One UFC Vegas 108 winner thinks he was deserving of some additional cash for his efforts.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event at the Apex lacked big-drawing names, but those in action still delivered the goods inside the Octagon.
From fast finishes to memorable three-round brawls, UFC Vegas 108 had plenty to entertain the fans on a card topped by Tatsuro Taira’s win over Hyun Sung Park via submission.
The two lightweight bouts that set the stage for the headliner were both among the best scraps of the year thus far, and that left the UFC awarding both Fight of the Night honors.
But that resulted in no performance checks being handed out, much to one victor’s dismay.
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Rinya Nakamura questions Dana White for UFC Vegas 108 bonus snub
The UFC Vegas 108 preliminary card concluded with a bantamweight clash between Road to UFC season one winner Rinya Nakamura and Liverpool’s Nathan Fletcher.
It was a rough night for Paddy Pimblett’s teammate, who was stopped in just 62 seconds after being caught with a devastating kick to the liver that folded him.
Nakamura’s display was likely a shoo-in for Performance of the Night before two bouts later on the card stole the limelight.
‘Hybrid’ was not happy to miss out, and he took his complaints to UFC CEO Dana White.
“1 minute. No damage. All business in Las Vegas,” Nakamura wrote on X. “Where’s my bonus @danawhite?”
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Rinya Nakamura is not hunting for knockouts despite rapid UFC Vegas 108 finish
Given how quickly he wrapped things up at the UFC Apex on August 3, you’d be forgiven for thinking Nakamura is entering the cage with a quick night at the office in mind.
The prospect said hunting for knockouts is what ultimately led to his downfall against Muin Gafarov this past January at UFC 311, an event headlined by Islam Makhachev’s title defense against Renato Moicano.
With that in mind, though he found the quick stoppage on Saturday night, Nakamura says he has a newfound patience and a fresh approach.
“Actually, I used a lot of wrestling game and ground top control, and the audience was booing me,” Nakamura said at the post-fight press conference regarding his final win before suffering his first career defeat.
“That was kind of a shock. So, I (re)considered my style. So, I was too focused on knocking out my opponent. That’s the reason I didn’t perform well in my last fight.
“Mainly, Mike Brown and many ATT coaches told me, ‘You have to wrestle, wrestle. Using the wrestling and faking, then your striking will work.’ So, I’m working on that,” Nakamura added.