The Road to UFC 4 featherweight final saw Sebastian Szalay take on Keiichiro Nakamura as part of UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia.
Japan’s Nakamura had not lost a fight since his pro debut, while Szalay, an Australian, was on a similar run. His lone loss as a pro had come in his second professional fight.
Nakamura worked from the outside early in round one, flashing a front kick that fell short of Szalay. For his part, Szalay would crash forward, looking to close the distance more than once, and nearly trapped the Japanese fighter along the fence. Nakamura escaped, if just barely. He didn’t escape when Szalay fired a spinning back fist, though Nakamura was able to block the kick.
Still, Nakamura was taking damage. He absorbed a body shot, was clipped on his chin, and dropped to a knee, though that was more being off-balance, and not a knockdown. Still, Szalay seemed to have edge in power, and was landing the most effective strikes.
That continued early in round two. Nakamura appeared to be fighting a bit wild. He was often off-balance. He was moving, but not able to land much, and two minutes, in, was on the losing end of a nasty, accidental clash of heads. Luckily, he was able to continue, and close out the round. It was Szalay, however, connecting more than once with his left hand in round two, even landing something of a bodyslam-like takedown.
Round three saw Nakamura come out holding center, pressing forward, and keeping Szalay on the outside for a change. Szalay, however, was able to dig to the body. His movement was too good for Nakamura, who did try to turn up the heat in round three. He was looking for a home for his knee, perhaps knowing he needed a finish.
Moments later, he got one. Another knee, which might have started like as an attempted kick, connected flush on the chin of Szalay. He went down, Nakamura pounced on top with a few punches, and that was it! A massive come-from-behind victory for Keiichiro Nakamura, to claim the Road to UFC 4 tournament title!
Official Result: Keiichiro Nakamura def. Sebastian Szalay by TKO, Round 3, 3:48
