Caol Uno

(born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's elite Lightweight competitors, Uno competed for the UFC Lightweight Championship on two occasions. Despite falling short in both championship bouts; losing a five-round decision against Jens Pulver at UFC 30, to determine the inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion as well as a draw against B.J. Penn at UFC 41 (in a bout which would have determined the new UFC Lightweight Champion and UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Winner), Uno is acknowledged as a pioneer for his impact and influence during the early era of the UFC Lightweight Division.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career Uno finished second in the All Japan amateur Shooto tournament in 1996. He was a runner-up in the submission wrestling world championships at ADCC losing in the finals to world-renowned Jean Jacques Machado.

Shooto Uno rose through the ranks of the Shooto mixed martial arts organization in Japan. In May 1999, Uno fought the then-legendary Rumina Sato. The fight was hailed as "Fight of the Year", an extremely fast-paced back and forth battle with a wide variety of stand-up and grappling exchanges. Eventually, Uno took the back of Sato and choked him into submission.

The two rematched in December 2000. This fight concluded with Uno standing over Sato on his back, then striking him with a knee and a punch while he was getting up, knocking him out.

UFC After his second victory over Rumina Sato, Uno was recruited to fight for the UFC's Bantamweight (later renamed Lightweight) title against Jens Pulver. Throughout the fight, Pulver stopped Uno's takedown attempts and pressed the action on the feet. Uno, who had earned a reputation as being "unflappable", began to show frustration for the first time in his career as Pulver neutralized all his offensive efforts. Pulver took a majority decision win in the fight.

After Pulver left the UFC, the Lightweight Championship was vacated. A tournament was put together pitting the top Lightweights in the UFC (B.J. Penn, Din Thomas, Matt Serra and Caol Uno). In the first round, Uno faced Thomas. Thomas dominated the first round, setting a high pace. However, Uno turned things around, taking the second and third rounds to win the fight.

In the finals of the tournament, Uno faced Penn (who had previously defeated Uno by knockout in under 12 seconds). Uno used angles and effective wrestling techniques to frustrate Penn, who appeared tentative from the start, while Penn was dominant in spurts. The fight was called a draw and neither fighter won the championship belt.

Return to Japan Uno then went on to fight Tatsuya Kawajiri in Shooto before fighting at K-1's 2004 Premium Dynamite!! and K-1 MAX: Japan Grand Prix 2005. His next eleven fights were for the then newly established promotion Hero's.

Uno next competed in DREAM's Lightweight Grand Prix. He was seeded directly into the second round, DREAM 3, where he beat Mitsuhiro Ishida via rear-naked choke submission to progress to the Dream 5: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round. At Dream 5, Uno lost a unanimous decision to Shinya Aoki.

UFC return Uno was spotted in attendance at UFC 94, fueling talk of a return to the UFC's Lightweight division. It was later confirmed that Uno had signed with the UFC and would face Spencer Fisher at UFC 99: The Comeback. In spite of finishing the bout pounding Fisher with punches from top crucifix position, Uno lost by a controversial unanimous decision. Then, on November 21, 2009, Uno fought UFC newcomer Fabrício Camões to a majority draw at UFC 106.

On March 31, 2010, Uno fought Gleison Tibau at UFC Fight Night 21. He was overpowered by the much bigger Tibau, and suffered a loss via TKO (punches). After the fight he was released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career After parting ways with the UFC, the fighter's trajectory in the Japanese MMA circuit was marked by a diverse range of outcomes. Following his featherweight debut in Dynamite!! 2010, where he faced a unanimous decision loss against Kazuyuki Miyata, he rebounded with a victory over Akiyo Nishiura at Dream: Fight for Japan! in May 2011. However, a notable setback occurred in September 2011 when he suffered a knockout defeat due to a head kick from Takeshi Inoue at DREAM 17.

