Toshiomi Kazama was 'walking a dark cave' prior to career-saving UFC on ESPN 61 comeback win

LAS VEGAS – Toshiomi Kazama knew he needed to win at UFC on ESPN 61 to save his future with the promotion, and he did just that with a Performance of the Night comeback win.

Just when it looked like Kazama (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) was on the cusp of a third consecutive defeat to begin his octagon tenure against Charalampos Grigoriou (8-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, he staged a thrilling comeback to finish the fight by triangle choke in the second round of the bantamweight bout.

For Kazama, the joy of victory is overshadowed by the evaporation of stress, knowing that if he had lost, this could’ve been his final UFC fight.

“I feel relieved,” Kazama told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter post-fight at UFC on ESPN 61. “Of course, I’m happy, but I’m relieved. That’s a much more bigger feeling than being happy. … With all these losing fights, I felt like I was walking a dark cave for a while. In this fight, of course, the situation wasn’t that good. But still, I was able to win.”

After getting dropped and nearly finished by Grigoriou’s strikes, Kazama said he knew he had to keep his composure. He did just that, holding on and avoiding damage as best he could while his opponent tired himself out throwing strikes.

That’s when Kazama repositioned his legs and slapped on a triangle choke which forced Grigoriou to tap out. As a result, Kazama got his first UFC win in dramatic fashion, and the extra $50,000 bonus that came along with it.

“I heard all the voices from the cornerman, so I knew my opportunity would come,” Kazama said about the comeback. “Once that came, I wanted to finish him with my BJJ skills, and I was able to do that. So this was a very good win.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.