UFC Fight Night 52 results: Kyung Ho Kang takes split from Michinori Tanaka in thriller

SAITAMA, Japan – Michinori Tanaka got things started right out of the gate with Kyung Ho Kang – and neither fighter let up.

In a fight that was filled with back-and-forth scrambles and reversals on the ground, Kang (13-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC) notched a split-decision win over Tanaka (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to hand the Japanese fighter his first loss.

The bantamweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 52 card at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Kang pushed forward and landed a big right hand right out of the gate. Seconds later, he landed a big knee and Tanaka was on the canvas. Kang quickly took the home country favorite’s back and locked up a tight body triangle to start looking for a rear-naked choke. He struggled to get his arm under the chin, but worked it as a neck crank instead. Tanaka fought the submission, then rolled out of it and back to his feet, where he wanted a takedown. But Kang took his back again. But in another reversal, Tanaka got out and looked for a choke of his own. But Kang got up and wound up on top as Tanaka pulled guard. With 30 seconds left, Kang had a perfect transition on the ground to again take Tanaka’s back to seal up the round.

A right hand was on the mark for Kang early in the second, and he tried to chase a circling Tanaka down to land more. He landed another right and put Tanaka on the canvas, then followed it with a right kick and a right hand. A minute in, Kang’s success on the feet led Tanaka to a needed takedown. But from his back, Kang went after a kimura and had it deep. Tanaka rolled with it, which let Kang get on top in mount. Kang let off the arm, and as Tanaka rolled, Kang had a brief body lock before Tanaka reversed in a scramble to get to half-guard. Another scramble had Tanaka literally being held in the air for a moment by Kang’s feet before he got to mount, then took Kang’s back. He landed some heavy punches and elbows as Kang tried to survive. He did to get to the third as Tanaka appeared to even things up.

Kang worked kicks early in the third. A minute in, a few punches landed as Tanaka struggled to get things going. But Tanaka jumped on an opportunity for a takedown as Kang threw another kick, and then went to work on the ground. After getting to his feet, Kang was able to take Tanaka’s back as the fight hit the canvas once more. But another brilliant Tanaka scramble had him out and the momentum changing. With 90 seconds left, Tanaka caught Kang with a right. But another Tanaka takedown attempt was stifled by Kang before yet another scramble back to the feet. Tanaka went for broke with 30 seconds left, but Kang took his back – only to again have Tanaka scramble out.

When the fight was over, it was Kang who had a pair of 29-28s from the judges, with Tanaka getting the dissenting opinion from the third judge.

Kang, from South Korea, won for the second straight time. Tanaka suffered the first loss of his professional career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 52 results include:

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(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Japan.)