Undeterred, he demonstrated resilience in subsequent matches, securing wins via submission over opponents such as Kyu Hwa Kim, Anthony Avila, and Daniel Romero in 2013. The trend continued with victories against Jesse Brock, Taiki Tsuchiya, and Raja Shippen in 2014. Despite facing challenges and a decision loss to Yoshifumi Nakamura in January 2015, he rebounded with a submission win against Jung Ho Hwang in April 2016.

The fighter continued to navigate the competitive landscape, experiencing both victories and defeats. Notable moments include a submission win over Markus Held in November 2019 and a KO loss to Taison Naito in May 2021. The journey reached its recent chapter with decision losses to Akira Haraguchi in November 2021 and a knockout defeat to Shota Takagi at Shooto 2023 Vol.7 in November 2023.

Professional wrestling career Uno debuted in professional wrestling in December 2000 as part of the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event. He teamed up with Akira Shoji against The Great Sasuke and Daijiro Matsui, but his team lost when Sasuke pinned him.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2002–2003) Uno then signed up with All Japan Pro Wrestling in June 2002, where he debuted as a partner for Kendo Kashin against Kaz Hayashi and Kashin's double Mr. Problem (played again by Matsui), albeit in another losing effort. In November, he became also part of the event Wrestle-1, co-promoted with K-1. Coming under a monkey mask (which he quickly lost) and the name "The Apeman Nigo", Uno teamed up with Kashin to defeat La Parka and Super Parka.

He returned to AJPW in May 2003 under his Apeman Nigo persona. He and Kaz Hayashi lost to Kashin and Low Ki, but at the next event he teamed up with Ki to beat Gran Naniwa and Ryuji Hijikata. At the next day, he competed under his true name with Keiji Mutoh, winning over 728% Machine and The Apeman 200%, and then recovered his Nigo mask to team with Mutoh and Taka Michinoku in a winning effort against The Great Sasuke, The Great Kosuke and The Apeman. Uno's last appearance for AJPW would be in July, allying with Kashin and Robbie Brookside to beat Hayashi, Jimmy Yang and Ebessan.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts All Japan Amateur Shooto All Japan Amateur Shooto Tournament Runner-up (1996) Ultimate Fighting Championship UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Co-Champion (drew with B.J. Penn in the finale) Shooto Shooto Lightweight Championship (One Time) One successful title defense vs. Rumina Sato K-1 Hero's 2007 K-1 HERO'S Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist 2006 K-1 HERO'S Lightweight Tournament Runner Up 2005 K-1 HERO'S Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist DREAM 2008 DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinalist

Submission wrestling ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Silver Medalist 66k-76k (1999)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Yoshihiro Koyama Decision (unanimous) Lemino Shooto Vol.7

Tokyo, Japan Win

Akihiko Mori Decision (unanimous) Shooto Torao 37

Yamaguchi, Japan Loss

Shota Takagi KO (knee and punches) Shooto 2023 Vol.7

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Akira Haraguchi Decision (unanimous) Vale Tudo Japan 2021

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Taison Naito KO (punch) Shooto 2021 Vol. 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Markus Held Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 30th Anniversary Tour 8th Round

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Duane van Helvoirt Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 30th Anniversary Tour 3rd and 4th Round

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Yutaka Saito Decision (unanimous) Shooto 4/23

Urayasu, Japan Win

Hwang Jung-ho Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto-Mobstyles Presents: Fight and Mosh

Urayasu, Japan Loss

Shigeki Osawa TKO (punches) Shooto 7/26

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Yoshifumi Nakamura Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 1st Round 2015

Tokyo, Japan Win

Raja Shippen Submission (rear-naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 6th

Tokyo, Japan Win

Taiki Tsuchiya Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 4th Round 2014

Tokyo, Japan Win

Jesse Brock Decision (unanimous) Vale Tudo Japan 4th

Tokyo, Japan Win

Daniel Romero Submission (inverted triangle choke) Vale Tudo Japan 3rd

Tokyo, Japan Win

Anthony Avila Submission (rear-naked choke) Vale Tudo Japan 2nd

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kim Kyu-hwa Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 2nd Round 2013

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Shintaro Ishiwatari Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 10th Round

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Takeshi Inoue KO (head kick) Dream 17

Saitama, Japan Win

Akiyo Nishiura Decision (unanimous) Dream: Fight For Japan!

