5 months ago
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WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura will be taking a brief detour away from professional wrestling as he turns his attention to the world of mixed martial arts, having agreed to corner a good friend of his for an upcoming fight. Nakamura will be in the corner of Flyweight fighter Rei Tsuruya at the upcoming UFC 303 event in Las Vegas on June 29. The fight will mark Tsuruya's UFC debut after winning a fight in February at an event titled Road to UFC. Tsuruya will attempt to go 10-0 in his professional career against Carlos Hernandez, who is currently 9-3 overall, and 2-2 in UFC.
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Younger WWE fans might not be aware of Nakamura having not just an MMA background, but an actual MMA record to go with it, going 3-1 with one no-contest between 2002 and 2004. Nakamura expressed his excitement about cornering Tsuruya during a recent interview with ESPN. "I am excited to be a part of the massive UFC 303 event this weekend," Nakamura said. "It is an honor to be in Tsuruya Rei's corner. MMA is still a huge passion of mine and to be a part of Rei's UFC debut is a great moment."
The news has also caught the attention of some of his fellow WWE performers, namely Baron Corbin, who himself had a successful amateur boxing career before pursuing pro wrestling. Corbin has also participated in many regional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu events since becoming a wrestler, and has since earned a blue belt in the discipline. He decided to make the offer to Nakamura on Instagram to corner him saying "Heck yeah. Come corner me in Orlando at ibjjf." Nakamura is yet to respond to Corbin, as he waits to see if Tsuruya leaves UFC 303 with the win.
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