Daiju Takase

Who is Daiju Takase?

Daiju Takase is a Japanese mixed martial artist. He has fought as a middleweight and welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championship. He is noted for being the second of five fighters to defeat and first of three fighters to finish former UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

Takase's mixed martial arts debut came at PRIDE 3, where he defeated the 600 lb Sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough. He then fought in a variety of organizations, including Pancrase and the UFC, facing tough opposition, including losses to Jeremy Horn, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Nino Schembri.

On June 8, 2003, Takase faced Anderson Silva at PRIDE 26. At the time, Silva was on a 9-match winning streak, and given Takase's unimpressive record, he was a heavy underdog. However, Takase surprised spectators with a first round triangle choke submission victory. With this win, he becomes notable for being one of the five men to ever defeat Anderson Silva.

Takase then fought in PRIDE's Bushido promotion, and continued to face difficult opposition with mixed success, including a victory over Carlos Newton and losses to Rodrigo Gracie and Hayato Sakurai.