Most of us know Mamoru Yamaguchi (Pictures) as that top-ranked 123-pounder in Shooto with the big afro and mustache inspired by Japanese boxing legend Yoko Gushiken.

Even if we were to play the MMA word association game with the Shooto faithful and the name "Mamoru" came up, the immediate response would most likely be "afro" before any notion came to mind of him being a former 132-pound champ, a former 123-pound champ, an excellent striker or the man fighting Shinichi "BJ" Kojima on Friday in a rematch for the title.

Mamoru is of course well aware of this fact.

"Actually, the afro itself is an icon. When I have a hat on, people don't recognize me, and when people come to the gym and see me without it, they often don't recognize who I am. The afro has taken on a life of its own and has become famous all by itself," admitted the two-time champ with a sardonic smile.

In a way, you can feel Mamoru's resignation at playing second fiddle to his funky-fresh hairdo. It's a bit of a shame that it has required such an outlandish hairstyle for him to earn even the slightest bit of attention he deserves in MMA beyond Shooto fans. Long seen as a dominant ace in the world's 123-pound weight division, Mamoru the athlete has perhaps been overshadowed by the ‘fro, despite having some of the best striking in the MMA game.

As surprising as it may seem, there was a time when he did not have the afro -- chiefly during his run up to the 132-pound title and his subsequent reign. After defeating Jin Akimoto (Pictures) in December 2000 to become Shooto's first 132-pound champion, Mamoru lost a title defense the following November to Masahiro Oishi (Pictures). The title loss had unwittingly marked the beginning of the end for the otherwise visually unremarkable version of Mamoru.

He rebounded and made history again two years later after dropping a weight class to defeat Wajyutsu Keisyukai super-striker Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures), this time earning the title of Shooto's first 123-pound champion. While earning a second title was indeed a great achievement, fans would come to remember him less for being the champ than for what would soon become his trademark.

"Right before my first 123-pound title bout, my sponsors, Mobstyles, got together with me to discuss how I should develop my in-ring character, and that's when they told me, ‘Afro. You're going afro.' They were like, ‘It'll be just like [Yoko] Gushiken.' At first, I didn't like it.

"At that time, I had just had the 132-pound belt, but when that was taken from me and I started losing fights, I thought that maybe if I changed my physical appearance, the flow of my life and fighting would also change. Plus, Gushiken is a legendary fighter in boxing, and I was thinking if I had the afro too, I might become a legend as well," Mamoru said with a chuckle.

Legend or not, Mamoru's unique look has certainly gained him more attention than he would have had as a sub-155-pound fighter in the obscure but time-honored proving ground of Shooto competition. The attention, for better or worse, comes not only from fans and non-fans in Japan but from fans and fighters abroad as well.

"I get a lot of comments like, ‘Wow, your hair is so cool,' from non-Japanese actually," he said. "But in Japan, Japanese people look at me and say, ‘Wow, what is that?' Unlike foreigners, they don't feel that it's very cool. There was even this time when these high school girls were staring at me and saying, ‘Oh my god, what the hell?' I've gotten so used to it, though, that nowadays, if people are staring at me, I'm thinking, ‘Hey, you really dig this hair, don't you?'

"On the other hand, one good thing about having the afro is that when I go to parties or go out drinking with friends, it helps to make things more exciting and fun. So even if I don't know anybody, people will come up to me and be like, ‘Can we touch your afro?' It's like going to a zoo and seeing some exotic animal, so I think it's cool. I actually like it when people have fun with my hair."

Finding a Fitting Conclusion to a Life's Work in Shooto

Like many Japanese fighters, Mamoru's humble beginnings had roots within the institutionalized martial arts of the Japanese education system.

"I did judo in middle and high school, so I've always been interested in the martial arts," he said. "I knew about Shooto, but I didn't know any of the fighters at the time. Still, I really, really wanted to become a professional fighter and fight in the ring.

