{"id":34217,"date":"2021-09-11T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-11T07:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/?p=34217"},"modified":"2021-09-11T07:00:54","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T07:00:54","slug":"results-and-highlights-nakatani-breaks-acostas-nose-retains-wbo-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mmaexchange.com\/?p=34217","title":{"rendered":"Results and highlights: Nakatani breaks Acosta\u2019s nose, retains WBO title"},"content":{"rendered":"
Photo by Mikey Williams\/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Junto Nakatani successfully defended his belt, and Top Rank\u2019s parade of prospects all picked up wins.<\/p>\n

Junto Nakatani made a successful first defense of his WBO flyweight title tonight in Tucson, Ariz., stopping former junior flyweight titlist Angel Acosta in the fourth round because of a broken nose.<\/p>\n

Acosta (22-3, 21 KO) pretty clearly got his nose broken in the opening round. The nose bled a lot<\/em>, and with blood loss like that, plus the fact that the heat is brutal outdoors in Tucson tonight, and maybe the specific commission rules, referee Rocky Burke made it quite clear from the second round that the fight could be stopped if the nose didn\u2019t improve.<\/p>\n

As the ringside physician made quite clear, the nose had no chance of being improved so long as Nakatani (22-0, 17 KO) kept punching him in the face, which Nakatani did. And the nose did not improve. They gave Acosta chances, and in typical Acosta fashion he threw some shots and tried to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but Nakatani was out-boxing him and landing the better shots, too. The fight wound up stopped early in the fourth round.<\/p>\n

\u201cI caught him in the first round right in the nose, and I was able to use my pace to fight him, so that worked out really well,\u201d Nakatani said through an interpreter. \u201cWhen they first checked his nose, I knew (it was broken).\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if he felt he sent a message in his U.S. debut, Nakatani said, \u201cI think so. Everybody here was excited and I thought it was a good win. At least I thought it was. I noticed he was very aggressive, so I focused on that and fought him the way I should.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to unify the titles,\u201d Nakatani said, making plain what he wants to do next.<\/p>\n

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The MASSIVE left hand from Junto Nakatani that got the blood flowing out of Acosta\u2019s nose. #ValdezConceicao<\/a> | Undercard on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com\/B5zEIz2Q0n<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) September 11, 2021<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Prelims<\/h1>\n