SINGAPORE – Bantamweight UFC hopeful Rinya Nakamura turned some heads with his impressive performance in the opening round of Road to UFC, but hopes the next round and beyond will continue to elevate interest in his home country. At Episode 3 of “Road to UFC” on Friday, Nakamura (5-0) tapped Gugun Gusman in the first round with a deep keylock that looked extremely painful and could have potentially caused damage. “He might have sprained his shoulder, but I didn’t hear a sound,” Nakamura said in English during the post-fight news conference. The win keeps Nakamura’s record unblemished and sets up a semifinal matchup against fellow countryman Kazama Toshiomi in a bout that he hopes will get the Japanese fanbase energized. “I’m excited this is going to be a Japanese vs. Japanese fighter,” Nakamura told reporters through an interpreter during the post-fight news conference
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Road to UFC’s Rinya Nakamura aims to ‘revitalize Japanese MMA community’ – MMA Junkie