To whom much is given, much is expected. And that cannot be more true than in the case of Rinya Nakamura. The undefeated UFC bantamweight star is a veritable powerhouse, having been a multiple-time wrestling champion and nearly making it to the 2020 Olympics national team of his country.

But fate had different plans for Nakamura, who then transitioned to MMA with his already championship-level pedigree. And ‘Hybrid’ hasn’t disappointed since. As Nakamura looks to make a name for himself and his country in the UFC, we take a look at his background and his family’s connection to mixed martial arts.

Where is Rinya Nakamura from?

Rinya Nakamura hails from Japan, having been born and raised in the Japanese metropolis of Saitama in the Kanto region. ‘Hybrid’, in fact is quite proud of his Japanese heritage and has explicitly said that one of his biggest goals in the UFC is to bring the ‘Yamato-damashii’ – ‘Japanese spirit’ to the UFC and try to inspire the next generation of MMA fighters.

“I want to restore the Japanese spirit in all Japanese people’s hearts. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say this, but I want Japanese people to feel courage, determination, and love through my fights. I want to bring an immense energy wave and harmony to Japan,” Nakamura told ‘MMA Junkie’ in an interview.

The Japanese fighters of the past influence him and he sees himself in the same leave-everything-in-the-cage mold as them. There are good reasons for this, as we will discuss in depth later. Needless to say, the undefeated star owes a lot of his success to Japan, whose excellent wrestling infrastructure and facilities were essential in making him the fighter he is today. The other, and perhaps the biggest influence in his martial arts journey is his father, who lived and breathed martial arts.

Everything about Rinya Nakamura’s father and MMA connection

Rinyas father, Kozo Nakamura is one of the main reasons there is even such a thing as MMA in Japan. After all, Kozo was one of the main forces behind getting Rickson Gracie to Japan in 1994 and popularizing promotions like Shooto and Vale Tudo in Japan, a precursor to the MMA scene in the U.S.

“He worked hard to bring Rickson Gracie to Japan, preparing money, logistics, and negotiating. Martial artists of the time still tell me that without my father’s effort, there would have been no Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, or PRIDE,” Rinya said regarding his father.

Since his father was so intimately involved in combat sports, it isn’t surprising Rinya started wrestling at the age of five. In the gym he started training, the UFC star shared the mats with Japanese MMA legends like Yuki Nakai, Norifumi Yamamoto, and Enson Inoue. These fighters and their never-give-up, fight-to-the-death style would influence Rinya greatly and make him determined to follow their example.

He has succeeded so far, but ‘Hybrid’ still has a long way to go before he is considered an MMA legend like them. But Rinya Nakamura is certainly on the right track. Moreover, he is scheduled to face Muin Gafurov at UFC 311. What do you think about Rinya Nakamura’s road to becoming a mixed martial artist and can he overcome his next challenge?