Miriam Nakamoto

{{short description|American kickboxer, MMA fighter, and Muay Thai fighter}}

{{Infobox martial artist

| name = Miriam Nakamoto

| other_names = The Queen of Mean

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = Miriam Herbie Nakamoto

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|8|5|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Hawaii, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| death_cause =

| residence = Dublin, California

| height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}}

| weight = {{convert|135|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| weight_class = Bantamweight

| reach_in =

| style = Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu

| stance =

| fighting_out_of = Dublin, California, United States

| team = Combat Sports Academy

| rank = Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

| years_active = 2005–2013 (Kickboxing)
2012–2013 (MMA)

| mma_kowin = 2

| mma_subwin =

| mma_decwin =

| mma_koloss = 1

| mma_subloss =

| mma_decloss =

| mma_draw =

| mma_nc = 1

| kickbox_win = 14

| kickbox_kowin =

| kickbox_loss = 0

| kickbox_koloss =

| kickbox_draw =

| kickbox_nc =

| box_win = 2

| box_kowin = 1

| box_loss = 3

| box_koloss =

| box_draw =

| box_nc =

| url = https://twitter.com/MiriamNakamoto

| boxrec = 315248

| sherdog = 110899

| footnotes =

| updated =

}}

Miriam Herbie Nakamoto[http://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2008_Results/05-31-08%20KB.pdf NSAC report of XFA 2] (born August 5, 1976) is an American professional female Muay Thai fighter and mixed martial artist fighting at Bantamweight (135 pounds).{{cite web|url=http://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/42767-miriam-nakamoto |title=Miriam Nakamoto ("The Queen of Mean") | MMA Fighter Page |publisher=Tapology |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04}}

Early life

Nakamoto was born in the U.S. state of Hawaii and began training in Muay Thai at 23 years old. She later moved to California to live with her father and a stepmother. Nakamoto's great grandmother arrived in Hawaii as a picture bride.[https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2013/07/fight-path-invicta-fc-6s-miriam-nakamoto-wanted-muay-thai-given-billy-blanks Fight Path: Invicta FC 6's Miriam Nakamoto wanted muay Thai, given Billy Blanks] MMAjunkie.com (July 11, 2013)

Muay Thai career

Nakamoto began fighting Muay Thai professionally in 2005.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.mmarising.com/articles/2013/07/18/miriam-nakamoto-credits-mma-for-newfound-financial-stability/ |title=Miriam Nakamoto Credits MMA For Newfound Financial Stability |publisher=MMARising.com |date=2013-07-18 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} She retired with an undefeated 14-0 record. {{cite web|author= |url=http://www.mmarising.com/news/2013/10/11/lauren-murphy-vs-miriam-nakamoto-title-fight-set-for-invicta-fc-7/ |title=Lauren Murphy vs Miriam Nakamoto Title Fight Set For Invicta FC 7 |publisher=MMARising.com |date=2013-10-11 |accessdate=2014-02-04}}

Mixed martial arts career

=Red Canvas=

In 2012, Nakamoto made the transition to MMA.{{cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Miriam-Nakamoto-110899 |title=Miriam "The Queen of Mean" Nakamoto MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography |publisher=Sherdog.com |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04}} On September 15, 2012, Nakamoto made her MMA debut at Red Canvas Fight Promotions- Art of Submission 2.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.tapology.com/forum/open/345651-Red_Canvas_Promotions__Submissions_2 |title=Red Canvas Promotions: Submissions 2 | The Tapology MMA Forums |publisher=Tapology.com |date=2012-09-14 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} Nakamoto finished her opponent, Elizabeth Phillips, with knees in the 2nd round.{{cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/events/Red-Canvas-Art-of-Submission-2-24551 |title=Red Canvas - Art of Submission 2 |publisher=Sherdog.com |date=2012-09-15 |accessdate=2014-02-04}}

=Invicta Fighting Championships=

Nakamoto made her Invicta FC debut on April 5, 2013, at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson. She knocked out future The Ultimate Fighter 18 contestant Jessamyn “The Gun” Duke in the first round to win the IFC: Knock out of the Night.{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.mmarising.com/articles/2013/04/06/invicta-fc-5-bonuses-kaufman-vs-smith-wins-fight-of-the-night/ |title=Invicta FC 5 Bonuses: Kaufman vs Smith Wins Fight Of The Night |publisher=MMARising.com |date=2013-04-06 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} The result was originally a KO for Nakamoto, but over a month later, the Missouri Office of Athletics changed it to a no contest due to an illegal knee.{{cite web|last=Bohn |first=Mike |url=http://mmajunkie.com/2013/05/jessamyn-duke-successfully-appeals-ko-loss-to-miriam-nakamoto-at-invicta-fc-5/ |title=Jessamyn Duke successfully appeals KO loss to Miriam Nakamoto at Invicta FC 5 |publisher=MMAjunkie |date=2013-05-15 |accessdate=2014-02-04}}

