UFC roster? Rin there, done that.
Longtime Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Rin Nakai, 29, is shedding some of her trademark bulk (sample) after coming up empty in a pair of trips to the Octagon. Unfortunately, she won’t be doing it under the ZUFFA banner now that her contract is complete, but no worries, she already has a new fight lined up in Japan.
Who says you can’t go home again?
Nakai will make her flyweight debut against an opponent to be named at the upcoming Pancrase 279 event, taking place on July 24, 2016 inside Differ Ariake arena in Tokyo, according to Sherdog.com. In addition, Nakai (16-2-1) is expected to (eventually) work her way down to strawweight.
That’s a far cry from the land of 135 pounds, where she was considerably undersized in consecutive fights against Miesha Tate and Leslie Smith. It will be interesting to see how Nakai performs in her new weight class and whether or not a torrid run at her final destination of 115 pounds would be enough to warrant a UFC call-back.
Time will tell.