Kanehara faced Michael McDonald on January 2, 2016 at UFC 195. After a dominant first round and catching McDonald with an arm triangle in round two, McDonald slipped out and found a choke of his own. Kanehara lost the fight via submission in the second round and was subsequently released from the promotion following the loss. Post-UFC career After the release from the UFC, Kanehara returned to Deep and was expected to face Roman Alvarez in his promotional debut at Deep Cage Impact 2016: DEEP vs. WSOF-GC on December 17, 2016. Alvarez was replaced by Charlie Alaniz, whom Kanehara won via first-round doctor stoppage. Next he faced Jomhod Chuwattana at DEEP Hachioji Chojin Matsuri 2018 on April 1, 2020. Kanehara won the fight via submission in the first round. After the two victories in a row, Kanehara signed with Rizin FF and made his promotional debut against Victor Henry at Rizin 21 – Hamamatsu on February 22, 2020. Kanehara lost the fight via second-round knockout. Kanehara faced Takahiro Ashida at Rizin 31 - Yokohama on October 24, 2021. He won the bout via TKO in the second round. Kanehara was booked to face Kazumasa Majima on April 16, 2022 at Rizin Trigger 3. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Championships and Accomplishments Sengoku Sengoku Featherweight Championship (1 Time, First) 2009 Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix Winner Mixed martial arts record |- |Win |align=center|29–14–5 |Kazumasa Majima |TKO (punches) |Rizin Trigger 3 | |align=center|3 |align=center|3:37 |Chōfu, Japan | |- |Win |align=center| 28–14–5 |Takahiro Ashida |TKO (punches and elbows) |Rizin 31 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:18 |Yokohama, Japan | |- |Loss |align=center| 27–14–5 |Victor Henry |TKO (punches) |Rizin 21 | |align=center|2 |align=center|0:45 |Hamamatsu, Japan | |- |Win |align=center| 27–13–5 |Jomhod Chuwattana |Submission (arm-triangle choke) |Deep Hachioji Chojin Matsuri 2018 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:55 |Tokyo, Japan | |- |Win |align=center| 26–13–5 |Charlie Alaniz |TKO (doctor stoppage) |Deep Cage Impact 2016: Deep vs. WSOF-GC | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:30 |Tokyo, Japan | |- |Loss |align=center| 25–13–5 |Michael McDonald |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC 195 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:09 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Loss | align=center| 25–12–5 | Rani Yahya | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |- | Win | align=center| 25–11–5 | Alex Caceres | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson | | align=center| 3