GENERAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Aya Yamaguchi-Snyder

Ethnicity: Asian

Nationality: Japanese

Occupations: Professional Wrestler, Actress, Musician, Mixed Martial Artist
Sexuality: Bisexual

Relationship Status: Single

Family: 

Chad Snyder (Grandfather)

Alan Snyder (Father)
Antonio Snyder (Uncle)
Elena Snyder (Aunt)
Ashley Snyder (Sister)
Aaron Snyder (Brother)
Sophia Snyder (Sister)

Alan Snyder Junior (Brother)
Amelia Snyder (Cousin)
Azami Chandler-Snyder (Niece)
Akira Chandler-Snyder (Niece)
Astrid Chandler-Snyder (Niece)
Amaya Snyder (Niece)
Aaron Snyder Junior (Nephew)
Aaliyah Snyder (Niece)

 

Aya Yamaguchi-Snyder was born in Tokyo, Japan to Emiyo and Kazuhiko. Unbeknowst to his wife or his daughter, Kazuhiko was a prominent and high-ranking member of a Japanese Yakuza clan, where he initially met Alan Snyder. Kazu and Alan would go on to become great friends, and when Alan parted ways with the Yakuza, Kazu assisted him in getting to safety. Unfortunately a few years down the line (when Aya was just 8 and beginning her career as an actress/idol), Kazu was killed when the Yakuza found out of his treacheous activities. Alan promptly returned to Japan for Kazu's funeral and stayed a few days while doing his own investigation into his good friend's murder.. In those few days, Aya's mother commited suicide as the pain was too much for her to handle. This left Aya as an orphan at which point Alan adopted her and brought her back to the states to raise her. Fitting into a new family was tough for Aya at first, but she grew to love the Snyder's very quickly as hard as it was losing both of her parents, her new family helped her get through it. 

 

MARTIAL ARTS INFORMATION

Height: 5'3

Weight Class(es): Flyweight

Reach: 63"

Record: 15-0 (MMA), 25-0 (Kickboxing), 23-2 (Shootboxing)

Knockouts: 7

Submissions: 6

Styles: Kickboxing, Shootboxing, Wrestling

Ranks: Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Antonio Snyder

Team: Snyder Combat Arts Dojo
Promotional History: Combat Queens (2026 - Present), UFC (2023 - 2026), RIZIN (2018 - 2022)
Fight History:

Win 15-0 vs. Alexa Grasso || Submission (rear-naked choke) || Combat Queens 1 || 25 Jan. 2026 || R3 || 4:17
Win 14-0 vs. Ariane Lipski || Decision (unanimous) || UFC 47 || 31 May. 2025 || 3 || 5:00
Win 13-0 vs. Taila Santos KO (wheel kick) || UFC 41 || 24 Nov. 2024 || 3 || 2:17
Win 12-0 vs. Taila Santos || Decision (unanimous) || UFC on ABC 6 || 10 Sep. 2023 || 3 || 5:00
Win 11-0 vs. Poliana Botelho || KO (left hand) || UFC 25 || 26 Mar. 2023 || 2 || 4:00

Win 10-0 vs. Asuka Kuroki || KO (head kick) || RIZIN 38 || 25 Sep. 2022 || R1 || 1:45

Win 9-0 vs. Miyu Takahashi || Submission (armbar) || RIZIN 33 || 31 Dec. 2021 || R2 || 3:12

Win 8-0 vs. Rin Katsura || Submission (rear-naked choke) || RIZIN 28 || 13 Jun. 2021 || 1 || 1:51

Win 7-0 vs. Hana Ichika || TKO (punches) || RIZIN 26 || 31 Dec. 2020 || R2 || 2:38

Win 6-0 vs. Naomi Sato || Submission (triangle choke) || RIZIN 22 || 10 Aug. 2020 || R1 || 4:05

Win 5-0 vs. Mei Yoshida || Submission (brabo choke) || RIZIN 20 || 31 Dec. 2019 || 1 || 4:56

Win 4-0 vs. Sayuri Kazama || KO (spinning back fist) || RIZIN 18 || 18 Aug. 2019 || R1 || 0:58

Win 3-0 vs. Haruka Tanaka || Submission (rear-naked choke) || RIZIN 15 || 21 Apr. 2019 || R2 || 3:50

Win 2-0 vs. Yuka Mizushima || TKO (doctor stoppage) || RIZIN 14 || 31 Dec. 2018 || R3 || 1:12

Win 1-0 vs. Tomoko Saito || TKO (leg kicks) || RIZIN 11 || 29 Jul. 2018 || 3 || 2:37

 

 

