Pettis was the man who took Horiguchi’s Bellator MMA bantamweight title back in 2021 with a shock fourth-round spinning back fist. Since then, Pettis had dropped the belt to Patchy Mix, while Horiguchi had won the inaugural RIZIN flyweight championship in his last outing.

That belt was not on the line Sunday; rather, it was a chance for arguably Japan’s most legendary active fighter to avenge the loss, in a non-title bantamweight fight.

Also on the card, former champs Juan Archuleta (Bellator and RIZIN) and Kleber Koike (KSW and RIZIN) would collide, with UFC alum Spike Carlyle looked to stave off a fourth consecutive loss against South Korea’s Kyung Pyo-Kim.

Where to Watch RIZIN 47

Sunday, June 9, 2024 sees RIZIN 47 takes place at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The card streams live via RIZIN.tv starting at 1:30AM ET. Full results from the event can be found below.

RIZIN 47: Horiguchi vs. Pettis Results

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Promotion officials recently announced the news in a press conference and subsequent press release, with the second fight, as with the pair’s first, coming in the bantamweight division.

Additionally, another Bellator MMA veteran, Juan Archuleta, will face Kleber Koike at the event, set for the Saga Arena in Saga, Japan.

Pettis (23-6) knocked out Horiguchi (32-5, 1NC) in the fourth round of their Bellator 272 main event in December of 2021, finishing the Japanese star with a stunning spinning back fist. Pettis earned the first successful title defense of his bantamweight reign with the victory, having previously won the title from Archuleta. Following another win over Bellator double-champ Patricio Pitbull, Pettis would drop the belt to Patchy Mix last November.

Bellator MMA was then bought out by the PFL, who will run eight Bellator Champions Series shows this year. Many other Bellator vets have joined the PFL Global season. Pettis, however, was not among them.

Horiguchi, meanwhile, also fell to Mix, as part of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix. He’s bounced back since, and won the inaugural RIZIN flyweight championship in his last outing. It’s back to bantamweight to look for revenge against Pettis, however.

Juan Archuleta (29-5) was stripped of his RIZIN bantamweight belt after missing weight for RIZIN 45 in December; he wound up finished by Kai Asakura in the bout. In his return at featherweight, he gets an ex-champ in Koike (32-7-1, 1NC) coming off a win over Yutaka Saito.

In addition to Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Sergio Pettis and Juan Archuleta vs. Kleber Koike, one additional fight has been announced for RIZIN 47. That bout sees Karshyga Dautbek face off with Tetsuya Seki at featherweight.

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In a mulligan he would later blame on illness, Archuleta missed the mark by nearly six pounds for his would-be title fight with Kai Asakura. Luckily, an agreement was reached that allowed the RIZIN 45 co-main event to move forward, with Archuleta forced to make a Fight Night weight of 68kg.

Only Asakura, however, would be eligible to win the title. Should Archuleta come out victorious, the bout would be declared a No Contest.

Early in the opening round, Juan Archuleta was on the attack, and Asakura found himself dropped. The right hand was there for “The Spaniard,” who would later catch his Japanese counterpart in a guillotine. Tight as the choke attempt was, Kai Asakura defended well, escaped, and would even clip Archuleta later in the round.

Things got ugly late in the first frame, with Archuleta connecting with a trio of punches after the bell. After entering the fight with a red card due to the weight miss, Archuleta was handed a yellow card on top. Given the red card already made a decision win all but impossible for the now-former champ, the yellow on top necessitated a finish. Though Archuleta was, in reality, fighting only for his purse.

In round two, it was Asakura coming out looking to turn up the heat, firing his right hand and looking to fell Archuleta with a head kick. Archuleta found success with his jab, but too often was seen chasing after his opponent. That backfired when he ran right into an Asakura knee later in the round, a blow that floored Juan Archuleta! The former champ fell to his knees, with Asakura moving in and unloading ground and pound while Archuleta covered up. Soon enough, the ref had waved it off, leaving Kai Asakura the new RIZIN bantamweight champion!

The win kicks off the second reign over RIZIN’s bantamweight division for Kai Asakura, who previously held gold in 2020.

The crowning of a new champ was one of many big stories coming out of RIZIN 45, including the tease of a possible Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao exhibition bout.

Official Result: Kai Asakura def. Juan Archuleta by TKO (knee and punches), Round 2

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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

The post RIZIN 45 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN officials announced the news following Saturday’s official weigh-in. Archuleta missed the mark by nearly six pounds (63.80kg), leaving only opponent Kai Asakura eligible to win the now-vacant title. Should Archuleta win the bout — assuming it goes forward as planned — under the RIZIN Fighting Federation ruleset, it will be declared a No Contest.

It’s a stunning turn of events for “The Spaniard,” a former Bellator MMA champion who has never before missed weight. Archuleta (29-4) has won his last four fights and had been competing for RIZIN despite remaining under contract with Bellator. The fight with Asakura was to mark Archuleta’s first defense of his bantamweight title.

Juan Archuleta previously competed at featherweight, juggling both weight classes. He took part in the Bellator featherweight grand prix in 2019, but was bounced from the tournament in the opening round after losing to then-champ Patricio Pitbull.

