Naoyuki Kotani

Naoyuki Kotani 小谷直之 (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2000, he has formerly competed in PRIDE, Pancrase, UFC, Vale Tudo Japan, and RINGS.

Early career
Kotani made his professional MMA debut in September 2000 for the RINGS promotion. He was unbeaten for the first three years of his career, earning a record of 13-0-2.

From 2004 to 2005, Kotani suffered a rough patch in his career as he went 3-5-1 against several UFC fighters including Roger Huerta, Yves Edwards, Marcus Aurélio and Rich Clementi.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Kotani was signed by the UFC in 2007. In his debut, he faced Thiago Tavares at UFC Fight Night: Stevenson vs Guillard on April 5, 2007. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

For his second fight with the promotion, Kotani faced Dennis Siver at UFC 75 on September 8, 2007. He lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Following this loss, Kotani was released by the promotion.

Post-UFC
Following his release, Kotani encountered another rough streak as he went 3-3-2 from November 2007 until April 2010. However, beginning in September 2010, Kotani started an undefeated streak of 13-0 over the next three and a half years in his native Japan.

UFC return
In May 2014, it was announced that Kotani had re-signed with the UFC. He made his return against Norman Parke on July 19, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 46. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round.

Kotani then faced Yan Cabral at UFC 179 on October 25, 2014. He lost the fight via submission in the second round.

Kotani next faced Kajan Johnson on September 27, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 75. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.