Rinya Nakamura

Rinya Nakamura (中村倫也) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler who currently competes in the bantamweight division. Competing at 61 kilograms, Nakamura became the 2017 U23 World Champion during his wrestling career, before retiring at age 25 to pursue mixed martial arts.

Background
Rinya is the son of Kozo Nakamura, who was involved in the early development of Shooto in the 90's. Having begun wrestling at the age of five, Nakamura's first notable accomplishment in the sport of freestyle wrestling was a bronze medal from the Cadet World Championships in 2011. A multiple-time Japanese National medalist at two different weight classes, his most remarkable achievement of his career came at the 2017 U23 World Championships, where he became the champion at 61 kilograms. After the delay of the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nakamura announced his retirement from wrestling in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.

Early career
In April 2020, Nakamura announced his serious intentions of competing in MMA. Nakamura made his professional debut against Takumi Arai in a mixed martial arts reality show Fighting Dreamers on 15 May 2021. He won the fight via first-minute knockout.

He then made his sophomore appearance against Akuri Ronda at Shooto 0725 on 25 July 2021. He won the bout via second-round knockout.

Nakamura faced Yasuyuki Nojiri at Shooto 0116 on January 16, 2022. He won the fight via first-minute technical knockout.

On April 24, 2022, he fought against Aliandro Caetano in POUNDSTORM, and although he was punched in round 1 and cut his right eyelid leading to intense bleeding, he utilised his takedown advantage and won the 3–0 decision.

Road to UFC
Nakamura faced Gugun Gusman in the Quarter-Finals of the Bantamweight tournament on June 9, 2022, in Road to UFC Season 1: Episode 3. He won the bout in the first round via Americana submission.

Nakamura faced Shohei Nose in the Semi-Finals of the Bantamweight tournament on October 23, 2022, at Road to UFC Season 1: Episode 6. He won the bout in the first round, knocking out Nose.

In the finals of the tournament, Nakamura faced Toshiomi Kazama on February 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned Nakamura his first Performance of the Night bonus award.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Nakamura faced Fernie Garcia at UFC Fight Night 225 on August 26, 2023. He won the bout in dominant fashion via unanimous decision.

Nakamura was scheduled to face Brady Hiestand on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298. However, Hiestand pulled out due injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Carlos Vera. Nakamura dominated most of the bout on the ground and won by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Toshiomi Kazama
 * Road to UFC Season 1 Bantamweight Tournament Winner.

