UFC Japan results and highlights: Saki wins debut by KO, Kim stops Gomi, Formiga taps Sasaki

We’re more than halfway through the main card of UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami in Japan. Jussier Formiga got the card’s first finish with a slick submission of Ulka Sasaki, Teruto Ishihara scraped past Rolando Dy (but endured some serious nether regions punishment), Gokhan Saki won his UFC debut in style, while Dong Hyun Kim easily dispatched the legendary Takanori Gomi. Here’s how the fights played out.

Dong Hyun Kim def. Takanori Gomi by TKO (punches) at 1:30 of round 1 - Lightweights

It was as sad as you might have expected it to be. A straight right hand dropped Gomi just over a minute into round 1, and then a few hammerfists ended the fight. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim has won two in a row, while Gomi has lost five straight, all in the opening round.

Gokhan Saki def. Luis Henrique da Silva by KO (punch) at 4:45 of round 1 - Light Heavyweights

A head kick and a left hook cracked da Silva straight away. The Brazilian tried to close the distance and land his own shots, but a straight left put da Silva down. Henrique got back up and tried to take the Turkish kickboxing star down, but Saki had double underhooks and escaped. Saki attacked the head and body, his striking technique clearly way ahead of da Silva’s. Two left hooks and a right hand buckled da Silva’s legs, and Saki was just teeing off on his foe. Da Silva changed levels but was able to stop the takedown and actually dump da Silva to the mat for a split second. The Brazilian connected on three consecutive knees, by far his best offense up to that point. Da Silva was coming on strong with more hard knees, but a huge left hook from “Turkish Tyson” spelled an instant end to the bout. Saki gets his first career MMA win (having lost his debut in 2004), while Henrique da Silva has lost his fourth in a row.

Teruto Ishihara def. Rolando Dy by unanimous decision (28-27, 28-27, 29-27) - Featherweights

A straight left by Ishihara dropped Dy inside of 20 seconds. Ishihara went to work on the ground as Dy tried to clear his head and keep an active guard. Dy got back to his feet after an unconvincing guillotine, then Ishihara dumped him back down and delivered some punishing shots. Brutal elbows were being unleashed by Ishihara, as Dy offered virtually no offense in a lopsided opening frame. Dy got off to a better start in round 2, landing a head kick and stuffing Ishihara’s takedown. The Filipino striker tagged Ishihara with a two-punch combination. Dy was having plenty of offensive success on the counter, but Ishihara was definitely getting in his usual big shots. Rolando closed out the second with a combination of hooks and body kicks, as Ishihara looked to be slowing a bit. A knee to the chin jarred Ishihara and had him hurt in the third round. Ishihara got hit in the groin (for the second time) and needed some time to recover. A high kick from Ishihara got through, only for Dy to answer back with an elbow and then a head kick of his own. The back-and-forth exchanging continued, and then Dy groin kicked Ishihara for a third time. You could hear the impact made on that shot, and the referee had no choice but to dock a point. When the fight restarted, Ishihara took Dy down briefly, although it didn’t take long for them to resume striking. Dy threw more and landed more in the final minute, but that point deduction was crucial and cost him a draw. Ishihara ends his two-fight losing streak, while Dy is now 0-2 inside the Octagon.

Jussier Formiga def. Ulka Sasaki by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:30 of round 1 - Flyweights

Sasaki got off to a good start and cut Formiga on the right side of his face. The tall Japanese fighter was more active and used his size advantage to keep distance with kicks and knees to the body. Formiga was able to close in and take Sasaki down. The dangerous BJJ black belt passed to mount and soon enough took the back, in search of a rear-naked choke. Formiga stretched Sasaki out, had the arm underneath the chin, and Sasaki tapped out. It’s a great win for Formiga after the close loss to Ray Borg. Sasaki is now 2-2 at 125-pounds.