The event, back in the promotion’s stronghold at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, saw the opening round of the women’s super atomweight grand prix unfold — with familiar names including champ Seika Izawa, ex-champ Ayaka Hamasaki, former UFC fighter Jessica Aguilar and others in action.

Also competing at RIZIN 37, Marcos Yoshio Souza, brother of RIZIN lightweight champ Roberto Satoshi Souza. Marcos was paired up with UFC vet Daichi Abe for his third fight under the RIZIN FF banner.

Full results from RIZIN 37 can be found below.

RIZIN 37 Results

Seika Izawa def. Laura Fontoura by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:47 – RIZIN women’s super atomweight grand prix opening round
Ayaka Hamasaki def. Jessica Aguilar by unanimous decision – RIZIN women’s super atomweight grand prix opening round
Makoto Shinryu def. Hideo Tokoro by unanimous decision
Koji Takeda def. Johnny Case by unanimous decision
Si Woo Park def. Kanna Asakura by unanimous decision  – RIZIN women’s super atomweight grand prix opening round
Rena def. Anastasiya Svetkivska by unanimous decision – RIZIN women’s super atomweight grand prix opening round
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Hideki Sekine by knockout (punch), Round 1, 0:53
Yuki Motoya def. Shinobu Ota by unanimous decision
Yoshiki Nakahara def. Tetsuya Seki by unanimous decision
Daichi Abe def. Marcos Yoshio Souza by KO (punch/soccer kick), Round 2, 3:02
Vugar Karamov def. Sora Yamamoto by unanimous decision
Ryusei def. Kaishi by TKO, Round 3, 1:23 – Kickboxing
Hiroki Kasahara def. Yusaku Ishizuki by unanimous decision – Kickboxing
Yushi Sakura def. Takeru “Haruki” Sudo by submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 2

The post RIZIN 37: Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The card, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 31, has seen a number of new match-ups announced just a day after the event was officially unveiled. Among them are a number of fights in the Super Atomweight Grand Prix, which will see the ladies throw down in an eight-woman tournament.

Semifinal match-ups will take place in September, with the final round on New Year’s Eve. Unlike other RIZIN grand prix tournaments, the two fights in one night format is being dropped in this case.

Among the fighters participating, former WSOF champion and UFC alum Jessica Aguilar (20-9). The 40-year old out of Mexico, once considered the best women’s strawweight fighter on the planet, struggled during her UFC tenure, and has not competed since November of 2020, when she lost a split decision against Danielle Taylor at XFC 43.

Former champ Ayaka Hamasaki (23-5) will meet Aguilar in the opening round, looking to bounce back from a pair of losses to Seika Izawa, the second of which cost her the promotion’s super atomweight title. Izawa (6-0) will also take part in the tournament, drawing undefeated Brazilian Laura Fontoura (7-0).

Also announced, a change of opponents for Vugar Karamov. With Rikuto Shirakawa out, he now faces Sora Yamamoto. In addition, UFC veteran Daichi Abe joins RIZIN 37, taking on Marcos Yoshio Souza. Marcos is the brother of Roberto Satoshi Souza, RIZIN’s lightweight champion.

RIZIN 37 on July 31, 2022 currently consists of the following match-ups:

• Naoki Inoue vs Kenta Takizawa
• Ulka Sasaki vs Yuki Nakahara
• Yuki Motoya vs Shinobu Ota
• YUSHI vs HARUKI – RIZIN Challenge rules
• Hideki Sekine vs Tsuyoshi Sudario
• Kota Miura vs Felipe Masoni
• Hideo Tokoro vs Makoto Takahashi
• Seika Izawa vs. Laura Fontoura – RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Opening Round
• Rena vs. Anatasia Svetkivska – RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Opening Round
• Kanna Asakura vs. Si Woo Park – RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Opening Round
• Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Jessica Aguilar – RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Opening Round
• Marcos Yoshio Souza vs. Daichi Abe
• Vugar Karamov vs. Sora Yamamoto

The post Super Atomweight Grand Prix, More Fights Added to RIZIN 37 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Taking place at the Pia Arena in Yokohama (a bit south of Japan), the event saw the promotion’s featherweight title change hands, as DEEP champ Juntaro Ushiku claimed the belt, following a doctor’s stoppage TKO against now-former champion Yutaka Saito.

Nine of eleven fights (including two kickboxing bouts) ended early, with Jewels atomweight champ Saori Oshima defeating promotional darling Kanna Asakura in one of the few fights to go the distance. The split decision loss leaves Asakura with back-to-back defeats for the first time in her 24-fight career.

Full results and a gallery of highlights from RIZIN 31 can be found below!