WRESTLING INFORMATION

Ring Name: AYA

Billed From: Tokyo, Japan

Billed Height: 5'3

Billed Weight: 125 lbs

Promotional History: TKOWWE (2019 - Present), STARDOM (2020 - 2022)
Entrance Theme: Azumi Takahashi - "IT'S GOING DOWN NOW"

Moveset:
Chickenwing Facelock
Kesagiri Chop Rush
Torture Romero Special
Back Suplex Cutter
Crucifix Cutter
Triangle Scorpion
Sheer-Drop Reverse DDT
Wheelbarrow Driver
Facebreaker DDT
Inverted Full Nelson Slam
Peruvian necktie
Double Lotation Moonsault (Signature) 
Mach Punch Rush (Signature)
Blazing Tornado Brainbuster (Signature)
Skull End Choke (Signature)
Scissors Texas Clover Clutch (Finisher) (Kuroba no Shokei/Clover Execution)

 

MUSIC CAREER

Genres: Pop, Rock, Dance-pop, R&B, Electronica, Jazz, Hip Hop
Instruments: Vocals, Guitar
Years Active: 2008-Present
Labels: Independent
Associated Acts/Groups: AKB48 (2008-2012)

Discograpohy:
New Venture (Released Dec. 2012) (3.9 million copies sold in JPN)
Brave Story (Released June 2015) (5 million copies sold in JPN)
Light of Hope (Released May 2017) (4.5 million copies sold in JPN)
Almost Paradise (Released December 2019) (9.9 million copies sold in JPN)

Shooting Star (Released June 2021) (19.8 million copies sold in JPN)
AYA (Compilation album, released January 2018 exclusively in South Korea)
Signs of Summer (EP, released December 2017 exclusively in South Korea)

Tours:
Heart of Aya tour (2016)
Tokyo Takeover tour (2017)
Shooting Star tour (2021)

Filmography:
Special Agent Yamaya (2011)
I'll Give It My All... Tomorrow (2013)
Barairo no Būko (2014)
River’s Edge (2018)
Bleach (2018)
Gintama 2 (2018)
Mirai (2018)
Resident Evil (2026)

 

AKB48 (2008-2012)

AKB48 (pronounced A.K.B. Forty-Eight) are a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (Akiba for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. The group included 134 members as of December 2018, aged from their early teens to their mid-20s.

 
In 2008, Aya was the group’s youngest member ever. Aya auditioned for AKB48's 3rd generation and was placed in the newly formed Team B. Her official nickname, Yamaya, was coined by then fellow member Rumi Yonezawa. Her first appearance on an AKB48 single title track was on "Romance, Irane". She performed in all of the singles except when the lineups were determined by rock-paper-scissors tournaments, and she has appeared on all the A-sides for the group's singles since then.

 
There was initially some controversy pertaining to Aya being in the group at such a young age, but she proved to be well-matured for her age. With guidance from her manager and father, Alan Snyder, Aya squashed all doubt by carrying herself well in public. It wasn’t too long before she became a darling to the Japanese media, although she only gave limited interviews and public appearances without the rest of the group.

 
The Senbatsu Election (選抜総選挙) (also known as Senbatsu Sousenkyo) is an annual event where fans can vote for their favorite AKB48, SKE48, NMB48 or HKT48 members. After the votes are submitted, the 80 members who received the most votes are announced on the day of the election. These top members who have the most votes are grouped by the ranking that they attained. The groups called Senbatsu (#1 to #16), Undergirls (#17 to #32), Next Girls (#33 to 48), Future Girls (#49 to #64) and Upcoming Girls (#65 to #80). Each of these five groups releases a song and music video in the following single.

 
In 2009, Aya placed fourth overall in the group's first general election to determine the line-up for the group's 13th single. This was followed by the release of her first single, “Blessing Ghost”. The single was a hit, reaching #1 on the charts, making her the first member of the group to do so. This was the start of Aya’s foray into the mainstream, and the starting point of the country’s love with the young and promising idol.

 
Aya’s quickly gained success led to some friction within the group, as the rest of the group felt the leaders and general managers were “favoring” Aya over the rest of them. they believed that, due to her age and inexperience, thrusting her into the spotlight would fall back on all of them. However, one general manager, 18 year old Himari Sakura, stood by Aya and even took the young prospect under her wing. Himari worked to ease tensions within the group.

 
In 2010, Aya placed first overall in the group’s second general election. Aya recalls this time as one of the worst in her career, as she lost many friends within the group who were secretly envious of how quickly she rose through the ranks. this was the first time Alan suggested she part ways with the group, but Aya kept her strong face on and forged ahead. she truly believed they would come around, despite all their differences.

 
Aya released her second single, “Last Mind”, in May 2010. it was another success for the young star, debuting at #15 on the charts and finishing at #2. Alan and Himari threw her a huge party to celebrate the occasion when the song reached the top 3. many members of the group outright refused to show up, but the Future Girls and Upcoming Girls pulled through to support Aya.

