A pair of featherweights looking to bounce back from recent decision losses took place on the undercard as Michihiro Omigawa locked horns with Jason Young.
Since rejoining the UFC, Omigawa has dropped two straight bouts against No. 1 contender Chad Mendes and Darren Elkins. Many felt Omigawa defeated Elkins, but the judges saw it differently.
Young made his UFC debut in June at UFC 131 against Dustin Poirier. The fight went the distance, but in the end, Poirier was awarded the win.
Omigawa charged forward early and Young countered. Omigawa immediately clinched and looked for a throw that Young defended. A head kick from Young was blocked. Omigawa again pressed forward and Young was forced to run out of the way to prevent the clinch. Omigawa looked for a single, but could not bring the fight down. Against the fence, Omigawa secured a body lock and scored a trip takedown. Young worked to get back to his feet. Young scored with a knee and followed with an elbow. Omigawa walked right into a head kick, but blocked it with his forearm. Young connected with a knee and backed Omigawa against the cage. Young’s right eye started to swell. Young looked for a takedown at the end of the round, but Omigawa reversed it and looked for a guillotine choke.
Omigawa attacked the right eye with a left hook. Young looked for the clinch, but Omigawa tied him up and brought the fight to the ground. Young looked to use the Octagon to stand, but Omigawa remained on top in side control. Omigawa looked to secure a kimura on Young’s right arm. Young rolled out and escaped. Back on the feet, Young landed an uppercut. In the center of the cage, Omigawa swept Young’s feet out from under him and landed in side control. Omigawa moved to the full mount and again targeted the right arm of Young. Young escaped to side control, but Omigawa again mounted. Young regained the half guard as the round ended.
The final stanza started with a quick exchange on the feet. Young unleashed kicks and punches but the majority missed their target. A kick from Omigawa led to a clinch and a trip takedown. Omigawa rolled for a heel hook, but Young escaped and stood. Young scored with a kick and a counter right hand. Omigawa latched onto a guillotine choke and dragged the fight to the ground. Young escaped the submission attempt, but ended up on his back. Omigawa moved to Young’s back against the fence. Omigawa again looked for the kimura on Young’s right arm. Young got back to his feet with seconds left in the fight, but the fight went the full fifteen minutes.
All of the judges scored the fight for Omigawa, who secured his first UFC win. Speaking with Joe Rogan, Omigawa mentioned the tough decision loss in his previous fight. The Japanese fighter stated that he tried not to let it distract him in this fight.
Official Result: Michihiro Omigawa def. Jason Young by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.