Newcomer surprises at Sengoku 5 Middleweight Grand Prix

Sengoku 5 took place on Sunday in Saitama, Japan, where the first round of the Middleweight Grand Prix took place and a Team Quest newcomer surprised veteran fighter Travis Wiuff.

Yuki Sasaki, Siyar Bahadurzada, Jorge Santiago, and Kazuhiro Nakamura all made it through the opening round of the grand prix. The four will now square off in the semi-final round that will narrow down to the final to crown a Grand Prix champion.

Newcomer Muhammed Lawal opened some eyes on Sunday as he finished UFC and Pride veteran Travis Wiuff by way of TKO in the opening round. It was Lawal's first professional bout compared to Wiuff's more than 60 fights.

Jiu-jitsu ace Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro also made an impressive MMA debut, finishing Takashi Sugiura by TKO in the third round, while Strikeforce veteran Jorge Masvidal finished IFL veteran Ryan Schultz, also by TKO, in the opening round of their bout.

• Muhammed Lawal def. Travis Wiuff by TKO, R1, 2:11 • Alexandre "Xande" Ribeiro def. Takashi Sugiura by TKO, R3, 4:18 • Jorge Masvidal def. Ryan Schultz by TKO, R1, 1:57• Kiuma Kunioku def. A Sol Kwon by Unanimous Decision

Middleweight Grand Prix 1st Round:• Yuki Sasaki def. Yuki Kondo by Submission (Rear Naked Choke), R2, 1:08• Siyar Bahadurzada def. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos by TKO (Injury), R1, 0:22• Jorge Santiago def. Logan Clark by Submission (Arm Triangle Choke), R1, 3:35• Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Paul Cahoon by Unanimous Decision