RIZIN 31: Yokohama Results

Juntaro Ushiku def. Yutaka Saito (c) by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 4:26 – For the Rizin FF Featherweight Championship
Saori Oshima def. Kanna Asakura by split decision
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Saint by KO, Round 1, 1:51
Masanori Kanehara def. Takahiro Ashida by KO, Round 2, 1:18
Akira Okada def. Daichi Abe by submission (north-south choke), Round 2, 4:34
Daisuke Nakamura def. Suguru Nii by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:16
Rikuto Shirakawa def. Takuya Yamamoto by TKO, Round 1, 3:48
Nadaka Yoshinari def. Naoki Ishikawa by TKO (three knockdown rule), Round 1, 2:30 – Kickboxing
Yuki Ito def. Yusaku Nakamura by TKO, Round 1, 4:51
Seiichiro Ito def. Kunta Hashimoto by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:07
Ryuya Okuwaki def. Ryuto Oinuma by majority decision – Kickboxing

The post RIZIN 31: Yokohama Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

The event saw a featherweight title fight top the card, with champion Yutaka Saito putting his belt on the line opposite Juntaro Ushiku. Also known as “Fighting Bull,” the challenger was the current DEEP featherweight champion.

In addition to the title fight atop the card, Kanna Asakura was also featured, fighting in the co-main event against Jewels atomweight and DEEP microweight champion Saori Oshima. Asakura was competing for the first time since her losing bid to claim the RIZIN super atomweight title against Ayaka Hamasaki.

UFC alums Masanori Kanahara and Daichi Abe also fought on Sunday’s card.

RIZIN 31 takes place Sunday, October 24 at the Pia Arena in Yokohama, Japan. The event can be streamed online via LIVE-NOW. The broadcast kicks off at 1AM ET. Full results from Sunday’s event are available below.

RIZIN 31: Yokohama Results

Juntaro Ushiku def. Yutaka Saito (c) by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 4:26 – For the Rizin FF Featherweight Championship
Saori Oshima def. Kanna Asakura by split decision
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Saint by KO, Round 1, 1:51
Masanori Kanehara def. Takahiro Ashida by KO, Round 2, 1:18
Akira Okada def. Daichi Abe by submission (north-south choke), Round 2, 4:34
Daisuke Nakamura def. Suguru Nii by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:16
Rikuto Shirakawa def. Takuya Yamamoto by TKO, Round 1, 3:48
Nadaka Yoshinari def. Naoki Ishikawa by TKO (three knockdown rule), Round 1, 2:30 – Kickboxing
Yuki Ito def. Yusaku Nakamura by TKO, Round 1, 4:51
Seiichiro Ito def. Kunta Hashimoto by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:07
Ryuya Okuwaki def. Ryuto Oinuma by majority decision – Kickboxing

The post RIZIN 31: Yokohama Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ayaka Hamasaki managed to defeat Kanna Asakura once again in the main event, the second time she has defeated the young star for gold in RIZIN FF. But that was far from the only big moment on Sunday. The card in Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan also saw Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza pick up a key win in the lightweight division, positioning himself for a potential title fight down the road.

And at heavyweight, Tsuyoshi Sudario made history by knocking ut Kazushi Miyamoto in just six seconds, for the fastest finish in promotion history. The record had previously been held by Charles “Crazy Horse” Bennett.

Full results and a gallery of highlights from RIZIN 27 can be found below.

RIZIN 27: Hamasaki vs. Asakura Results

Ayaka Hamasaki (c) def. Kanna Asakura by split decision – for the RIZIN women’s super atomweight championship
Roberto Satoshi Souza def. Kazuki Tokudome by submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 1:44
Koji Takeda def. Takasuke Kume by unanimous decision
Kleber Koike def. Kazumasa Majima by submission (triangle choke), Round 2, 3:02
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Kazushi Miyamoto by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:06
Taiga def. Kanta Motoyama by unanimous decision (30-28,30-27,30-27) – kickboxing
Yoshinori Horie def. Tetsuya Seki by KO (punch), Round 3, 1:16
Shian def. Kazuma Sone by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:27
Shooto Watanabe def. Takumi Tamaru by submission (neck crank), Round 2, 4:13
Yutaro Muramoto def. Seigo Yamamoto by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:37
Syuto Sato vs. Masayoshi Kunimoto ended in a draw (29-28,29-29,29-29) – kickboxing
Riki Sakurai vs. Riku Yoshida ended in a no contest (originally a KO win for Sakurai but ruled a no contest due to Sakurai missing weight) – kickboxing
Ryota Naito def. Hiroki by unanimous decision (30-28,30-28,30-27) – kickboxing
Yuki Ito def. Kohei Sugiyama by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:33

The post RIZIN 27: Hamasaki vs. Asakura Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

The pair had first met in 2018, in the inaugural super atomweight title fight at RIZIN 14. Hamasaki, a former Invicta FC champ, won the belt, submitting Asakura via arm-bar. The now 23-year old Asakura was looking for her revenge on Sunday, having won her past four fights to earn another chance at gold. Hamasaki, meanwhile, defended the title once, lost the belt to Seo Hee Ham, and regained the belt on New Year’s Eve at RIZIN 26.

