Ariel Helwani reacts to WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura joining Rei Tsuruya's corner for his UFC 303 fight: "Walk out to the song now too"
News recently broke that WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura will be a part of MMA fighter Rei Tsuruya's corner team at UFC 303. The event will take place on June 29 during International Fight Week and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada will serve as the venue.
Tusurya currently has a 9-0 professional record. The 22-year-old was a part of the Road to UFC tournament. He defeated Jiniushiyue via ground-and-pound in the first round to win the tournament.
Nakamura himself is a former MMA fighter who has five professional fights on his record. The WWE superstar won three of those encounters, lost one and the remaining fight ended in a no-contest.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reacted to the news excitedly and suggested that the 22-year-old walk out to Nakamura's WWE theme song come June 29. He wrote on X:
"That's great. [Rei Tsuruya] gotta walk out to the song now too..."
Tsuruya will compete in the early prelims of the UFC 303 card and will lock horns with Carlos Hernandez in a flyweight bout.
Hernandez is currently going through a rough patch as he has failed to secure a win in two of his last three outings. The 30-year-old was last seen in action in December 2023 when he went up against Tatsuro Taira. The Chicago native lost the bout via second-round TKO.
It will be interesting to see whether Tsuruya will continue his undefeated run or if Hernandez turn things around and return to winning ways at UFC 303.
Apart from Rei Tsuruya, which fighters are competing at UFC 303?
UFC 303 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a thrilling clash between Michael Chandler and Irish superstar Conor McGregor. Unfortunately, McGregor suffered an injury which resulted in the fight being canceled.
Now, a light heavyweight title scrap between Jiri Prochazka and champion Alex Pereira will headline the card. The fight will be a rematch as the two first competed at UFC 295. 'Poatan' scored a second-round TKO that night to win the belt.
The co-main event will feature an exciting featherweight showdown between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes.
Apart from that, prominent fighters like Anthony Smith, Roman Dolidze, Ian Machado Garry and Michael Page will also compete on the main card of UFC 303. Fighters competing in the prelims will include Rei Tsuruya, Joe Pyfer, Cub Swanson and Charles Jourdain.