, is a Japanese

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 the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division. A professional competitor since 2004, he has formerly competed for 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

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 ...

(MMA),

Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

, and

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 ...

. Currently, he runs an izakaya-style restaurant in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

, The Netherlands.

Mixed martial arts career

Background

Fukuda was a member of the Yamanashi Gakuin University's wrestling team. At the All Japan University Championships, he placed third in 2002 and second in 2003 in his weight class. Fukuda then joined Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling and made his

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

debut in March 2003.

Early career

In his professional

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 ...

debut at SuperBrawl, Fukuda surprised many by taking Joe Doerksen to decision. Over the years, he has worked for the Japanese promotions

and

. In February 2007, he made his debut in the

promotion at EliteXC Destiny. He then lost a close decision to Joey Villasenor on the September 15, 2007 EliteXC: Uprising card. Fukuda fought at DREAM.8 as a late replacement for

Yoon Dong-Sik Yoon Dong-Sik (, born August 24, 1972, in Seoul), often anglicised to Dong-Sik Yoon, is a South Korean judoka, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. Career Judo Before competing in MMA, Yoon was a well-known judoka with over 50 int ...

, where he defeated Murilo Rua by unanimous decision. At

42, Riki defeated Yuichi Nakanishi via unanimous decision to become the DEEP Middleweight Champion. Fukuda successfully defended the title against Hiromitsu Kanehara at

46. At

49, Riki successfully defended the title against

Ryuta Sakurai Ryuta Sakurai (born September 8, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division. A veteran who fought for many companies such as Shooto, Pancrase and PRIDE. Nicknamed Mr. DEEP, he is best known f ...

winning the fight via TKO due to knees. During his bout with Sakurai, Fukuda was able to push the pace, causing Sakurai to fall out of the cage twice. In the first round, Fukuda successfully completed a takedown, but in the process Sakurai fell out of the ring and hit his face on the bell. In the second round, Fukuda landed a knee to the midsection which cause Sakurai to fall, but as he fell he landed on the ground outside the ring; head first. Fukuda was given the victory by TKO, when Sakurai was not able to continue from the head injury.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, it was revealed Fukuda had signed with the UFC. Fukuda made his promotional debut against TUF 11 alumni, Nick Ring on February 27, 2011, at UFC 127. Fukuda lost his UFC debut by a controversial unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). All three judges gave Ring the first two rounds with Fukuda winning the final round, despite controlling all three rounds with takedowns. Despite the loss on the scorecards, UFC president

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 ...

felt Fukuda won the bout and stated on his

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

account that both fighters would be paid a win bonus. Fukuda was expected to face Rafael Natal on August 6, 2011, at

UFC 133 ''UFC 133: Evans vs. Ortiz 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 6, 2011, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of mun ...

. However, Fukuda was forced out of the bout due to a knee injury sustained in a car accident and replaced by Costas Philippou. Fukuda faced Steve Cantwell on February 26, 2012, at

UFC 144 ''UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Venue UFC 144 was held at the Saitama Super Arena in the ...

. Fukuda defeated Cantwell via unanimous decision. Fukuda lost to Costas Philippou on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148 via unanimous decision. Fukuda next defeated Tom DeBlass via unanimous decision on November 10, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 6. Fukuda faced Brad Tavares on March 3, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 8 and lost via unanimous decision. Fukuda was subsequently released from the organization after testing positive for banned substances during his post fight drug screening. It was later revealed to be linked to

over the counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...

cold medicine Fukuda had taken when he fell ill during his process of making weight for the bout.

Road Fighting Championship

In August 2013, Fukuda signed with

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

based promotion ROAD FC. Fukuda faced Hee Seung Kim in his debut bout at Road FC: Korea 1 on January 18, 2014. He won the fight via second-round TKO. Fukuda then faced Dong Sik-Yoon at Road FC 16 on July 26, 2014. He won the fight via TKO, extending his post-UFC record to 2–0. In his next fight, Fukuda faced Dool Hee Lee at Road FC 19 on November 9, 2014. Fukuda controlled the first round, however, the fight was declared a no-contest in the second round, due to accidental groin shots.

