Hitomi Akano - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

, is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

female mixed martial artist. She uses a song she penned herself called "Between the Sky" as her entrance music.

Akano is a former Smackgirl

Smackgirl

Smackgirl was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion focused solely on female fighters. The promotion also held grappling and amateur events along with its main line of professional MMA cards. After financial difficulties throughout 2008 the promotion was sold to Marverous Japan Co.,Ltd...

Middleweight Champion at 128 pounds. She is currently the #15-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #5-ranked 135-pound female fighter according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Akano made her 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...

debut on November 26, 2004 against veteran Megumi Yabushita

Megumi Yabushita

is a Japanese female mixed martial artist, kickboxer, professional wrestler and judoka. She has participated in several Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotions. She is a Japanese national judo champion and a former Smackgirl open weight champion and tournament...

. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision.

On August 17, 2005, Akano submitted Takayo Hashi

Takayo Hashi

at 1:19 of the first round at Smackgirl

Smackgirl

- Dynamic!!

Akano faced Tara LaRosa

Tara LaRosa

Tara LaRosa is an American mixed martial artist who previously fought in BodogFight.She was the first and final BodogFight Women's Bantamweight Champion...

at MFC - USA vs. Russia 3 on June 3, 2006. She lost the fight by Unanimous Decision.

She faced Molly Helsel at Smackgirl - Women Hold Their Ground on September 15, 2006. She won the fight by armbar submission in the second round and became the second Smackgirl Middleweight (128-Pound) Champion.

On April 14, 2007, Akano faced Amanda Buckner

Amanda Buckner

Amanda Buckner is an American female mixed martial artist. Her last fight was a decision loss against Takayo Hashi at FFF 4 - Call of the Wild on April 3, 2008....

at BodogFight

BodogFight

bodogFight was a mixed martial arts promotion founded by online gambling magnate Calvin Ayre. It was a part of Ayre's bodog.com Entertainment Group....

- Clash of the Nations. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision.

Akano battled Takayo Hashi

Takayo Hashi

for the second time at Smackgirl

Smackgirl

- Queen's Hottest Summer on September 6, 2007. She was defeated by Unanimous Decision and lost the Smackgirl Middleweight Championship.

Akano fought Vanessa Porto at FFF 3 - War of the Roses on November 3, 2007. She lost the fight by Split Decision.

Akano rematched Megumi Yabushita

Megumi Yabushita

in the opening round of the 2008 Smackgirl World ReMix Grand Prix. She defeated Yabushita with a heel hook in the second round.

Akano advanced to the finals of the ReMix tournament by submitting Hiroko Yamanaka

Hiroko Yamanaka

, more commonly known simply as Hiroko and nicknamed or Cat's Eye, is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter...

on April 25, 2008, but Smackgirl closed its doors soon after and was later renamed Jewels.

On November 16, 2008, Akano submitted Mika Harigai with an armbar in just 38 seconds at Jewels 1st Ring

Jewels 1st Ring

Jewels 1st Ring, originally was the inaugural mixed martial arts event of the then newly created women's MMA promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

.

Akano faced Cristiane Santos

Cristiane Santos

Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion . Santos won the title on August 15, 2009 by defeating Gina Carano via TKO...

at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz was a mixed martial arts event held by Strikeforce on April 11, 2009 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. It was the first event promoted by Strikeforce after their acquisition of assets from the defunct EliteXC promotion through its parent company ProElite. It...

on April 11, 2009. Santos came in six pounds overweight for the fight. Akano originally rejected the fight due to Santos failing to make weight but later accepted the fight. She lost the fight by TKO due to strikes in the third round.

Following the Strikeforce bout, Akano returned to Japan and faced Miki Morifuji at Jewels 4th Ring

Jewels 4th Ring

Jewels 4th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Koto, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

. She defeated Morifuji by armbar in the second round.

Akano faced Hiroko Yamanaka

Hiroko Yamanaka

, more commonly known simply as Hiroko and nicknamed or Cat's Eye, is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter...

for the second time at Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by MMA promotion Jewels. It was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

on March 19, 2010. She lost the fight by Split Decision.

Akano was part of the one-night Strikeforce 135-pound women's tournament on August 13, 2010 at Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor was a mixed martial arts event held by the Strikeforce. The tenth Challengers episode took place on August 13, 2010, at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona.-Background:...

. A random drawing was held on the day of the weigh-ins to determine first-round matchups and Akano faced Carina Damm

Carina Damm

Carina Paganini Damm Golçalvez is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist.Regarded for her looks as much as for her fighting abilities, Damm was dubbed MMA's "Barbie Girl" by the Brazilian media....

in the opening round of the tournament.

