Rinya Nakamura makes vow: ‘I refuse to ever experience a feeling like this again’

Rinya Nakamura has vowed to bounce back after suffering a second-round submission loss to Brady Hiestand at UFC Vegas 121 on September 26 in Las Vegas. Despite entering the bantamweight contest as a heavy -325 favorite, Nakamura was controlled on the mat before being forced to tap to a rear-naked choke. The 31-year-old promised change in an Instagram post, declaring he would develop a "purer, more righteous, more beautiful, and stronger" martial arts style. "I refuse to ever experience a feeling like this again," Nakamura wrote. The loss marked another setback for "Hybrid," who arrived in the UFC as a highly touted undefeated prospect after winning the bantamweight bracket of "Road to UFC" Season 1 in 2023. His recent record in the promotion has proved disappointing: he sits at 3-2 overall in the UFC and has dropped two of his last three bouts, with Hiestand's wrestling proving too much to overcome.