DEEP
Encyclopedia
Deep is a Japan
- based mixed martial arts
promoting and sanctioning organization. It is promoted by Shigeru Saeki who is also the former Public Relations Director of Pride Fighting Championships. Deep is considered second-tier Japanese promotion, as a feeder to larger shows like Dream
. Their inaugural event took place in 2001 and featured Paulo Filho
and Royler Gracie
. On May 17, 2008, Deep announced a partnership with ZST
to share fighters, co-promote shows and eventually unify the promotions.
Deep started playing a role of subcontractor for Pride Fighting Championships since Dream Stage Entertainment
(DSE) started promoting Pride Bushido series which focused training Japanese fighters at middleweight
and lightweight
in September 2003. For this reason, some Japanese fighters grew up to fight in major organization in the events of Deep. For instance, Ryo Chonan
and Ikuhisa Minowa
are the examples of fighters became famous because of Deep.
Deep started promoting bouts of women fighters since the 13th event on July 13, 2003.
On February 22,2008, Deep started using the weight division system started by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and established the weight division system for men fighters.
On December 19, 2009, Deep used an Octagon for their MMA event.
A press conference was held in Macao on December 1, 2010 where it was announced that Deep are going international. But Deep's first international event was canceled due to low ticket sales.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- based mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
promoting and sanctioning organization. It is promoted by Shigeru Saeki who is also the former Public Relations Director of Pride Fighting Championships. Deep is considered second-tier Japanese promotion, as a feeder to larger shows like Dream
DREAM (mixed martial arts)
Dream is a mixed martial arts organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series, Hero's. The series retains many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC...
. Their inaugural event took place in 2001 and featured Paulo Filho
Paulo Filho
Paulo Fernando de Souza Leite Filho, better known as simply Paulo Filho , is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist as well as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo practitioner, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
and Royler Gracie
Royler Gracie
Royler Gracie is a retired Brazilian mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. He ran the Gracie Humaitá jiu-jitsu school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for many years under his father Helio's direction, but currently resides in San Diego, US.Royler travels around the world teaching...
. On May 17, 2008, Deep announced a partnership with ZST
ZST
ZST is a Japan-based promoting and sanctioning organization of mixed martial arts, and it also holds amateur MMA events. ZST adopts unique rules in the MMA industry. Much like RINGS, strikes to head on the ground are prohibited...
to share fighters, co-promote shows and eventually unify the promotions.
History
Deep was established in 2000 as "Deep 2001", and the first event was promoted on January 8, 2001. In 2003, Deep 2001 changed its name to Deep.Deep started playing a role of subcontractor for Pride Fighting Championships since Dream Stage Entertainment
Dream Stage Entertainment
Dream Stage Entertainment was a Japanese company that promoted various wrestling and mixed martial arts events, most notably mixed martial arts Pride Fighting Championship and Hustle professional wrestling events....
(DSE) started promoting Pride Bushido series which focused training Japanese fighters at middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
and lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
in September 2003. For this reason, some Japanese fighters grew up to fight in major organization in the events of Deep. For instance, Ryo Chonan
Ryo Chonan
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently fighting in DEEP where he was the 3rd DEEP middleweight champion. He has previously competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is noted for being one of two fighters to finish Anderson Silva in an MMA fight at...
and Ikuhisa Minowa
Ikuhisa Minowa
is a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...
are the examples of fighters became famous because of Deep.
Deep started promoting bouts of women fighters since the 13th event on July 13, 2003.
On February 22,2008, Deep started using the weight division system started by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) and established the weight division system for men fighters.
On December 19, 2009, Deep used an Octagon for their MMA event.
A press conference was held in Macao on December 1, 2010 where it was announced that Deep are going international. But Deep's first international event was canceled due to low ticket sales.
