Kiichi Kunimoto went all the way across the Pacific for less than three minutes’ worth of work.
The 33-year old from Osaka, Japan, traveled to Vancouver for UFC 174 on Saturday night, and needed just 2:50 to finish Daniel Sarafian with a rear-naked choke.
Sarafian (8-5), a finalist on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, dropped from middleweight to welterweight for the first time in his career. He was said to have a tough weight cut, and it showed.
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The Brazilian looked sluggish from the get-go. After Kunimoto scored a takedown, he swiftly transitiioned to the RNC and got the tapout.
Kunimoto (17-5-2) won his sixth straight fight, eight of his past nine, and is 2-0 in the UFC.
He’d like to fight at home next time out.
“I am looking to prove myself in the UFC, and hopefully I can fight in the UFC Japan in September,” Kunimoto said through a translator.