Noboru Asahi

Noboru Asahi (Japanese: 朝日 昇, Asahi Noboru, born January 5, 1968) is a Japanese retired mixed martial artist, a designer, and an owner of MMA gym.

A former amateur wrestler, Asahi was trained in Satoru Sayama's Super Tiger Gym, where he learned shoot wrestling, and later moved to Noriaki Kiguchi's dojo to polish his skills.

Showing his grappling excellence, Noboru captured the Shooto Featherweight Championship from Kazuhiro Sakamoto and enjoyed a thirteen-fights winning streak, with victories over Yuki Nakai and Masato Suzuki, as well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu grappler Leandro Lima de Azevedo.

His streak snapped, however, when he was sent to the 1996 Vale Tudo Japan and fought another Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Royler Gracie.

Asahi was taken down and held in side control, ending up with Gracie taking his back; he eventually escaped, but the game repeated itself and he got caught in a rear naked choke, being submitted.