Ikuhisa Minowa

is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 Hero's, Cage Rage, the SFL, Vale Tudo Japan, UFC, DREAM, and DEEP. He is the former DREAM Openweight Grand Prix Champion (Super Hulk). Often undersized and a huge fan favorite in Japan, Minowa earned his nickname "The Giant Killer" by participating in many openweight contests, often submitting much larger opponents. Also renowned for his durability, he is a veteran of 117 fights, and is known for his trademark red speedo and mullet.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Minowa made his professional debut in the Lumax Cup in 1996, but would spend most of his early career in the Pancrase promotion. Minowa had a poor start to his MMA career, going 1–8–1 in his first ten fights, taking on MMA pioneers such as Yuki Kondo and Jason DeLucia, and with the win being in his Pancrase debut. The young Minowa would turn his career around, however, improving to 12–11–6 with a win over Daiju Takase before fighting in his first and only fight in the UFC at UFC 25 in Tokyo, Japan. The bout was against Joe Slick and Minowa won via TKO from a cut that Slick received.

Minowa continued to fight in Pancrase as well as another Japanese organization, DEEP, before leaving the Pancraseism team in April 2003.

PRIDE Minowa made his PRIDE Fighting Championships debut against future UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Around this time, he would briefly join the Brazilian Top Team, becoming its first Japanese member and the only who didn't come from a Brazilian jiu-jitsu background.

Minowa was known in PRIDE for his entertaining entrances and sporting of the Japanese flag as a cape as well as his aggressive, high-risk style of fighting which has seen him employ flying dropkicks amongst other pro-wrestling derived maneuvers. It was also during his career with PRIDE that he continued to cement his legacy in taking on fighters that were much bigger than himself, winning most of the resultant freak show fights and earning the nickname "The Giant Killer".

He participated in PRIDE's first 185 lb tournament where he won over Phil Baroni, but went on to lose in the second round to former UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante. On December 31, 2005, Minowa fought the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba, in which he almost landed a kneebar and then a heel hook, but was caught with a Kimura lock and defeated at nine minutes into the first round. Minowa next fought at PRIDE Bushido 10, where he faced the 7-foot-2 Giant Silva. Minowa dominated the fight, using a forward roll to get past Silva's enormous reach and then landing a single leg takedown that put Silva on his back. Minowa promptly landed multiple knees to the head of Silva, causing the referee to stop the fight at 2:23 of the first round. Following that, he fell to Mirko Cro Cop due to strikes in the first round. However, he then rebounded with wins over Park Hyun Kab, Eric "Butterbean" Esch, and American professional wrestler Mike Plotcheck.

Minowa was knocked out in his last fight for PRIDE by Kiyoshi Tamura at PRIDE Shockwave 2006, but celebrated 10 years as a fighter at the CMA Festival 2 event by defeating Min-Seok Heo in the main event after his opponent's corner threw in the towel after the first round. His next opponent was South Korean wrestler Choi Seung Hyun at Heat4: Mega Battle Heat from Nagoya. Minowa won the bout via shoulder lock.

HERO'S Minowa later competed for K-1's HERO'S promotion. His biggest match there was another of his classical openweight affairs against Zuluzinho, who outweighed Minowa by 102 kg/225Ibs. The Japanese performed well, circling the less mobile Brazilian and at one point throwing him with seoi nage, but Zulu eventually caught and smothered him, finishing him with ground and pound.

DREAM He fought MMA legend and former mentor Masakatsu Funaki at the DREAM 6 event on September 22, 2008. He was submitted in the first round via heel hook.

At DREAM 8 he lost via decision to professional wrestler Katsuyori Shibata, after being suplexed by the young Japanese fighter, but rebounded at Dream 9 defeating Bob Sapp in what was his 80th fight.

He faced the 7'2" 319 lb Choi Hong-man at DREAM 11 on October 6, 2009. Throughout the fight he attempted to take his opponent down, being successful on two occasions in the first round, before submitting his opponent in the second.

At Dynamite!! 2009 Minowa squared off with Cameroonian fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in the finals of the DREAM Super Hulk tournament. In the first round Sokoudjou landed many strikes on the smaller fighter while Minowa attempted leglocks. At the end of the second round Minowa had Sokoudjou in a kneebar but was cut off by the bell before he could adjust his grip. In the third round Minowa and Sokodjou both received two yellow cards (10% purse deduction for one) for inactivity 3 minutes into the round, but with 90 seconds left Minowa sprang forward and connected against Sokoudjou's jaw with a left hook, dropping him to the ground for the TKO victory and winning the Super Hulk Tournament.

