Rei Tsuruya submitted Kevin Borjas by rear-naked choke at 4:14 of the first round at UFC Fight Night 286 in Shanghai, improving to 12-1 MMA and 3-1 in the UFC. The 24-year-old flyweight prospect has now back-to-back first-round finishes and is publicly calling for a ranked opponent, ideally someone between No. 10 and No. 15 in the division. Tsuruya indicated December would be an ideal target for his next outing.
Rei Tsuruya made a statement at UFC Fight Night 286 in Shanghai, submitting Kevin Borjas by rear-naked choke at 4:14 of the first round and immediately setting his sights on the flyweight rankings.
The 24-year-old Japanese prospect moves to 12-1 overall and 3-1 inside the UFC with the finish, his second consecutive first-round stoppage. Tsuruya, who trains out of The Blackbelt Japan, stands five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. His grappling-heavy style shows clearly in his numbers — he averages 5.03 takedowns per 15 minutes and attempts submissions at a rate of two per 15 minutes, while also posting a striking accuracy of 53 percent. Coming off back-to-back finishes, he wasted no time calling for a step up in competition, publicly requesting a ranked opponent somewhere between No. 10 and No. 15 in the flyweight division, with December as his preferred return window.
Kevin Borjas, a 28-year-old Peruvian fighter out of Pitbull Martial Arts Center, came in at 11-6 and had shown active hands throughout his career, averaging 3.87 significant strikes landed per minute. However, the finish on Saturday represented the flyweight's sixth professional loss and underlined the difficulty of his path forward at this level.
Why it matters
- Tsuruya is building momentum fast, stringing together first-round finishes that demand divisional attention.
- A placement between No. 10 and No. 15 in the flyweight rankings would represent a significant jump in competition and serve as a genuine measuring-stick bout.
- His elite takedown volume and submission activity make him a difficult stylistic puzzle for any ranked opponent, particularly fighters who have shown grappling vulnerabilities.
- A December target gives the UFC a clear short-term booking opportunity in a flyweight division that rarely lacks for intriguing matchups.
