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Rei Tsuruya | Prospect Rising
Japan’s Surging Rei Tsuruya Makes Quick Return With UFC Flyweight Rankings in Sight
Three months ago, almost to the day, Rei Tsuruya was counting down the minutes until he was able to finally step into the Octagon again, having spent the previous 14 months stuck on the sidelines, the sour taste of the first loss of his career lingering for far too long.
Even though the narrative around that setback had shifted dramatically in his time away — he lost to now-champion Joshua Van, who took the fight at UFC 313 on short notice — the Japanese flyweight prospect was eager to move forward, eager to get his feet back onto the canvas, and eager to put himself in the conversation amongst the top up-and-comers in the talent-rich 125-pound weight class.
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“I didn’t know much about Joshua Van back then with the short-notice fight, but things have changed,” he said in May ahead of his bout with Luis Gurule, which he won by first-round submission to get things moving in the right direction and set up his showdown with Kevin Borjas this weekend in Shanghai. “I feel like I don’t want to be left [behind]; I want to catch up with all those top-flight contenders.
“There are a lot of new guys coming in too, so I want to get on that ride as well. There are a lot of new fighters, a lot of ranking changes every week as well. I hope I can be one of those contenders.”
Tsuruya didn’t look like he missed a beat in May, rolling into the Octagon and through Gurule. A right hand sending the short-notice replacement backwards to steps, allowing the Road to UFC Season 2 flyweight tournament winner to get ahold of “Grim” and start getting to work.
A few minutes later, Tsuruya stood triumphant in the center of the cage, back in the win column and back in the mix among the top ascending talents in the division, though he doesn’t believe he’s there quite yet.
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“I was really happy to get the win the last time because it had been a while since I fought in the Octagon,” he said on Tuesday evening from Shanghai. “I think it’s gonna be good this time as well, so I wanna make sure to finish the fight.
“To be honest, I feel like I’m not at that point yet,” continued Tsuruya, addressing his standing amongst the emerging set following his first-round win. “At this event, we have a lot of flyweight bouts, so I’m feeling like the UFC wants me to make a statement and then I can be one of them.”
Rei Tsuruya Submits Luis Gurule In The First | UFC Macau
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Rei Tsuruya Submits Luis Gurule In The First | UFC Macau
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Of Saturday’s 13 fights, four come in the consistently entertaining flyweight division, with Tsuruya and Borjas the first pair to make the walk at Oriental Sports Arena, and the rematch between tenured talents Sumudaerji and Alex Perez is the last of the group.
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Interestingly, the man Borjas beat last time out, Andre Lima, steps into the Octagon against recent RTU flyweight tournament winner Namsrai Batbayar in the final preliminary card bout of the night, while newcomer Bilal Hasan opens the main card opposite Nilson Rojas a few weeks after earning his contract with a 45-second win on the opening week of Season 10.
While some may see the order as working against Tsuruya’s chances of rising to the fore, there is an opportunity for the 24-year-old to set the tone of the division on Saturday night, and he’s got the right dance partner to potentially do so.
Though he’s just 2-4 in the UFC, Borjas is universally regarded as much better than his record indicates; his June triumph over Lima, which ended the Brazilian’s unbeaten run, is a prime example.
And just as Tsuruya’s lone setback has aged well over the last 18 months, so too has the Peruvian’s strength of schedule, as his four defeats have come against Van, Alessandro Costa, Sumudaerji, and Mexican prospect Imanol Rodriguez.
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Besting Lima earlier this year not only put Borjas back in the winner’s circle, but it also elevated him into the Meta rankings, where he presently sits at No. 11. If all goes as he envisions this weekend, Tsuruya hopes to find himself with a number next to his name next week.
“It’s pretty good for me to get a fight in a couple months because my body is fit to fight in the Octagon,” he said of making the relatively quick turnaround to compete again this weekend. “Also, this opponent is ranked in the Meta rankings, so if I win, that means I can be in the rankings, so that would be a good thing for me. I’m happy I got this fight.
“Kevin is a striker — that’s my impression — and I need to look for his left body shot and right straight counter,” Tsuruya added, assessing the main weapons Borjas brings to the table. “I need to focus on avoiding those things and then I can get a submission to stop him.”
Should that come to pass, perhaps Tsuruya will start to feel like he’s part of the impressive pack of emerging names under 30 years old making noise in the flyweight division because truth be told, he already deserves to be near the top of the list.
UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song took place live from Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China on August 29, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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