Rei Tsuruya gets a new opponent for his flyweight matchup next week at UFC Macau. The Japanese fighter was supposed to take on Jesús Aguilar. The Mexican fighter is injured and will be replaced by Luis Gurule.
Last weekend in Las Vegas, Luis Gurule snapped his three-fight losing skid by defeating Daniel Bárez via unanimous decision. Multiple sources have confirmed to Heavy.com that he is now fighting Tsuruya on May 30th in Macau.
Rei Tsuruya Looking For His Second UFC Win
Tsuruya fought his way into the UFC by winning the Road to UFC tournament. The talented Japanese fighter went through three opponents to claim a UFC contract. Tsuruya debuted in the UFC on June 29, 2024, against Carlos Hernandez. The Japanese fighter won via unanimous decision.
In his most recent bout, Rei Tsuruya suffered his first career defeat, losing via unanimous decision to Joshua Van. As we now know, Van went on to capture the title just three fights later and is still the reigning champion. Tsuruya was supposed to return in August last year against Nyamjargal Tumendemberel but had to pull out citing an injury. Now he is back and takes on short-notice replacement Luis Gurule.
Finally, That First Win In The Octagon
For Gurule, it is a very quick return in the Octagon. The American fighter won last Saturday for the first time in the Octagon against Daniel Barez. Gurule has had a very tough route so far in the UFC. The talented flyweight got signed in October 2024 by the UFC after a win on the Dana White’s Contender Series against Nick Piccininni. Gurule debuted in the UFC last year in April, where he suffered his first professional loss against Ode’ Osbourne.
After another loss, this time against Jesus Aguilar, Gurule was in desperate need of a win. Earlier this year, he lost to Alden Coria. With three losses in a row, Gurule’s back was against the wall last weekend when he took on Barez. Gurule finally looked like the guy we saw before he signed with the UFC. Gurule was on point and beat Barez via unanimous decision. Riding the momentum, he now takes on Tsuruya.
UFC Macau – Macau (May 30th)
Main Card
- Song Yadong vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
- Zhang Mingyang vs. Alonzo Menifield
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tallison Teixeira
- Kai Asakura vs. Cameron Smotherman
- Jake Matthews vs. Carlston Harris
- Alex Perez vs. Sumudaerji
Preliminary Card
- YiSak Lee vs. Luis Dias
- Ding Meng vs. José Henrique
- Aoriqileng vs. Cody Haddon
- Rei Tsuruya vs. Luis Gurule
- Angela Hill vs. Xiong Jingnan
- Zhu Kangjie vs. Rodrigo Vera
- Loma Lookboonmee vs. Jaqueline Amorim
Rei Tsuruya Gets New Opponent for UFC Macau Next Week