Ryuji Kajiwara (born 9 December 1976) is a Japanese former professional

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

and boxer. He is the head trainer of K-1 Gym Headquarters Team Pegasus and member of the K-1 Japan Group executive committee. In 2012 he was ranked #7 lightweight in the world by Liverkick.

Kickboxing career

J-NETWORK

Career beginnings

Kajiwara made his professional debut against Tetsu Fujii at R.I.S.E. VI on February 11, 2004. He lost the fight by split decision, with one judge scoring the fight 30–29 in his favor, while the remaining two judges scored the fight 30–29 and 29–28 for Fujii. Kajiwara faced Sota Tamura at SHOOT BOXING 2004 Infinity-S Vol.3 on June 4, 2004. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Kajiwara next faced Yoshihiro Ono at the February 13, 2005 J-NETWORK event. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout, the first stoppage victory of his career. Kajiwara participated in the 2005 J-NETWORK Lightweight Rookie of the Year tournament. He won his quarterfinal bout against Fire Harada by unanimous decision on April 10, 2005, and advanced to the tournament semifinals, held on June 12, 2005, where he faced Hiroshi Iwakiri. Kajiwara beat Iwakiri by unanimous decision and faced Takenori Hosono in the tournament finals, which were held on the same day. He won the Rookie to the Year title with a first-round knockout of Hosono. Kajiwara was booked to face Akihiro Kuroda at J-NETWORK GO! GO! J-NET '06 〜Light my fire!〜 on January 9, 2006. He won the fight by unanimous decision, after an extra round was contested.

Lightweight champion

Kajiwara was scheduled to fight the #1 ranked J-Network lightweight contender Yukihiro Komiya for the vacant lightweight title at J-NETWORK GO! GO! J-NET '06 〜Invading the DRAGON〜 on May 17, 2006. He won the fight by majority decision, with scores of 49–49, 50–48 and 50–48. After capturing his first professional title, Kajiwara was booked in three non-title fights. He first next faced KAWASAKI at J-NETWORK MACH GO! GO! '06 on September 1, 2006. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Kajiwara next faced Daisuke Watanabe at SURPRISING 8 MA Japan Kick on December 3, 2006. He once again won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Kajiwara faced AJKF super featherweight champion Naoki Ishikawa in his third straight non-title bout at AJKF New Deal on April 15, 2007. The fight was ruled a majority draw. Kajiwara was booked to face Makoto Nishiyama for the vacant WFCA World Lightweight title at J-NETWORK "TEAM DRAGON QUEST 1" on June 3, 2007. He won the closely contested bout by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 50–49 in his favor.

AJKF

Kajiwara made his second AJKF appearance against Hisanori Maeda at AJKF Kick Return Kickboxer of the best 60 Tournament on August 25, 2007. He lost the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout. Kajiwara faced Fire Harada on October 25, 2007, in his last fight of the year. He rebounded from his third professional loss with a split decision win. Kajiwara was booked to face the former two-time WBC

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

champion Chi In-jin at K-1 ASIA MAX 2008 IN SEOUL on February 24, 2008. Chi won the fight by unanimous decision. Kajiwara suffered two consecutive losses for the first time in his career on May 31, 2008, as he lost a majority decision to

Koji Yoshimoto is a Japanese retired kickboxer and mixed martial artist. A professional competitor between 2000 and 2016, Yoshimoto held the RISE super lightweight title and was the 2007 Pancrase Neo Blood Featherweight Tournament winner. Kickboxing career RIS ...

at AJKF vs Team Dragon. Kajiwara snapped his two-fight losing streak with a third-round technical knockout of Kim Young-kwang at J-NETWORK TEAM DRAGON QUEST 2 on August 31, 2008, after which he was booked to face

Haruaki Otsuki is a Japanese Kickboxing, kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of Krush (kickboxing), Krush. A professional competitor since 1999, he is the former List of Krush champions#Krush Super Featherweight Championship, Krush ...

at K-1 World MAX 2008 World Championship Tournament Final on October 1, 2008. Kajiwara lost his K-1 MAX debut by unanimous decision. Kajiwara faced Akihiro Kuroda at KING OF KINGS TOUITSU in KOBE, -62 kg Tournament First Round on December 23, 2008. He lost the fight by majority decision. Kajiwara made his

Krush Krush were a UK dance music group, who had a crossover hit single with "House Arrest" in 1987. Career The group consisted of musicians Mark Gamble, Cassius Campbell and record producers Mark Brydon and Robert Gordon. Ruth Joy was the featured ...

debut against

Genki Yamamoto is a Japanese professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . Career Yamamoto won the third stage of the Tour de Hokkaido twice while still a student at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, firs ...

at AJKF Krush 2 on March 14, 2009. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 30–28 for Yamamoto.

Krush

Early Krush career

Kajiwara participated in the 2009

lightweight Grand Prix, the first round of which was held on July 24, 2009. Kajiwara beat Sol-de-tigre Yosuke in the opening round of the tournament by a second-round technical knockout and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals, where he faced

Yuji Takeuchi "Kyoken" Yuji Takeuchi (born August 13, 1983) is a Japanese former professional kickboxer. Biography Takeuchi started combat sports with boxing and later transitioned to kickboxing after seeing the success of K-1 events. Titles and accomplishme ...

