RIP Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, one of the most talented and explosive fighters to ever step into the ring. He was like a fighting game character come to life, competing at the highest levels of combat sports. He will be missed.
Longtime fans of MMA will recall that during the 2000s Kid Yamamoto was an absolute killer in the ring.
While the stereotype for Asian martial artists is one of stoic honor and discipline, Kid was known for his expolossive athleticism and raw ferocity (as you can see from this flying knee, one of the flashiest KOs of all time)
Of course he also had incredible discipline. He came from a family of elite athletes. His father wrestled for Japan in the Olympics and both his sisters hold world championships in freestyle wrestling. Kid went to Highschool in the US and won 3 state championships in a row.
Kid Yamamoto seemed destined for greatness in wrestling like his father and sisters, but his collegiate career was cut short in a manner straight out of a shonen manga (and he certainly looks the part of the delinquint hero!) 
After that fateful run in with the Yakuza, Kid Yamamoto found a new call to greatness in MMA under the tutelage of his brother-in-law, Enson Inoue, one of the early pioneers of MMA and a veteran of Pride and the UFC.
Kid was a natural bantamweight (135 lbs) but spent the best years of his career fighting men who CUT DOWN to 155 lbs (they could be as heavy as 170lbs come fight night!). And he dominated the best of them! At his peak he absolutely embodied the concept of "pound for pound best."
At a time when MMA was just stepping into the global limelight Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto was one of the sports' brightest stars and certainly the one with the most swagger! Win or lose he was just one of the COOLEST dudes in the game. He will be missed.
Here's a nice highlight reel of some of Norifumi Yamamoto's greatest KOs.
