Yoshihiro Akiyama is also popular as Choo Sung-hoon one of the most prominent MMA fighters and Judoka. He bagged the gold medal at the 2001 Asian Judo Championships for South Korea and for Japan at the 2002 Asian Games.
Yoshihiro Akiyama was born in Japan and was of Korean heritage. Yoshihiro Akiyama was born on July 29, 1975. Osaka, Japan was his birthplace. He holds dual citizenship in Korea and Japan. He acquired Japanese nationality in 2001. His star sign is Leo. His other name is Sexyama.
Yoshihiro Akiyama has an estimated net worth of $4 Million. Yoshihiro is sponsored by numerous high-end brands, by analyzing his Instagram we can assure that the player has a net worth of more than $4 Million, but as Akiyama grew up in the Eastern culture, he likes to keep his monetary assets a secret from the public.
The MMA fighter looks of high status and enjoys his life with a beautiful wife, named Shiho and his net worth might also exceed $10 Million when shared with his Japanese wife. Yoshihiro Akiyama is outstanding in his career. His remarkable career paid him a fortune in salary. One can go through his daily updates on his Instagram and Twitter.
Regarding Yoshihiro Akiyama's personal life, he is a married man. He married Japanese Fashion model Shiho Yano in 2009 with whom he had been dating since January 2007. Currently, they are extremely happy in their married life.
Yoshihiro with Shiho shares a lovely daughter Choo Sarang who was born on 24 October 2011. Akiyama and his daughter made their appearances in a reality show named The Return of Superman, based on a father-daughter relationship.
Judo Career
Before being a professional MMA fighter, Yoshihiro Akiyama was a decorated Judoka. He started judo practice at the age of three. Moreover, he also took training in Karate, Boxing, Kickboxing, Wrestling, and submission fighting.
In the 2001 Asian Judo Championships, Yoshihiro Akiyama represented South Korea and bagged a gold medal for his nation. In the 2002 Asian Games, he represented Japan and won the gold medal by defeating Ahn Dong-Jin in the finals.
MMA Career
On Dec 31, 2004, Yoshihiro Akiyama made his mixed martial arts debut at the event of K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite where he defeated Francois Botha by submission in the first round. While competing at HERO, he has notable wins over prominent fighters, which include Taiei Kin, Melvin Manhoef, Kestutis Smirnovas, and Tokimitsu Ishiwaza.
In 2009, Yoshihiro Akiyama landed his steps at Ultimate Fighting Championship. On July 11, 2009, at UFC 100, he made his debut against Alan Belcher. He won the fight via decision (split) in the third round. Upon defeating Belcher, he has continually four losses in the UFC. On Nov 28, 2015, he faced Alberto Mina. He lost the fight via decision (split) in the third round.
Yoshihiro Akiyama has reached the age of 47yrs now. He has a perfect height of 5’10” inch, which is around 1.77m. His weight is around 77 kg. The MMA fighter still has robust strength and valor left inside him.
Yoshihiro Akiyama is a close friend of Jang Keun-Suk. He named Mike Tyson as his inspiration. He is a University graduate. He received a degree in commerce. In Sep 2015, he also made his appearance as a guest on 2 Days & 1 Night.