Newly crowned RIZIN Fighting Federation featherweight champion Chihiro Suzuki will make the first defense of his title against Masanori Kanehara next May.
The fight, announced during Sunday’s RIZIN 45 broadcast, will take place at RIZIN 47. No other fights have been announced for the card, which is expected to take place at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on May 6, 2024.
Suzuki (12-3) shocked fight fans by scoring what can only be considered an upset win against Vugar Karamov to claim the featherweight title at RIZIN Landmark 7 in Azerbaijan last month. An upkick inside the first two minutes of their title fight helped put the Azerbaijani away, much to the chagrin of the partisan crowd.
Prior to that, he got the better of Bellator double-champ Patricio Pitbull.
Suzuki was on hand at RIZIN 45 at the Saitama Super Arena, and said that while he respects Masanori Kanehara, he intends to retire the veteran.
Kanehara (31-14-5), at 41-years old, is 17 years the elder of Chihiro Suzuki. He’s seen a late career resurgence since exiting the UFC in 2016, winning six of his next seven fights. Activity, or lack thereof, has been the primary concern for Masanori Kanehara, but he did win both of his fights in 2023, including a unanimous decision victory over ex-featherweight champ Kleber Koike Erbst.
More fights are likely to be announced for RIZIN 47 in the new year.
