Hidehiko Yoshida

2.1. Judo career

Yoshida first gained international recognition in judo at the 1991 World Judo Championships in Barcelona, where he earned a bronze medal in the -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} category. Building on this success, he claimed gold at the All Japan Judo Championships in 1991 and the A-Tournament in Sofia in 1992, solidifying his position as a top contender heading into the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Yoshida dominated the -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} competition, winning all six of his matches by ippon to secure his first Olympic gold medal. After his Olympic triumph, he continued to achieve significant results at the World Judo Championships, earning silver medals in 1993 (at -172 lb ^{(78 kg)}) and 1995 (at -190 lb ^{(86 kg)}), and a gold medal in 1999 (at -198 lb ^{(90 kg)}). Despite these successes, he did not win another Olympic gold. He finished in fifth place at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta and ninth at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney.

During the 2000 Summer Olympics, while competing in the -198 lb ^{(90 kg)} division, Yoshida sustained a right elbow joint dislocation during his third-round match against Carlos Honorato of Brazil when he attempted to brace a throw. He subsequently lost the match and was forced to forfeit the repechage round due to the injury. After the 2000 Summer Games and his final appearance at the All Japan Judo Championships in 2002, Yoshida retired from the front lines of competitive judo. From 1991 to 1997, he was affiliated with Nippon Steel. Following that, from 1997 to 2002, he served as the head coach of the Meiji University judo club, his alma mater. In 2002, he established his own judo academy, Yoshida Dojo, where he has since served as the master.

2.2. Mixed martial arts career

In 2002, Hidehiko Yoshida fully turned his attention to the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), having previously worked as a color commentator for the sport. He signed with PRIDE Fighting Championships with the intention of competing as a fighter. He embraced the challenge of facing high-level opponents, seeking to dispel any notion that his transition to MMA was due to a decline in his judo competitiveness. Notably, Yoshida committed to competing in a judogi, a traditional judo uniform, as a means to generate broader interest in judo as a martial art within the MMA community. Following his entry into MMA, Yoshida established his own team, Yoshida Dojo, which focuses on both judo and mixed martial arts training.

2.2.1. PRIDE Fighting Championships

Yoshida made his debut appearance in PRIDE in a special grappling match against UFC pioneer Royce Gracie at PRIDE Shockwave in August 2002. The match was conducted under unique rules: limited striking to the body while standing, no judges' decision, and both competitors were required to wear a gi. This ruleset was proposed by Royce Gracie to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie fight, framing the bout as another "judo vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu" contest. Despite popular perception and predictions from experts like Mário Sperry favoring Gracie on the ground, Yoshida prepared his submission skills with close friend and fellow judoka Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.

In the fight, Gracie immediately pulled guard to evade Yoshida's powerful nage-waza, frustrating Yoshida's initial plan to achieve a ground engagement through a throw. Gracie attempted an armbar from his back, but Yoshida blocked it and sought a gi choke, prompting Gracie to transition to a heel hook. After a period of stalemate in leglock exchanges, the action was restarted on the feet. Gracie again pulled guard, but Yoshida converted the move into a daki age, advanced to Gracie's half guard, and attempted a Kimura lock. Although Gracie managed to resist the technique, Yoshida successfully passed his guard after a brief struggle, gaining side control. Ultimately, Yoshida fully mounted Gracie and applied a sode guruma jime (sleeve wheel choke). Following a moment of apparent inactivity, Yoshida questioned referee Daisuke Noguchi about Gracie's consciousness, as he could not see Gracie's face. Believing Gracie to be unconscious, Noguchi controversially stopped the match, awarding the victory to Yoshida.

Upon standing immediately after the stoppage, Royce Gracie vehemently protested the decision and physically assaulted the referee, leading to a brief brawl between the contenders' cornermen in the ring. The Gracie family later apologized for Royce's actions but argued that he had not lost consciousness and that the referee lacked the authority to stop the match under the agreed-upon rules. They demanded the fight result be changed to a no-contest. Slow-motion footage of the stoppage showed Gracie's chin exposed and his neck free from the choke, leading longtime PRIDE FC commentators Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten to concur that Gracie had not been choked out.

