Who is Yamato Nishikawa, the 19-year-old Japanese MMA fighter signed by the UFC?

Japanese mixed martial artist Yamato Nishikawa has been signed by the UFC and is set to debut at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.

Nishikawa replaced Jamie Mullarkey in his matchup against Magomed Mustafaev and will face the veteran in a lightweight bout. Mustafaev last fought and lost to Brad Riddell at Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker in 2020.

Although Nishikawa is just 19 years of age, he has a wealth of experience. He has 30 professional bouts under his belt for various promotions such as Shooto, P4P FC, and Grachan among others.

Fighting professionally since 2016 at the tender age of 13, Nishikawa has 21 wins, three losses, and six draws to his name. The youngster has a high finish rate of 86% with 14 of his wins coming via knockout and four more via submission.

Nishikawa has headlined multiple main events, check out the highlights of his submission win over Nobumitsu Tyson:

Nishikawa's signing by the UFC comes on the back of an incredible 14-fight win streak and the he will look to make an impression on the fanbase early on. With the MMA world's attention on UFC 280's championship fights, the event will gain major traction from fans and a good performance could quickly set the tone for Nishikawa's time in the promotion.

Check out Nishikawa exhibiting his ability to control an opponent below:

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Yamato Nishikawa joins Raul Rosas Jr. as second teen on UFC roster

With an eye on the future, the UFC is adding younger talent to the roster. Last month, the promotion grabbed headlines when it signed on 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr., making him the youngest fighter in their history.

Rosas Jr. was called up to Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) after an impressive five finishes in five fights for UWC Mexico. Rosas Jr. put on an impressive performance on his DWCS debut against Mando Gutierrez and earned a contract for his performance.

Dana White praised the youngster as he welcomed him to the promotion:

"Obviously, an incredible fight. This kids so high level for 17-years-old. So many things I love about this kid. For a guy who doesn't have this type of experience yet, at such a big stage, at such a young age. I can't wait to see this what this kid looks like at 22."

Check out White's comments on Instagram:

Yamato Nishikawa is the second-youngest fighter on the current roster at 19-years-old just ahead of 20-year-old Iasmin Lucindo.