 
She appeared on the cover of the December 2010 issue of UP to boy magazine together with Airi Suzuki from Cute. That was the first gravure collaboration between Hello! Project and AKB48.

 
in 2011, Aya landed her first acting role in an N4TV drama, landing the lead role as a schoolgirl with a secret superhero identity. the show was a ratings hit and Aya’s reach within the country grew. she also sang the show’s theme song, which debuted at #11 on the charts and was a defining factor of the show. Aya’s face was basically plastered all over the country. she was on cereal boxes, lunch boxes, watches, curtains, stickers, you name it. to cap off the crazy year, Aya placed 1st overall in the group’s 2011 general election once again.

 
Aya participated as a voice actress in the anime series AKB0048 in 2012. In the anime, she plays a main character Chieri Sono, and is part of the AKB48 subgroup NO NAME, which sings the opening and ending themes for the series. The series features a supporting character, Aya Yamaguchi Mark 3, which is modeled after her likeness, and is voiced by Yukari Tamura.

 
The controversy surrounding Aya’s exit from AKB48 is still one of much debate and question. but in June 2012, she announced through her personal blog that she would be leaving the group, effectively immediately. reasons cited were her own mental health and personal safety, outright saying that she couldn’t trust her peers. to this day, Aya maintains that it wasn’t a single event that caused her to step away but an amalgamation of a toxic environment that built up over the years.

 
New Venture and beginning of solo career (2012-2013)

Aya went radio silent between the months of June and November 2012 after leaving the group. in these months, Alan continuously teased that his daughter was cooking up something that was going to take Japan by storm. Alan said that leaving AKB48 will prove to be the best thing that ever happened to Aya. “In the end, the good guys prosper.” Alan was quoted as saying in an interview.

 
in December 2012, Aya released her debut album, “New Venture”. the album was a roaring success, debuting at #1 on Billboard Japan 100, becoming Certified Million in just 6 days with 1.2 million copies sold in that time span, even outdoing AKB48’s own albums. and just like that, Aya was back in the spotlight, continuing her status as a sensation even without a group.

 
In 2013, while working on her own music, Aya began to take an interest in producing music as well. She became a ghost producer on many high profile hits, and even contemplated launching her own record label. however, Alan advised she not take on too many task at once, and she agreed with her father.

 
New Venture went on to sell over 3 million copies, becoming one of the best selling albums in the country’s history. to celebrate this occasion, Aya performed her first live show, at the Tokyo Dome. the show was jam packed and sold out, with Aya performing the most popular hits of her album. at the time, the pre-teen Aya recalled this as the best night of her life. she also performed a duet with Himari, re-uniting the two for the first time since Aya left AKB48.

 
Second album and first tour (2014-2016)

As 2014 rolled around, Aya made clear her intentions to do a tour, but she wanted “more experience” before doing so.

It was also around this time that Aya’s first biography, written by her longtime friend Takashi, was published. The biography, titled “YAYA” (after the nickname her sister, Ashley Snyder, gave her) sold 100,000 copies in it’s first week of release and got several reprints.

 
In late 2014, Aya released her first photobook, titled “Snowflakes” with a winter theme. she used the photobook as a way to tell audiences more about herself, including a walk-through of her everyday life and hobbies.

 
Aya released her second studio album, “Brave Story”, in 2015. as expected, it was a #1 hit, exceeding sales of her first album in a faster time frame. This album featured colloborations with other artist such as DJ Deckstream, Namie Amuro, and YUI. the release of this album took the country for the ride, as Alan threw an entire parade to mark the celebration of the album’s success, hundreds of thousands attended to watch Aya perform live at the parade.

 
as 2015 came to a close, Aya formally announced that she would taking a tour around Asia, her first tour ever, for the majority of 2016. the tour proved to be a great move for Aya as she expanded her fanbase and reach throughout the continent. while she broke the attendance record for the Cần Thơ Stadium in Vietnam, her most popular shows during the tour were, by far and large, in South Korea. she gained a tremendous following in the country, nearly universally loved by the people of Land of the Morning Calm. she became a star in the country seemingly overnight, landing tons of merchandising deals on the way.

 
Third album and domestic tour (2017)

Aya returned to Japan in 2017. even the event of her return was a national celebration, as the streets of Tokyo shut down to throw her a homecoming parade. Aya describes the event as being “overwhelming” but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless, and even performed for the streets (and buildings) of people in attendance.

 
by May 2017, Aya had released her third album. titled “Light of Hope”, the song was notable for including several of Aya’s first gospel tracks, her first big foray into a genre that wasn’t pop or rock. the album performed well, though did lower numbers than “Brave Story”.

