UFC prospect ‘really glad to be alive’ after scary knockout loss

Toshiomi Kazama is glad to be alive after a brutal knockout loss at this past Saturday’s UFC event in Las Vegas.

Japan’s Kazama was back in action on the undercard, taking Elijah Smith in the bantamweight division. A little more than four minutes into the first round, he was slammed on his head. The impact of his head hitting the canvas knocked him out cold, but Smith then hammered him two more times with punches. It was an utterly brutal knockout, and it took him several minutes to recover.

Luckily, Kazama did eventually regain consciousness, and he was then rushed to a nearby hospital. At the hospital, he underwent a CT scan, and was released afterwards. UFC commentator Karyn Bryan announced the good news later on the broadcast.

“Our medical staff took every precaution while Kazama was still in the Octagon due to the possible severity of the injuries he could have sustained being slammed,” Bryant said (via MMA Mania). “I spoke to Dr. Jeffrey Davidson. He told me CT scans of Kazama’s head, face, and neck all came back negative. He will be discharged momentarily.”

After being discharged from the hospital, Kazama made a stop at Five Guys. He then posted on social media for the first time since he left the Octagon.

敗北のFive guys🍔

とりあえず本当に生きてて良かったよ、、、 pic.twitter.com/j2DvK1vs5F

— 中田大貴 Hirotaka ISA Nakada (@Hirotaka_MMA) August 10, 2025

“Defeat at Five Guys,” the Japanese fighter wrote in his own language. “For now, I’m just really glad to be alive.”

UFC credited for ‘wonderful response’ to Kazama KO

Kazama’s frightening UFC loss comes just days after a pair of Japanese boxers, Hiromasa Urakawa and Shigetoshi Kotari, died from brain injuries they suffered at the same event in Tokyo.

After Saturday’s UFC card, Kazama’s coach and training partner commented on those tragedies.

“Currently in the Japanese boxing world, unfortunate accidents are happening one after another,” he posted on X after the fight. “After this match, as soon as he left the ring, [Kazama] was immediately put on a stretcher with an ambulance waiting outside. They went to the hospital for a CT scan and everything was handled very smoothly, protecting the athlete’s life.”

“To put it bluntly, it’s probably a matter of funding differences,” he concluded. “But even so, I thought it was a wonderful response that put the athlete first.”

Kazama’s loss brings him to 1-3 in the UFC. All three of his losses have been first-round knockouts.