Japan’s golden boy Tenshin Nasukawa is back at it again. The undefeated kickboxer moved to 34-0 in his career with a sensational TKO victory over Rui Ebata. Tenshin is a well-established star in his homeland despite being just 21-years old. He’s one of the faces of martial arts promotion RIZIN.
Now riding a 34-0 unbeaten record, Tenshin is a two-division champion under the RISE label. This is RIZIN’s kickboxing offshoot. He holds bantamweight and lightweight titles and has laid waste to everyone in his path. Except of course for Floyd Mayweather, who put a one-round beating on the young man last year.
Exhibition or not, that is what most western fans associate with Tenshin. But make no mistake, this fighter is a special talent. If you don’t believe us then just check out the highlights of his victory over Ebata. In short, he was unbelievable.
Adulterous Tenshin is a whole different beast – breaking Rui Ebata à la Kanna's heart! #RIZIN20 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/CVdvQGGJDO
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) December 31, 2019
Clinical
Before you call Ebata a can, it’s worth mentioning that he came into this fight with a record of 37-1-3. He was a very decent opponent but just not good enough to take on Tenshin in Tokyo’s Saitama Super Arena. The pair fought at RIZIN 20, with Tenshin’s bantamweight title on the line.
It was a tale of three knockdowns. Tenshin put together hand and feet combinations, stunning Ebata and dropping him. His opponent was able to get back to his feet but struggled to survive and was dropped again after taking punches to the head. The end appeared to be nigh and it was so. Then Nasukawa landed a tornado kick followed by an onslaught of punches. Finally, he had won the fight. Done and dusted in one round. All in all, it was a night of fantastic action in Tokyo.
Chaos reigns across the Lightweight GP semis, as Patricky "Pitbull" Freire (23-8) unleashes a cavalcade of blows upon Luiz Gustavo in under 30 seconds! Bellator's all-time KO leader extends his win streak to seven. He and Tofiq will be fresh for the finals. #RIZIN20 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/DaE3HywJJC
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) December 31, 2019
Brutal
Earlier on New Year’s Eve, Bellator two-weight champion Patricky Pitbull took part in a lightweight tournament. He destroyed Luis Gustavo with a brutal soccer kick which you can see above. It’s not normally allowed in the US but in Asia, they’ve no qualms about you getting kicked on the floor.
However, that win came at a cost for Pitbull who broke his hand in the same fight. Despite this, he still went out for his second match against Tofiq Musaev but got beaten by a unanimous decision. Still, kudos to the champion for being an absolute warrior.
Tofiq Musayev (18-3) is RIZIN's Lightweight GP champ, pushing through battles to win the war with an ever-aggressive Patricky "Pitbull!" The Azerbaijani leaves with his 14-fight tear intact behind rampant blitzes, crafty trips, and barbarous ground 'n pound. #RIZIN20 #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/FVkNpRjFv8
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) December 31, 2019
Full Results
For full results from RIZIN 20, see below:
Manel Kape def. Kai Asakura by TKO.
Tenshin Nasukawa def. Rui Ebata by TKO.
Seo Hee Ham def. Ayaka Hamasaki by split decision.
Mikura Asakura def. John Macapa by unanimous decision.
Rena def. Lindsey Vanzandt by TKO.
Tofiq Musaev def. Patricky Pitbull by unanimous decision.
Jiri Prochazka def. C.B. Dollaway by KO.
Simon Biyong def. Vitaly Shemetov by TKO.
Hiromasa Ogikubo def. Shintaro Ishiwatari by split decision.
Jake Heun def. Satoshi Ishii by TKO.
Patrick Mix def. Yuki Motoya by submission.
Taiju Shiratori def. Taiga by TKO.
Miyuu Yamamoto def. Suwanee Boonsorn by unanimous decision.
Patricky Pitbull def. Luiz Gustavo by KO.
Tofiq Musaev def. Johnny Case by TKO.
