Japan’s Rinya Nakamura put his undefeated 8-0 record on the line against newcomer Carlos Vera in a bantamweight contest as part of the UFC 298 televised prelims on Saturday.
Nakamura, a standout wrestler, was a Road to UFC winner; Vera had made a stop on The Ultimate Fighter 31.
Nakamura started the fight with a few kicks and then drove into a takedown. He got it but Vera used a heel hook to scramble. It looked tight at one point but Nakamura got out and went back to standing across from Vera, landing punches. Vera again went for a leg lock but Nakamura was wise to it. Vera did a good job of staying active but was still taking damage from the punches of Nakamura. Vera was using leg locks to survive but failed to use it to get to his feet. Nakamura at times almost had dominant positions but Vera was very active rolling into better positions. Vera still spent the majority of the round on his back.
In round two it was thirty seconds in and Nakamura got another takedown. It was with little resistance from Vera basically accepting going to his back. In side control, Vera rolled to his back and was able to get the guard back. Nakamura wasn’t ideally landing ground and pound we’d expect but was heavy on top. He almost locked in the RNC in a scramble but Vera survived. Vera back to the knees but Nakamura was all over the back controlling the fight. When Vera almost got back up he got mat returned by Nakamura. Again, Vera ends the round after being dominated on the mat.
In the final round, it was very clear Vera needed a finish. Vera was aggressive early with a lot of kicks. He threw a wheel kick but slipped to the mat and let Nakamura on top. Vera would get to his feet but would roll guard. Odd choice considering on the mat he’s had no answer. Credit to Nakamura for seeing everything Vera was doing and just floating on top. Vera kept attacking the leglocks but Nakamura was getting away with no issue. Yet again Nakamura ended the round on top in a dominate showing.
After the fight, Nakamura revealed he’d injured his hand; regardless, he won all three rounds on every scorecard.
Official Result: Rinya Nakamura def. Carlos Vera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
