Former UFC welterweight Kuniyoshi Hironaka (13-6) knocked out Yoshihiro Koyama (10-2-1) at 4:27 of round one to earn the vacant Cage Force lightweight title at Cage Force 12 in Tokyo Saturday. Featherweight Wataru Miki (14-7-3) submitted Tomonori Taniguchi (2-6) in a rear naked choke at 4:36 of round three. Lightweight Yasunori Kanehara (1-4-1) TKO'd “KG Shinto” Hiroki Kuga (1-1) in 55 seconds. ...

Former UFC welterweight Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-6) and Yoshihiro Koyama (10-1-1) will contest for the Cage Force lightweight title at Cage Force 12 in Tokyo 12 September, Cage Force announced Sunday. Cage Force is Japan's first cage-based MMA promotion and considered a UFC-qualifying promotion for Japanese fighters. Current UFC talents who entered the Octagon after stints in Cage Force include "Thunder" Yushin Okami (23-4), "Outlaw" Dan Hardy (22-6), and "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-3). That trio alone holds a 12-2 record in the Octagon. Hironaka fared less well with a 1-3 UFC record, but is riding a two-fight winning streak into the title fight. He TKO'd puroresu's Katsuhiko Nagata (4-4) at Cage Force 11 in Tokyo 27 June. ...