Nakamoto returned to Invicta FC for their next event, Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg.{{cite web|last=Bohn |first=Mike |url=http://mmajunkie.com/2013/04/invicta-fc-6-set-for-july-13-13-bout-lineup-set-with-santos-coenen-headliiner/ |title=Invicta FC 6 set for July 13, 13-bout lineup set with Santos-Coenen headliiner |publisher=MMAjunkie |date=2013-04-20 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} She faced professional boxer Duda Yankovich.{{cite web |url=http://www.wban.org/biog/dyankovich.htm |title=Women's Boxing: Duda Yankovich Biography |publisher=Wban.org |date= |accessdate=2014-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206052216/http://www.wban.org/biog/dyankovich.htm |archive-date=2013-12-06 |url-status=dead }} Nakamoto won by first-round TKO to knee and punches.{{cite web|url=http://invictafc.com/invicta-fc-6-official-fight-results/ |title=Invicta FC 6 Official Fight Results |date=13 July 2013 |publisher=Invictafc.com |accessdate=2014-02-04}} She again received the IFC: Knock out of the Night.{{cite web|url=http://www.mmamania.com/2013/7/14/4521730/invicta-fc-6-bonuses-and-awards-smith-maia-penne-and-nakamoto-take |title=Invicta FC 6 bonuses and awards: Smith, Maia, Penne and Nakamoto take home post-fight awards |publisher=MMAmania.com |date= 14 July 2013|accessdate=2014-02-04}}

Nakamoto faced undefeated Lauren Murphy for the inaugural Invicta FC bantamweight championship belt at Invicta FC 7: Honchak vs. Smith on December 7, 2013.{{cite web|author= |url=http://wombatsports.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/invictafc-7-card-released-with-three-title-matches/ |title=InvictaFC 7 Card Released with Three Title Matches | Wombat Sports |publisher=Wombatsports.wordpress.com |date=2013-10-11 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} Nakamoto lost the fight in the fourth round when she injured her knee.

On July 28, 2019, Nakamoto announced that Joe Rogan paid for her stem-cell therapy to treat her meniscus, which had a Grade 3 lesion and prevented her from fighting since 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/joe-rogan-surprises-fighter-miriam-nakamoto-by-covering-medical-procedure-to-help-her-make-a-comeback-132200143.html|title=Joe Rogan surprises fighter Miriam Nakamoto by covering medical procedure to help her make a comeback|website=sports.yahoo.com|date=29 July 2019 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-29}}

Television and film

In 2005, Nakamoto was the Female Lead in the music video Tired of Being Sorry directed by Joaquin Phoenix and performed by indie rock band Ringside.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmpZhibh8eg |title=Ringside - Tired Of Being Sorry |publisher=YouTube |date=2009-11-29 |accessdate=2014-02-04}} In 2007, Miriam was on the hit reality TV show, Fight Girls, which aired on the Oxygen Channel. In episode 5, Nakamoto defeated housemate Jennifer Tate by split decision after three exhibition rounds.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1545346/|title=Fight Girls: Season 2, Episode 5 : Another One Bites the Dust|publisher=IMDb.com|accessdate=2014-02-04}}

Championships and accomplishments

=Mixed martial arts=

Invicta Fighting Championships
Knockout of the Night (Two times)

=Muay Thai=

World Championship Kickboxing
2012 WCK Champion of Champions Super Lightweight Champion
World Boxing Council Muaythai
2010 WBC Muaythai World Lightweight Champion (Two title defenses)
World Muaythai Council
2010 WMC World Lightweight Champion
Thai Boxing Association
2010 TBA World Lightweight Champion
World Professional Muaythai Federation
2007 WPMF Light Welterweight Champion
International Federation of Muaythai Amateur
2009 IFMA Muaythai World Championships Gold Medalist Light Welterweight
2009 IFMA Muaythai World Championships Best Female Boxer

=Amateur boxing=

San Francisco Golden Gloves
2004 Champion

Kickboxing record (incomplete)

{{Kickboxing record start|title=Kickboxing record|record=14 wins (? KOs), 0 losses, 0 draws}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2013-08-24 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|NED}} Aleide Lawant || WCK Muay Thai Hot Summer Fights || Temecula, California, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 2:00 || 14–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Retains WBC Muaythai Women's World Lightweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2012-08-18 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|ENG}} Julie Kitchen || WCK Muay Thai Champion of Champions || Pala, California, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 2:00 || 13–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins vacant WCK Champion of Champions Women World Super lightweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2012-04-28 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Canada}} Sandra Bastian || Legends Muay Thai Championships || San Francisco, California, USA || TKO (strikes) || 3 || N/A || 12–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins WMC Women's World Lightweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2010-12-19 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Italy}} Chantal Ughi || WCK Muay Thai || Haikou, China || Decision (unanimous)|| 5 || 2:00 || 11–0

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2010-12-11 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Luxemburg}} Claire Haigh || WCK Muay Thai The Top Best || Haikou, China || TKO (strikes) || 1 || N/A || 10–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins WBC Muaythai Women's World Lightweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2010-05-01 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|China}} Gao Xing || Wu Lin Fen || China || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 2:00 || 9–0