Yoshida's first official MMA bout took place at PRIDE 23 in November 2002 against former UFC 8 Tournament Champion and UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996 Tournament Champion Don Frye. Yoshida initiated an ouchi gari throw, taking Frye to the ground. He then attempted a sode guruma jime, but Frye escaped. Yoshida followed up with an armbar, which resulted in Frye's arm breaking when he refused to tap out, marking Frye's first defeat in six years. Following this, Yoshida submitted former world karate champion Masaaki Satake via neck crank at INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2002.

At PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 in August 2003, Yoshida faced shoot-style veteran Kiyoshi Tamura in the opening round of the Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament. For much of the first round, Yoshida was on the defensive, absorbing leg kicks and punches from Tamura and having his back taken on the ground. However, he eventually managed to execute a harai goshi throw, taking Tamura down, and then applied a sode guruma jime (Ezekiel choke) for the tap-out victory. Yoshida sustained a left knee injury from Tamura's low kicks during the bout, requiring immediate hospital attention afterward.

Yoshida's first professional MMA loss came against the then-PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva via unanimous decision at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 in November 2003. Silva had a reputation for knocking out Japanese fighters, but Yoshida defied expectations by engaging in a back-and-forth battle. In the first round, both fighters exchanged attacks from and against the guard, with Silva landing knees while standing and Yoshida pressing with a neck crank. The second round saw Silva blocking Yoshida's takedown attempts and landing violent head kicks and knees. Despite this, Yoshida absorbed most of the punishment and stayed within punching range to trade strikes with Silva. The match concluded with Silva knocking down Yoshida, only for Yoshida to secure a sweep for a final assault. The judges awarded the decision to Silva, but the bout itself earned Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Fight of the Year honors for 2003.

Less than two months after his intense fight with Wanderlei Silva, and still recovering from injuries, Yoshida faced Royce Gracie in a rematch at PRIDE Shockwave 2003 in December 2003. This time, the fight was under modified PRIDE rules, featuring a special referee (Matt Hume), two 10-minute rounds, and no judges, meaning any inconclusive ending would result in a draw. Gracie, who fought without his gi top, sparked controversy by aiming three consecutive low blows at Yoshida, with one connecting and causing a temporary stoppage of the match. Despite the injury, Yoshida was able to continue fighting. He then knocked down Gracie with a combination and attacked him on the ground, besieging his half guard and momentarily taking his back. Gracie countered by capitalizing on an armlock attempt to gain top position, eventually taking back mount and repeatedly striking Yoshida with hammerfists. The second round began with a struggle for an ankle lock, but it quickly reverted to the previous position, with Gracie straddling a turtled Yoshida and landing strikes in pursuit of a submission. The match ended as a draw, as stipulated by the rules.

At PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 in June 2004, Yoshida faced the debuting Mark Hunt, a kickboxing champion and K-1 veteran who was significantly heavier. Yoshida nearly secured an early victory with an armbar from the bottom, but Hunt defended by pressing his knee against Yoshida's throat. For the remainder of the fight, Yoshida attempted various leglocks, triangle chokes, and armbars. Hunt, utilizing raw strength and improvised submission defense, managed to block these attempts until Yoshida finally locked in an armbar, securing the win.

In 2004, after promoters failed to arrange a third match with Royce Gracie, as Yoshida had desired, the judoka was matched against another debuting opponent, Rulon Gardner. Gardner, an Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling and considerably heavier than Yoshida, delivered an unexpectedly strong performance, dominating Yoshida with his stand-up game to win by unanimous decision at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 in December.

In April 2005, Yoshida had a rematch against Wanderlei Silva at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005. This fight was even more closely contested than their first encounter, with Yoshida winning the first round according to the judges' scoring and largely avoiding significant danger until the third round. However, he ultimately lost the bout by decision. Yoshida rebounded from this defeat by submitting Tank Abbott at the subsequent event, PRIDE Final Conflict 2005, using a judo technique known as kata-ha-jime (single-wing choke).

At the end of the same year, Yoshida faced fellow Japanese judoka Naoya Ogawa in a highly anticipated MMA bout at PRIDE Shockwave 2005. Both fighters received a payment of 2.00 M USD, making it one of the most expensive fights in MMA history. Yoshida and Ogawa had a history, having previously clashed at the World Judo Championship, where Yoshida secured an upset victory. The theme of revenge was central to this MMA rematch. Fighting without their gis, Yoshida began the match by throwing punches and taking Ogawa down, leading to a prolonged and aggressive exchange of reversals and ground-and-pound. Although Ogawa appeared to gain a dominant position at the end, Yoshida surprised him by locking in an armbar from the guard, forcing his judo rival to submit.

