Prelim Preview: Rinya Nakamura vs. Toshiomi Kazama | UFC Vegas 68
The UFC returns this weekend after a week off. The main event is a heavyweight slug fest between Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac. But during the week, I want to give shine to some of the up and coming fighters on the undercard of UFC Vegas 68. So we will be diving into that on Prelim Preview! Today, we look at one of the finals for the Road to UFC tournament. Today we look at Rinya Nakamura versus Toshiomi Kazama.
Rinya Nakamura: 6-0 Record, 4 KO/TKO’s, 1 Submission
Rinya Nakamura might be the most experienced athlete coming from the Road to UFC tournament. While his record is only 6-0 with 4 knockouts and a submission, it’s Nakamura’s wrestling experience that’s the true cornerstone of his game. Nakamura is a U23 Wrestling World Champion which he won in 2017. He intended to make a run at the Olympics in 2020 but decided to pursue MMA after the Games were postponed.
In his Road to UFC run, Rinya Nakamura won his first fight against Gugun Gusman via keylock in the first round and Shohe Nose via TKO in round one as well. He’s fought in Shooto for his second and third fight also.
Toshiomi Kazama: 10-2 Record, 3 KO/TKO’s, 5 Submissions
While Rinya Nakamura may be the heavy favorite, the actual mixed martial arts experience lies with Toshiomi Kazama. At 10-2, some of Kazama’s finishes have been varied and often spectacular. His most spectacular finish was when he knocked out Kohei Maeda with a punch from the twister position in 2021.
A long time veteran of the Japanese MMA scene, Kazama has fought for Pancrase, Shotoo, and now the Road to UFC tournament. He won the first fight against Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti via decision and was automatically advanced when his next opponent, Min Woo Kim, missed weight for their bout. Toshiomi Kazama will hope to play spoiler and win his bout against Nakamura and earn his contract at UFC Vegas 68.
