23 Sep FriendsOfTheFamily: CongratulationsHayatoSakurai
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Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Round 1
Sakurai misses on a spinning-back fist. Hironaka ducks under a right-handed haymaker and gets a takedown. From half-guard, Hironaka ties up the head of Sakurai and looks to pass to side-control. Sakurai gets back to full guard and eventually to his feet, where he slams a low kick into Hironaka’s left leg. Hironaka delivers a left straight to the midsection. Hironaka follows with a right hand and eats a solid counter from Sakurai. The Matt Hume-trained Sakurai continues to attack the leg of Hironaka with punishing kicks. Another cracks into Hironaka’s leg and he’s feeling it. Sakurai finds himself on his back after he slips attempting another low kick. Hironaka enters the guard of Sakurai, where he lands a left hand to the chin. Hironaka stomps down on the mouth of Sakurai. The strike is illegal and Sakurai is given time to recover. Referee Hikaru Adachi issues a warning to Hironaka and the bout is resumed. Hironaka connects with a low kick before the round ends.
Round 2
Hironaka gets a fast single-leg takedown to start round two. He does nothing with the position before Sakurai gets to his feet. Hironaka goes to the clinch in search of a trip, but Sakurai has none of it. The fighters trade lowkicks and Sakurai gets the best of the exchange. Sakurai trips Hironaka to the canvas, but he lets him up immediately. Hironaka connects to the body with a straight right. A left and a right hook score for Sakurai. The fight is up for grabs with one minute remaining. The UFC veterans trade in the center of the ring. Sakurai lands with a right hook and a one-two. Sakurai goes to the Thai plum, where he connects with two knees to the head. In the final 30 seconds, Sakurai puts a stamp on the bout with a knockdown. A right hand counter drops Hironaka to the canvas, where he is pounded on for the duration of the contest.
Both Jordan Breen and Mike Fridley score the bout for Hayato Sakurai. All official judges agree, and award Sakurai with the unanimous decision