Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto has passed away on Tuesday, September 18, at age 41. The Japanese MMA legend announced a month prior that he was diagnosed with cancer, and was being treated overseas at the time.
Yamamoto had four fights in the UFC since he signed on in 2011, but his stint with Zuffa would not paint a proper picture of his stellar fighting career. For years prior to his initial retirement in 2007, Yamamoto was one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.
He routinely fought above his weight class, and was the first true superstar from the lighter weights.