Kenta Yamada

Status: Former ONE Athlete

WBC Muay Thai Japan Champion Kenta Yamada was 9 years old when he first saw the K-1 World Grand Prix on television. From that point on, he could think of nothing but combat sports. At the time, K-1 only had heavyweight bouts, so he didn’t even consider competing as a possibility until 2002, when K-1 introduced the lighter MAX weight class.

When he was a 16-year-old freshman in high school, Yamada turned his dreams into a reality. He began training in boxing, but when a kickboxing gym opened in his hometown, he quickly made the switch. Determined to compete as soon as possible, Yamada made his professional kickboxing debut in January 2005, and he has never looked back.

Yamada now owns a respectable record competing under kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Shootboxing rules. Besides capturing the WBC Muay Thai Japan Title, he was also the Krush Kickboxing 70kg Champion, as well as a two-division New Japan Kickboxing Federation titleholder. He now looks to conquer new horizons and build his legacy in ONE Super Series and hopes to make his mark on the global stage.