Debuting UFC prospect Rei Tsuruya has taken the road less traveled to the UFC. While Dana White‘s Contender Series, and ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ are two of the most well-known pipelines to the UFC, there is another contender on the scene. Tsuruya was the winner of season 2 of ‘Road to the UFC’ earlier this year, which is a reality show similar to the UFC, whose winners are given a UFC contract.

The undefeated flyweight is coming into the UFC with a world-class wrestling pedigree, having been a Junior Olympian in wrestling (where he placed second), and having represented Japan in the World Championship. Ahead of his UFC 303 clash against fellow prospect Carlos Hernandez in a flyweight bout on June 29, we take a look at Tsuruya’s gym, coaches, and what will make his UFC debut even more special.

Rei Tsuruya’s gym, coaches, and teammates

Rei Tsuruya came to mixed martial arts relatively late. The 22-year-old, according to his Q&A section on his profile on the UFC website, started training MMA three years ago in 2021, because he wanted to become Japan’s first UFC champion. And the upcoming Japanese UFC prospect has been sharpening his skills at the storied Paraestra Matsudo gym in Chiba, Japan.

The gym is part of the Paraestra chain of martial arts gyms in Japan, founded by the legendary Yuki Nakai. The Chiba Paraestra branch is considered one of the best mixed martial arts gyms in all of Japan and is the stomping grounds of the likes of former ONE strawweight champion Yoshitaka ‘Nobita’ Naito.

While it is currently unknown who Tsuruya’s head coach is, according to the Tapology profile page of the Paraestra Matsudo branch, the gym is coached by Hiromasa Ogikubo, Yoshihiro Koyama, and Hiroaki Okonogi. This is why not much could be said for certainty about his corner members for UFC 303; except for one surprising exception: WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura.

Shinsuke Nakamura’s connection to MMA

In an unexpected turn of events, UFC Japan has announced that one of the most well-known combat sports athletes will accompany Rei Tsuruya to the octagon. On the latter’s promotional debut at UFC 303, he will be joined by Japanese WWE superstar and former two-time NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura. The Kyoto-born pro wrestler will be in Tsuruya’s corner for his fellow Japanese compatriot’s first foray into combat sport’s biggest stage.

The reason behind why Nakamura is doing this is also currently unknown. Some fans have speculated that the two may have a prior relationship since Nakamura does have a (short) MMA background. Nakamura fought under the Unified Rules on five occasions, managing three wins, a loss, and a no-contest. It is possible the two may have met in a gym, at an event, or through mutual friends some time ago and developed a relationship. On the other hand, some fans feel this is just a purely marketing move since both come from Japan.

This inter-promotional publicity stunt is also possible because the UFC and the WWE are part of the same parent company (the TKO group) at the moment. And this is a great opportunity for cross-promotion, which will work well for everyone involved. On his UFC debut, Tsuruya would make some headlines and get some much-needed hype and visibility, especially among Japanese fans.

Nakamura, too will get exposure to a new albeit adjacent fanbase to the WWE. What are your predictions for UFC 303? Let us know in the comments.