Freestyle record
! colspan="7"| Senior Freestyle Matches ! Res. !  Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2019 Japan Nationals at 65 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2018 Japan Nationals at 65 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2018 Meiji Cup DNP at 65 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2018 World Cup for Team JPN at 61 kg 🇺🇸 Iowa City, Iowa ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2017 U23 World Championships at 61 kg 🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz, Poland ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2017 World Championships 5th at 61 kg 🇫🇷 Paris, France ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2017 Meiji Cup at 61 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2017 Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov International 9th at 61 kg 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2016 Meiji Cup at 57 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2015 Japan Nationals at 57 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2015 Spain Grand Prix at 57 kg 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2015 Meiji Cup at 57 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan ! style=background:white colspan=7 |2014 Japan Nationals DNP at 57 kg 🇯🇵 Tokyo, Japan
 * Loss
 * 36–9
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Takuto Otoguro
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 0–10
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|19–22 December 2019
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|2019 Japanese National Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * Win
 * 36–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Takuma Taniyama
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * Win
 * 35–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Masakazu Kamoi
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–5
 * Win
 * 34–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Isojiro
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * Win
 * 33–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yamato Hagiwara
 * style="font-size:88%"|4–2
 * Win
 * 33–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yamato Hagiwara
 * style="font-size:88%"|4–2
 * Win
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Rei Higuchi
 * style="font-size:88%"|INJ
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|20–23 December 2018
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|2018 Japanese National Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|2018 Japanese National Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * Win
 * 32–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Hirotaka Abe
 * style="font-size:88%"|8–3
 * Loss
 * 31–8
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Takuto Otoguro
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 0–10
 * Win
 * 31–7
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Fukuda Toki
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 12–2
 * Win
 * 30–7
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Takuya Funaki
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 30–7
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Takuya Funaki
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Loss
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Hirotaka Abe
 * style="font-size:88%"|INJ
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|14–17 June 2018
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|2018 Meiji Cup (JPN World Team Trials)
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|2018 Meiji Cup (JPN World Team Trials)
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * Win
 * 29–7
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Koki Terada
 * style="font-size:88%"|13–7
 * style="font-size:88%"|13–7
 * Win
 * 28–7
 * align=left|🇮🇳 Sandeep Tomar
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|7–8 April 2018
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|2018 World Cup
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * Win
 * 27–7
 * align=left| Lasha Lomtadze
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–2
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–2
 * Win
 * 26–7
 * align=left|🇰🇿 Kuat Amirtaev
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 12–2
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|21–26 November 2017
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|2017 U23 World Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * Win
 * 25–7
 * align=left|🇷🇺 Islam Dudaev
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 24–7
 * align=left|🇧🇾 Husein Shakhbanau
 * style="font-size:88%"|10–4
 * Win
 * 23–7
 * align=left|🇦🇹 Gabriel Janatsch
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * 23–7
 * align=left|🇦🇹 Gabriel Janatsch
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * Loss
 * 22–7
 * align=left|🇨🇺 Yowlys Bonne
 * style="font-size:88%"|Fall
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|25 August 2017
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=5|2017 World Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=5|
 * Win
 * 22–6
 * align=left|🇸🇰 Mykola Bolotňuk
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 21–6
 * align=left|🇰🇬 Alibek Osmonov
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Loss
 * 20–6
 * align=left|🇦🇿 Haji Aliyev
 * style="font-size:88%"|1–10
 * Win
 * 20–5
 * align=left|🇲🇩 Andrei Prepeliţă
 * style="font-size:88%"|7–3
 * Win
 * 20–5
 * align=left|🇲🇩 Andrei Prepeliţă
 * style="font-size:88%"|7–3
 * Win
 * 19–5
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Rei Higuchi
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–5
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|16–18 June 2017
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|2017 Meiji Cup (JPN World Team Trials)
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * Win
 * 18–5
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Rei Higuchi
 * style="font-size:88%"|14–5
 * Win
 * 17–5
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Shoya Shimae
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 16–5
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Sakaki Daimu
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * 16–5
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Sakaki Daimu
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Loss
 * 15–5
 * align=left|🇰🇿 Timur Aitkulov
 * style="font-size:88%"|Fall
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3|8–9 April 2017
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3|2017 Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Memorial
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3|
 * Win
 * 15–4
 * align=left|🇰🇿 Kairat Amirtayev
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 12–1
 * Win
 * 14–4
 * align=left| Amar Laissaoui
 * style="font-size:88%"|Fall
 * align=left| Amar Laissaoui
 * style="font-size:88%"|Fall
 * Win
 * 13–4
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yuki Takahashi
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3|27–29 May 2016
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=3|2016 Meiji Cup (JPN World Team Trials)
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=3|
 * Win
 * 12–4
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Gaku Akazawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 11–4
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Toshihiro Hasegawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Toshihiro Hasegawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 10–4
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yasuhiro Morita
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|21–23 December 2015
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|2015 Japanese National Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * Loss
 * 9–4
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Rei Higuchi
 * style="font-size:88%"|6–8
 * Win
 * 9–3
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Gaku Akazawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 14–4
 * Win
 * 8–3
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yasuhiro Inaba
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * 8–3
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yasuhiro Inaba
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Loss
 * 7–3
 * align=left|🇰🇷 Sung Gwon Kim
 * style="font-size:88%"|0–1
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|11 July 2015
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|2015 Grand Prix of Spain
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * Win
 * 7–2
 * align=left|🇪🇸 Juan Pablo Gonzalez
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–1
 * Win
 * 6–2
 * align=left|🇿🇦 Marco Coetzee
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 5–2
 * align=left| Amin Nouri
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 13–2
 * 5–2
 * align=left| Amin Nouri
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 13–2
 * Win
 * 4–2
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yasuhiro Morita
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 11–0
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|19–21 June 2015
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=4|2015 Meiji Cup (JPN World Team Trials)
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=4|
 * Loss
 * 3–2
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Yuki Takahashi
 * style="font-size:88%"|0–5
 * Win
 * 3–1
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Kazuaki Oshiro
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 10–0
 * Win
 * 2–1
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Toshihiro Hasegawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 14–4
 * 2–1
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Toshihiro Hasegawa
 * style="font-size:88%"|TF 14–4
 * Loss
 * 1–1
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Fumitaka Morishita
 * style="font-size:88%"|2–4
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|21–23 December 2014
 * style="font-size:88%" rowspan=2|2014 Japanese National Championships
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2|
 * Win
 * 1–0
 * align=left|🇯🇵 Rei Kuwagi
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–7
 * style="font-size:88%"|9–7