is a Japanese

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and former

freestyle wrestler Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

who currently competes in the bantamweight division. Competing at 61 kilograms, Nakamura became the 2017 U23 World Champion during his

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

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 is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission (ISC). Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a ...

in the 90's. Having begun wrestling at the age of five, Nakamura's first notable accomplishment in the sport of

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

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 The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Nakamura announced his retirement from wrestling in order to pursue a career in

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In April 2020, Nakamura announced his serious intentions of competing in

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. 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. Nakamura faced Muin Gafurov on January 18, 2025 at UFC 311. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, leading to his first loss in mixed martial arts.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

** Performance of the Night (One time) ** Road to UFC Season 1 Bantamweight Tournament Winner. **UFC.com Awards *** 2023: Ranked #10 Newcomer of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 9–1 , Muin Gafurov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 311 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Carlos Vera , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 298 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Fernie Garcia , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Toshiomi Kazama , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Spivac , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Shohei Nose , KO (punches) , Road to UFC Season 1: Episode 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Gugun Gusman , Submission (keylock) , Road to UFC Season 1: Episode 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Aleandro Caetano , Decision (unanimous) , LDH Martial Arts: Pound Storm , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Yasuyuki Nojiri , TKO (punches) , Shooto: 2022 Vol. 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Akuri Ronda , KO (head kick) , Shooto: 2021 Vol. 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:20 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Takumi Arai , KO (punch) , LDH Martial Arts: Fighting Dreamers , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:42 ,

, Japan , , -

Freestyle record

! colspan="7", Senior Freestyle Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , Win , 29–7 , align=left, Koki Terada , style="font-size:88%", 13–7 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 28–7 , align=left,

Sandeep Tomar Sandeep Tomar (born in Malakpur village, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh) is an Indian male wrestler who competes in the men's freestyle 55 kg category. Sandeep Tomar on 24 April 2016, secured an Olympic quota place for India in the men' ...

, 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 The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in l ...

, style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=2,

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

, - , Win , 27–7 , align=left, Lasha Lomtadze , style="font-size:88%", 9–2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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, Bydgoszcz, Poland , - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, - , 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 Haji Aliyev (; born 21 April 1991), is an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani freestyle wrestler. He competed at the 61 kg division in the 2014 European Wrestling Championships and won the gold medal after beating Bekkhan Goygereyev of Russia. ...

, style="font-size:88%", 1–10 , - , Win , 20–5 , align=left, Andrei Prepeliţă , style="font-size:88%", 7–3 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

Madrid, Spain Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , 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 , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , 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,

, - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Rei Kuwagi , style="font-size:88%", 9–7 , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakamura, Rinya 1995 births Living people Japanese male sport wrestlers Japanese male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing freestyle wrestling Sportspeople from Saitama (city) Martial artists from Saitama Prefecture 21st-century Japanese sportsmen