Verdejo vs Nakatani

Who won Verdejo vs Nakatani?

Masayoshi Nakatani beat Felix Verdejo by technical knockout in the 9th round on Saturday, December 12th, 2020, at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 10 rounds in the Lightweight division, which meant the weight limit was 135 pounds (9.6 stone or 61.2 kg).

This fight appeared on the undercard of Shakur Stevenson beating Toka Kahn Clary. Also on the undercard Edgar Berlanga beat Ulises Sierra.

Verdejo vs Nakatani stats

Back in December 2020, Felix Verdejo stepped into the ring with a record of 27 wins, 1 loss, and 0 draws, 17 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Masayoshi Nakatani made his way to the ring with a record of 18 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws, with 12 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Nakatani had a slight advantage in power over Verdejo, with a 67% knockout percentage compared to Verdejo's 63%.

Felix Verdejo was the younger man by 4 years, at 28 years old.

Nakatani had a height advantage of 3 inches over Verdejo. Despite this, he had a 1-inch reach advantage.

Both Felix Verdejo and Masayoshi Nakatani fought out of an orthodox stance.

Verdejo was arguably the less experienced fighter, having had 9 more fights, and made his debut in 2012, 1 year and 5 months later than Nakatani, whose first professional fight was in 2011. He had fought 12 fewer professional rounds, totaling 144 compared to Nakatani's 156.

Felix Verdejo went into the fight ranked number 15 by the WBC, 11 by the WBO, and 5 by the IBF at lightweight.

Masayoshi Nakatani was ranked number 14 by the WBO in the 135lb division.

Verdejo vs Nakatani form

Verdejo had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 2 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Will Madera on July 16, 2020, by technical knockout in the 1st round at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada, United States.

Prior to that, he had defeated Manuel Rey Rojas on January 18, 2020, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, New York.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Bryan Vasquez on April 20, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Madison Square Garden, New York.

Before that, he had won against Oliver Flores on February 3, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico.

He had beaten Juan Jose Martinez on June 11, 2016, by technical knockout in the 5th round at Madison Square Garden, New York, United States.

Nakatani had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 3 of them, going the distance once.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had lost to Teofimo Lopez on July 19, 2019, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Lightweight eliminator fight at MGM National Harbor, Maryland, United States.

Prior to that, he had defeated Izuki Tomioka on July 29, 2018, by technical knockout in the 11th round at EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

Going into that contest, he had won against Amphon Suriyo on February 24, 2018, by knockout in the 6th round at EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka.

Before that, he had defeated Ryan Sermona on September 3, 2017, by technical knockout in the 4th round at Shimazu Arena, Kyoto.

He had beaten Krai Setthaphon on April 9, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at EDION Arena Osaka, Osaka.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Masayoshi Nakatani had been fighting more than Felix Verdejo.

Going into this contest, Felix Verdejo had last fought 4 months and 26 days ago, while Masayoshi Nakatani's last outing had been 1 year, 4 months and 23 days ago.

Verdejo's last 5 fights had come over a period of 4 years, 6 months and 1 day, which means he had been fighting approximately every 10 months and 25 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 36 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 7.2 rounds on average.

Nakatani's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 8 months and 3 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 25 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 45 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9 rounds on average.

What time did Verdejo vs Nakatani start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada, United States, which was around 2:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Verdejo vs Nakatani?

Verdejo vs Nakatani was broadcast on ESPN in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by Premier Sports.

What were the odds on Verdejo vs Nakatani?

Felix Verdejo was a 1/5 (-500) favorite going into the contest, while Masayoshi Nakatani made his way into the ring at 3/1 (+300) with oddsmakers.