Tatsuya Mizuno

2.1. Judo Career

Mizuno started practicing judo in junior high school. He continued his judo training through high school at Tsuchiura Nihon University High School and then at Yamanashi Gakuin University. After university, he gained professional experience in judo while affiliated with Sohgo Security Services. He currently holds a 3rd dan black belt in judo.

2.2. Transition to Mixed Martial Arts

Mizuno's entry into mixed martial arts began with amateur competitions. On April 29, 2005, he won the 5th East Japan Amateur Shooto Freshman Heavyweight (-100kg) Tournament. Later that year, on December 23, 2005, he participated in the Pancrase Gate x 2 amateur tournament as a member of U-FILE CAMP, securing a submission victory. He went on to achieve four consecutive wins in the Pancrase Gate x 2 events. His professional mixed martial arts debut took place on September 16, 2006, at Pancrase: Blow 7, where he defeated Yuji Sakuragi by rear-naked choke in the second round.

3.1. Pancrase

Mizuno made his professional debut in Pancrase on September 16, 2006, securing a submission victory over Yuji Sakuragi. He quickly faced high-level competition early in his career within the organization. On February 28, 2007, he competed in a Heavyweight next challenger decision match against Thiago Silva, losing by first-round KO via soccer kick. Following this, on May 30, 2007, he challenged Assuério Silva for the vacant Pancrase Heavyweight Championship at Pancrase: Rising 5, but lost by second-round TKO due to mount punches, failing to capture the title. This title opportunity arose despite his loss to Thiago Silva, as Silva later moved to the UFC, leading to a title decider against Assuério Silva. Mizuno later defeated Yasuaki Miura by armlock in the first round at Pancrase: Blow 10 on December 2, 2006, and also secured a TKO victory over Masayuki Kono with punches in the first round at Pancrase: Rising 9 on November 28, 2007.

3.2. DREAM

Mizuno's involvement with DREAM began with a high-profile bout against Mirko Cro Cop at DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round on March 15, 2008. He lost the fight via first-round TKO from punches, having voluntarily stepped up to challenge Cro Cop. In 2010, Mizuno participated in the DREAM Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. He advanced to the semifinals, where he defeated Melvin Manhoef by kimura submission in the first round at DREAM 15 on July 10, 2010. In the final, held at DREAM 16 on September 25, 2010, he faced Gegard Mousasi for the DREAM Light Heavyweight Championship but lost by rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Following the Grand Prix, Mizuno fought Sergei Kharitonov at DREAM's Dynamite!! 2010 New Year's Eve event on December 31, 2010, marking his heavyweight debut, but lost via first-round KO from a knee. On July 16, 2011, at Dream: Japan GP Final, Mizuno defeated Trevor Prangley by first-round KO with a knee to the body. Former UFC Middleweight Yushin Okami was present as his cornerman for this bout.

3.3. Other Promotions

Beyond Pancrase and DREAM, Mizuno has competed in several other international and domestic promotions.
In M-1 Global, he faced various opponents:

• On July 17, 2008, he defeated Yoshiyuki Nakanishi by first-round TKO (punches) at DEEP M-1 Challenge 5 in Japan.
• On August 29, 2008, he lost to Bruno Carvalho by unanimous decision at M-1 Challenge 6: Korea.
• On October 29, 2008, he won against Jose Beltran Martinez by first-round TKO (punches) at M-1 Challenge 8: USA.
• On April 29, 2009, he lost to Tom Blackledge by first-round rear-naked choke at DEEP M-1 Challenge 3rd Edition in Japan.
• On August 16, 2009, he defeated Rafael Rodríguez (also listed as Chinto Mordillo) by first-round rear-naked choke at M-1 Challenge 18: Netherlands Day Two.

Mizuno also competed in K-1 events, notably at K-1: Rumble of the Kings on November 20, 2009, where he defeated Ilir Latifi by third-round TKO with a knee and punches. He was originally scheduled to fight Juergen Kurt.

On January 21, 2012, Mizuno competed in ProElite 3, defeating Ilima Maiava via second-round submission (arm-triangle choke). Later that year, on October 6, 2012, he faced fellow judoka Jason Jones at Glory 2: Brussels in Brussels, Belgium, losing the fight by unanimous decision.

