Undefeated Japanese Prospect Talks Matchup With Joshua Van This Weekend At UFC 313
Though he only competed twice in 2024, Rei Tsuruya made the absolute most of his tandem opportunities last year.
“Looking back at last year, I only fought twice, but those two were very important fights: the Road to UFC finals and the UFC debut,” offered the undefeated Japanese flyweight prospect, who faces off with Joshua Van in a fascinating clash of emerging flyweights this weekend at UFC 313, with the assistance of translator Takahiro Araki. “I think I had a pretty good year.”
Order UFC 313: Pereira vs Ankalaev
“A pretty good year” is an understatement, as the former Pancrase champion completed his march to winning the Road to UFC flyweight tournament with a first-round stoppage win over Jiniushiyue in February, and then captured the full attention of the MMA world at UFC 303, where he was cornered by WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura, walked out to the iconic strains of his signature track, and completely dominated Carlos Hernandez to register his first UFC victory and advance to 10-0 overall.