, Hitoshi Tsukakoshi, , Krush 91 , , Japan , , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 1 , , 1:44 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-06-17 , , Win , , align=left, Kazuki Yamagiwa, , K-1 World GP 2018: 2nd Featherweight Championship Tournament , ,

, , KO (Left Hook) , , 1 , , 2:48 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2018-03-21 , , Win , , align=left, Jin Hirayama, , K-1 World GP 2018: K'FESTA.1 , ,

, , KO (Right Hook) , , 1 , , 2:50 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2017-11-23, , Win, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2017 Heavyweight Championship Tournament, Superfight , , Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2017-09-18, , Loss, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2016 -67.5kg World Tournament, Quarter Finals, ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2017-05-28, , Win, , align=left, Kenji , , Krush 76 , ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 1 , , 1:16 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2017-03-03 , , Loss, , align=left, Kohei Nishikawa , , Krush 74 , ,

, , KO (Right Hook) , , 1 , , 2:15 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2016-06-24, , Win, , align=left, NOMAN , ,

K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg World Tournament The year 2016 is the 24th year in the history of the K-1. 2016 starts with K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament. List of events K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament ''K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament'' was a kickboxing event ...

, Reserve Fight , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2016-03-04 , , Loss, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2016 -65kg Japan Tournament, Quarter Finals , ,

, , KO (Knee to the body) , , 1 , , 2:54 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2015-11-21 , , Loss, , align=left,

, ,

K-1 World GP 2015 The Championship The year 2015 is the 23rd year in the history of the K-1. 2015 starts with K-1 China vs. USA, and ends with K-1 World GP 2015 The Championship. List of events K-1 China vs. USA K-1 China vs. USA was a kickboxing event held on January 1, 201 ...

, ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:55 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2015-09-22, , Win, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2015 Survival Wars , ,

, , Decision (unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2015-07-04, , Win, , align=left,

, ,

K-1 World GP 2015 -70kg Championship Tournament The year 2015 is the 23rd year in the history of the K-1. 2015 starts with K-1 China vs. USA, and ends with K-1 World GP 2015 The Championship. List of events K-1 China vs. USA K-1 China vs. USA was a kickboxing event held on January 1, 2015 ...

, ,

, , Ext.R Decision (unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2015-04-19, , Win, , align=left, Hiroya , ,

K-1 World GP 2015 -55kg Championship Tournament The year 2015 is the 23rd year in the history of the K-1. 2015 starts with K-1 China vs. USA, and ends with K-1 World GP 2015 The Championship. List of events K-1 China vs. USA K-1 China vs. USA was a kickboxing event held on January 1, 2015 ...

, ,

, Japan , , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 1 , , 2:45 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2015-01-18 , , Win, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2015 -60kg Championship Tournament , ,

Shibuya, Tokyo Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April ...

, Japan , , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2014-11-03 , , Loss, , align=left,

, , K-1 World GP 2014 -65kg Championship Tournament, Quarter Finals , ,

, Japan , , TKO (2 Knockdowns) , , 2 , , 2:43 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2014-08-24 , , Win, , align=left, Tomihira Yoshihito, , Krush 45 in NAGOYA, ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most p ...

, Japan , , KO (Right Cross) , , 2 , , 2:23 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2014-06-12 , , Win, , align=left, Thomas Adamandopoulos, , Krush 42, ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 2 , , 2:55 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2014-03-08, , Win, , align=left,

, , Krush 39, ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 1 , , 2:49 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2013-12-14 , , Loss, , align=left,

, , Krush 35 , ,

, , KO (Overhand Right) , , 1 , , 0:47 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2013-09-21, , Win, , align=left, Yuji Takeuchi , , Krush 33 - Next Challenger fight, ,

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:07 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2013-05-12, , Win, , align=left, Ryuji Kajiwara, , Krush 28, ,

, , TKO (Doctor Stoppage) , , 3 , , 1:50 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2013-03-03, , Win, , align=left,

, , Krush-IGNITION 2013 vol.2, ,

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:19 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2013-01-14, , Win, , align=left, NOMAN, , Krush Grand Prix 2013, , Japan , , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:29 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2012-12-09, , Win, , align=left, Hidekazu Tanaka, , MAJKF BREAK-32 SEIZE , , Japan , , KO (Right Hook), , 4 , , 0:39 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2012-09-09 , , Loss, , align=left, Hiroto Yamaguchi , , Krush YOUTH GP 2012 63 kg First round , , Japan , , KO (Left Hook) , , 2 , , 2:01 , - style="background:#Fbb;" , 2012-07-15, , Loss, , align=left, Sho Ogawa , , MAJKF KICK GUTS 2012 , , Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2012-06-03, , Win, , align=left, Kazuma , , MAJKF ~ KICKBOXING Sentokai Samurai 10, , Japan , , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2012-03-18, , Win, , align=left, Wajo, , MAJKF BREAK-24 SAGITTARIUS , , Japan , , TKO (Corner Stoppage), , 3 , , 0:39 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-11-20, , Win, , align=left, Black Dragon, , MAJKF BREAK-20 ～RAISE～ - 2011 Rookie tournament final, , Japan , , TKO (3 Knockdowns), , 1 , , 2:38 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-10-09, , Win, , align=left, Chibita , , MAJKF BREAK-18 Sils - 2011 Rookie tournament semi-finals , , Japan , , KO, , 1 , , 1:35 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-08-28, , Win, , align=left, Kohei Ishigaki , , SNKA BRAVE HEARTS 17 , , Japan , , KO (Punches), , 1 , , 2:25 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-07-18, , Win, , align=left, Kensuke Fujita , , MAJKF BREAK-16 ～GRASP～ - 2011 Rookie tournament quarter-finals , , Japan , , TKO (2 Knockdowns rule), , 3 , , 0:43 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-05-29, , Win, , align=left, Satoru Hashimoto , , MAJKF Sentokai Samurai 8 - 2011 Rookie tournament final 16 , , Japan , , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#CCFFCC" , 2011-02-27, , Win, , align=left, Kazuma , , MAJKF BREAK-10 DICE , , Japan , , KO (2 Knockdowns rules), , 1 , , 0:59 , - style="background:#c5d2ea" , 2010-09-20 , , Draw , , align=left, Ryusuke Takeoka , , MAJKF Sentokai Samurai Budokai 2 , , Japan , , Decision (Majority), , 3 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'': , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-08-27, , Win , , align=left, Yusuke Komiyama , , K-1 Koshien East Japan Selection, Final, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 1 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-08-27, , Win , , align=left, Yusuke Ami, , K-1 Koshien East Japan Selection, Semi Final, ,

, , KO, , 1 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-08-27, , Win , , align=left, Haruki Nihei, , K-1 Koshien East Japan Selection, Quarter Final, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 1 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-08-27, , Win , , align=left, Iyori Akiba, , K-1 Koshien East Japan Selection, Second round, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 1 , , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-08-27, , Win , , align=left, Seichi Hokao, , K-1 Koshien East Japan Selection, First round, ,

, , KO, , , , , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Charles Bennett , TKO (punches) , Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:07 ,

, -

Mixed rules record

, - , , align=center, 0–0 , Yusuke Yachi , , INOKI BOM-BA-YE x Ganryujima , , align=center, , align=center, ,

, Japan ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimura, Minoru Living people 1993 births Sportspeople from Curitiba Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian male kickboxers