Kim Kyung-pyo suffers first-round TKO loss to Kazakh fighter at Rizin 55

Referee stops bout after pounding; Aoki Shinya's retirement fight confirmed

Kim Kyung-pyo competes in a Road to UFC bout. [UFC]

South Korean MMA lightweight contender Kim Kyung-pyo, known by the nickname "Red Horse," saw his winning momentum halted with a first-round TKO defeat on the Rizin stage in Japan.

Kim lost to Nurkhan Zhumagazy of Kazakhstan by TKO at 3 minutes 34 seconds of the first round in the lightweight (71 kilograms) bout at Rizin 55, held Sunday at LaLa Arena Tokyo Bay in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture.

Kim had gone 4-1 in Rizin heading into the fight, finishing all four victories — including a TKO win over Yachi Yusuke in March — as he pushed for a spot among the division's elite. The defeat dropped his Rizin record to 4-2 and his overall MMA record to 15-6.

Kim came out aggressively in the early going, pressing Zhumagazy with takedown attempts and successfully executing a single-leg takedown after cornering his opponent. He also mixed in high kicks, straight punches and mid-kicks.

The momentum shifted when Zhumagazy lifted and threw Kim in a clinch exchange. Pinned near the ropes, Kim absorbed a series of right-hand ground punches before the referee stepped in to stop the contest.

Zhumagazy, who extended his winning streak to three, improved his record to 12-1. After the fight, he made clear his ambitions for a title shot. "I am ready to become champion anytime, anywhere," he said. "Give me the opportunity."

Japanese MMA legend Aoki Shinya. [Getty Images]

Meanwhile, the same event saw the announcement of a retirement bout for Japanese MMA veteran Aoki Shinya, 43. Aoki will fight Sakuraba Taisei, 27 — the son of MMA legend Sakuraba Kazushi — in his final MMA appearance at Super Rizin 6, scheduled for Dec. 31 at Bantelin Dome Nagoya.

Aoki defeated Sakuraba Kazushi by TKO at Rizin's inaugural event in 2015. He will now face the son 11 years later to close out his career as a fighter.

The event was also marred by a medical incident involving Japanese fighter Sekihara Sho, 33, who has a history of acute subdural hematoma. Sekihara was carried out on a stretcher and taken to hospital after losing to Hamada Takumi by TKO at 4 minutes 56 seconds of the third round, having been lifted and slammed to the mat before absorbing consecutive ground punches.

yjc@heraldcorp.com