On Friday, promotion officials on both sides announced a crossover fight, one that sees former RIZIN bantamweight champ Naoki Inoue (20-5) take on PFL World Tournament winner Marcirley Alves (15-4).

The high-profile 135lb match-up takes place at PFL Brussels at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium on May 23, 2026. It marks the first time the promotions have collaborated, though the PFL did absorb Bellator, which hosted several crossover events with the Japanese organization.

Inoue, who has also fought in the UFC, had won four straight and defended his RIZIN bantamweight belt twice before running into Danny Sabatello in his last outing. He lost a split decision against the American, ending his title reign roughly a year and a half after it kicked off.

Brazil’s Alves, who previously fought for Bellator, was something of a dark horse in the PFL’s 2025 bantamweight world tournament. He went 3-0 to win the grand prix format, beating former Bellator star Leandro Higo and ex-UFC fighter Jake Hadley along the way.

Many had expected Alves to be paired up in a title fight next, perhaps with Sergio Pettis. Pettis, however, faces Mitch McKee next month in a non-title bout at PFL Chicago.

PFL Brussels, meanwhile, is headlined by unbeaten Belgian Patrick Habirora and the returning Benson Henderson.

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Included will be a full six title fights, including the debut of Ryan Bader (31-8), who will face Aleksandr Soldatkin (18-4) for the promotion’s heavyweight title. Bader, a former Bellator double champ at light heavyweight and heavyweight, will be facing one of the toughest heavyweights outside the UFC, with Soldatkin’s lone loss since 2019 being a DQ for an illegal knee on the Contender Series. Soldatkin is 3-0 under the RIZIN banner to date, and won the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix in September.

Razhabali Shaidulloev (16-0), the promotion’s undefeated featherweight champ, will face Mikuru Asakura (19-5), brother of UFC flyweight title challenger and ex-RIZIN champ Kai Asakura, in the night’s main event. Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza (20-3), meanwhile, will be looking to make the sixth defense of his lightweight title when he takes on Shunta Nomura (10-2).

Women’s super atomweight gold will be on the line when Seika Izawa (17-0), who defended her title earlier this month at RIZIN Landmark 12, faces off against the popular Rena Kubota (15-5). UFC alum Naoki Inoue (20-4) will put his bantamweight belt on the line against former Bellator MMA motormouth Danny Sabatello (16-4-1), while a flyweight title fight sees former Ultimate Fighter hopeful Hiromasa Ougikubo (29-8-2) take on Yuki Motoya (39-14) for the vacant RIZIN 125lb strap.

In a final fight announced on Sunday via press release, Yutaka Saito (21-9-2) faces kickboxer Ren Sugiyama (2-2) in featherweight action.

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In the main event, former UFC flyweight Naoki Inoue put his bantamweight title on the line when he took on Yuki Motoya. The challenger had won three straight, two under the RIZIN banner, to earn his shot at gold.

Also featured on the card, Canadian flyweight Tony Laramie brought an eight-fight win streak into his showdown with Yuki Ito. UFC and Bellator veteran Spike Carlyle, meanwhile, had missed weight for a fight with Takeshi Izumi. He would start the fight with a red card, costing him a point, and should he win, the bout would be ruled a No Contest.

Where to Watch RIZIN 50

Sunday, March 30, 2025 sees RIZIN 50 take place at the Anabuki Arena Kagawa in Kagawa, Japan. The fight card airs live and free in its entirety on RIZIN.tv. Full results can be found below. The broadcast kicks off at 12AM ET (midnight), 9PM PT (Saturday, March 29) on the west coast.

RIZIN 50 Results

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During Tuesday’s RIZIN Decade/RIZIN 49 broadcast, promotion officials confirmed that Yuki Motoya would be the first man to challenge for Inoue’s belt.

Motoya (36-12, 1NC) earned his shot at gold care of a unanimous decision victory over Kyoma Akimoto as part of the night’s main card. The victory marked Motoya’s third straight win, including one under the DEEP banner, in 2024.

Naoki Inoue vs. Yuki Motoya will take place on March 31, 2025, per the promotion. No venue or location was announced for the fight. Both fighters were brought into the ring as part of the announcement.

Inoue (20-4) is a familiar name to Western fight fans, having competed for the UFC twice in 2017-18. After going 0-2 and being cut by the promotion, he returned to his native Japan, moving up to bantamweight after spending years at 125lbs. He’d win his first six fights in his new weight class, going to the final of the 2021 RIZIN bantamweight grand prix.

