Danny Sabatello successfully defended his RIZIN bantamweight championship for the second time to cap off RIZIN Landmark 15 on Saturday.
The action at the Hiroshima Green Arena in Hiroshima, Japan saw Sabatello working on the outside, and opponent Jinnosuke Kashimura actually being first to initiate a takedown on the wrestler, only for it to backfire. Sabatello came close to reversing and taking dominant position, but Kashimura was able to grab a leg, hunting a submission. When that fell through, the action gave way to some scrambles and impressive ground work, with Sabatello caught in a triangle briefly before freeing himself and backing off to his feet.
Sabatello took some big swings when they moved back to the standup, landing both rights and lefts and dropping Kashimura along the fence, though the Japanese challenger was quickly back to his feet. Under fire, Kashimura dove for a desperation takedown, only to eat heavy ground n’ pound as a result.
Kashimura would escape the round, but just a few minutes into the second, he was back in the same spot, hemmed in against the fence, Sabatello firing lefts and rights. Not to mention a kick to the body.
With Kashimura’s jiu-jitsu essentially cancelling out Sabatello’s wrestling, much of the later rounds played out on the feet. Unfortunately for Kashimura, as he was floored by a right hook early in the third round! Sabatello then launched into a flying double stomp, which the referee thankfully saved Kashimura from.
“I am f*cking honored to be the champion of this promotion, and to have the first of my main events right here in this beautiful city,” Sabatello exclaimed on the mic after his latest victory. “I will remember this day for the rest of my life, because of my performance driven through Mr. Sakakibara. This one was for him, and the city of Hiroshima.”
Sabatello, who improved to 19-4-1 with the victory, then set a goal: winning four title bouts in a year. “That means I’ll see everyone in September.”
“And lastly, Naoki Inoue, I’m not f*cking done with you,” Sabatello added. The American originally claimed RIZIN gold by defeating Inoue in December via split decision.
Official Result: Danny Sabatello def. Jinnosuke Kashimura by KO (right hook), Round 3, 0:40
