Written by Former WEC title challenger Hiromitsu Miura has died. He was 43.
In a statement shared on social media, Miura’s family announced Tuesday that he “passed away suddenly” on Oct. 26 after battling acute leukemia since mid-September.
Miura doubled as both a professional mixed martial artist and boxer, competing mostly in his native Japan.
American fans may remember Miura (13-8) from his five appearances in WEC during the late 2000s. That included a fourth-round TKO loss to then-welterweight champion Carlos Condit on Aug. 3, 2008 at WEC 35. Widely considered one of the best fights in WEC history, Miura gave Condit a run for his money in an all-action affair before he was eventually stopped with punches.
#OTD in 2008
Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura – WEC 35 pic.twitter.com/RsE8psHYqc
— Neo Vale Tudo (@NeoValeTudo) August 3, 2022
After the loss to Condit, Miura made one more WEC appearance before putting his MMA career on hold to pursue boxing, where he posted a 9-1 record. Miura returned to MMA in November 2015 and one year later captured the Pancrase welterweight championship by winning a unanimous decision against Akihiro Murayama.