is a Japanese retired professional

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 ...

. A professional competitor from 2001 to 2013, Chonan 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 ...

PRIDE Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

World Victory Road World Victory Road (WVR) was a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization which promoted the Sengoku Raiden Championship (SRC) in Japan. The organization was formed in 2007 following the purchase of PRIDE FC by Zuffa. It operated in conjunct ...

. Chonan is the former DEEP Middleweight Champion and the former DEEP Welterweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Chonan's roots are in

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 ...

, which he began in high school before later moving to Thailand to train. Chonan officially began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2001, losing his first fight in Pancrase – Neo Blood Tournament. He then went on to fight in

, going 6–2 in the organization including a TKO win against

Hayato Sakurai (born August 24, 1975) also known as , is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and participated in the Yarennoka!, ...

. Chonan fought in PRIDE Bushido 3 as a representative of Team Japan, losing a decision to

Ricardo Almeida Ricardo Alves Almeida (; born November 29, 1976) is a Brazilian-American former mixed martial artist and current Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler residing in Bordentown, New Jersey. Almeida is a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRID ...

. Then at PRIDE Bushido 5 he went on to defeat

Carlos Newton Carlos Newton (born August 17, 1976) is an Anguillia-born Canadian retired mixed martial artist (MMA). He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion and Pride FC Japan MMA Legend. Known as "The Ronin", he competed worldwide in MMA organizations i ...

via unanimous decision. Chonan's next win was against future UFC Middleweight Champion

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 ...

at '' PRIDE: Shockwave 2004'', where he executed a spectacular flying scissor-lock takedown, followed quickly by a heel-hook

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

. Chonan returned in DEEP defeating

Roan Carneiro Roan Carneiro Pereira (born 2 June 1978) is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2000, Carneiro was ...

via TKO at 18th Impact. He won his fight at

PRIDE Bushido 7 The year 2005 was the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters Th ...

against

Nino Schembri Antônio "Nino" Schembri (; born June 1, 1974, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) and former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He is a former member of the Chute Boxe Academy and currently trains ...

via unanimous decision. His next fight was a KO loss against

Phil Baroni Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist, kickboxer, boxer, and professional wrestler. Baroni competed in the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Cage Rage, DREAM, EliteXC, Bellator MMA, Titan FC, Palace Fi ...

at PRIDE Bushido 8. He also lost his next fight against future teammate

Dan Henderson Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American former mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a Middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champi ...

via KO at the opening seconds of the bout at

PRIDE Bushido 9 The year 2005 was the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters Th ...

. He returned at DEEP: 23 Impact to defeat

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 ...

by TKO to become the DEEP Middleweight Champion. In the ''2006 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix'', Chonan suffered a broken orbital bone at the end of his match against

Joey Villasenor Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...

caused by a stomp but was able to continue in the tournament. In his next match of the tournament, against

Paulo Filho Paulo Filho (; born May 24, 1978), is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2014, Filho was the last WEC Middleweight Champion, and also comp ...

, Chonan was submitted by

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armpit lock is very useful; it will immobilize an opponent and pin them on the ground. An armlock t ...

early in the first round. In February 2007, Chonan returned to DEEP and defeated former DEEP Middleweight Champion

to retain the Middleweight Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ryo Chonan made his UFC debut against Karo Parisyan on November 17, 2007, at UFC 78 which Chonan lost via unanimous decision after three rounds. Chonan then defeated

in their rematch via split decision on September 6, 2008, at UFC 88. Chonan was also defeated in his next fight on December 27, 2008, by Brad Blackburn. Blackburn controlled the first two rounds before Chonan was significantly more dominant in the third round. He was unable to finish the fight by T/KO or submission and lost by unanimous decision, 2 rounds to 1. Chonan is currently a part of the

Team Quest Team Quest is a mixed martial arts training camp founded by Randy Couture and Dan Henderson with facilities located in Gresham, Oregon; Murrieta, California; Encinitas, California; Redding, California; Hemet, California; and Chiang Mai, Thailand ...

, along with former

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 ...

Middleweight and Welterweight Champion

, Matt Lindland,

Jason "Mayhem" Miller Jason Miller (born December 24, 1980), best known as Mayhem Miller, is an American podcaster, mixed martial artist, coach, actor, and television host. He is currently “Mayhem the Newsman,” on thAdam Carolla Show. He previously trained with Ki ...

, and

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou Nkamhoua (; born April 18, 1984), mostly billed simply as Sokoudjou, is a Cameroonian professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2006, Sokoudjou is the former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, KSW Light He ...

. Ryo Chonan was subsequently released from the UFC following a controversial split decision loss to T. J. Grant.