 
In June 2017, Aya took part in “One Love Manchester” benefit concert. this was Aya’s first time performing in the United Kingdom and Europe in general.

Shortly after this, Aya announced her intentions to do a domestic tour of Japan, her first in the country and her second tour overall. During this tour, Aya finally broke the Tokyo Dome attendance record when over 70,000 people attended her show there. the tour extended into many media appearances, as well as an iconic appearance on the Japanese variety show バナナスクール (Banana School) where she devoured 60 chili dogs in 10 minutes. during the tour, Japanese music television program Music Station dedicated an hour special to her that concluded with her performing two duets; one with her brother Aaron and another with her father, Alan. the special put up record viewer numbers.

 
After the tour, rumors circulated that Aya would be joining the Morning Musume idol group. Aya had already covered many of their songs and even performed some on her tour which only fueled the rumors. however during an interview, Aya shot down the rumors, stating that due to her past experience she had no intention of joining up with another group. She explained that while she was a big fan of their work, her future was as a solo artist and not apart of a larger act.

 
Hiatus, Almost Paradise, and US Tour (2018-2020)
in mid-2018, many were wondering where Aya’s next album or single would be released, as she hadn’t dropped any music for awhile, and Aya had basically went silent on social media. Aya did, however, make appearances in several Japanese films in 2018 and on variety shows across the country. In July 2018, when she was pressed about the issue in an interview, Aya formally announced she was taking a break from music to go into other ventures, in particular, martial arts. In September of that year it was revealed that Aya had signed an 11-fight deal with the Rizin Fighting Federation, a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. this venture opened Aya up to a completely different audience, though fans of her music stuck with her as they eagerly awaited her next release.

 
Aya found success in mixed martial arts, accumulating 10 wins out of 10 fights. In November 2019, after almost 2 years of radio silence since her last album, Aya announced that she was returning to music and would be releasing an album, titled “Almost Paradise” on Christmas Eve 2019. She also announced her first ever US Tour. “Almost Paradise” was pre-ordered over 1 million times in under 20 hours, reaching 3 million pre-orders in 48 hours as the news spread throughout Tokyo.

 

The Stratospheric Rise: Shooting Star and Global Dominance (2021-2022)
Following the monumental success of her first US Tour and the massive numbers pulled by Almost Paradise, Aya immediately shifted gears into creating what critics would call her magnum opus. Recording for her fifth studio album began quietly in late 2020, with Aya spending weeks in top-tier studios across Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Seoul. 

 

In June 2021, Aya dropped Shooting Star. The album wasn’t just a hit; it was a cultural phenomenon that shook the global music industry. Blending hard-hitting electronic beats, Tokyo-infused dance-pop, and vulnerable R&B undertones, the album perfectly captured her evolution from a pop idol into a mature superstar. The title track "Shooting Star" featured a heavily praised synth-rock guitar solo performed by Aya herself.

 

Shooting Star shattered every major record in Japan, selling an astronomical 19.8 million copies domestically. It became the best-selling album in Japanese history by a landslide, drawing massive cross-over appeal from both her loyal music fanbase and her newly acquired combat sports following. Music journalists lauded the record's dual nature, noting that track lists effortlessly shifted from high-energy dance anthems to deeply personal, introspective ballads that subtly touched on her childhood trauma and her continuous struggle with trusting others.

 

To support the album, Alan Snyder orchestrated the most ambitious high-tech live music production Asia had ever seen: the Shooting Star Tour. Kicking off in August 2021, the tour was designed to match Aya's high-octane energy, featuring massive cyberpunk-themed stages, intricate laser arrays, and a live backing rock band. While the tour sold out stadiums across Japan, the reception in South Korea reached an absolute fever pitch. Building on the massive foundation laid by her 2017 South Korean exclusive EP Signs of Summer, the Seoul leg of the tour at the Olympic Main Stadium sold out three consecutive nights in under five minutes. K-media dubbed her the "Eternal Idol of the East," and merch lines stretched for miles. What made the 2021 tour legendary was Aya's terrifying work ethic. Balancing a grueling touring schedule with her combat duties, Aya was spotted training in local MMA gyms in every city she visited. In fact, right in the middle of the tour's hype cycle, she was actively preparing for her highly anticipated New Year's Eve clash at RIZIN 33 against Miyu Takahashi. 

 

The tour concluded in November 2021 with an emotional three-night residency at the Tokyo Dome. For the final encore, her sister Ashley, brother Aaron, and father Alan joined her on stage under a literal shower of falling sparks. By the time the tour wrapped and 2022 rolled around, Shooting Star had elevated Aya Yamaguchi-Snyder from a top-tier celebrity to a living myth. She used this peak musical momentum to transition gracefully into her final legendary RIZIN bout against Asuka Kuroki later that year, before taking her talents to the global stage of UFC.