. Takeuchi won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 29–28 and 30–28. Kajiwara made his third

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 ...

appearance against Keiichi Samukawa at

K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2009 Final'' was a martial arts event held by the K-1 on Saturday December 5, 2009 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. It was the 17th K-1 World GP Final, the culmination of a year full of regional elimination tourname ...

on December 5, 2009. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–29 and 30–28. Kajiwara was booked to face Daisuke Endo at Krush 6 on April 29, 2010. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–28 and 29–28. Kajiwara next faced Naoki Ishikawa at Krush 9 on August 14, 2010. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Krush lightweight champion

Kajiwara took part in the 2011 Krush First Generation King Tournament, held to crown the inaugural Krush champions. He earned his place in the final two bouts of the tournament with a unanimous decision victory against TaCa on January 9, 2011. Kajiwara faced Kizaemon Saiga in the penultimate bout of the tournament on April 30, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Kajiwara advanced to the finals, held on the same day, where he faced

Koya Urabe is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed professionally in the super featherweight and lightweight divisions of K-1. He is the former K-1 Lightweight champion, the former K-1 Super Featherweight champion and a two-time K-1 World Super Fe ...

. He beat Urabe by majority decision. Kajiwara was booked to face

Masaaki Noiri is a Japanese Kickboxing, kickboxer, currently competing in the Featherweight Division of ONE Championship, where he is the List of ONE Championship champions#Featherweight World Championship, interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion. He ...

in the quarterfinals of the K-1 World MAX 2011 –63 kg Japan Tournament Final, held on June 25, 2011. Noiri won the fight by split decision, after an extra round was fought. After losing to Noiri in the first fight of the K-1 MAX, Kajiwara was scheduled to face Liu Wei in a non-title bout at Krush 12 on September 24, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Kajiwara made his first Krush lightweight title defense against

Tetsuya Yamato , better known by his ring name Tetsuya Yamato, is a Japanese Muay thai fighter and kickboxer. He is the former K-1 Super Lightweight champion, the former WBC Muaythai and Lion Fight super lightweight champion, the former NJKF lightweight champi ...

at Krush 14 on December 9, 2011. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–28, 30–28 and 30–27. Kajiwara faced the 2008 K-1 Koshien tournament winner Hiroya in a non-title bout at Krush 18 on May 3, 2012. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 30–28 in his favor. Kajiwara made his second Krush lightweight title defense against the I.S.K.A. World Kickboxing champion

Thomas Adamandopoulos Thomas Adamandopoulos (born September 22, 1986) is a Greek-Italian-French Muay Thai kickboxer who currently trains in Marseille, France. He a former ISKA world champion 135 lbs. Biography and career Adamandopoulos trains in Marseille with his t ...

at Krush 21 on August 12, 2012. He lost the fight by a second-round knockout.

Later Krush career

Kajiwara faced Ikki at Krush 25 on December 14, 2012. He won the fight by unanimous decision. After successfully rebounding for his title loss, Kajiwara suffered two consecutive losses. He first dropped a unanimous decision, after an extra round was fought, to Yukihiro Komiya at the Road to GLORY JAPAN -65 kg SLAM event on March 10, 2013. Kajiwara was then knocked out in the third round by

Minoru Kimura is a Brazilian kickboxer of Japanese and Italian descent, fighting out of Battle Box Gym. He is the former K-1 Super Welterweight champion. He has faced several notable fighters of his weight division such as Kaew Fairtex, Hideaki Yamazaki, ...

at Krush 28 on May 12, 2013. Kajiwara was booked to face Naoki Terasaki at Krush 33 on September 21, 2013. He won the fight by unanimous decision, snapping his two-fight losing streak. Kajiwara faced

Hirotaka Urabe is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed professionally with AJKF, Krush and K-1. He is the former K-1 Super Featherweight champion, as well as the inaugural and two-time Krush Super Featherweight champion. Combat Press ranked him as a ...

in his retirement fight at Krush 35 on December 14, 2013. He won the fight by unanimous decision and announced his retirement from the sport in the post-fight ring speech.

Titles and accomplishments

*J-NETWORK **2005 J-NETWORK Rookie Tournament Lightweight Winner **2006 J-NETWORK Lightweight Championship *World Full Contact Association **2007 WFCA World Lightweight Championship *

**2011 Krush Lightweight Championship ***One successful title defense **2011 "Fighter of the Year"

Professional kickboxing record

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 2013-12-14, , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush.35 , ,

Tokyo, Japan 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 ...