Minowa went on to fight American Super Heavyweights Jimmy Ambriz and Imani Lee at DREAM 13 and DREAM 14 respectively, winning both fights by submission.

Then for DREAM 16, Minowa was scheduled to fight James Thompson but three days before the event, had his opponent switched to Satoshi Ishii and he lost by unanimous decision.

Independent promotions Minowa next faced Chang Hee Kim of South Korea at DEEP: 50th Impact on October 24, 2010. Minowa gave up a significant weight advantage to Kim, who weighs over 300 pounds. He won the fight via submission in the first round.

Minowa faced Kendall Grove at ProElite 3 on January 21, 2012. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Minowa faced debuting MMA fighter Goran Jettingstad at IGF 1 on April 5, 2014. He won by submission (lateral kneebar).

Minowa then faced Jung-Gyo Park at ROAD FC 15 on May 31, 2014. Minowa lost the bout via KO late in the first round.

Minowa faced Shinichi Suzukawa at IGF: Inoki Genome Fight 2 on August 23, 2014. He lost the fight via corner stoppage TKO in the second round.

Rizin Minowa faced former sumo wrestler Sudario Tsuyoshi at Rizin 26 on December 31, 2020. He lost the fight via first-round technical knockout.

Minowa faced Kiyoshi Kuwabara at Rizin Landmark 4 on November 6, 2022. He lost the fight via ground and pound TKO stoppage in the first round.

Professional wrestling career In 2010, Minowa turned his attention to professional wrestling. On 22 February 2010, Minowaman made his debut for Antonio Inoki's IGF facing and defeating Necro Butcher in a 10-minute match.

Minowa has also undertook some additional professional wrestling training under the tutelage of Satoru Sayama, the original Tiger Mask. On July 18, 2010, Minowa debuted as the fifth generation Tiger Mask.

On September 5, 2019 it was announced that Minowa would face Timothy Thatcher on Saturday September 14, 2019 as part of Josh Barnett's GCW Bloodsport 2 event. He lost the match in 9 minutes and 34 seconds.

Education Minowa attended the Toyama College of Health and Science.

Championships and accomplishments DREAM 2009 DREAM Super Hulk Grand Prix Champion Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling 1999 Neo Blood Tournament Winner 2000 King of Pancrase Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament Runner-Up PRIDE Fighting Championships 2005 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinalist

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Kiyoshi Kuwabara TKO (punches) Rizin Landmark 4

Nagoya, Japan Loss

Tsuyoshi Sudario TKO (leg kick and punch) Rizin 26: Saitama

Saitama, Japan Loss

Eiji Ishikawa Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 306

Tokyo, Japan Win

Dong Sik Yoon TKO (finger injury) ROAD FC 42

South Korea Loss

Yuki Kondo Decision (unanimous) Pancrase 288

Tokyo, Japan Win

Tetsuo Onuma KO (punches) CMA MMA - Crazy King 8 / CMA Kaiser 4

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Yuya Shirai Decision (unanimous) DEEP: 75 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Zilong Zhao TKO (punches) ROAD FC 27 in China

Shanghai, China Win

Tetsuo Kondo Submission (rear-naked choke) ACF 14

Osaka, Japan Loss

Justin Morton Decision (unanimous) VTJ in Okinawa

Okinawa, Japan Win

Dae Sung Kim Decision (unanimous) Road FC 24

Koto, Tokyo, Japan Loss

Oli Thompson Decision (unanimous) Inoki Genome Fight 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuichiro Ono TKO (doctor stoppage) Gladiator 81

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Shinichi Suzukawa TKO (corner stoppage) IGF: Inoki Genome Fight 2

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Jung-Gyo Park KO (punch) ROAD FC 15

