A 21-year-old MMA fighter was DQ'd for holding the cage while repeatedly stomping on his opponent's head

• Yusaku Kinoshita almost scored the fifth MMA win of his career at a Rizin FF event.
• The 21-year-old stomped his opponent's head, but was disqualified for grabbing the fence.

A 21-year-old fighter called Yusaku Kinoshita almost won an MMA match in Japan after repeatedly stomping on his opponent's head during a Rizin FF event Sunday at the Kobe World Memorial Hall.

Kinoshita and compatriot Ryuichiro Sumimura, both welterweights, fought the 11th fight of the 14-bout card, with Sumimura winning by disqualification.

Kinoshita was not thrown out of the match because of the merciless stomping but, rather, holding on to the fence of the cage while doing so.

Foot stomps — perfectly legal. Fence-holding — illegal.

It's a strange ruleset that would not fly in other combat sports organizations around the world, yet Rizin — led by businessman Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who founded Pride before it was sold to the UFC in 2007 — is different.

So much different that foot stomps and soccer kicks to the head of a downed opponent are completely fine.

See the brutal finish in the Kinoshita vs. Sumimura fight right here:

—ᴊᴀᴋᴇ (@jakeshredz420) November 28, 2021

Here's another angle:

—Clay From Uncle Joey MMA (@UncleJoeyMMA) November 28, 2021

The official Rizin social media account tweeted shortly after the result that Kinoshita's win was "absolutely brutal," and that the youngster "moves to 5-0 after a devastating knockout victory over Sumimura."

—RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 28, 2021

However, it later transpired that Sumimura prevailed via disqualification. Kinoshita had lost.

The defeat saw Kinoshita's pro MMA record retreat to four wins (two knockouts and two submissions) against one DQ loss. But the manner in which he lost will likely gain him as many fans as if he had been awarded the win, regardless.

Later that night, Kyohei Hagiwara defeated Shoji Maruyama as a particularly violent soccer kick to the head prompted a referee stoppage in the first round.

—ᴊᴀᴋᴇ (@jakeshredz420) November 28, 2021

It was not the only soccer kick of the evening, as Mamoru Uoi beat Hiroki Yamashita in the first round with a similar strike.