The UFC is rapidly expanding and putting on more and more shows, and the increased number of events means an increase in roster size.
UFC Fight Night 52 comes live on Fight Pass from Japan this weekend, boasting a bunch of young talent. In fact, many of the participants are prospects who are looking to establish a name.
Apart from the recognizable fighters, there are some fresh faces on the card. In fact, a couple of fighters are set to begin their journeys with the UFC.
Three fighters are set to make their official UFC debuts this week. Let’s take a look at them.
Johnny Case
In Johnny Case, you get yet another RFA veteran making the move over to the UFC. Fighters from that organization have fared very well thus far in general.
Case, who is 18-4 and owns an eight-fight winning streak, is a lanky striker and a decent-sized lightweight. He uses his 6’1″ frame to his advantage in most fights, as he is very long and hard to get inside of.
He is definitely a striker first, as he is known to use his jab and leg kicks to score points and establish distance. He is not just a point fighter, though, as he has knocked out 11 opponents, many of whom fell via one-punch KOs.
His move to Alliance MMA has likely been the best choice for him, as he now works with amazing coaches and fighters on a daily basis. It will bring his game to another level, but we will get a measurement of how good he is in this debut fight against UFC vet Kazuki Tokudome.
Masanori Kanehara
Talk about a break. You are set to make your UFC debut against legendary fighter Urijah Faber, which will be very tough, but Faber backs out. That said, Kanehara draws Alex Caceres, who is no walk in the park either.
Kanehara was given these tough tasks because he has been very good overseas, only losing to top competition. Otherwise, he has been a force, knocking out and submitting guys left and right.
That is a positive mark on Kanehara. He is always looking to finish the fight and does so at a high rate. In fact, he hasn’t gone to a decision since 2009 against Kid Yamamoto, a bout he won.
He is definitely well-rounded, but he will have to play defense to some flashy techniques from Caceres. The kicks and clinch knees of Caceres have looked very good, especially recently.
On the ground, Kanehara will need to achieve and maintain top position. Caceres is solid off his back, but he can be susceptible to ground-and-pound as he fishes for triangle chokes and armbars.
Kanehara has a winnable fight, but it will not be easy by any means.
Rin Nakai
The Queen of Pancrase is here, folks. Rin Nakai has finally landed in the UFC and is certain to spice up the women’s bantamweight division.
Nakai, a power wrestler, uses her lack of size (she’s 5’1″) as a leverage advantage when she shoots in on takedowns. She is extremely powerful and well-balanced, which makes it tough to thwart takedowns, especially early in the fight.
On the ground, she is dangerous with her submissions, especially her armlocks. If not for a tough, scrappy Tara LaRosa and her will to live on, Nakai would have taken her arm home with her after a nasty kimura in a very recent bout.
Her level of competition and striking are the two concerns for Nakai.
Her striking is somewhat green and basically used to set up takedowns. A person who can defend those takedowns can easily attempt to exploit her on the feet.
As for her lack of top-flight competition, that is likely because most of the elite fighters, especially in recent times, are locked up by major organizations. That said, she does own wins over LaRosa, Brenda Gonzales and Invicta vet Sarah D’Alelio.
In her first UFC fight on Saturday, she faces No. 2-ranked women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate.
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