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UFC Singapore Winner Calls To Face Former Champion Cody Garbrandt Next

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 8/28/23

Among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend's UFC Fight Night event was bantamweight prospect Rinya Nakamura.

The 28-year-old broke onto the scene via the first season of the Road to UFC. After a pair of first-round knockouts to advance to the finals, "Hybrid" continued his brutal run of form to tournament success at UFC Vegas 68 this past February.

In his sophomore Octagon outing on Saturday night in Singapore, the Japanese standout showed new elements of his arsenal, combining vicious power with the elite wrestling game that almost saw him join his nation's Olympic team.

With that, Nakamura cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Fernie Garcia, extending his perfect professional record in mixed martial arts to 8-0.

And having established himself as one of the leading up-and-coming names at 135 pounds, the Saitama native is targeting a step-up in competition.

Nakamura Delivers Friendly Callout To Garbrandt

During a post-fight backstage interview with Andrew Whitelaw at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, Nakamura was asked whether he has an opponent he'd like to face for the next step of his career.

Although he noted his intent to gage fan preference, the Japanese knockout artist did have former champion Cody Garbrandt on his mind.

"Next opponent? I want to ask many fans who's gonna fight with me. Maybe, Cody Garbrandt? He would be a nice matchup... I'm kind of scared about him (laughs)," Nakamura said when asked if he had a message for Garbrandt. "So, let's make a nice fight."

While Nakamura is in the early stages of his UFC tenure and is pushing toward a first-time rise to contention, Garbrandt is looking to find his way back to the upper echelon of the bantamweight division.

After a difficult run following his title triumph in 2016, "No Love" began his journey back by outpointing Trevin Jones this past March at UFC 285. He was scheduled to next face Mario Bautista last week in Boston, but an injury forced a late withdrawal.

When fully recovered, perhaps the UFC will look to put Garbrandt against another rising prospect in Nakamura.

Still. Undefeated. @Rinkuru0323 with an impressive performance from start to finish! #UFCSingapore pic.twitter.com/vshRzWITjD
— UFC (@ufc) August 26, 2023