Akano submitted Damm with a triangle armbar in the second round to advance to the tournament final. She faced Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate is a professional mixed martial artist.She is the current Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion and the current Freestyle Cage Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion...

and was defeated by Unanimous Decision.

Akano was scheduled to face Roxanne Modafferi

Roxanne Modafferi

Roxanne Modafferi is an American female mixed martial artist.-Biography:Modafferi's training began in taekwondo as a teenager in Pennsylvania, moving on to Mark Lawler's Kenpō Karate two years later. Full of confidence, she then began attending the Dalton Judo Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts...

at World Victory Road Presents: Soul of Fight on December 30, 2010, but the fight was cancelled after Modafferi suffered a stomach illness and was unable to compete.

Akano faced Chisa Yonezawa at Pancrase Impressive Tour 2

Pancrase

Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...

on March 13, 2011 in Osaka, Japan

Osaka

is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...

. She defeated Yonezawa by armbar submission in just 40 seconds.

Akano then faced Roxanne Modafferi

Roxanne Modafferi

in a bout rescheduled for Jewels 15th Ring

Jewels 15th Ring

Jewels 15th Ring was a mixed martial arts event held by promotion Jewels on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.As in the previous Jewels event, 15th Ring featured a Jewels vs. Valkyrie theme, pitting fighters from both promotions in four bouts that ended with two victories for each...

on July 9, 2011. She defeated Modafferi by Unanimous Decision.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
| align=center| 18–8
|

Roxanne Modafferi

| Decision (unanimous)
| Jewels 15th Ring

Jewels 15th Ring

|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 5:00
| Tokyo, Japan
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 17–8
|

Osaka

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 16–8
|

Miesha Tate

Miesha Tate is a professional mixed martial artist.She is the current Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion and the current Freestyle Cage Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion...

| Decision (unanimous)
| Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

| Final of Women's 135 lb tournament
|-
| Win
| align=center| 16–7
|

Carina Damm

Carina Paganini Damm Golçalvez is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist.Regarded for her looks as much as for her fighting abilities, Damm was dubbed MMA's "Barbie Girl" by the Brazilian media....

| Submission (triangle armbar)
| Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Strikeforce Challengers: Riggs vs. Taylor

Phoenix, Arizona

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Hiroko Yamanaka

, more commonly known simply as Hiroko and nicknamed or Cat's Eye, is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter...

| Decision (split)
| Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring

Jewels 7th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by MMA promotion Jewels. It was held on at Shinjuku Face in Kabukicho, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 15–6
|

Miki Morifuji
| Technical submission (straight armbar)
| Jewels 4th Ring

Jewels 4th Ring

Jewels 4th Ring was a mixed martial arts event hosted by promotion Jewels. The event took place on at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring in Koto, Tokyo, Japan.-Background:...

Tokyo

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 14–6
|

Cristiane Santos

Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Champion . Santos won the title on August 15, 2009 by defeating Gina Carano via TKO...

| TKO (punches)
| Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

| Catchweight bout due to Santos missing weight
|-
| Win
| align=center| 14–5
|

Mika Harigai
| Submission (armbar)
| Jewels 1st Ring

Jewels 1st Ring

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 13–5
|

Hiroko Yamanaka

, more commonly known simply as Hiroko and nicknamed or Cat's Eye, is a Japanese female mixed martial arts fighter...

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 12–5
|

Megumi Yabushita

Tokyo

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 11–5
|

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 11–4
|

Takayo Hashi

Tokyo

| Lost Smackgirl Middleweight Championship
|-
| Win
| align=center| 11–3
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 10–3
|

Amanda Buckner

Amanda Buckner is an American female mixed martial artist. Her last fight was a decision loss against Takayo Hashi at FFF 4 - Call of the Wild on April 3, 2008....

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 10–2
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 9–2
|

Tokyo

| Won Smackgirl Middleweight Championship
|-
| Win
| align=center| 8–2
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 7–2
|

Tara LaRosa

Tara LaRosa is an American mixed martial artist who previously fought in BodogFight.She was the first and final BodogFight Women's Bantamweight Champion...

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States, and a nationally renowned resort city for gambling, shopping and fine dining. The city also served as the inspiration for the American version of the board game Monopoly. Atlantic City is located on Absecon Island on the coast...

, U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 7–1
|

Debi Purcell

Deborah Ann Purcell is an American female mixed martial artist. She was formerly an assistant coach to the Southern California Condors of the International Fight League.-Early life:...

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 6–1
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 5–1
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 4–1
|

Takayo Hashi

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 3–1
|

Tokyo

|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 2–1
|

Tokyo