RIZIN 27 gets underway at 1AM ET on Sunday, March 20. The English language live stream is available at Live Now. Results can be found below.

RIZIN 27: Hamasaki vs. Asakura Results

Ayaka Hamasaki (c) def. Kanna Asakura by split decision – for the RIZIN women’s super atomweight championship
Roberto Satoshi Souza def. Kazuki Tokudome by submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 1:44
Koji Takeda def. Takasuke Kume by unanimous decision
Kleber Koike def. Kazumasa Majima by submission (triangle choke), Round 2, 3:02
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Kazushi Miyamoto by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:06
Taiga def. Kanta Motoyama by unanimous decision (30-28,30-27,30-27) – kickboxing
Yoshinori Horie def. Tetsuya Seki by KO (punch), Round 3, 1:16
Shian def. Kazuma Sone by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:27
Shooto Watanabe def. Takumi Tamaru by submission (neck crank), Round 2, 4:13
Yutaro Muramoto def. Seigo Yamamoto by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:37
Syuto Sato vs. Masayoshi Kunimoto ended in a draw (29-28,29-29,29-29) – kickboxing
Riki Sakurai vs. Riku Yoshida ended in a no contest (originally a KO win for Sakurai but ruled a no contest due to Sakurai missing weight) – kickboxing
Ryota Naito def. Hiroki by unanimous decision (30-28,30-28,30-27) – kickboxing
Yuki Ito def. Kohei Sugiyama by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:33

* Sakurai missed weight. He will not be eligible to win the bout; should he earn the win, the result will be ruled a no contest

The post RIZIN 27: Hamasaki vs. Asakura Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the main event, current super atomweight champion Ayaka Hamaski, a former Invicta FC atomweight champion, will make the first title defence of her current reign against Kanna Asakura. Though just 23-years old, Asakura enters the fight with over 20 pro MMA bouts on her record. Currently on a four-fight win streak, Asakura will be looking for revenge, as she previously lost to Hamasaki in the inaugural super atomweight title fight in RIZIN.

That title fight is now official. One fighter, however, missed weight for Sunday’s affair. Riki Sakurai missed the 64kg limit for his kickboxing bout with Riku Yoshida. He will start the fight with a red card, and be ineligible to win the match.

RIZIN 27 goes down Sunday, March 21, 2021 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. An English stream of the event will be broadcast live via Live Now.

RIZIN 27 Weigh-In Results

Ayaka Hamasaki (c) (48.75kg) vs. Kanna Asakura (48.65kg) – for the RIZIN women’s super atomweight championship
Satoshi Souza (70.75kg) vs. Kazuki Tokudome (70.95kg)
Koji Takeda (70.80kg) vs. Takasuke Kume (71.00kg)
Kleber Koike (65.85kg) vs. Kazumasa Majima (66.00kg)
Sudario (115.40kg) vs. Kazushi Miyamoto (112.35kg)
Taiga (61.00kg) vs. Kanta Motoyama (60.95kg) – kickboxing
Tetsuya Seki (65.95kg) vs. Yoshinori Horie (66.00kg)
Kazuma Sone (60.95kg) vs. Hiroki “Shian” Yamashita (60.85kg)
Shooto Watanabe (60.55kg) vs. Takumi Tamaru (61.00kg)
Yutaro Muramoto (56.95kg) vs. Seigo Yamamoto (56.60kg)
Syuto Sato (53.00kg) vs. Masayoshi Kunimoto (52.85kg) – kickboxing
Riki Sakurai (65.95)* vs. Riku Yoshida (63.70kg) – kickboxing
Ryota Naito (54.90kg) vs. HIROKI (54.90kg) – kickboxing
Kohei Sugiyama (56.85kg) vs. Yuki Ito (56.50kg)

* Riki Sakurai missed weight. The fight will begin with Sakurai given a red card at the beginning (-2 points). If Sakurai wins, the bout will be determined a no contest. If Yoshida wins the fight will be official

The post RIZIN 27 Weigh-In Results: One Fighter Heavy appeared first on Cageside Press.

Taking to social media to reveal their upcoming card, RIZIN 27, promotion officials also had a number of fights to announce — including a women’s super atomweight title fight. That bout will see champ Ayaka Hamasaki, also a former Invicta FC champion, defend her belt against young star Kanna Asakura.

