Rinya Nakamura feels ready to be "reborn" at UFC Vegas 121
The Japanese bantamweight believes recovering from a serious shoulder injury helped him rediscover his love for MMA.
Rinya Nakamura is ready to step inside the Octagon again. The Japanese bantamweight returns to action this Saturday at UFC Vegas 121 to take on Brady Hiestand after spending more than a year recovering from a serious shoulder injury. Nakamura revealed that the layoff made him question his desire to become a UFC champion before ultimately falling back in love with the sport.
Rinya Nakamura Says Injury Changed His Perspective
Nakamura has not competed since August 2025 when he defeated Nathan Fletcher by TKO. A few months later, the Japanese fighter suffered a serious injury during training, tearing a shoulder tendon and injuring his MCL. Although Nakamura was forced to step away from competition for over a year, he insists the recovery has left him in the best shape of his career.
"I tore a tendon in my shoulder, MCL," Nakamura told reporters during media day. "That's why I took a long time since my last fight. But my condition is best ever. [...] One hundred percent – over 100 percent. I can show you a new version of me, and I can't wait to show you guys."
Rather than focusing only on the physical recovery, Nakamura said the time away became a mental challenge. The Japanese fighter admitted he repeatedly asked himself whether he truly wanted to become UFC champion, answering the same question several times before finding his motivation again.
"I took back my love to this sport," Nakamura said. "Actually, that was not easy time for me. I've been always asking to myself, 'Do you want to truly be a UFC champion?' Over 100,000 times. I always answered to myself, 'Yes. Yes, of course.' I repeated, repeated again. Then I get back my love to the sport and competing in this stage. So my spirits, I feel like are reborn. I can be reborn this Saturday."
Nakamura also revealed that his childhood dream was to become a PRIDE champion, making the UFC title the modern equivalent of that ambition in his eyes.
The 31-year-old enters UFC Vegas 121 with a 10-1 professional record and will look to continue his rise in the bantamweight division after more than a year away from competition.
