Closing out 2023 for the MMA world, RIZIN 45 went down on New Year’s Eve (local time in Japan) at the Saitama Super Arena.
The promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve super-show was headlined by a flyweight title fight, as Kyoji Horiguchi, a former Bellator MMA and RIZIN bantamweight champ and UFC flyweight title challenger, looked to claim more gold against Makoto Shinryu.
The pair had first met earlier this year, when an accidental eye poke had left Shinryu unable to continue, resulting in a No Contest.
In the night’s co-feature, Juan Archuleta had been set to defend his bantamweight title against Kai Asakura. But after badly missing weight, Archuleta was stripped of the belt, leaving only Asakura eligible to win gold. Under RIZIN rules, should Archuleta win, the bout would be declared a No Contest.
Additional standout match-ups at RIZIN 45 included John Dodson taking on TUF alum Hiromasa Ougikubo, a fight that could set Dodson, the current BKFC flyweight champ, up for a future title shot. And in the women’s super atomweight division, 49-year old former wrestling star Miyuu Yamamoto entered the final fight of her career in a non-title bout with Seika Izawa.
Where to Watch RIZIN 45
RIZIN 45 takes place Sunday, December 31, 2023 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, just outside Tokyo. The event is available to stream globally via Fite.tv. Full results from the card, which gets underway at 12AM ET on the 31st, can be found below.
RIZIN 45 Results
Main Card
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Makoto Shinryu by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2 — for the vacant RIZIN flyweight championship
Kai Asakura def. Juan Archuleta by TKO (knee and punches), Round 2 — for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight championship. Due to Archuleta missing weight and being stripped of the belt, only Asakura eligible to win the title
Kleber Koike def. Yutaka Saito by technical submission (d’arce choke), Round 3
Ren Hiramoto def. Ren Sugiyama by unanimous decision
Intermission
Seika Izawa def. Miyuu Yamamoto by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 0:37
Mikio Ueda def. Tsuyoshi Sudario by TKO (head kick and punches), Round 2, 0:55
Hiromasa Ougikubo def. John Dodson by unanimous decision
Vince Morales def. Yuki Motoya by unanimous decision
Shinobu Ota def. Ryusei Ashizawa by KO, Round 1, 2:21
Intermission
Koji “KOUZI” Tanaka def. Kota Miura by TKO (soccer kicks), Round 2, 0:59
Igor Tanabe def. Shinso Anzai by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1
Hiroya Kondo def. Jo Arai by TKO (head kick and punches), Round 2, 2:53
Yuta Kubo def. Rukiya Anpo by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:28
Preliminary Card
Suguru Nii def. Satoshi Yamasu by KO (punch), Round 2, 1:03
Tatsuki Shinotsuka def. Daichi Tomizawa by unanimous decision — kickboxing
Ryujin Nasukawa def. Jung Min Shin by TKO, Round 2, 2:16
Joe Hiramoto def. Yushi Sakura by unanimous decision
