UFC flyweight prospect Rei Tsuruya issued a statement following his first-round submission win over Luis Gurule at UFC Macau.

Tsuruya entered the fight on a 14-month layoff, with his last fight coming at UFC 313 last March when he dropped a decision to current UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van. Despite missing so much time, the 23-year-old Japanese native didn’t look like he experienced any sort of ring rust, as he improved to 2-1 overall in the UFC with his first stoppage win inside the Octagon over Gurule, who lost by submission for the first time in his MMA career.

Rei Tsuruya Issues Statement After Submission Win at UFC Macau

Following his impressive win over Gurule at UFC Macau, Tsuruya took to his social media to issue a statement after picking up his first UFC finish.

“Thank you for your support! Comeback match. So happy to be back here. I’ll try again!” Tsuruya wrote on his Instagram.

Given he is just 23 years old and comes with a grappling-heavy type of style, there is every reason to think that Tsuruya can go far in the sport, and potentially break into the top-15 UFC flyweight rankings before the year is up.

What’s Next for Rei Tsuruya?

Following this impressive win over Tsuruya, the UFC matchmakers really need to think about giving him another top-15-ranked opponent.

In his promotional debut two years ago at UFC 303 in June 2024, Tsuruya defeated veteran Carlos Hernandez by decision to pick up his first victory inside the Octagon. But he got matched up with Van in his second UFC bout, which is a tall task for anyone at 125 lbs, given that Van is the current champion of the weight class.

If anything, that loss to Van looks much better in hindsight since Tsuruya was able to go the distance with the champ and not get finished, something that fellow countryman Tatsuro Taira was not able to do in his flyweight title fight at UFC 328. It’s also worth noting that Tsuruya scored four takedowns against Van, which again is impressive in its own right, especially in hindsight.

For his next bout, the UFC should consider giving Tsuruya another chance at cracking into the flyweight rankings. Taking a look at the current top-15 flyweight rankings, one potential matchup that really sticks out is Tim Elliott, the No. 12-ranked flyweight. Elliott is another grappling-heavy fighter, so it might force Tsuruya to stand and trade, and it would be interesting to see the evolution of his striking. Plus, Elliott is a longtime, respected veteran of the fight game who would put up a good fight against Tsuruya, win or lose.

Other potential options include No. 15-ranked Bruno Silva, who battles Edgar Chairez next weekend at UFC Vegas 118, and No. 14-ranked Charles Johnson, who takes on No. 8-ranked Asu Almabayev at UFC Baku in late June. Both of those matchups would be very interesting for Tsuruya, so we’ll see what the UFC matchmakers have in store for their prized flyweight prospect in his next fight inside the Octagon.