Kid Yamamoto lost in his home country of Japan at UFC 144 Saturday night after an armbar by Vaughan Lee forced him to tap out and relinquish an opportunity to claim a victory that could have made his mark on his career.
Yamamoto has been one of the most popular fighters in Japanese martial arts history, but he did not seem up to the hype on Saturday night against Lee. The armbar in the second round capped off more than four minutes of a thrilling bout.
Was Yamamoto feeling the pressure of fighting in a place where he is the most popular figure in UFC?
It’s debatable, but you had to think there was a little pressure there.
Credit Lee with great form and a great game plan for Yamamoto, who looked a little taken aback at times during the first round.
Yamamoto managed to get a few heavy punches in on Lee early, while patrolling the octagon, reminding many fans of times when Yamamoto was at his best in the past.
His record is now 18-7-1 and has lost five of his last six bouts.
The loss also stirs up rumors about the end of his career.
Yamamoto is now 34 years old, but his game has been deteriorating over the last few bouts, which makes sense given the five losses in his last six fights.
UFC 144 in Japan was a chance for Yamamoto to get back into the swing of things and regain some of his momentum and the talent that made him a star. With the loss in his home country with everyone watching and pressure mounting, it looks like this has the potential to be one of his last fights.
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