Rinya Nakamura looked incredible

[Overeem]

Nice to see a Japanese fighter with solid wrestling in the UFC. He has power in his hands but still needs to work on putting everything together. He looked great and composed in his fight against Fernie, it was an easy win for him which is impressive at this level. I was afraid he was going to fall in love with his hands too much based on his Road to UFC performances and possibly get caught early, but he fought smart.

 

[Private Whatley]

Handpicked opponent or not, this dude is going to be a serious problem. He’s arguably the highest level wrestler in the company - he’s more decorated at the world level than Bo and Cejudo is 15 years removed from medaling - and his hands already look damn sharp. I’m sure his subs will come along and the fact that he didn’t need a translator post-fight suggests that he’s spending an awful lot of time training in the states getting acclimated. The UFC probably has big plans for him as a Japanese commodity so I don’t expect him to be taking on the top dogs for a while, but I honestly think he’ll be ready to contend within a year and a half.

 

[AMAZINGUFC]

Disappointed.

He doesn't know how to do a miserable GNP

 

[Mesos]

Handpicked opponent or not, this dude is going to be a serious problem. He’s arguably the highest level wrestler in the company - he’s more decorated at the world level than Bo and Cejudo is 15 years removed from medaling - and his hands already look damn sharp. I’m sure his subs will come along and the fact that he didn’t need a translator post-fight suggests that he’s spending an awful lot of time training in the states getting acclimated. The UFC probably has big plans for him as a Japanese commodity so I don’t expect him to be taking on the top dogs for a while, but I honestly think he’ll be ready to contend within a year and a half.

Rinya will get the Dana white privilege. They are going to build him up like they did Omalley. The Goof has been wanting a Japanese star for a long time to bring back those Pride type crowds.

In general it seems that UFC has been investing more in building up 135 and 145 divisions. Those divisions are getting really stacked with talent. Will get even more interesting once Mexican talent comes in to lighter divisions. Alot of good fighting talent is gonna arrive from UFC Mexican P.I

 

[Private Whatley]

Nice to see a Japanese fighter with solid wrestling in the UFC. He has power in his hands but still needs to work on putting everything together. He looked great and composed in his fight against Fernie, it was an easy win for him which is impressive at this level. I was afraid he was going to fall in love with his hands too much based on his Road to UFC performances and possibly get caught early, but he fought smart.

Not unlike Bo, he was probably aiming to gain striking experience on the developmental scene so that he’d be more well-rounded on the big stage. Every opponent will come in prepared to defend against his wrestling which will present openings for his hands, and vice versa. Beyond the takedowns, his ride and positional control looked world class. I truly believe that he’s going to be hell on wheels sooner rather than later.

 

[Noraaq]

Wouldn’t call that performance incredible, especially when if we consider that he was a massive -900 favorite.

 

[achoo42]

Wouldn’t call that performance incredible, especially when if we consider that he was a massive -900 favorite.

Did Fernie Garcia seem like he had any chance at all on the ground? Did he defend any takedowns? If not, then I think that Nakamura winning 9/10 times seems reasonable.

 

[NoSmilez]

He can be a solid prospect but he looks to be a little small for the weight class. He is a Killer Bee product. I see Takaya in his corner too.

 

[jk7707]

He looks good. Time for a big step up in competition. He's young-ish but 28 at BW is not as big of a window as other divisions.

 

[ChimRichalds]

Can't be disappointed when I didn't even know who he was. Seemed like he couldn't finish a striker brought in for him to finish.

You should do some research on him, and I'm not saying that in a sarcastic, dickish way. Dude is a hell of a prospect, he could be making waves in the very near future.

 

[welcometohavoc]

If any of you are disappointed that he didn't get a Bo Nickal quick finish, remember that it's bantamweight where everyone is a killer and not middleweight where half the division only exists to make someone else look good.

Shades of GSP vs Dan Hardy

He was a -900 favorite and looked pretty pedestrian against Garcia. He's very athletic and powerful but he still needs alot of polish before we start comparing him to guys like GSP

 

[Pequeño Corey]

Kicked a hole in that dude's liver