title: Kuniyoshi Hironaka
text: # Kuniyoshi Hironaka
  
  Kuniyoshi Hironaka (Japanese: 弘中邦佳, Hironaka Kuniyoshi, born June 17, 1976) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. He has formerly competed for the UFC, Shooto, DREAM, and Pancrase.
  
  ## Mixed martial arts career
  
  ### Early career
  
  Hironaka made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2001 for the Shooto promotion and compiled a record of 10-2 with notable wins over Nick Diaz, Ryan Schultz, and Renato Verissimo before being signed by the UFC.
  
  ### Ultimate Fighting Championship
  
  Hironaka made his UFC debut at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006 against Jon Fitch. Hironaka lost via unanimous decision.
  
  In his next appearance at UFC Fight Night 9, Hironaka defeated Forrest Petz via unanimous decision.
  
  Hironaka then fought Thiago Alves at UFC Fight Night 11 and was defeated via TKO in the second round.
  
  Hironaka faced Canadian Jonathan Goulet at UFC 83 and was defeated in the second round via TKO. Hironaka was then released from the promotion.
  
  ### Post-UFC
  
  In his first fight since his release from the UFC, Hironaka defeated Motoki Miyazawa at Dream 5 via TKO due to a cut. Hironaka then faced Hayato Sakurai at Dream 6 and was defeated via unanimous decision.
  
  After the loss to Sakurai, Hironaka dropped down to the Lightweight division and won his next four consecutive fights, capturing the Cage Force Lightweight Championship after it had been vacated by Mizuto Hirota.
  
  After dropping two consecutive losses to Katsunori Kikuno and Satoru Kitaoka, respectively, Hironaka bounced back with two consecutive wins, warranting a title shot for the newly vacated Shooto World Lightweight Championship against Kotetsu Boku. Hironaka won via unanimous decision, and then defended his title against Giovani Diniz via first-round TKO.
  
  Hironaka then fought at Pancrase: 257 on March 30, 2014 against Isao Kobayashi. Hironaka was defeated via TKO in the third round.
  
  ## Grappling career
  
  In 2004, Hironaka fought against Shinya Aoki in a superfight at the Reversal Cup. Hironaka was submitted with a flying armbar that broke his arm, preventing him from competing for several months.
  
  ## Kickboxing record
  
  Kickboxing record :
  
  | 2 wins (2 KOs), 1 loss, 0 draws |||||||||
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | Record |
  | 2013-11-15 | Win | Bovy Sor Udomson | Shoot Boxing Battle Summit Ground Zero Tokyo 2013, Final | Tokyo, Japan | KO (right cross) | 2 | | 2-1 |
  | 2011-02-19 | Loss | Satoru Suzuki | Shootboxing 2011: Act 1 | Tokyo, Japan | TKO (right hook) | 1 | 1:55 | 1-1 |
  | 2010-02-13 | Win | Shinichiro Kuroki | Shoot Boxing 25th Anniversary | Tokyo, Japan | KO (punches) | 2 | 2:24 | 1-0 |
  | Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes |||||||||
  
  ## Mixed martial arts record
  
  Professional record breakdown :
  