3-1 in his last four, Inoue defeated South Korean Kim Soo-chul at RIZIN 48 in September, finishing the fight via TKO in the opening round to claim his first major title. At 27, he’ll have youth on his side, with Motoya having turned 35 earlier this year.

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In the ensuing years, de Souza, known as Roberto “Satoshi,” had competed in non-title bouts, losing to Bellator stars A.J. McKee and Patricky Pitbull while picking up victories over UFC vet Spike Carlyle and Japan’s Keita Nakamura.

Sunday’s showdown with Luiz Gustavo, who entered on the strength of a four-fight win streak, had the title on the line, however. And as was the case with his last title defense, Roberto de Souza did not take long to defend his belt.

Not far into the opening round, the champ connected with a kick to the body with a punch trailing. Gustavo dropped, popped back up, but de Souza was on him with punches, and it didn’t take long for the ref to wave things off.

The night’s other title fight saw former UFC star Naoki Inoue claim the vacant RIZIN bantamweight championship, earning a TKO finish against South Korea’s Soo Chul Kim. The end came with Kim on his knees, Inoue raining down a deluge of lefts and rights until the ref made the save.

Full results from Sunday’s RIZIN 48 card from the Saitama Super Arena can be found below.

RIZIN 48 Results

Roberto de Souza def. Luiz Gustavo by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:21
Naoki Inoue def. Soo Chul Kim by TKO (punches), Round 1, 3:55
Yuko Motoya def. Shinobu Ota by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:09
Razhabali Shaydullaev def. Juan Archuleta by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:12
Seika Izawa def. Kanna Asakura by unanimous decision
Shoko Sato def. Juntaro Ushiku by unanimous decision
Yusuke Yachi def. Sho Patrck Usami by unanimous decision
Ryo Takagi def. Kyohei Hagiwara by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:39
Kyouma Akimoto def. Kintaro by KO (Knees to Head on Ground), Round 1, 3:16
Nkazimulo Zulu def. Jo Arai by TKO (spinning kick and strikes), Round 1, 4:12
Karshyga Dautbek def. Takeaki Kinoshita by KO (punch), Round 1, 1:48

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Set for September 29, 2024 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, RIZIN 48 will see Roberto Satoshi put his lightweight title on the line opposite Luiz Gustavo, while UFC alum Naoki Inoue will compete in a bantamweight title fight, vying from the promotion’s vacant 135lb title against South Korean Soo Chul Kim.

Promotion officials announced the event, and its first four match-ups, during Sunday’s Super RIZIN 3 broadcast, with additional details released to social media. Along with the two title fights, Kyohei Hagiwara will face Ryo Takagi, and Kanna Asakura will meet Seika Izawa, the promotion’s super atomweight champ, in a non-title affair.

Roberto Satoshi de Souza (16-3) last defended his RIZIN lightweight championship in April 2022, defeating Johnny Case. Since then, he has competed in non-title bouts, going 2-2 with losses to A.J. McKee and Patricky Pitbull in crossover events with Bellator MMA, prior to their sale to the PFL.

Luiz Gustavo (14-2) has won four straight under the RIZIN Fighting Federation banner, most recently defeating UFC vet Yoshinori Horie. The Brazilian’s only career defeats are to Patricky Pitbull and Mikuru Asakura.

As for Naoki Inoue (19-4), he went 1-1 in the UFC in 2017-18 and made his exit off a single loss to Matt Schnell. He’s 8-2 since then, and will enter RIZIN 48 off a win over Shoko Sato. Opposite him competing for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight crown will be Soo Chul Kim (22-7-1), who has won his last four fights between ROAD FC and RIZIN.

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Among several events announced for the new year, RIZIN 46, on March 23, will take place at the Kobe World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan.

Three fights have been announced for the event, including a super atomweight match-up featuring promotional darling RENA, and the return of UFC vet Naoki Inoue.

Inoue (16-4) will take on veteran Shoko Sato (35-15-2) in a bantamweight bout. After a two-fight stint that saw him go 1-1 in the UFC in 2017/18, Inoue has posted a 7-3 record, competing mainly for RIZIN after one-offs with CFFC and DEEP.

Most recently, Naoki Inoue dropped a unanimous decision to Juan Archuleta at RIZIN 42 back in May. Archuleta would go on to win RIZIN’s bantamweight title (and was stripped of the belt after missing weight for the promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve card), making the loss perhaps sting a little less.

