Tag: Taiga Iwasaki

DWCS 71 video: Kickboxing standout Yousri Belgaroui swarms Taiga Iwasaki for late TKO

One of four men to kickbox both Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya will likely join them in the UFC.

[autotag]Yousri Belgaroui [/autotag] fought both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira in kickboxing and now he may very well join them in the UFC.

At Dana White’s Contender Series 71 on Tuesday, Belgaroui (8-3) finished [autotag]Taiga Iwasaki[/autotag] (9-2) by TKO due to a barrage of strikes at 2:34 of Round 3.

https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1833680632062660797

Belgaroui, 32, is a former Glory Kickboxing middleweight title challenger with a 27-7 kickboxing record. He is one of four men to compete against both Adesanya and Pereira in kickboxing. He went 0-2 against both.

In 2021, he pivoted to MMA. He worked his way to 5-2 before a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. He lost his first appearance to Marco Tulio by unanimous decision and later said he was battling a bad infection. Back-to-back wins in Levels Fight League earned him the second DWCS opportunity Tuesday.

Iwasaki, 27, has now lost two of his most recent three outings after an 8-0 start to his pro MMA career. His other defeat came against former Bellator champion Rafael Lovato Jr.

The up-to-the-minute DWCS 71 results include:

  • Yousri Belgaroui def. Taiga Iwasaki via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:34
  • Josias Musasa def. Otari Tanzilovi via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Nicole Caliari def. Corinne LaFramboise via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:45

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Rafael Lovato Jr. victorious in MMA return after three-year inactivity due to brain condition

Rafael Lovato Jr. is back to fighting.

[autotag]Rafael Lovato Jr.[/autotag] is back from retirement.

The former Bellator middleweight champion made a successful return to MMA Wednesday after putting his career on hold three and a half years ago due to cavernoma, a brain condition.

Lovato (11-0) submitted [autotag]Taiga Iwasaki[/autotag] (8-1) with a kimura in the first round of their 195-pound contest. The fight took place at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2022 in Tokyo.

Watch video of his submission finish below.

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Lovato walked away from MMA after winning the Bellator middleweight title, taking it away from then champion Gegard Mousasi in a majority decision in the main event of Bellator 223 in June 2019.

Following the title win, Lovato was diagnosed with cavernoma, a condition involving “abnormally formed blood vessels,” typically in the brain or spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic. Due to the potential health risks, the standout grappler relinquished his Bellator title and said he was going to focus on his health, likely never to fight again in MMA.

Lovato, now 39, remains unbeaten in his professional MMA career and holds notable wins over fighters such as Mousasi, Kevin Holland and Gerald Harris. He’s also a jiu-jitsu black belt under Saulo Ribeiro and a multiple time grappling world champion.

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