Return to Japan

He won his fight at DEEP : 43 Impact against Jutaro Nakao by unanimous decision. Chonan made his

debut at

DREAM 13 ''Dream 13'' was a mixed martial arts event held by Fighting and Entertainment Group's mixed martial arts promotion Dream (mixed martial arts), Dream. The event took place on Monday, March 22, 2010 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The ev ...

defeating Andrews Nakahara by unanimous decision. He then made his

debut at Soul of Fight on December 30, 2010. Chonan was originally scheduled to face Dan Hornbuckle, but illness forced Hornbuckle off the card and he was replaced by Taisuke Okuno. Chonan lost the fight via KO in the first round. Chonan returned at DEEP: 54 Impact on June 24, 2011, against Iwase Shigetoshi. Chonan won the fight by knockout. On October 29, Chonan defeated Naoki Samukawa by unanimous decision. Chonan returned at Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 where he faced

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. On October 20, 2013, Chonan fought Dan Hornbuckle in his retirement fight. He won the fight by unanimous decision and retired as DEEP Welterweight Champion.

Championships and accomplishments

** DEEP Middleweight Championship (One time) **One successful title defense ** DEEP Welterweight Championship (One time) *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2004 Submission of the Year- vs.

on December 31 *

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

**2000s Best Submission of the Decade- vs.

on December 31, 2004 **2000s One Hit Wonder *

Bleacher Report ''Bleacher Report'' (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sports and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. ''Bleacher Report'' was acquired by Time Warner's Turner B ...

**2000s Submission of the Decade- vs.

on December 31, 2004 *MMAFighting **2004 Middleweight Fighter of the Year **2004 Submission of the Year- vs.

on December 31

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 22–13 , Dan Hornbuckle , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: Tribe Tokyo Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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 , Won the DEEP Welterweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 21–13 ,

Seichi Ikemoto is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His specialty is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent. Biography and career Ikemoto is a ...

, Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: Osaka Impact 2013 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–13 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 20–12 , Naoki Samukawa , Decision (unanimous) , Deep: Cage Impact 2011 in Tokyo, 2nd Round , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–12 , Shigetoshi Iwase , KO (punch) , Deep: 54 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–12 , Taisuke Okuno , KO (punch) , World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:19 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–11 , Jun Hee Moon , TKO (punches) , Deep: 50 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:57 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–11 , Jung Hwan Cha , KO (punches) , Astra , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:16 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–10 , Andrews Nakahara , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–10 ,

Jutaro Nakao Jutaro Nakao (born November 30, 1970) is a Japanese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He competes in both the Lightweight (MMA), Lightweight and Welterweight (MMA), Welterweight divisions. A judo based fighter, Nakao is known for his c ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Deep: 43 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–10 , T. J. Grant , Decision (split) ,

UFC 97 ''UFC 97: Redemption'' (not to be confused with ''UFC 17: Redemption'') was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on April 18, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background This event broke the UFC attendanc ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–9 , Brad Blackburn , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 92 , , 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, 15–8 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC 88 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–8 , Karo Parisyan , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 78 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , Vacated DEEP Middleweight Championship. , - , Win , align=center, 14–7 , Seo Do Wong , TKO (strikes) , DEEP: DEEP in Yamagata , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:58 , Yamagata, Japan , Drops to

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 ...

. , - , Win , align=center, 13–7 ,

, Decision (majority) , DEEP: 28 Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , Defended DEEP Middleweight Championship. , - , Loss , align=center, 12–7 ,

, Submission (armbar) , PRIDE: Bushido 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

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 , PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. , - , Win , align=center, 12–6 , Joey Villaseñor , Decision (split) , PRIDE: Bushido 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , PRIDE 2006 Welterweight Grand Prix Opening Round. , - , Win , align=center, 11–6 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , DEEP: 23 Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

, Japan , Won DEEP Middleweight Championship. Doctor stoppage due to cut. , - , Loss , align=center, 10–6 ,

, KO (punch) , PRIDE: Bushido 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 ,

, KO (punch) , PRIDE: Bushido 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE: Bushido 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–4 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , DEEP: 18th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:15 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–4 ,

, Submission (flying scissor heel hook) , PRIDE Shockwave 2004 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:08 , Saitama, Japan , MMAFighting Submission of The Year (2004). , - , Win , align=center, 7–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE Bushido 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE Bushido 3 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 ,

Daijiro Matsui is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. A professional MMA competitor since 1998, he has competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Cage Rage, DEEP, Pancrase, and King of the Cage. As a professional wrestler, Matsui ...

, Decision (majority) , DEEP: 13th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–3 ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , DEEP: 12th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:10 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–3 , Yuji Hisamatsu , Decision (majority) , DEEP: 11th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–3 ,

Masanori Suda Masanori Suda (born July 7, 1973) is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He competed in the Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. Suda is known primarily for his time in Shooto, where he is a former Light Heavyweight Champion. ...

, Decision (split) , DEEP: 7th Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–2 , Katsumi Usuta , TKO (strikes) , DEEP: 6th Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:05 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–2 , Eiji Ishikawa , Decision (majority) , DEEP: 5th Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Kenji Akiyama , TKO (submission to punches) , DEEP: 4th Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 , Takaku Fuke , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 3rd Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

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 ...

, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: 2001 Neo-Blood Tournament Eliminations , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Japan ,

References

External links

* * *
Official MySpace

Tribe MMA Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chonan, Ryo 1976 births Living people Japanese male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Kyokushin kaikan Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Deep (mixed martial arts) champions Japanese male karateka Japanese male Muay Thai practitioners Japanese expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Martial artists from Yamagata Prefecture People from Tsuruoka