Tetsuya Yamada’s mixed martial arts skills were was fantastic against Rafael Nunes at ONE: SPIRIT OF A WARRIOR.

The man they call “MMA Fantasista” won by doctor’s stoppage in the second round in front of a sold-out crowd at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar on Friday, 29 May.

Each man was looking to build momentum after they had each earned a victory over Eric Kelly earlier this year.

The Brazilian from the Nova União gym immediately looked to establish control through his grappling, but found Yamada’s strength in the clinch a challenge to conquer.

Nunes managed to take the contest to the mat after several attempts, but continued to find his opponent’s defence difficult to overcome. The Japanese star was even able to scramble and threaten with a kimura while controlling his opponent with leg scissors.

However, the Brazilian was able to recover position and briefly transition into full mount seconds before the bell sounded to close the round.

Yamada got his own takedown at the start of the second stanza, and shined with his top game. Initially, he gave Nunes little room to manoeuvre as he threw strikes.

Nunes was able to use his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt skills to sweep, which initiated a thrilling grappling exchange where the athletes alternated positions. 

Yamada was the first to capitalise on taking top control, as he threw a perfect left elbow that dealt the most significant damage of the bout.

Referee Kemp Chang called time for the doctor to examine the injury, and moments later, the contest was over with 55 seconds left in the round.

With the victory, Yamada improves to 26-6-2 and gets records his second straight win. Nunes was competitive with by the Japanese athlete, but sees his record fall to 11-2.