Wonju, South Korea Win

Goran Jettingstad Submission (achilles lock) Inoki Genome Fight 1

Tokyo, Japan Win

Atsushi Sawada TKO (punch and soccer kick) IGF: Inoki-Bom-Ba-Ye 2013

Tokyo, Japan Win

Hoon Kim KO (punch) Road FC 13

Seoul, South Korea Loss

Hae Suk Son TKO (punches) Road FC 11

Seoul, South Korea Win

Bor Bratovž Submission (heel hook) IGF: Inoki-Bom-Ba-Ye 2012

Ryogoku Kokugikan, Japan Win

Jin Soo Yuk Submission (kimura) Road FC 9

Wonju Chiak Indoor Gym, South Korea Loss

Alexander Shlemenko TKO (knee and punch to the body) SFL 2

Chandigarh, India Win

Shigeki Tsuchiya Submission (kimura) Gladiator 30

Fukuoka, Japan Win

Toshihiro Koyama Submission (arm-triangle choke) Gladiator 29

Kariya, Aichi, Japan Loss

Kendall Grove Decision (unanimous) ProElite 3

Honolulu, Hawaii, United States Win

Dev Kumar Ghimire Submission (armbar) Gladiator 27

Tokyo, Japan Win

Young Woo Yu Submission (kimura) Gladiator 25

Tokyo, Japan Win

Baru Harn Submission (scarf hold armlock) DREAM 17

Saitama, Japan Win

Jair Gomes Submission (neck crank) Gladiator 22

Gifu, Japan Win

Carlos Toyota Decision (unanimous) Heat 18

Osaka, Japan Loss

Hiroshi Izumi TKO (punches) Dynamite!! 2010

Saitama, Japan Win

Chang Hee Kim Submission (scarf hold armlock) DEEP: 50 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Satoshi Ishii Decision (unanimous) DREAM 16

Nagoya, Japan Win

Imani Lee Submission (rear-naked choke) DREAM 14

Saitama, Saitama, Japan Win

Jimmy Ambriz Submission (toe hold) DREAM 13

Yokohama, Japan Win

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou TKO (punches) Dynamite!! The Power of Courage 2009

Saitama, Japan Win

Choi Hong-man Submission (heel hook) DREAM 11

Yokohama, Japan Win

Bob Sapp Submission (achilles lock) DREAM 9

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Katsuyori Shibata Decision (unanimous) DREAM 8

Nagoya, Japan Win

Errol Zimmerman Submission (toe hold) Fields Dynamite!! 2008

Saitama, Japan Loss

Masakatsu Funaki Submission (heel hook) DREAM 6: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 Final Round

Saitama, Japan Win

Don Frye Submission (kneebar) DEEP: Gladiator

Okayama, Japan Loss

Taiei Kin Decision (unanimous) DREAM 2: Middleweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round

Saitama, Japan Win

Kwan Bum Lee Submission (kneebar) DREAM 1: Lightweight Grand Prix 2008 First Round

Saitama, Japan Loss

Zuluzinho TKO (corner stoppage) K-1 Premium 2007 Dynamite!!

Saitama, Japan Loss

Kim Min-Soo TKO (punches) HERO'S 2007 in Korea

Seoul, South Korea Win

Kevin Casey TKO (punches) HERO'S 10

Yokohama, Japan Win

Seung Hyun Choi Submission (reverse kimura) Heat 4

Nagoya, Japan Win

Min Suk Heo TKO (corner stoppage) DEEP: CMA Festival 2

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Kiyoshi Tamura KO (soccer kicks) PRIDE FC: Shockwave 2006

Saitama, Japan Win

Mike Polchlopek Decision (unanimous) PRIDE: Bushido 13

Yokohama, Japan Win

Butterbean Submission (armbar) PRIDE: Bushido 12

Nagoya, Japan Win

Hyun Gab Park Submission (achilles lock) DEEP: CMA Festival

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Mirko Cro Cop TKO (punches) PRIDE FC: Total Elimination Absolute

Osaka, Japan Win

Giant Silva TKO (knees) PRIDE: Bushido 10

Tokyo, Japan Win

Dave Legeno Submission (achilles lock) Cage Rage 15

London, England Loss

Kazushi Sakuraba Technical Submission (kimura) PRIDE Shockwave 2005

Saitama, Japan Loss

Murilo Bustamante TKO (soccer kicks)

Win

Phil Baroni Decision (unanimous)

Win

Kimo Leopoldo Submission (achilles lock) PRIDE Bushido 8

Nagoya, Japan Loss

Phil Baroni TKO (stomps) PRIDE Bushido 7

Tokyo, Japan Win

Gilbert Yvel Submission (toe hold) PRIDE Bushido 6

Yokohama, Japan Win

Stefan Leko Submission (heel hook) PRIDE Shockwave 2004

Saitama, Japan Win

Ryuki Ueyama Decision (split) PRIDE Bushido 5

Osaka, Japan Win

Kenichi Yamamoto TKO (punches) PRIDE Bushido 4

Nagoya, Japan Win

Eduard Churakov Submission (rear-naked choke) Gladiator FC: Day 1

South Korea Loss

Ryan Gracie Decision (split) PRIDE Bushido 3

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Wanderlei Silva KO (punches) PRIDE Bushido 2