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2010-04-03 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Australia}} Angela Rivera-Parr || Muay Thai in America || Santa Monica, California, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 3:00 || 8–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins TBA Women's World Lightweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2008-05-31 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Sally Krumdiak || XFA 2 || Las Vegas, Nevada, USA || Decision (unanimous) || 3 || 3:00 || 7–0

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2007-08-12 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Turkey}} Helena || Queen's Cup || Bangkok, Thailand || Decision (unanimous) || 5 || 2:00 || 6–0

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins WPMF Women's World Light Welterweight title.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2006-03-00 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|Thailand}} || Fight Girls Finals || Phuket, Thailand || Decision (split) || 5 || 2:00 || 5–0

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2006-00-00 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|USA}} Jennifer Tate || Fight Girls || Las Vegas, Nevada, USA || Decision (split) || 3 || 2:00 || 4–0

{{Kickboxing record start|norec=y|title=Amateur kickboxing record}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2009-12-03 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|MAR}} Rachida Hilali || IFMA World Muaythai Championships 2009, Finals || Bangkok, Thailand || Decision (unanimous) || N/A || N/A ||

! style=background:white colspan=9 |{{small|Wins IFMA World Muaythai Championships Women's Light Welterweight gold medal.}}

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2009-12-02 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|SWE}} Jenni Andersson || IFMA World Muaythai Championships 2009, Semi Finals || Bangkok, Thailand || N/A || N/A || N/A ||

|- bgcolor="#CCFFCC"

| 2009-11-30 || Win ||align=left|{{flagicon|FIN}} Katariina Perkkiö || IFMA World Muaythai Championships 2009, Quarter Finals || Bangkok, Thailand || N/A || N/A || N/A ||

| colspan=9 | Legend: {{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win |border=1px solid #CCFFCC}} {{legend2|#FFBBBB|Loss |border=1px solid #FFBBBB}} {{legend2|#c5d2ea|Draw/No contest |border=1px solid #c5d2ea}} {{legend2|White|Notes |border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

Mixed martial arts record

{{MMArecordbox

|draws=

|nc=1

|ko-wins=2

|ko-losses=1

|sub-wins=

|sub-losses=

|dec-wins=

|dec-losses=

|dq-wins=

|dq-losses=

|other-wins=

|other-losses=

}}

| {{no2}}Loss

| style="text-align:center;"|2–1 (1)

| Lauren Murphy

| TKO (knee injury)

| Invicta FC 7: Honchak vs. Smith

| {{dts|2013|December|7}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 0:23

| Kansas City, Missouri, United States

| {{small|For the inaugural Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship.}}

| {{yes2}}Win

| style="text-align:center;"|2–0 (1)

| Duda Yankovich

| TKO (knee and punches)

| Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg

| {{dts|2013|July|13}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 2:08

| Kansas City, Missouri, United States

| {{small|Knockout of the Night.}}

| {{nocontest}}NC

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–0 (1)

| Jessamyn Duke

| NC (overturned)

| Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson

| {{dts|2013|April|5}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 2:20

| Kansas City, Missouri, United States

| {{small|Originally a knockout victory for Nakamoto, but was later overturned by the Missouri Office of Athletics due to an illegal knee. Knockout of the Night.}}

| {{yes2}}Win

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–0

| Elizabeth Phillips

| TKO (knees)

| Red Canvas - Art of Submission 2

| {{dts|2012|September|15}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 3:39

| San Jose, California, United States

Professional boxing record

{{BoxingRecordSummary

|draws =

|nc =

|ko-wins = 1

|ko-losses =

|dec-wins = 1

|dec-losses = 3

|dq-wins =

|dq-losses =

}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
{{abbr\|No.\|Number}} !Result !Record !Opponent !Type !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes
5 \|{{no2}}Loss \|2–3 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Tatina Anderson \|SD \|4 \|May 19, 2011 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{small\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Lakeside Golf Course, Burbank, California, United States}} \|style="text-align:left;"\|
4 \|{{no2}}Loss \|2–2 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Tammy Franks \|SD \|4 \|October 26, 2006 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} {{small\|Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, United States}} \|style="text-align:left;"\|
3 \|{{no2}}Loss \|2–1 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Crystal Morales \|SD \|4 \|May 12, 2006 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} {{small\|Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Lancaster, California, United States}} \|style="text-align:left;"\|
2 \|{{yes2}}Win \|2–0 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|PER}} Kina Malpartida \|UD \|4 \|April 20, 2006 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} {{small\|Marriott Hotel, Irvine, California, United States}} \|style="text-align:left;"\|
1 \|{{yes2}}Win \|1–0 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} Maria Elena Anderson \|KO \|2 (4) \|May 5, 2005 \|style="text-align:left;"\|{{flagicon\|USA}} {{small\|Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine, California, United States}} \|style="text-align:left;"\|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Location

!Notes

|{{no2}}Loss

|2–3

|style="text-align:left;"|{{flagicon|USA}} Tatina Anderson