NAKAMURA vs MORONO
Fourteen years into his pro career, welterweight veteran Keita Nakamura continues to show new wrinkles in his MMA game, as he held off the charge of Texas prospect Alex Morono to win a hard-fought three-round split decision in a UFC Fight Night prelim bout at Saitama Super Arena.
Scores were 29-28 twice and 28-29 for Tokyo’s Nakamura, now 33-9-2 with 1 NC. Houston’s Morono falls to 13-4 with 1 NC.
Morono was in control for much of the opening round thanks to his steady pressure and thudding haymakers, but the biggest score of the round was a kick to the body with a little over two minutes left that clearly rocked Morono, who needed a few seconds to get his bearings back.