The UFC’s return to the famed Saitama Super Arena in Japan was a successful one, with come-from-behind wins, stunning knockouts and a heavyweight meat grinder in the main event. Let’s take a closer look at what went down in the land of the rising sun.
BARNETT TRIUMPHANT IN RETURN
“The Warmaster” made good on his status as more than 2-to-1 favorite, battering the portly Roy Nelson over the course of five rounds. Barnett did most of his work in the clinch, where his dirty boxing and knees to the belly damaged, but never finished Nelson. With the convincing win, the 38-year old retains his status as a dangerous contender.
For Nelson, the defeat marks his fifth loss in six fights and signifies the end of his run as a top heavyweight. While his granite chin and one-punch knockout power remain intact, he simply can’t take many more beatings like the ones he’s suffered in his past three fights.
SHOWTIME FOR HALL
Top-10 middleweight Gegard Mousasi looked well on his way to victory against Uriah Hall after a first round that saw “The Dreamcatcher” dominate Hall on the ground. However, Hall opened the second round with a sensational spinning back kick to the face of Mousasi, putting the dark horse contender on shaky legs. After a flying knee and followup punches, the Hall’s work was finished.
With Hall closing at +305 going into the bout, the New York native earned a nice payout for the gamblers who believed in his talent. It’ll be interesting to see who the promotion pairs him against next.
HORIGUCHI BACK ON TRACK
Flyweight contender Kyoji Horiguchi rebounded nicely from his first career loss with a one-sided unanimous decision over the game Chico Camus. At 24 years old, Horiguchi remains one of the brighter flyweight prospects in the world. But considering his dismantling at the hands of champion Demetrious Johnson, he’ll have to show marked improvement in his next few fights to be considered a threat to the champ.
MIZUGAKI STOPS SKID
WEC veteran Takeya Mizugaki halted his two-fight losing streak with a unanimous verdict over George Roop in a 135-pound clash. Roop -15-12-1, 5-8 UFC - has now lost three of his past four, putting his spot on the UFC roster in jeopardy.
BRANDAO BASHED KIKUNO
TUF Season 14 winner Diego Brandao put Katsunori Kikuno down for the count in less than a minute with a huge overhand right, finishing the fight with a flurry of followup strikes. The Brazilian has won five of his last seven and should draw a top-15 opponent in his next outing.
QUICK HITS
Former Deep champion Mizuto Hirota and Shooto veteran Teruto Ishihara battled to a split draw in a back-and-forth battle...welterweight Keita Nakamura earned a post-fight bonus by pulling off a third round rear-naked choke of Jingiang LI in the third round of a fight he was handily losing...Nick Hein spoiled Yusuke Kasuya’s UFC debut with a unanimous decision victory. Tristar Gym’s Kajan Johnson swept the scorecards 30-27 in an easy win over Pride Fighting Championships alum Naoyuki Kotani.
HOW TO BET
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