UFC 144 Results: Vaughan Lee Submits Kid Yamamoto

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Kid Yamamoto loses in his return to Japan.

Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto is one of the most popular fighters in the history of Japanese mixed martial arts, but at UFC 144 he was beaten in his homeland by Vaughan Lee.

It was a sensational fight that lasted just four minutes, 29 seconds: Yamamoto looked like the Kid of old at times, throwing hard power punches and moving around the Octagon quickly. But Lee did a great job of blocking most of Yamamoto's bombs, and once the fight went to the ground it was Lee's time to shine.

Lee initially tried to submit Yamamoto with a triangle choke, but when he couldn't lock that up, he beautifully transitioned into an arm bar that forced Yamamoto to tap.

More Coverage: UFC 144 Results | Lee vs. Yamamoto Live Blog

"It's a dream come true," Lee said. "Being in the UFC is a dream come true. Fighting in Japan, fighting one of my favorite fighters of all time, Kid Yamamoto, a legend, I'm just the happiest person in the world right now."

The win improves Lee's record to 12-7-1. Yamamoto falls to 18-7-1, and he has now lost five of his last six. Yamamoto is one of the all-time greats, but he may be just about done.

"All I can say is I am disappointed," Yamamoto said. "I really, really wanted to win in Japan."