Bantamweight, Rinya Nakamura Vs. Shohei Nose
Tale of the tape
Rinya Nakamura
Saitama, Japan
27-years-old
5’7″
5-0
5-fight win streak
Saitama, Japan
27-years-old
5’7″
5-0
5-fight win streak
Shohei Nose
Fukuoka, Japan
24-years-old
5’6″
9-2-2
5-fight win streak
Fukuoka, Japan
24-years-old
5’6″
9-2-2
5-fight win streak
Pros and Cons
Rinya Nakamura
Pros
- Scrambles well
- Fast starter
- Good back take
- Excellent wrestling
- Physically strong
- Well-timed takedown entries
- Good ground and pound
- Good movement
Cons
- N/A
Shohei Nose
Pros
- Submission threat
- Good leg kicks
- Good wrestling
- Fast starter
- Diverse submission attack
Cons
- Slows as the fight goes
- TDD needs work
- Submission before position
Prediction: Nakamura is one of the most interesting prospects in this tournament. He’s a decorated wrestler with a lot of experience before transitioning to MMA. He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Cadet World Championship, is a 2016 & 2017 Meiji Cup champion, and won the 2017 U23 World Championship. Not to mention, he has a 37-10 freestyle record.
Nose won his first fight in the tournament but just because his opponent injured his knee early in the first. Nose has struggled with takedown defense in the past so it’s a sure thing he’s going to struggle against Nakamura. Nose will be lucky to survive five minutes and that’s how confident I am Nakamura wins.
