I thought the ref should've let Tanaka go down and gave him a count but I know I'm in the minority there. The stoppage does look good in retrospect considering Tanaka was completely out of it directly after the ref grabbed him, it was just a weird looking stoppage b/c Tanaka gets blasted but is still on his feet about to go down and the ref almost catches him in the air as he's about to drop. I know I am in the minority here like I said but I found the stoppage a bit odd. Whatever tho, not complaining too much, Tanaka was obv done so I guess it was a solid stoppage no matter how weird it looked.
Anyway I won my Ioka bet so I'm happy w/ the outcome. Ioka was a big step up and he showed why in this fight. Really fun fight here, definitely recommend for anyone who didn't see it. I fell asleep before I saw it live but it's worth watching after, no doubt. Tanaka still has a bright future and obv Ioka is in a great position after that performance.
One other thing I'd like to point out is that Daigo Higa is a fucking beast. What a performance by him against a tough guy in Strong Kobayashi. I didn't know a whole lot about him beforehand and I lost a bet on Kobayashi as the dog but wow did Higa impress the hell outta me w/ that fight.
Higa dominated and looked amazing doing it. Great hook to the body and paired that right uppercut with it. That was a thing of beauty. Deadly combo in this fight and a brutal fucking finish. Blasted the shit outta Kob's nose at the end there, man was down for several mins after. Look forward to more Higa after that fight. He's a guy who's made a big fan out of me w/ that style and performance. What a dog!
Congrats to Ioka and Higa. Tanaka and that big ass head of his will be back. Not a performance to be ashamed of by any means. Also, you should never mess with an Asian dude w/ cornrows. /rant