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Quinton Jackson TKO (knee) PRIDE Shockwave 2003

Saitama, Japan Win

Silmar Rodrigo Submission (rolling kneebar) Brazil Super Fight

Porto Alegre, Brazil Loss

Ricardo Almeida Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Hybrid 2

Osaka, Japan Win

Yuki Sasaki Decision (majority) Pancrase: Spirit 8

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Kiyoshi Tamura Decision (unanimous) DEEP: 6th Impact

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Mitsuyoshi Sato Decision (majority) Pancrase: Spirit 5

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Yoshinori Momose Draw (majority) Pancrase: Spirit 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kazuki Okubo Submission (armbar) DEEP: 3rd Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Hiroshi Shibata TKO (doctor stoppage) Pancrase: Proof 7

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Sanae Kikuta TKO (doctor stoppage) Pancrase: 2001 Anniversary Show

Yokohama, Japan Win

Kenji Akiyama Submission (guillotine choke) Pancrase: 2001 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuki Sasaki Submission (toe hold) Pancrase: Proof 3

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Paulo Filho Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Proof 2

Osaka, Japan Draw

Ricardo Liborio Draw (time limit) DEEP: 1st Impact

Nagoya, Japan Win

Magomed Ismailov Submission (armbar) Pancrase: Trans 7

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Keiichiro Yamamiya Decision (unanimous)

Win

Brian Gassaway Submission (toe hold)

Win

Tony Ross Submission (armbar)

Win

Masaya Kojima Submission (toe hold)

Win

Joe Slick TKO (cut) UFC 25

Tokyo, Japan Win

Ichio Matsubara Submission (rear-naked choke) Pancrase: Trans 2

Osaka, Japan Draw

Chris Lytle Draw (time limit) Pancrase: Breakthrough 11

Yokohama, Japan Win

Adrian Serrano Submission (heel hook) Pancrase: Breakthrough 9

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Semmy Schilt Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: 1999 Anniversary Show

Chiba, Japan Win

Minoru Toyonaga Submission (rear-naked choke)

Win

Daisuke Watanabe Submission (triangle choke)

Win

Daiju Takase Submission (triangle choke)

Loss

Jason DeLucia Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Breakthrough 6

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Osami Shibuya Draw (unanimous) Pancrase: Breakthrough 5

Nagoya, Japan Draw

Susumu Yamasaki Draw Daidojuku: Wars 5

Japan Win

Kosei Kubota Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Breakthrough 3

Tokyo, Japan Win

Daisuke Ishii Decision (majority) Pancrase: Breakthrough 2

Osaka, Japan Win

Daisuke Watanabe Submission (armbar) Pancrase: Breakthrough 1

Tokyo, Japan Win

Satoshi Hasegawa Submission (armbar) Pancrase: Advance 11

Osaka, Japan Win

Daisuke Ishii Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: Advance 10

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Travis Fulton Draw (unanimous) Pancrase: Advance 9

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Evan Tanner Submission (arm-triangle choke) Pancrase: 1998 Neo-Blood Tournament Opening Round

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Kosei Kubota Draw (split) Pancrase: Advance 8

Kobe, Japan Win

Adrian Serrano Decision (lost points) Pancrase: Advance 7

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Satoshi Hasegawa Decision (majority) Pancrase: Advance 5

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Satoshi Hasegawa Submission (toe hold) Pancrase: Advance 1

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Jason DeLucia Submission (rear-naked choke) Pancrase: Alive 11

Yokohama, Japan Loss

Osami Shibuya Decision (lost points) Pancrase: Alive 10

Kobe, Japan Loss

Takafumi Ito Submission (toe hold) Pancrase: Alive 9

Tokyo, Japan Draw

Kosei Kubota Draw (majority) Pancrase: 1997 Anniversary Show

Chiba, Japan Loss

Yuki Kondo Submission (toe hold) Pancrase: Alive 8

Osaka, Japan Loss

Satoshi Hasegawa Decision (unanimous) Pancrase: 1997 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2

Tokyo, Japan Win

Haygar Chin Submission (kneebar) Pancrase: 1997 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 1

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Yuzo Tateishi Decision Lumax Cup: Tournament of J '96

Japan Submission grappling record Result Opponent Method Event Date Round Time