Current Deep champions
| Men's division | Champion | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|
| Megaton |  Levan RazmadzeLevan Razmadze Levan Razmadze is a Georgian-mixed martial artist who competes in the super heavyweight division. He is the current DEEP Megaton Champion.-Early career:... |
0 |
| Light Heavyweight Light Heavyweight (MMA) The light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 lb . It sits between the lighter middleweight division, and the heavyweight division.... |
 Yoshiyuki NakanishiYoshiyuki Nakanishi Yoshiyuki Nakanishi is an Japanese light heavyweight mixed martial artist from Shiga.-Sambo :* 3 July 2005 won All-Japan sambo championship 31 in weight category -100, finally defeated Hasegara Tomohiro.... |
1 |
| Middleweight Middleweight (MMA) The middleweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Strikeforce's middleweight division, which groups competitors within 171 to 185 lb... |
Riki Fukuda Riki Fukuda Riki Fukuda is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a middleweight.-Early career:... |
1 |
| Welterweight Welterweight (MMA) The welterweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The UFC's & Strikeforce's welterweight division, which groups competitors within 156 to 170 lb... |
Yuya Shirai Yuya Shirai Yuya Shirai is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has fought for Deep, BAMMA, M-1 Global, Pancrase, DREAM and is currently the undisputed DEEP Welterweight Champion.-Mixed martial arts career:... |
1 |
| Lightweight Lightweight (MMA) The lightweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:* The UFC & Strikeforce lightweight division with upper limit at 155 lb... |
Mizuto Hirota Mizuto Hirota is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He is a former lightweight champion in World Victory Road's Sengoku-promotion, the former lightweight champion for Cage Force, and the current DEEP lightweight champion... |
0 |
| Featherweight Featherweight (MMA) The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb... |
Koichiro Matsumoto |
1 |
| Bantamweight Bantamweight (MMA) The bantamweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*The King of the Cage bantamweight class with upper limit at 145 lb... |
Takafumi Otsuka |
0 |
| Women's division | Champion | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|
| Flyweight Flyweight (MMA) The flyweight division in mixed martial arts – as defined by the Nevada State Athletic Commission combat sports doctrine – groups together all competitors 125 lb and below... |
Satoko Shinashi Satoko Shinashi is a female Japanese mixed martial arts fighter.She specializes in Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is known for using a variety of armbars to submit her opponents.... |
0 |
Other notable fighters
- Shinya AokiShinya Aokiis a Japanese mixed martial artist, grappler, and former police trainee who is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Middleweight Champion. Aoki holds a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Yuki Nakai, as well as a black belt in judo. He is one of the most prominent...
- Ryo ChonanRyo Chonanis a Japanese mixed martial artist, currently fighting in DEEP where he was the 3rd DEEP middleweight champion. He has previously competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is noted for being one of two fighters to finish Anderson Silva in an MMA fight at...
- Dong Hyun KimDong Hyun KimKim Dong-hyun , often anglicised to Dong-hyun Kim, is a South Korean mixed martial artist currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's welterweight division. He was signed by the UFC after fighting in the Japanese promotion DEEP and in the Korean promotion Spirit MC...
- Ryan Bow
- Daiki HataDaiki HataDaiki Hata is a Japanese mixed martial artist and occasional kickboxer.He is a Pancrase veteran and has fought for K-1, DEEP, BodogFight and Cage Force. He holds notable victories over WEC contenders Kenji Osawa and Yoshiro Maeda...
- Ryuta Sakurai
- Seigo InoueSeigo InoueSeigo Inoue is a Japanese semi-retired professional mixed martial artist who has fought for World Victory Road, DEEP, M-1 Global and Cage Force....
- Fabricio Monteiro
- Seichi IkemotoSeichi Ikemotois a Japanese mixed martial artist, with a professional MMA record of 20-17-5. He is a veteran of Shooto, PRIDE and DEEP. His speciality is a "double punch", in which he puts his hands together and throws them at his opponent.-Biography and career:...
- Masakazu ImanariMasakazu Imanariis a Japanese mixed martial artist best known for his leglocks. He fights out of Team Roken in Kanagawa, Japan. He currently has a professional MMA record of 24–9–2 with notable victories over Danny Batten, Jorge Gurgel, Mike Brown, Robbie Olivier, Jean Silva and Yoshiro Maeda. He is a veteran...
- Hisae WatanabeHisae Watanabeis a Japanese female mixed martial artist and kickboxer.She stands out with her distinctive two-piece leopard-print outfit and matching hair, which was formerly auburn or red but is now blond...
- Kazunori YokotaKazunori Yokotais a Japanese mixed martial artist and judoka. Yokota became famous fighting in the Japanese MMA promotion DEEP, and eventually debuted WVR Sengoku, his only fight in a cage was his MMA debut, which was in GCM Demolition in 19 September 2004 against Keita Nakamura, the fight resulted in a...
- Ikuhisa MinowaIkuhisa Minowais a Japanese mixed martial artist and pro wrestler currently competing in Dream as . He was a long time veteran of Pride Fighting Championships and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions such as K-1 HERO'S, Cage Rage, UFC, and DEEP. At 5'9" he is notable for taking...
- Don FryeDon FryeDonald Frye is a retired American mixed martial artist, actor, and professional wrestler. Frye rose to fame fighting in early Ultimate Fighting Championship events, winning the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96 tournaments...
- Milton VieiraMilton VieiraMilton Vieira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has competed in PRIDE Fighting Championship, DEEP, Bitetti Combat, M-1 Global, and Shooto promotions. Vieira is also credited as the inventor of the anaconda choke...
- Ryuki UeyamaRyuki UeyamaRyuki Ueyama is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division. He has fought for organisations such as; Fighting Network RINGS, DEEP, Pancrase, Hero's and Pride FC.-Fighting Network RINGS :...