Takaki Soya’s latest finish was a matter of Pride.
The 24-year-old Shooto veteran was competing for the first time in over two years and he must have had plenty of pent-up aggression because he absolutely unloaded on Namiki Kawahara in their 59-kg (approx. 130 pounds) bout at Rizin 16 on Sunday in Kobe, Japan.
Soya (10-4) blasted Kawahara with a right hand that immediately turned Kawahara’s lights out, then followed up with soccer kicks to the body for good (and probably unnecessary) measure.
Not only was Soya making a comeback from a long layoff, this was also his first win since December 2016.