Rei Tsuruya VS Luis Gurule

Rei Tsuruya defeated Luis Gurule by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:42 of round one in their bantamweight contest at UFC Macau on May 30, 2026. Tsuruya stunned Gurule with a long strike early, then transitioned cleanly to grappling, climbing onto his opponent's back and locking in the choke while pulling Gurule to the canvas to draw the tap. The win was a pointed return for the 23-year-old Japanese fighter — a Road to UFC Season 2 tournament winner who had been sidelined for over a year — and showcased the grappling fluency that made him a prospect to watch at bantamweight. Gurule stepped in as a short-notice replacement for the originally scheduled Jesús Santos Aguilar, making it his second Octagon appearance in under two weeks.

Rei Tsuruya, the 23-year-old Japanese grappling prodigy with ADCC junior and youth sambo credentials, returns from his first pro loss — a decision defeat to flyweight champion Joshua Van — to face Luis Gurule, who stepped up on short notice and enters on the momentum of his first UFC win just two weeks prior. The bout shifts to bantamweight, potentially blunting Tsuruya's grappling leverage while rewarding Gurule's physical pressure style.