On the regional circuit prior to joining Bellator, Archuleta found himself an unheard of quadruple champ in KOTC, winning the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, and light welterweight (165lb) titles.

RIZIN 45 is the last major event of 2023, with the promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve show always a big one. The card is headlined by Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu in a flyweight title fight. Juan Archuleta vs. Kai Asakura serves as the evening’s co-main event.

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This isn’t the first time “The Spaniard” has been matched up with Asakura, as the two were originally scheduled to square off for championship gold this past July.

The former Rizin champion would withdraw from the bout due to injury, however, leading Archuleta to face Hiromasa Ougikubo instead. Archuleta, former Bellator champion, would end up bringing the Rizin belt back to US soil.

Archuleta spoke to Cageside Press earlier this week, advocating for his bout with Asakura to be rebooked.

“He pulled out of our fight, he pulled out of his fight in October – I still want that fight. I just need him to show up this time,” he said.

Archuleta spoke it into existence, as the bout was announced in a Rizin press conference last night – just two days after his interview with Cageside Press.

It will be interesting to see whether Archuleta will be able to assert his dominance this Winter as he looks to extend his current win streak to five.

Other bouts on the RIZIN 45 card include:

• Hiromasa Ougikubo vs John Dodson
• Kyoji Horiguchi vs Makoto Shinryu
• Kleber Koike vs Yutaka Saito

RIZIN FF 45 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Dec. 31.

Watch the entire interview with Juan Archuelta above.

The post Juan Archuleta Asks For And Gets Kai Asakura Rebooking appeared first on Cageside Press.

That history? Becoming just the second American champ in a major Japanese promotion. And the first in RIZIN Fighting Federation.

“It was dope, man. Knowing going into there that it hadn’t been done before for an American fighter, it put that stamp of approval on it. Making history that will never be erased,” Archuleta (29-4), also a former Bellator champ, told Cageside Press recently.

“Then finding out there was only two people [from the U.S.] that won Japanese titles, me and Dan Henderson. Putting my name on that platform with him is a dream come true.”

Hendo of course achieved that feat back in PRIDE, the precursor to RIZIN.

While the win came back in July, “The Spaniard” has been busy doing a little globe-trotting of late. In Japan of course, then on the west coast U.S. in San Diego for Bellator 300, then off to Abu Dhabi this past week for UFC 294, supporting a teammate.

The travel is a part of the job that Juan Archuleta loves. “Oh a hundred percent. I do this to travel, go watch my friends beat up people in other countries. Enjoy the cultures, enjoy the food. It’s a dream come true, that’s what my ancestors did. Carrying on that legacy is awesome.”

The future for Archuleta remains a bit of a question mark. He was originally paired up with RIZIN star Kai Asakura, only for Asakura to pull out of their title fight — and one more bout since.

“Hopefully he mans up and take the fight,” said Archuleta, who appears to remain interested at least. If not, he’ll take whoever is next. “It’s like, I trained a whole fight camp to prepare for this guy, and then he pulls out, pulls out of his other fight he was supposed to have in October. I’m not going to do a whole training camp waiting for this guy. I’m going to fight whoever’s in front, the number one contender like I’ve been doing my whole career.”

“Whoever they put in there is about to get f*cked up, that’s for sure.”

Archuleta, who has held gold in every promotion he’s ever fought in, has one more title in mind moving forward: the PFL championship. While they currently don’t have a bantamweight title, Archuleta clearly sees an opportunity should the promotion scoop up Bellator MMA as rumored.

“The last promotion I have to win a title for is the PFL. I fought there during the time they were the World Series of Fighting. I only got to fight once for them, now finding out that they’re going to buy Bellator, they’re making a strong push for it, it kind of makes me happy and very excited,” noted Archuleta. “Because I win that belt, in every promotion I’ve fought for, I have a title. So I’m looking forward to that. That’s going to cement my legacy and who I am, and put me in the history books— that makes me stand out from other fighters.”

Watch our full interview with RIZIN bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta above!

The post RIZIN Champ Juan Archuleta Eyeing One More Title — In the PFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

Two title fights adorned the card at the Saitama Super Arena, with RIZIN’s vacant bantamweight and featherweight titles up for grabs.

In the main event, homegrown star Mikuru Asakura faced off with Vugar Karamov to crown a new featherweight champ in the Japanese promotion. Asakura might be best known to casual fans for boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. a year ago, but he had also won his last three fights in MMA. Karamov, for his part, had won three straight fights under the RIZIN banner, including a win over UFC vet Yoshinori Horie.

In the co-main event, former Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta looked to claim a second title in a major promotion, as he went after the 135lb crown in RIZIN. Originally booked against Kai Asakura, Mikuru’s brother, the injured Kai was instead replaced by Ultimate Fighter vet Hiromasa Ougikubo.

Super RIZIN 2 takes place Sunday, July 30, 2023 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The card streams live via Fite.tv. Full results can be found below.