The following year, Yoshida participated in the PRIDE 2006 Heavyweight Grand Prix. In the opening round at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute in May 2006, he was pitted against boxing champion Yosuke Nishijima. As anticipated, Yoshida took Nishijima down and mounted him. When Nishijima attempted a sweep, Yoshida locked in a triangle choke for the win. Advancing to the quarterfinals at PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute in July, Hidehiko faced master kickboxer and eventual tournament winner Mirko Cro Cop. In a classic striker-versus-grappler contest, Yoshida repeatedly attempted to throw Mirko to the mat, nearly executing an uchi mata near the corner at one point. However, the Croatian fighter resisted and continued to land powerful leg kicks. Although Yoshida managed to avoid Mirko's signature knockout blow, he eventually succumbed to the accumulated damage to his legs, losing by TKO. Notably, Mirko Cro Cop himself helped Yoshida out of the arena after the match.

Yoshida's final match in PRIDE was against James Thompson at the PRIDE Shockwave 2006 event. Yoshida initially outboxed the much heavier British fighter and threatened him with several throw-to-armbar attempts, as well as some leglocks. However, the bout featured a controversial moment when Thompson pushed Yoshida between the ring ropes and out of the ring. Yoshida chose to return to the fight, but the fall seemed to have taken its toll. Thompson then overwhelmed him with punches and knees, eventually knocking him out. This bout was marked by further controversy, as the referee did not immediately stop the match, allowing Thompson to deliver additional strikes to a barely conscious Yoshida, resulting in a delayed stoppage.

2.3. Return to judo

One year after his retirement from professional MMA, Hidehiko Yoshida became eligible to register as a coach with the All Japan Judo Federation. On May 12, 2011, he was appointed as the head coach of the judo team for Park24 Co., Ltd., a company well-known for its parking lot operations. At the time, Yoshida hinted at the possibility of returning as an active competitor after two years, when professional fighters become eligible to re-register as athletes.

Indeed, in 2013, Yoshida officially re-registered as an active judoka. In June of the same year, he made a full return to competitive judo by participating in the All Japan Business Group Tournament. This marked his first competition in 11 years, and he notably won all four of his matches by ippon.

5.1. Judo

• All Japan Judo Weight Category Championship -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist (1992)
• All Japan Judo Weight Category Championship -190 lb ^{(86 kg)} Gold Medalist (1995, 1996)
• All Japan Judo Weight Category Championship -198 lb ^{(90 kg)} Gold Medalist (1999, 2000)
• All Japan Junior Judo Weight Category Championship -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist (1987, 1988)
• All Japan Judo Championships Bronze Medalist (1991)
• All Japan Judo Championships Silver Medalist (1994)
• Asian Judo Championships -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist (1988 Damascus)
• Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championship -190 lb ^{(86 kg)} Gold Medalist (1994)
• Kodokan Cup All Japan Judo Weight Category Championship -198 lb ^{(90 kg)} Gold Medalist (1998)
• French International Gold Medalist (1993, 1995)
• Jigoro Kano Cup Tokyo International Judo Tournament -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist (1990)
• Jigoro Kano Cup Tokyo International Judo Tournament -190 lb ^{(86 kg)} Gold Medalist (1994)
• National High School General Sports Tournament Lightweight Gold Medalist (1987)
• National Junior High School Judo Tournament Middleweight Silver Medalist (1984)
• 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist
• 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games -190 lb ^{(86 kg)} 5th Place
• 2000 Sydney Olympic Games -198 lb ^{(90 kg)} 9th Place
• World Judo Championships -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Bronze Medalist (1991 Barcelona)
• World Judo Championships -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Silver Medalist (1993 Hamilton)
• World Judo Championships -190 lb ^{(86 kg)} Silver Medalist (1995 Chiba)
• World Judo Championships -198 lb ^{(90 kg)} Gold Medalist (1999 Birmingham)
• World University Judo Championships -172 lb ^{(78 kg)} Gold Medalist (1988, 1990)

5.2. Mixed martial arts

• PRIDE Fighting Championships
  • 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
• Tokyo Sports
  • Topic Award (2002)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Fight of the Year (2003) vs. Wanderlei Silva on November 9

5.3. Other awards

• Aqua Peace Golden Heart Award (2002), presented by Aqua Peace Network.

6.1. Mixed martial arts record

6.2. Grappling record