‘Jedi’ Jumeau goes down at UFC Japan

Luke ‘‘Jedi’’ Jumeau’s impressive winning streak has come to an end at the UFC Fight Night in Japan.

Having won his last seven fights going back to 2013, including an entertaining UFC debut in June, Jumeau went into his bout with local fighter Shinsho Anzai full of confidence.

However, the Kiwi welterweight struggled to find his range on his feet and was taken down twice in the second round as Anzai claimed a unanimous decision.

Making his return to the UFC after a two-year absence, Anzai was full of aggression at the Saitama Super Arena and tagged Jumeau with a heavy left hand in the first round. Jumeau came back in the final round but a tiring Anzai held out on top of all three judges’ scorecards (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

After finally earning a call-up to the UFC in Auckland, Jumeau was hoping to use this bout to entrench himself in the world’s premier mixed martial arts organisation.

Having signed a four-fight deal, he will have another chance to prove himself and depending on how his body pulls up, he could return to the octagon in Sydney in November.