Sato, who had been competing for ONE Championship prior to his last bout, has won his two most recent fights.

RENA (13-5), properly Rena Kubota, has been trading wins and losses across her past four fights. She’ll enter her fight with ROAD FC vet Yu Ri Shim (6-3) off a setback against Claire Lopez.

At featherweight, meanwhile, Koji Takeda (15-6) will take on Kyohei Hagiwara (7-8).

Expect more RIZIN 46 fights to be announced soon.

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Archuleta will face UFC and RIZIN veteran Naoki Inoue at RIZIN 42 on May 6, 2023, promotion officials announced Monday.

“The Spaniard” confirmed the booking, which will see him continue to represent Bellator, as he did at the Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN cross-promotion on New Year’s Eve.

“Your boy got contracted to go handle some over seas business in the land of the rising Sun!” Archuleta wrote on social media in response to the news. “I can’t wait this will continue my legacy to have won a title in every organization I fought for!”

Bellator CEO Scott Coker offered a message of encouragement to Archuleta. “Wishing you good luck on your journey to win the RIZIN belt in 2023. Train hard and make Bellator MMA proud!”

Archuleta (27-4) went 2-1 in 2022, losing an interim title fight against Raufeon Stots as part of the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix before bouncing back with wins over Enrique Barzola and Soo Chul Kim. The Kim win, a split decision, took place at the Saitama Super Arena outside Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, where Bellator MMA went 5-0 against RIZIN in head-to-head match-ups.

Inoue (18-3) also appeared on New Year’s Eve, on the RIZIN 40 portion of the card, where he defeated Kenta Takizawa by submission. One year prior, he had made it to the final of RIZIN’s own bantamweight grand prix, only to be eliminated by Hiromasa Ougikubo.

RIZIN 42 takes place May 6, 2023 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

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RIZIN 37 is set to take place on July 31, 2022 at the historic venue just outside Tokyo, Japan. Promotion officials announced the news at a press conference and in a subsequent press release distributed on Wednesday. Multiple fights were also revealed for the card, which will be RIZIN’s second in the month of July.

Among the newly announced bouts, UFC veteran Naoki Inoue (15-3) will look to get back in the win column against Kenta Takizawa (13-8). The pair both reached the semifinal round of RIZIN’s bantamweight grand prix in 2021; Inoue would fall to Hiromasa Ougikubo, while Takizawa came up short against Kai Asakura.

Another UFC veteran, Ulka Sasaki, will also be in action at RIZIN 37 on July 31. Sasaki (23-10-2) will be looking to snap a two-fight skid when he takes on Yoshiki Nakahara (15-5).

Japanese heavyweight Hideki “Shrek” Sekine (12-5), a former ONE Championship title challenger, will look to extend his four-fight win streak when he takes on Tsuyoshi Sudario (4-1), who has spent his entire pro career under the RIZIN banner.

Announced for RIZIN 37 thus far are 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
• Vugar Karamov vs Rikuto Shirakawa

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Taking place Sunday in the promotion’s home base, the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, former champ Kai Asakura was one of the fighters moving forward to the semifinal round. That came with a unanimous decision win against Alan Yamaniha. Former UFC fighter Naoki Inoue also advanced, picking up his own decision victory against Yuto Hokamura.

RIZIN 30 also boasted an appearance from super atomweight champ Ayaka Hamasaki, in a non-title bout. She picked up a decision victory over veteran Emi Fujino.

In a first for RIZIN, a women’s kickboxing match opened the card, which saw Panchan Rina defeat Momoka Mandokoro.

Full results from Sunday’s card can be found below!

RIZIN 30

Kai Asakura def. Alan Yamaniha by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Naoki Inoue def. Yuto Hokamura by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Hiromasa Ougikubo def. Takafumi Otsuka by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Kenta Takizawa def. Yuki Motoya by TKO (Punches), Round 1, 2:27 – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix Quarterfinals
Ayaka Hamasaki (c) def. Emi Fujino by unanimous decision
Yusuke Yachi def. Koji Takeda unanimous decision
Yoshinori Horie def. Ulka Sasaki unanimous decision
Shinobu Ota def. Yuta Kubo unanimous decision
Shoji Maruyama def. Chihiro Suzuki by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:20
Panchan Rina def. Momoka Mandokoro by unanimous decision – kickboxing

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