On New Years Eve, Japanese kickboxing wunderkind Tenshin Nasukawa had the opportunity to shock the world when he stepped into the RIZIN ring for an exhibition boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Unfortunately for Nasukawa and his legions of dedicated fans, he was soundly defeated by the much larger Mayweather, as he was walloped to a first-round knockout.

Ever since Tenshin Nasukawa’s emphatic setback against Mayweather, which was his first real taste of defeat, the world has waited to see how he’d bounce back.

Last night, in a RISE World Series 58kg tournament quarterfinal kickboxing bout with dangerous Argentinian Federico Roma, Nasukawa gave us our answer.

To say he was in vintage form would be a gargantuan understatement. Moments after striking a classic pose, Nasukawa turned the lights out on his opponent with a flashy cartwheel kick — just the kind of jaw-dropping spectacle he’s become known for.

See it below.

With this victory, Tenshin Nasukawa moves on to the semifinals of the RISE 58kg tournament. He’s also expected to return to the RIZIN Fighting Federation ring — the site of the Floyd Mayweather mugging —at RIZIN 15 on April 21. The opponent for this RIZIN return has not yet been named, though Mayweather has said Nasukawa will battle his star pupil Gervonta Davis. Color us skeptical, but stay tuned for updates on that.

What do you think the future holds for Tenshin Nasukawa after this latest, highlight reel KO victory?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 3/10/2019.