The 5 Defining Moments of Takanori Gomi's Career

If you don't give it up for The Fireball Kid, everyone will know you're not a real MMA fan.

I'm exaggerating a little bit, for comedic effect. But no embellishment needed on this statement: Takanori Gomi is one of the best MMA lightweights of all time.

Back when so many modern fans were in the short pants, Gomi was becoming the first (and, it turned out, only) lightweight champion in a little organization known as Pride. He also held that title in Shooto. And he did it because of his hard-hitting, hard-chinned style, which netted him 13 wins by way of knockout in a 35-10 (1) record.

Now, though, the 36-year-old Gomi is fading. He entered the UFC at the age of 31 and has amassed a 4-5 record since that time. This Saturday, he's a substantial underdog against Joe Lauzon at UFC on Fox 16.

Gomi has to feel good about the fact that none of this really matters from a legacy standpoint. And why's that? In part because of these five moments we're about to go through. Some are good, some are bad, all helped to shape a Hall of Fame-level run.

Are there more than five moments to be found? Sure. But finding the Mount Rushmore of his moments, if you will, makes this all the more exciting. They are ranked based on the impact they had on Gomi's overall career.

5. A Champion Is Born

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Rumina Sato

It was 2001, and a shaggy-haired young fighter, undefeated at 9-0, stepped in to take on the legendary shoot fighter and reigning Shooto lightweight champion.

That champion's name? Rumina Sato. 

The challenger's name? That's right. It was Takanori Gomi. 

The crowd for the event, held in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, presented a substantial headwind to the challenger.

“I felt the venue was completely away for me when I fought against Rumina-san,” Gomi said through a translator to Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com. 

Nevertheless, Gomi took the fight by unanimous decision, and at the ripe age of 23, the first piece of hardware of his MMA career was his.

4. Gomi Gets GoGo'd

By the time Gomi faced Nick Diaz at Pride 33 in 2007, his record had ballooned to 27-3. Diaz was a relatively pedestrian 14-6 and was competing for the first time under the Pride banner.

So no surprise that Gomi was a -325 betting favorite in the bout. 

Unfortunately for the chalk bettors, Diaz excels in surprises.

Diaz is now known for his extreme toughness and unpredictability, not to mention his outstanding jiu-jitsu. Opponents don't even try to test him on the ground anymore. Back then, fans could be forgiven for not realizing that. But they realized it pretty quickly—one minute and 46 seconds into the second round, to be precise. 

That's when Diaz slapped on an extremely rare gogoplata and received the submission victory.

Shortly after, though, that Diaz surprise train struck again. The lad from Stockton, California, tested positive for marijuana, and the bout was ruled a no-contest.

3. Gomi Loses UFC Debut

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Gomi (left) fought Kenny Florian in his UFC debut.

It's amazing how easy it is to forget how elite Kenny Florian was in his prime.

No, he never won a title. And yes, his run ended with a flurry of mediocrity, as do so many others. But still, he was darn good.

Especially on the mat, an area where Gomi was never fully comfortable. In fact, Gomi has six submission losses on his record, by far his most common manner of defeat.

Florian quickly showed Gomi why Americans are different animals, using his jiu-jitsu to wear down and then submit Gomi by rear-naked choke in the third round.

2. Setting a Record Against Ralph Gracie

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Startup website tip: a definitive website tracking MMA records, across promotions and everything else. It can't be that hard. And there's a need. 

As it is, we have to rely on unofficial channels to track this stuff. So while we can't speak with absolute certainty, it does appear Gomi holds the record for the fastest knockout in Pride history, if not all of major league MMA. 

It came at the end of Gomi's knees, and it came in a mere six seconds at Pride Bushido 3 in 2004. The opponent was Ralph Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family. It was Gracie's only loss (and final bout) as a pro.

1. The King of Pride

Gomi has taken heat in recent years for appearing to go through the motions without the same passion he once displayed. The Fireball Kid, critics contend, has lost his fire.

When you go back and look at this fight, that criticism gains merit, if only because Gomi, at the absolute height of his powers, was a force of nature in the lightweight division.

After handling Tatsuya Kawajiri and Luiz Azeredo, Gomi was in the finals of the 2005 Pride Lightweight Grand Prix, which would crown Pride's inaugural lightweight champion. Not to be outdone, his opponent, Hayato Sakurai, had bested Jens Pulver and Joachim Hansen. 

With Saitama Super Arena looking on, a takedown went awry for Sakurai, and Gomi ended up on top. Those famous fists went to work, softening Sakurai with ground-and-pound. Sakurai staggered to his feet, but not long after, a right hook found the proverbial button and put Sakurai down at 3:56 of the first round.

Gomi was a Grand Prix champ and a lightweight titleholder. This was easily the most meaningful win of The Fireball Kid's career, and it cemented his legacy forever.

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.