Photo: Bject / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Akira Maeda matters structurally rather than statistically. Born in Osaka in 1959 to a Korean family, under the birth name Go Il-myeong, he came up through Japanese professional wrestling, worked in Britain under the ring name Kwik-kik-Lee, and then spent his career dragging the business toward something more real. Before mixed martial arts had a name or an audience in Japan, he was putting himself in against genuine strikers, and in 1991 he founded his own promotion, RINGS, one of the direct ancestors of modern Japanese MMA. His place in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame is earned. What I find most telling is his temperament. This is an industry that rewards going along with the plan, and he was famously unwilling to. That stubbornness cost him allies. It also moved the entire sport forward.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Akira Maeda
- Name (Japanese)
- 前田日明
- Born
- January 24, 1959 (age 67)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Boar
- Origin
- Fudegasaki-cho, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- Occupation
- mixed martial arts fighter / professional wrestler
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Akira Maeda born?
Born January 24, 1959 (age 67).
Where is Akira Maeda from?
Akira Maeda is from Fudegasaki-cho, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
What does Akira Maeda do?
Akira Maeda works as mixed martial arts fighter, professional wrestler.
Mixed martial arts fighter — see all → · Professional wrestler — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-07-27
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.