Saitama, Japan Loss

Kazuyuki Miyata Decision (unanimous) Dynamite!! 2010

Saitama, Japan Loss

Gleison Tibau TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Draw

Fabrício Camões Draw (majority) UFC 106

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Spencer Fisher Decision (unanimous) UFC 99

Cologne, Germany Loss

Shinya Aoki Decision (unanimous) Dream 5

Osaka, Japan Win

Mitsuhiro Ishida Submission (rear-naked choke) Dream 3

Saitama, Japan Loss

Andre Amade Decision (unanimous) Hero's 10

Yokohama, Japan Win

Katsuhiko Nagata Decision (unanimous) Hero's 9

Yokohama, Japan Win

Ali Abdelaziz Submission (armbar) Hero's 8

Nagoya, Japan Loss

Gesias Cavalcante Decision (majority)

Win

Ivan Menjivar Decision (unanimous)

Win

Kultar Gill Submission (rear-naked choke) Hero's 6

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ole Laursen Submission (rear-naked choke) Hero's 5

Tokyo, Japan Win

Rich Clementi Decision (unanimous) Hero's 4

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Norifumi Yamamoto TKO (doctor stoppage) Hero's 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Hideo Tokoro Decision (unanimous) Hero's 3

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Joachim Hansen KO (knee) Hero's 1

Saitama, Japan Win

Serkan Yılmaz Submission (armbar) K-1 MAX: Japan Grand Prix 2005

Tokyo, Japan Win

Chandet Sorpantrey Submission (rear-naked choke) K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite!!

Osaka, Japan Draw

Tatsuya Kawajiri Draw (majority) Shooto: 3/22 in Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Hermes França KO (punch) UFC 44

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Draw

B.J. Penn Draw (split) UFC 41

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Din Thomas Decision (unanimous) UFC 39

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Yves Edwards Decision (unanimous) UFC 37

Bossier City, Louisiana, United States Loss

B.J. Penn KO (punches) UFC 34

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Fabiano Iha TKO (punches) UFC 32

East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States Loss

Jens Pulver Decision (unanimous) UFC 30

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Win

Rumina Sato KO (punch) Shooto: R.E.A.D. Final

Urayasu, Japan Loss

Marcio Ramos Barbosa Technical Submission (guillotine choke) Shooto: R.E.A.D. 9

Yokohama, Japan Win

Dennis Hallman Decision (unanimous) Shooto: R.E.A.D. 3

Osaka, Japan Draw

André Pederneiras Draw Vale Tudo Japan 1999

Tokyo, Japan Win

Din Thomas Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Renaxis 4

Tokyo, Japan Win

Rumina Sato Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 10th Anniversary Event

Yokohama, Japan Win

Ricardo Botelho TKO (submission to punches) Vale Tudo Japan 1998

Tokyo, Japan Win

Zvonko Jakovcevic Submission (triangle choke) Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 4

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ian James Schaffa Technical Submission (armbar) Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuji Fujita Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Las Grandes Viajes 2

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Naoya Uematsu Submission (Achilles lock)

Win

Hiroki Kotani Decision (unanimous)

Win

Masahito Wachi Decision (unanimous)

Draw

Takuya Kuwabara Draw (split) Shooto: Reconquista 4

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuzo Tateishi Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: Gig

Tokyo, Japan Win

Patrick Tapels Submission (rear-naked choke) Japan Extreme Challenge Vale Tudo Open

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Hayato Sakurai Submission (armbar) Shooto: Let's Get Lost

Tokyo, Japan Submission grappling record KO PUNCHES Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time