Daichi Abe

Daichi Abe (Japanese: 阿部 大治, Abe Daichi, born November 27, 1991) is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the Welterweight division. He is the current interim DEEP Welterweight Champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2016, he has competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and he was also the Welterweight champion of Pancrase.

Background

Abe was born in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. He embarked on his martial arts journey starting at eight years old with Judo where he was the Junior Judo National Champion. During his teenage years, he trained in both boxing and kickboxing. He won 2011 Rising rookies Heavyweight Cup and 2014 J-Network Light Heavyweight title in kickboxing and amassed a record of 14-10 with seven by knockout. Abe eventually transitioned to mixed martial arts (MMA) joining Pancrase on his MMA professional debut.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Abe made his professional debut in 2016 against Ryosuke Igarashi and won the fight in 24 seconds in round one. He continued to win his next three fight in span of five months and was booked for the title fight against Hiromitsu Miura for Pancrase Welterweight Championship. Due to his fascination with feet, he won the fight via technical knockout in round two. He amassed a record of 5–0 prior signed by UFC after one month crowned the welterweight champion of Pancrase.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Abe made his promotional debut on September 22, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami against Hyun Gyu Lim. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

He next faced Luke Jumeau on February 10, 2018 at UFC 221. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

His third fight came on June 23, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards against Li Jingliang. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

In October 2018, it was announced that Abe was released from UFC.

ONE Championship

Daichi Abe signed with ONE Championship and was scheduled to fight former ONE title challenger Luis Santos at ONE FC: Pursuit of Greatness on October 26, 2018. He loss the fight by TKO in the first round.

Abe next faced Ev Ting at ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny on July 12, 2019. He lost the fight via submission.

Return to regional circuit

Abe faced Yoichiro Sato at DEEP 95 on August 23, 2020. He won the fight via split decision.

Abe then headlined DEEP 98 against Yuta Watanabe on November 1, 2020. Abe won the fight via first-round technical knockout.

Daichi then faced Gota Yamashita for the interim DEEP Welterweight Championship at DEEP 100 on February 21, 2021. He won the fight and claimed the interim title via first-round technical knockout due to an injury.

Daichi faced Akira Okada at Rizin 31 - Yokohama on October 24, 2021. He lost the bout via north-south choke in the second round.

Abe was booked to face Kiichi Kunimoto at Rizin 34 – Osaka on March 20, 2022. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Pancrase
  • Pancrase Welterweight Champion (one time; former) vs. Hiromitsu Miura
• DEEP
  • Interim DEEP Welterweight Championship (one time; current)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
16 matches	11 wins	5 losses
By knockout	7	1
By submission	0	2
By decision	4	2

Res.	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	11–5	Marcos Yoshio de Souza	KO (punch and soccer kick)	Rizin 37	31 July 2022	2	3:02	Saitama, Japan	Catchweight (176 lb) bout.
Win	10–5	Kiichi Kunimoto	Decision (unanimous)	Rizin 34	20 March 2022	3	5:00	Osaka, Japan
Loss	9–5	Akira Okada	Submission (north-south choke)	Rizin 31	24 October 2021	2	4:34	Yokohama, Japan	Lightweight bout.
Win	9–4	Gota Yamashita	TKO (finger injury)	DEEP 100 Impact - 20th Anniversary	21 February 2021	1	2:34	Tokyo, Japan	Won the Interim DEEP Welterweight Championship.
Win	8–4	Yuta Watanabe	TKO (punches)	DEEP 98 Impact	1 November 2020	1	4:17	Tokyo, Japan
Win	7–4	Yoichiro Sato	Decision (split)	DEEP 95 Impact	23 August 2020	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Loss	6–4	Ev Ting	Submission (rear-naked choke)	ONE Championship: Masters of Destiny	12 July 2019	2	4:44	Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
Loss	6–3	Luís Santos	TKO (body kick)	ONE FC: Pursuit of Greatness	October 26, 2018	1	0:33	Yangon, Myanmar	Middleweight bout.
Loss	6–2	Li Jingliang	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards	23 June 2018	3	5:00	Kallang, Singapore
Loss	6–1	Luke Jumeau	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 221	10 February 2018	3	5:00	Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Win	6–0	Hyun Gyu Lim	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami	22 September 2017	3	5:00	Saitama, Saitama, Japan
Win	5–0	Hiromitsu Miura	TKO (punches)	Pancrase 288	2 July 2017	2	0:26	Tokyo, Japan	Won the Pancrase Welterweight Championship.
Win	4–0	Bryson Kamaka	KO (punches)	Mid-Pac: Mid-Pacific Championships	17 February 2017	1	0:35	Waipahu, Hawaii, United States
Win	3–0	Kenta Takagi	Decision (unanimous)	Pancrase 282	13 November 2016	3	5:00	Tokyo, Japan
Win	2–0	Yuta Nakamura	KO (punch)	Pancrase 280	11 September 2016	1	2:08	Tokyo, Japan
Win	1–0	Ryosuke Igarashi	TKO (punches)	Pancrase 277	24 April 2016	1	0:24	Tokyo, Japan

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

External links

• Professional MMA record for Daichi Abe from Sherdog
• Daichi Abe on UFC.com