Super RIZIN 2: Asakura vs. Karamov Results

Featherweight: Vugar Karamov def. Mikuru Asakura by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:41 — for the vacant RIZIN featherweight championship
Bantamweight: Juan Archuleta def. Hiromasa Ougikubo by unanimous decision — for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight championship
Seika Izakawa def. Claire Lopez by submission (ninja choke), Round 1, 1:04 — for the RIZIN women’s atomweight championship
Lightweight: Chihiro Suzuki def. Patricio Pitbull by KO, Round 1, 2:32
Lightweight: Tofiq Musayev def. Akira Okada by KO, Round 2, 1:11
Bantamweight: Shinobu Ota def. Kenta Takizawa by TKO, Round 1, 4:54
Middleweight: Igor Tanabe def. Daichi Abe by submission (heel hook), Round 1, 4:34
Flyweight: Yuki Ito def. Hiroya Kondo by split decision

The post Super RIZIN 2: Asakura vs. Karamov Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Additionally, the RIZIN portion of the card, which takes place on Sunday, July 30, 2023 in Saitama, Japan is also official. Super RIZIN 2 features a pair of title fights, with former Bellator MMA 135lb champion Juan Archuleta taking on TUF vet Hiromasa Ougikubo for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight championship — while in the main event, Mikuru Asakura throws down with Vugar Karamov for featherweight gold.

Ougikubo is stepping up to replace Kai Asakura, Archuleta’s originally scheduled opponent.

The Bellator side of things did not arrive intact either, as A.J. McKee was forced out of the lightweight grand prix due to a nasty staph infection. As a result, RIZIN’s Roberto “Satoshi” Souza is stepping in against ex-champ Patricky Pitbull. Kyoji Horiguchi, meanwhile, is set to take on Makoto Shinryu for the inaugural Bellator MMA flyweight championship.

Super RIZIN 2 airs via Fite.tv starting at 3AM ET on July 30, while the Bellator portion of the card goes down on Showtime, starting at 11PM ET on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Full weigh-in results can be found below.

Bellator x RIZIN: Pitbull vs. De Souza Weigh-In Results

Lightweight: Patricky Pitbull (160) vs. Roberto De Souza (160.6) — Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal
Flyweight: Kyoji Horiguchi (124.2) vs. Makoto “Shinryu” (125) — for the Inaugural Flyweight World Championship:
Flyweight: Kana Watanabe (125.5) vs. #7-Veta Arteaga (126)
Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov (136) vs. Danny Sabatello (135.8)
Welterweight: Andrey Koreshkov (170.8) vs. Lorenz Larkin (170.6)

Super RIZIN 2 Weigh-In Results

Featherweight: Mikuru Asakura (66.00kg）vs. Vugar Karamov (65.80kg）— for the vacant RIZIN featherweight championship
Bantamweight: Juan Archuleta (60.40kg）vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo （60.85kg）— for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight championship
Seika Izakawa（48.60kg）vs. Claire Lopez (48.90kg）— for the RIZIN women’s atomweight championship
Lightweight: Patricio Pitbull (68.55kg) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (70.00kg）
Lightweight: Tofiq Musayev (70.55kg) vs. Akira Okada (70.80kg)
Bantamweight: Kenta Takizawa (60.90kg）vs. Shinobu Ota (61.00kg）
Middleweight: Daiche Abe (83.80kg）vs. Igor Tanabe (83.65kg）
Flyweight: Yuki Ito (57.85kg) vs. Hiroya Kondo (57.70kg)

The post Bellator x RIZIN / Super RIZIN 2 Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Facing off in the traditional RIZIN ring on July 30 will be former Bellator MMA bantamweight champ Juan Archuleta (28-4) and ex-RIZIN bantamweight champ Kai Asakura (20-4). The high-profile bout will be Archuleta’s second for RIZIN; he appeared at RIZIN 42 earlier this month, winning a decision against Naoki Inoue.

That victory extended Archuleta’s current win streak to three straight.

Asakura is 4-1 in his last five, and will be coming off a win over Yuki Motoya when he goes up against “The Spaniard.” Asakura fought his way to the final of RIZIN’s 2021 bantamweight grand prix, falling to Hiromasa Ougikubo in the finale.

The bout was announced by RIZIN officials on social media Saturday morning.

Also announced for the Super RIZIN 2 position of Bellator X RIZIN 2 is Mikuru Asakura (17-3, 1NC), the older brother of ex-champ Kai. He’s set for a featherweight match-up with Vugar Karamov (18-4) of Azerbaijan.

Both fighters have won three straight, though in Mikuru Asakura’s case, a 2022 loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition boxing bout is sandwiched between wins in MMA.

Bellator X RIZIN 2 (and Super RIZIN 2) takes place on July 30, 2023 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Thus far, the card consists of the following announced bouts:

• A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Pitbull — Bellator MMA Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal
• Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto “Shinryu” Takahashi — for the inaugural Bellator MMA flyweight championship
• Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Arteaga
• Juan Archuleta vs. Kai Asakura
• Mikuru Asakura vs. Vugar Karamov

The post Kai Asakura vs. Juan Archuleta, Mikuru Asakura vs. Vugar Karamov Announced for Bellator X RIZIN 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.