  | 32 matches | 23 wins | 9 losses |
  | - | - | - |
  | By knockout | 7 | 6 |
  | By submission | 8 | 1 |
  | By decision | 8 | 2 |
  | Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
  | Win | 23–9 | Dong Hyun Ma | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 6th | October 4, 2014 | 2 | 2:33 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Loss | 22–9 | Isao Kobayashi | TKO (punch and soccer kick) | Pancrase: 257 | March 30, 2014 | 3 | 3:58 | Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan | |
  | Win | 22–8 | Yoshihiro Koyama | Submission (armbar) | Shooto: 4th Round 2013 | September 29, 2013 | 4 | 3:46 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 21–8 | Carlo Prater | Decision (unanimous) | Vale Tudo Japan: VTJ 1st | December 24, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 20–8 | Giovani Diniz | TKO (punches) | Shooto: 5th Round | May 18, 2012 | 1 | 4:05 | Tokyo, Japan | Defended the Shooto World Lightweight Championship. |
  | Win | 19–8 | Kotetsu Boku | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 3 | July 18, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | Won the Shooto World Lightweight Championship. |
  | Win | 18–8 | Takashi Nakakura | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: Shooto Tradition 2011 | April 29, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
  | Win | 17–8 | Kiyonobu Nishikata | Submission (rear-naked choke) | GCM: Demolition West in Yamaguchi 2 | November 21, 2010 | 1 | 1:52 | Osaka, Japan | |
  | Loss | 16–8 | Satoru Kitaoka | Submission (guillotine choke) | Pancrase: Passion Tour 9 | October 3, 2010 | 2 | 4:22 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Loss | 16–7 | Katsunori Kikuno | KO (punch) | Dream 13 | Mar 22, 2010 | 1 | 1:26 | Yokohama, Japan | |
  | Win | 16–6 | Won Sik Park | TKO (corner stoppage) | Dream 12 | October 25, 2009 | 1 | 5:00 | Osaka, Japan | |
  | Win | 15–6 | Yoshihiro Koyama | TKO (punches) | Cage Force | September 12, 2009 | 1 | 4:27 | Tokyo, Japan | Won the Cage Force Lightweight Championship. |
  | Win | 14–6 | Katsuhiko Nagata | TKO (punches) | Cage Force | June 27, 2009 | 1 | 3:41 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 13–6 | Naoyuki Kotani | Submission (reverse full-nelson) | ZST | May 24, 2009 | 2 | 2:43 | Tokyo, Japan | Lightweight debut. |
  | Loss | 12–6 | Hayato Sakurai | Decision (unanimous) | Dream 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round | September 23, 2008 | 2 | 5:00 | Saitama, Saitama, Japan | |
  | Win | 12–5 | Motoki Miyazawa | TKO (cut) | Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round | July 21, 2008 | 1 | 8:57 | Osaka, Japan | |
  | Loss | 11–5 | Jonathan Goulet | TKO (punches) | UFC 83 | April 19, 2008 | 2 | 2:07 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Fight of the Night. |
  | Loss | 11–4 | Thiago Alves | TKO (punch and knee) | UFC Fight Night 11 | September 19, 2007 | 2 | 4:04 | Nevada, United States | |
  | Win | 11–3 | Forrest Petz | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Stevenson vs. Guillard | April 5, 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | |
  | Loss | 10–3 | Jon Fitch | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | October 14, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Nevada, United States | |
  | Win | 10–2 | Renato Verissimo | TKO (strikes) | ROTR 9: Rumble on the Rock 9 | April 21, 2006 | 2 | 3:03 | Hawaii, United States | |
  | Win | 9–2 | Ryan Schultz | Submission (armbar) | MARS: MARS | February 4, 2006 | 2 | 1:40 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 8–2 | Takuya Wada | Submission (triangle choke) | GCM: D.O.G. 4 | December 11, 2005 | 1 | 4:29 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Loss | 7–2 | Shinya Aoki | TKO (cut) | Shooto 2005: 11/6 in Korakuen Hall | November 6, 2005 | 1 | 2:10 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 7–1 | Ramunas Komas | Decision | Shooto Lithuania: Bushido | November 20, 2004 | N/A | | Lithuania | |
  | Win | 6–1 | Mark Moreno | Submission (neck crank) | SB 29: SuperBrawl 29 | May 9, 2003 | 1 | 2:50 | Hawaii, United States | |
  | Win | 5–1 | Nick Diaz | Decision (split) | Shooto: Year End Show 2002 | December 14, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 4–1 | Yasuyuki Tokuoka | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: Treasure Hunt 11 | November 15, 2002 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 3–1 | Yuji Kusu | TKO (swollen eye) | Shooto: Gig East 10 | August 27, 2002 | 2 | 3:47 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Loss | 2–1 | Hirofumi Hara | TKO (punches) | Shooto: Treasure Hunt 9 | May 28, 2002 | 1 | 4:34 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 2–0 | Toru Nakayama | Submission (triangle choke) | Shooto: Treasure Hunt 4 | March 13, 2002 | 1 | 3:10 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  | Win | 1–0 | Takayuki Okochi | Decision (unanimous) | Shooto: GIG East 6 | October 23, 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
  