Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, a fighter who was the biggest MMA superstar in Japan during the mid-2000s, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 41.
Yamamoto had announced on Instagram on Aug. 21 that he was battling cancer. He was hospitalized and receiving treatment in Guam at the time of his death.
Yamamoto, even despite being just 5-foot-3 and 141 pounds, competed mostly as a lightweight and sometimes as a featherweight against opponents who dwarfed him throughout his career. He compiled a 17-1 record at the time he retired for the first time following a 2007 New Year’s Eve win over Rani Yahya in Osaka.