Japanese wrestler Rinya Nakamura looked to bounce back from his first career loss when he faced off against England’s Nathan Fletcher in the featured preliminary card fight at UFC Vegas 108.
Nakamura had dropped a decision to Muin Gafurov at UFC 311 back in January, after starting his career a perfect 9-0. As for Fletcher, a similar 9-2 record to start his career saw him coming into the bantamweight fight off a loss to Caolan Loughran.
This one was over in a heartbeat. After some feeling out and a few kicks, Rinya Nakamura fired a kick to the liver. The toes dug in, and Fletcher had a delayed response, dropped his hands, stepping back, then crumpling in a heap. Nakamura moved in for the kill, and the ref was all over things, quickly waving it off. A nasty liver kick TKO for the Japanese star, who returns to the win column in style with the victory.
Nathan Fletcher now sits at 1-2 in the UFC following UFC Vegas 108, and with back-to-back losses, his next fight will be a must-win affair. Namamura, meanwhile, looks to be back on track, and barely broke a sweat in the fight, which could mean a quick turnaround.
In his post-fight interview, Nakamura expressed a desire to return by the end of the year.
Official Result: Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher by TKO (liver kick), Round 1, 1:02