On August 18, 2018, Mizuno fought at Road FC 049 in Seoul, South Korea, where he defeated Lee Eun-Su by second-round rear-naked choke submission. He also secured a first-round armlock victory over David Frendin at Warriors Realm 12 on February 29, 2008.

3.4. ONE Fighting Championship

Mizuno made multiple appearances in the ONE FC promotion. His debut for the organization was on June 23, 2012, at ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors, where he lost to MMA veteran Renato Sobral via armbar submission in just 31 seconds of the first round.

He returned to ONE FC on October 18, 2013, at ONE FC: Total Domination, winning a three-round unanimous decision against Rafael Silva, marking his middleweight debut in the promotion. In his next bout, on May 2, 2014, at ONE FC: Rise of Heroes, Mizuno faced the undefeated Brazilian Leandro Ataides, losing by first-round KO from punches at 0:47. On November 7, 2014, at ONE FC: Battle of the Lions, he defeated Brayan Rafiq via unanimous decision.

Mizuno continued his ONE FC tenure on January 29, 2016, at ONE FC: Clash of Heroes, where he lost to Jake Butler by first-round TKO from elbows in a light heavyweight bout. He then secured a victory on May 6, 2016, at ONE FC: Ascent To Power, defeating Mohamed Ali by second-round TKO with a knee and punches in a catchweight bout of 209 lb ^{(209 lb)}. His last recorded fight in ONE FC was on September 2, 2016, at ONE FC: Unbreakable Warriors, where he lost to Gilberto Galvao by unanimous decision.

3.5. DEEP

Tatsuya Mizuno has had an extensive and significant career with the DEEP organization, including holding its Middleweight Championship.
On February 24, 2018, at DEEP 82 Impact, Mizuno faced Taisuke Okuno in a bout for the vacant DEEP Middleweight Championship. He won the fight via third-round rear-naked choke, securing the title.

Prior to his title win, he had several notable performances in DEEP:

• May 13, 2017, at DEEP Cage Impact 2017, he defeated Jung Kyo Park by second-round rear-naked choke.
• September 16, 2017, at DEEP 79 Impact, he won against Genpei Hayashi by unanimous decision.
• December 22, 2018, at DEEP 87 Impact, he defeated Ryuta Sakurai by second-round rear-naked choke.
• June 29, 2019, at DEEP 90 Impact, he won against Mitsuyoshi Nakai by first-round arm-triangle choke.
• October 22, 2019, at DEEP 92 Impact, he defeated Ryo Sakai by second-round disqualification in a light heavyweight bout.
• December 15, 2019, at DEEP 93 Impact, he won against Joshua Robison by second-round rear-naked choke in a light heavyweight bout.

His championship reign was challenged in a series of fights:

• On November 1, 2020, at DEEP 98 Impact, Mizuno faced João Batista Yoshimura, losing by second-round TKO (punches).
• He made his first title defense attempt in a rematch against Yoshimura at DEEP 102 Impact on July 4, 2021. He lost the bout via second-round TKO (punches), thereby losing the DEEP Middleweight Championship.

Following the loss of his title, Mizuno continued to compete in DEEP:

• On December 12, 2021, at DEEP 105 Impact, he faced Seigo Mizuguchi, winning the bout in the first round after a punch and soccer kick (marking his super heavyweight debut).
• He returned a year later to face Masashi Inada at DEEP 111 Impact on December 11, 2022, winning just 19 seconds into the bout after dropping Inada with a knee and finishing him with ground and pound.
• On July 2, 2023, at DEEP 114 Impact, Mizuno faced Ryo Sakai for the interim DEEP Megatonweight Championship, losing the bout in 42 seconds via TKO stoppage (punches).
• On November 23, 2023, he won against Lawdlain Saint Ilme by second-round KO (knee and pound) at DEEP Tokyo Impact 2023 6th Round.
• On May 3, 2024, he secured a unanimous decision victory over Koji Shikuwa at DEEP 119 Impact.
• His most recent fight was on September 16, 2024, at DEEP 121 Impact, where he lost to Taisei Sekino by first-round TKO (soccer kicks and punches).

5.1. Professional Record

5.2. Amateur Record