The cross-promotional showdown between Bellator MMA and RIZIN Fighting Federation this New Year’s Eve has added another fight to its line-up.
In a press release on Friday, Bellator officials announced that Gadzhi Rabadanov, representing the American fight promotion, would take on Japan’s Koji Takeda at the event. Takeda, of course, will be representing RIZIN in the match-up.
Rabadanov (18-4-2), 29, is a former Eagle FC lightweight champion who signed on with Bellator last year. He’s won his first three fights with the promotion, most recently capturing a unanimous decision win over Bobby King.
The Russian lightweight has won four straight overall, and has just one loss since 2016.
Takeda (15-3) is a former DEEP lightweight champ who turned pro in 2017. He’s won two straight against American’s Johnny Case and Zach Zane. Takeda has also shared the cage/ring with the likes of Spike Carlyle, Yusuke Yachi, and Damien Brown.
The Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN card takes place on December 31, 2022 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, located just outside Tokyo. The following match-ups have been announced for the event thus far:
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Kleber Koike
- Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo
- Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