／
Yogibo presents #RIZIN27！！🔥
＼

📅：3/21(日) 14:00開始(予定)
📍：日本ガイシホール（名古屋）
📝：https://t.co/fr50XJ3SU8

🎟チケット一般発売 2/21(日)~
※プレイガイド先行 2/15(月)~

🖥️RIZIN LIVE ＼全試合オンライン生中継／
👇お得な前売り 販売中！https://t.co/cdO58b9gyf pic.twitter.com/6R0UEIyQl9

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) February 12, 2021

Hamasaki (21-3) is currently in her second reign as RIZIN’s super atomweight champ. She reclaimed the title at RIZIN 26 on December 31, 2020 by defeating Miyuu Yamamoto with an impressive leg scissors choke. Hamasaki first won the title in 2018, coincidentally against the same fighter she’ll be defending it against next month: Asakura.

The 23-year old Kanna Asakura may be young in terms of years, however her 18-4 record shows a wealth of in-ring experience. On a current four-fight win streak, Asakura has claimed victories over Invicta FC standout Alesha Zappitella, Jayme Hinshaw (under the Bellator banner), and Ai Shimizu. Her only loss since challenging Hamasaki for the then-vacant super atomweight title in 2018 has been to another top talent in Miyuu Yamamoto.

Also announced for the RIZIN 27 card:

Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. Kazuki Tokudome
Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Kazushi Miyamoto
Kleber Koike vs. Kazumasa Majima
Koji Takeda vs. Takasuke Kume
Tetsuya Seki vs. Yoshinori Horie
Shooto Watanabe vs. Takumi Tamaru
Kazuma Sone vs. Shian
Yutaro Muramoto vs. Seigo Yamamoto
Kohei Sugiyama vs. Yuki Ito

RIZIN 27 will take place Sunday, March 21 at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The post RIZIN 27 Announced for March 21, Super Atomweight Title On the Line appeared first on Cageside Press.

Joining the bantamweight title fight main event are:

Hideo Tokoro vs Shinobu Ota
Ayaka Hamasaki vs Miyuu Yamamoto
Kanna Asakura vs Ai Shimizu
Yuki Motoya vs Naoki Inoue
Ren Hiramoto vs Kyohei Hagiwara
Sudario Tsuyoshi vs Minowaman
Ulka Sasaki vs Kenta Takizawa

All bouts will be contested under MMA rules, though several will be without elbows. Among the standouts, Ayaka Hamasaki, the former Invicta FC atomweight champ, will face Miyuu Yamamoto for the vacant RIZIN super atomweight championship. Also on the card, former UFC fighter Ulka Sasaki returns against Kenta Takizawa, and Minowaman faces Sudario Tsuyoshi.

At 44-years old, Minowaman (Ikuhisa Minowa) is one of the last holdovers from PRIDE. With an absurd record of 65-43-8, the Japanese fighter known for his red speedo has faced the likes of Sakuraba, Cro-Cop, Butterbean, Phil Baroni, Don Frye, Bob Sapp, Hong Man Choi, Sokoudjou, Satoshi Ishii, Oli Thompson, and a host of others.

RIZIN 26 is set to take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, just outside Tokyo. 10,000 spectators will be allowed inside the arena in accordance with current Japanese COVID-19 protocols.

The post Additional Bouts Added to RIZIN 26 Card on New Year’s Eve appeared first on Cageside Press.

While it felt more like a separate event, the second half of the Bellator Japan show was treated as a “post-liminary” card. Going down Saturday (Sunday local time) in Saitama, Japan, while the main card was stacked with Bellator stars, the post-lims featured mostly RIZIN Fighting Federation athletes.

Hence the “powered by RIZIN” addition to the event name. Among the RIZIN talents in action, Yusuke Yachi, who topped the post-liminary bill. His win over Hiroto Uesako snapped a three-fight losing streak, and being it was a soccer kick, stole the show.

Check below for full results and photo highlights from Bellator Japan — powered by RIZIN’s post-liminary bouts!

Bellator Japan Powered by RIZIN Post-Lim Results:

120-kg Post-lim Bout: Shoma Shibisai def. Sergey Shemetov by submission (Achilles Lock), Round 1, 0:45
77-kg Post-lim Bout: Jon Tuck def. Ryuichiro Sumimura by knockout (punch), Round 1, 4:45
49-kg Post-lim Bout: Ai Shimizu def. Andy Nguyen by split decision
58-kg Post-lim Bout: Makoto Takahashi def. Yusaku Nakamura by unanimous decision
68-kg Post-lim Bout (Kickboxing): Ren Hiramoto def. Takahiro Ashida by TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:49
49-kg Post-lim Bout: Kanna Asakura def. Jayme Hinshaw by submission (kimura), Round 3, 3:33
53-kg Post-lim Bout: Jarred Brooks def. Haruo Ochi by unanimous decision
71-kg Post-lim Bout: Yusuke Yachi def. Hiroto Uesako by knockout (soccer kick), Round 3, 4:36

The post Bellator Japan — Powered by RIZIN Post-lim Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.