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2013-09-21, , Win , , align=left, Naoki Terasaki , , Krush.33 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2013-05-12, , Loss , , align=left,

, , Krush 28, ,

, , TKO (Ref Stoppage/Left Hook) , , 3 , , 1:50 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2013-03-10, , Loss , , align=left, Yukihiro Komiya, , Road to GLORY JAPAN -65 kg SLAM, First Round , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Unanimous), , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2012-12-14, , Win , , align=left, Ikki , , Krush.25 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2012-08-12 , , Loss, , align=left,

, , Krush.21 , ,

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 , , KO (Left High Kick) , , 2 , , 1:42 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2012-05-03 , , Win, , align=left, Hiroya, , Krush.18, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3, , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2011-12-09 , , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush.14 , ,

, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2011-09-24 , , Win , , align=left, Liu Wei , , Krush.12 , ,

, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#FFBBBB" , 2011-06-25 , , Loss, , align=left,

, , K-1 World MAX 2011 –63 kg Japan Tournament Final, Quarter Finals , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (split) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-04-30 , , Win , , align=left,

, , Krush First Generation King Tournament Triple Final Round , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-04-30 , , Win , , align=left, Kizaemon Saiga , , Krush First Generation King Tournament Triple Final Round , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2011-01-09 , , Win , , align=left, TaCa , , Krush First Generation King Tournament First Round, ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2010-08-14 , , Win , , align=left, Naoki Ishikawa , , Krush.9 , ,

, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2010-04-29 , , Win , , align=left, Daisuke Endo , , Krush.6 , ,

, Japan , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2009-12-05 , , Win , , align=left, Keiichi Samukawa , ,

, ,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2009-07-24 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Krush Lightweight Grand Prix 2009, Quarter Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2009-07-24 , , Win , , align=left, Sol-de-tigre Yosuke , , Krush Lightweight Grand Prix 2009, First Round , ,

, , TKO (Doctor Stoppage) , , 2 , , 1:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2009-03-14 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , AJKF Krush 2 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2008-12-23 , , Loss , , align=left, Akihiro Kuroda , , KING OF KINGS TOUITSU in KOBE, -62 kg Tournament First Round , ,

Kobe, Japan Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2008-10-01 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , K-1 World MAX 2008 World Championship Tournament Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2008-08-31 , , Win , , align=left, Kim Young-kwang, , J-NETWORK TEAM DRAGON QUEST 2 , ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdows) , , 3 , , 2:47 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2008-05-31 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , AJKF vs Team Dragon , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2008-02-24 , , Loss , , align=left, Chi In-jin , , K-1 ASIA MAX 2008 IN SEOUL , ,

Seoul, South Korea 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 ...

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2007-10-25 , , Win , , align=left, Fire Harada, , AJKF Kick Return Kickboxer of the best 60 Tournament , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Split) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2007-08-25 , , Loss , , align=left, Hisanori Maeda, , AJKF Kick Return Kickboxer of the best 60 Tournament , ,

, , TKO (Left Middle Kick) , , 5 , , 2:40 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2007-06-03 , , Win , , align=left, Makoto Nishiyama , , J-NETWORK "TEAM DRAGON QUEST 1" , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#c5d2ea" , 2007-04-15 , , Draw , , align=left, Naoki Ishikawa , , AJKF New Deal , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2006-12-03 , , Win , , align=left, Daisuke Watanabe , , SURPRISING 8 MA Japan Kick , ,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, , TKO (Doctor Stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:39 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2006-09-01 , , Win , , align=left, KAWASAKI , , J-NETWORK "MACH GO! GO! '06" , ,

, , TKO (Corner Stoppage) , , 3 , , 2:25 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2006-05-17 , , Win , , align=left, Yukihiro Komiya, , J-NETWORK "GO! GO! J-NET '06" 〜Invading the DRAGON〜 , ,

, , Decision (Majority) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2006-01-09 , , Win , , align=left, Akihiro Kuroda, , J-NETWORK "GO! GO! J-NET '06" 〜Light my fire!〜 , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2005-09-21 , , Loss , , align=left, Sota, , J-NETWORK "GO! GO! J-NET '05" 〜SKY HIGH〜 , ,

, , Ext.R Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2005-06-12 , , Win , , align=left, Takenori Hosono, , J-NETWORK "J-FIGHT 5", Lightweight Rookie Tournament Final , ,

, , KO , , 1 , , 2:04 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2005-06-12 , , Win , , align=left, Hiroshi Iwakiri, , J-NETWORK "J-FIGHT 5", Lightweight Rookie Tournament Semi Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 2 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2005-04-10 , , Win , , align=left, Fire Harada, , J-NETWORK "J-FIGHT 3", Lightweight Rookie Tournament Quarter Final , ,

, , Ex.R Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2005-02-13 , , Win , , align=left, Yoshihiro Ono, , J-NETWORK 3 , ,

, , TKO (3 Knockdowns) , , 1 , , 1:51 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2004-06-04 , , Win , , align=left, Sota Tamura, , SHOOT BOXING 2004 Infinity-S Vol.3 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - bgcolor="#fbb" , 2004-02-11, , Loss , , align=left, Tetsu Fujii, , R.I.S.E. VI , ,

, , Decision (Split) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

Professional boxing record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kajiwara, Ryuji Living people 1976 births Japanese male kickboxers Kickboxers from Tokyo Japanese male boxers