Rinya Nakamura

Overview

Two of his four UFC wins ended inside the first round, and the other two went the full fifteen minutes. Rinya Nakamura fights at bantamweight and sits at 4-2 in the UFC, 10-2-0 across all promotions.

The stats say he is hard to hit and hard to take down. But the record says his losses came from a submission and a decision, not from getting knocked out.

The "Hybred" nickname fits a career that has gone both ways: quick stoppages and 15-minute grinds.

UFC Career

Nakamura's road ran through Road to UFC, which isn't a UFC event, so those fights aren't part of his UFC record. He beat Gugun Gusman by submission in round 1 (3:24) at Road to UFC 1.3, then stopped Shohei Nose by TKO in round 1 (2:21) at Road to UFC 1.6.

His first UFC fight came in February 2023, a first-round TKO of Toshiomi Kazama in 33 seconds. Then came back-to-back unanimous decisions over Fernie Garcia and Carlos Vera, his longest win streak at three.

That run ended against Muin Gafurov at UFC 311, a unanimous decision loss. He bounced back with a TKO of Nathan Fletcher in 1:02 of round 1. His most recent fight went the other way: Brady Hiestand submitted him in round 2 at 4:07.

He carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.

Fighting Style

Nakamura is a hard man to hit. He takes far less damage on the feet than most fighters in the UFC, and his accuracy and defense are both strong. His output is about what you'd expect from a typical UFC striker, so he wins by landing clean and not getting hit back, not by piling up volume.

He is also a real threat on the ground. He gets takedowns often, stops them well, and hunts for submissions more than most. Don't file him as a pure striker.

When he stops people, it happens early. Both of his UFC knockouts came in the first round. His Road to UFC debut ended in a submission.

Notable Wins

• Toshiomi Kazama — KO/TKO, round 1 (0:33), UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac (2023)
• Nathan Fletcher — KO/TKO, round 1 (1:02), UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park (2025)
• Carlos Vera — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC 298 (2024)

Quick Facts

• Division: Bantamweight
• UFC record: 4-2
• Professional record (all promotions): 10-2-0
• UFC debut: 2022
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 5'7" / 68.5"
• Team: American Top Team
• Born: Saitama, Japan