Now, with “The Fearless” having already successfully defended his title against Tsuruya’s compatriot Tatsuro Taira earlier this month to solidify his place atop the division, the returning 23-year-old is hoping to add his name to the growing list of promising young talents currently making waves in the 125-pound weight class.
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“Obviously, I didn’t know much about Joshua Van back then with the short-notice fight, but things have changed,” said Tsuruya, who earned his place on the UFC roster by winning the flyweight tournament on Season 2 of Road to UFC before collecting a unanimous decision win over Carlos Hernandez in his promotional debut. “I feel like I don’t want to be left (behind) — I want to catch up with all those top-flight contenders.
“There are a lot of new guys coming in too, so I want to get on that ride,” added Tsuruya, who is the youngest fighter in the division, having just turned 23 back in March; Van is the second youngest and turns 25 in October. “A lot of ranking changes every week as well. I hope I can be one of those rankers and contenders.”
The first step towards joining the collection of ascending names and emerging contenders that includes Lone’er Kavanagh, Jose Ochoa, Alden Coria, and Dana White’s Contender Series grad Imanol Rodriguez comes this weekend in Macau, where Tsuruya aims to spoil what could be a cool little moment for Gurule.
