Rei TsuruyaW vs. Kevin Borjas
UFC Fight Night · August 29, 2026 · SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center · Prelims 3:00 AM ET
The brief
- The result
- Rei Tsuruya by Submission (rear-naked choke), R1
- What kind of fight
- Grappler vs. Puncher
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Tsuruya -566 · Borjas +460Consensus (multiple sportsbooks)
- The stakes
- Flyweight · Prelims
The result
Rei Tsuruya def. Kevin Borjas — Submission (rear-naked choke), R1 4:14
Rei Tsuruya swarmed Kevin Borjas from the opening bell, taking him down and working ground and pound before Borjas briefly escaped to his feet.
Tsuruya took him right back down, secured back control, and finished with a rear-naked choke at 4:14 of round one.
It's Tsuruya's second straight submission win and a third loss in his last four outings for Borjas.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Tsuruya's submission rate — five finishes in eleven wins — makes him a live threat any time this hits the floor, and he has shown he can absorb power in the past.
Borjas has real one-punch pop and has ended fights early when he lands clean, so the opening exchanges matter enormously here.
Lean Tsuruya to get this to the mat and find a finish, with a Borjas knockout the live alternate outcome if it stays standing.
The matchup
Tsuruya's grappling and submission instincts are the clearest path to victory against a flyweight who has stopped eight of his eleven wins by knockout.
Borjas wants this fight standing and in phone-booth range, where his power has bailed him out before, while Tsuruya will look to close distance and get to the mat as quickly as possible.
Whoever imposes their preferred range first has a real edge.
Tale of the tape
| 11-1-0 | Record | 11-5-0 |
| 24 | Age | 28 |
| 5'6" | Height | 5'5" |
| 68" | Reach | 68" |
| — | Stance | — |
| Japan | Country | Peru |
| THE BLACKBELT JAPAN | Team | Pitbull Martial Arts Center |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Rei Tsuruya 11-1-0
Rei Tsuruya is a flyweight out of Chiba, Japan with five of his eleven career wins coming by submission. His only professional loss was a decision to Joshua Van at UFC 313 in March 2025, and he answered it by choking out Luis Gurule in May 2026. He makes his return to the region against Peruvian prospect Kevin Borjas.
- WLuis Gurule · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC Fight Night: Song vs. Figueiredo · May 30, 2026
- LJoshua Van · Decision (unanimous)UFC 313 · March 8, 2025
- WCarlos Hernandez · Decision (unanimous)UFC 303 · June 29, 2024
Kevin Borjas 11-5-0
“El Gallo Negro”
Kevin Borjas, 'El Gallo Negro,' is a heavy-handed Peruvian flyweight out of Pitbull Martial Arts Center known for looking to end fights early. He won a unanimous decision over Andre Lima in June 2026 despite missing weight, handing Lima his first professional loss. He now travels to Shanghai to face Rei Tsuruya.
- WAndre Lima · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Horiguchi 2 · June 20, 2026