UFC Vegas 68 will witness a debut on the main card. The event features two veteran heavyweights, Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak as the headliner. However, the main card will kick off with a bout between Adam Fugitt and Yusaku Kinoshita. For the latter, it will be the first UFC fight of his career. But, the most impressive aspect of Yusaku, is his age.
Born on August 21, 2000, Yusaku Kinoshita is only 22 years of age. However, at such a young age, Kinoshita has a pro-MMA record of 6-1. His only loss was against Ryuichiro Sumimura in November 2021. But, the loss happened due to excessive fence-grabbing from Kinoshita in the fight. He took on Jose Henrique Souza at DWCS in August 2022.
Yusaku Kinoshita will fight Adam Fugitt at #UFCSeoul on February 4th. (first rep. @mma_kings) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 pic.twitter.com/V8oJ8v3IHA
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) October 31, 2022
He knocked out Souza in the third round in what was an amazing fight. As a result, the UFC President handed him the contract to fight in the company. Recently, the fans saw Jamahal Hill, an ex-contender series fight, becoming a UFC champ. Although Yusaku Kinoshita is very young, he does seem like a bright prospect in the welterweight division.
Adam Fugitt, on the other hand, made his UFC debut at UFC 277. He lost his bout to Michael Morales via a third-round KO. So he will definitely have the hunger to get back in the winning column at the event. So who wins between the two relatively new faces in the company? Let’s find out.
UFC Vegas 68: Yusaku Kinoshita vs Adam Fugitt, Stats
| Stats | Yusaku Kinoshita | Adam Fugitt |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 6 | 8 |
| Losses | 1 | 3 |
| Height | 1.83 m | 1.85 m |
| Division | Welterweight | Welterweight |
| Reach | 181.6 cm | 195.6 cm |
| Age | 22 | 34 |
Kinoshita vs Fugitt: Fight Breakdown
Adam Fugitt has a career record of 8-3. Amongst his wins, 7 have come via finishes. He had 4 knockout wins and 3 submissions. In comparison, all 6 of Yusaku Kinoshita’s wins have come via stoppage. With 4 KOs and 2 submissions, the Japanese fighter has a 100% finishing rate. So the bout, this weekend, promises to light up the Octagon.
As per UFC stats, Adam averages 5.74 strikes per minute. Fugitt also has a takedown average of 1.35 per fight. However, with 45% strike defense, he also absorbs 7.44 strikes per minute. Yusaku Kinoshita, on the other hand, only absorbs 3.45 strikes per minute. Kinoshita also has a 5.79% striking accuracy with 5.79 strikes per minute.
So it does appear that the 22-year-old is the better fighter. However, Adam Fugitt is much taller and has a significant height and reach advantage. On top of that, Adam also has more cage experience than his opponent. So the question is, will the fresher fighter trump the seasoned one?
The key to victory for Yusaku Kinoshita is to close the gap as soon as possible. He can not afford to let Fugitt get comfortable inside the Octagon. Kinoshita also needs to put a great amount of pressure from the very beginning and take advantage of his better gas tank. If he can, Yusaku Kinoshita will definitely get off to a winning start in the UFC. Otherwise, Adam Fugitt will win his first UFC fight this weekend.
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