Championships and accomplishments

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 ...

** Deep Middleweight Champion (One time) * Road FC ** Road FC Middleweight Champion (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Hoon Kim , TKO (punches) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 40 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:38 ,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 24–8 (1) , Nae Chul Kim , Decision (unanimous) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 36 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–8 (1) , Jung Hwan Cha , KO (punches) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:36 ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 23–7 (1) , Uh Jin Jeon , TKO (punches) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 24 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:52 ,

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 , , - , Win , align=center, 22–7 (1) , Dool Hee Lee , TKO (punches) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 22 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

, South Korea , , - , NC , align=center, 21–7 (1) , Dool Hee Lee , No Contest (accidental knee to groin) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 19 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 21–7 ,

Dong-sik Yoon Yoon Dong-Sik (, born August 24, 1972, in Seoul), often anglicised to Dong-Sik Yoon, is a South Korean judoka, and mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. Career Judo Before competing in MMA, Yoon was a well-known judoka with over 50 int ...

, TKO (punches) , Road FC: Road Fighting Championship 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:36 , Gumi, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 20–7 , Hee Seung Kim , TKO (punches) , Road FC: Korea 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, South Korea , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–7 , Brad Tavares , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–6 ,

Tom DeBlass Tom DeBlass (born May 14, 1982) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, submission grappler and mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship. He has competed in the middleweight division for Bellator and the Ultimate Figh ...

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, SAR, China , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 , Costas Philippou , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 148 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Steve Cantwell , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 , Nick Ring , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 127 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4 ,

, TKO (knees) , DEEP: 49 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:32 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4 , Hiromitsu Kanehara , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 46 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Yuichi Nakanishi , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 42 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Murilo Rua , Decision (unanimous) , DREAM 8 , , align=center, 2 , 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 , Catchweight (196 lb) bout. , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 ,

, TKO (punches) , DEEP: 40 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 , Jason Jones , Decision (unanimous) , Deep: 38 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–4 , Hiroki Ozaki , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 37 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Yuichi Nakanishi , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 35 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 ,

Yuya Shirai Yuya Shirai (born April 2, 1980) is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Shirai has fought for ONE FC, DEEP, BAMMA, Glory World Series, M-1 Global, ...

, Decision (split) , DEEP: 35 Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 34 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Joey Villaseñor , Decision (split) , EliteXC: Uprising , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 ,

Hikaru Sato is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, better known by the ring name . Sato started his MMA career in February 2000, fighting for Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling. During the next eight years, Sato fought, on average, five t ...

, TKO (punches) , Pancrase: 2007 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:09 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Chris Gates , TKO (submission to punches) , EliteXC Destiny , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:18 ,

Southaven, Mississippi Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in Memphis metropolitan area, Greater Memphis. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census reported a population of 54,648, making it the List of municipal ...

, United States , Return to

. , - , Win , align=center, 6–2 ,

Yuji Sakuragi is a Japanese mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and professional wrestler, currently associated with Real Japan Pro Wrestling (RJPW)'s team Seikendo. He is known for his Kyokushin Karate background and his ability to score KO wins. In MMA, he c ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: 2006 Neo-Blood Tournament Finals , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan ,

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 5–2 , Keitaro Maeda , TKO (punches) , GCM: D.O.G. 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–2 , Kozo Urita , KO (punch) , Pancrase: Blow 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Yuta Nakamura , TKO (punches) , Pancrase: Spiral 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Brandon Wolff , TKO (punches) , K-1: World Grand Prix Hawaii , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:49 ,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Oleg Bazayev , KO (punches) , GCM: D.O.G. 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Masaya Inoue , Decision (unanimous) , Shooto: 1/29 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 , Joe Doerksen , Decision (unanimous) , SuperBrawl 35 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,