"I had a full-time job in tobishaku [scaffolding] that I ended up quitting in order to move back into my parents' house, knowing that [Shooting Gym Yokohama] was in the area. This was 11 years ago. At first, I thought that maybe I'll try this for two years and then quit if I can't become a professional fighter. Thankfully, I was able to do it within two years, so naturally I've continued on with it. Thus, I spent all of my 20s in Shooto, and I think I was more cut out for that because I just liked it more than what I was doing before."

Much of Mamoru's success can be traced back to his affiliation with Shooting Gym Yokohama and its head trainer, Kenji Kawaguchi (Pictures) -- Shooto's first 183-pound champion. As one of the most notable official Shooto gyms, STG Yokohama has produced some of the finest champions and rookie champions ever to grace the Shooto ring. Despite the potential for pressure given the achievements of his teammates, Mamoru has afforded himself a more relaxed and enlightened approach to dealing with the greatness produced by his gym. To Mamoru, his teammates and coach Kawaguchi are simply friends that help push each other to be better people and fighters.

Of course, Mamoru is perhaps only able to say as much simply because he is already one of the gym's bar-setting standouts, having already held two titles in Shooto. Coming up on 30 fights in a lengthy Shooto-exclusive career, he has proven to be not only one of the most recognizable fighters in Shooto but also yet another diehard Shootor produced and cultivated by the Shooto tradition.

"Shooto has really been my life's work," Mamoru said. "Even though I will eventually retire from being a fighter one day, I definitely want to stay connected to Shooto, even if it's as a teacher. I think that the martial arts have helped me to broaden my horizons, and I want to keep my pride as a Shootor, so I want to stay connected to it."

While the talk of retirement may be surprising to some, it is understandable given that he has spent his entire career in what many inevitably see as only a grass roots promotion in Japan, far away from the bright lights and stadium-sized crowds of the big shows. Regardless, Mamoru is acutely aware that his days in the ring are numbered, and thus he has defined clear goals en route to the end of his MMA tenure.

"I'm 31 now, and I'm not really sure how many years I can keep this up. Obviously, I won't be retiring immediately, but I don't intend to be fighting for 10 more years. When I reach 32, I'll have been doing MMA for about 10 years, so my theme these days has really been, ‘How can I bring this career to a cool, fantastic end?' For me, this is a turning point, so it's very, very important to me to get this belt back," said Mamoru, referring to his championship rematch Friday with "BJ" Kojima.

This turning point could lead him in several different directions. Of course, there will always be the title defense route, seeing Mamoru finish his days in the Shooto ring, where hardcore MMA fans have enjoyed seeing him for the past nine years. There is also the option to go ‘big time.' Not only is the WEC rumored to be opening a 125-pound division in the future, but K-1's popular kickboxing event, Max, will be opening a 132-pound division as well.

In the last K-1 Max event, Mamoru was tabbed as being a prospective talent for the new weight class in K-1's promotional pamphlets. Despite the flattery felt at what Mamoru saw as K-1's misguided attempt to slot him into a weight division he no longer belongs in, he appreciated the free publicity.

However, it would be the WEC that would respect Mamoru's weight and MMA abilities most, should the 125-pound division be next on the horizon for the budding Zuffa promotion.

"If they really open up a 125-pound division, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't interested. I've always wanted to do elbows and I've never fought in a cage before, so it'd be a great experience to have in my career. I also know that the WEC has become popular among the lighter fighters in Japan. As long as I'm able to physically continue fighting, and if I get an offer, I would definitely think about it," said Mamoru, palpably enthused.

"The UFC and WEC are really famous -- like the major leagues of MMA. I'd really like to try elbows -- but maybe not get hit by them because I'll probably get injured by them," he said with a chuckle. "And while I think I do best in the ring, fighting in a cage is something that really interests me."

Be that as it may, however, Mamoru still has unfinished business in the Shooto ring. While the road back to the title has been a difficult one that he has largely proven capable of handling, Mamoru still has to best the man that took the title from him in the first place -- not only to reclaim the belt but to make MMA history as well.