Johnny Case is coming off of a huge win at Rizin 17. Case, a.k.a. “Hollywood,” defeated Satoru Kitaoka via corner stoppage between the first and second round. Hollywood now has back to back wins in the Japanese MMA promotion and is poised for even bigger things going forward. We were lucky to be able to speak with Johnny Case for a bit about his journey as a martial artist and what’s looming on the horizon.

The Path to Japan

Case’s Japanese MMA fandom has existed since he was an elementary school athlete. The impression it left on him was unshakeable. Case said, “I’ve absolutely been a fan. Going back to when I first got introduced to MMA, I was wrestling at the AAU state wrestling tournament. I remember seeing this fighting on TV. They were fighting in a boxing ring but they’d have these small gloves on and they would go to the ground and fight. I just remember being so in awe of it, not knowing what it was”

The quiet crowds in Japan are also an interesting facet of the shows. There’s always a base level of noise with raucous North American crowds. Whereas in Japan, the crowd is largely quiet but will erupt at some pretty nuanced happenings during fights. Case stated, “It just goes to show the level of education though. They’re super respectful of every aspect of the fight. Not just the knockout. The energy is just through the roof, man. You’d never even be able to explain it unless you’ve been there and experienced it. The energy is unmatched in Asia over in Rizin.”

Rizin using the conventional Japanese MMA presentation of a ring also changes things. In a generalized sense, rings favor strikers and hinder grapplers whereas it’s the inverse for the cage. Case said that it “completely changes the fight. The cage is another element of the fight. You can press your opponents up on the cage and cook ’em. With the ropes, you don’t have that ability. But what you do have, it gets you closer to the body for bodylocks. There are some disadvantages but also some advantages. It just changes the fight.”

Rizin Run

The quality of performance Case had at Rizin 17 can’t be understated. Not just in terms of cumulative damage or the finish he got. It should also be noted that Case put away a venerable, well-regarded veteran in Kitaoka. Case said, “Of course the dude’s a legend and he definitely was a warrior. I wasn’t really surprised. I just knew we were going to go out there and get the win. It’s just because of preparation.”

Case clearly respected his opponent before the fight and continues to look at Kitaoka with reverence. As much as this is a significant win for him, Case tries to not rest on any perceived laurels he has. Johnny Case said, “I kind of just focus on each fight as it is. This fight was just, it’s a worthy opponent. But my preparation and hard work, it’s just another fight.”

This victory is significant for multiple reasons though. Rizin is planning a Lightweight Grand Prix and Case secured himself a future spot in the bracket. “I’m really looking forward to it,” said Case. “I knew right away that was my title. I just have to go through the formalities of winning the fights to get there. When I was released from the UFC I thought it was one of the worst things that ever happened to me. Hindsight’s always 20/20 and it turned out to be one of the best things that happened to me.”

Names like former Bellator champion Patricky Pitbull are expected to bolster the bracket. Case is ecstatic about the notion of proving himself against the world-caliber competition this tournament will bring.

The Road Ahead

The ultimate goal for Johnny Case is to be a world champion. This Grand Prix provides him a great chance to do that. Case is also looking to secure huge paycheques from whichever promotion wants to compensate him most.

Even though he’s locked in a multi-fight deal with Rizjn, Case’s brief brush with PFL and a possible return to that promotion holds intrigue for MMA fans. Case said, “I was a last-minute replacement in the PFL tournament. I ended up having a draw with the champion of PFL. He advanced, I didn’t make it. After I win this title in Rizin, it’s really going to come down to who pays the most. We’ll just see who wants to offer the most.”

The MMA Lab and Xtreme Couture are both facilities Case has been honing his world-class skills at. Predominantly he’s at Xtreme Couture but he still gets in work at his prior gym. The dynamic works super well for Case at this juncture in his career. Johnny Case said, “I live in Las Vegas. Both gyms, both coaches they respect each other. I’m always going back to the lab. Can’t say enough good things about both gyms.”

There’s also a duality that exists with his personal and professional life now. Case’s girlfriend is UFC fighter Emily Whitmire. Whitmire makes her own Kombucha at home (saving some kombucha treks to the store for Case) and the relationship seems to provide balance for both. The two now live together in Las Vegas and no longer have to commute to see one another. Which is to say that Case’s move to Xtreme Couture is giving him a comprehensive work-life balance.

It will be exciting to see how the story continues to unfurl for “Hollywood” Johnny Case.

The post Johnny Case on Securing a Spot in the Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN FF 17: Yachi vs. Asakura, live from the Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo, Japan went down Sunday. MMA and kickboxing action were on tap as the promotion returned to action in its home base in Saitama.

In the main event, Yusuke Yachi faced Mikuru Asakura in a lightweight contest. Yachi was on a tear in RIZIN FF 14 months ago, winning his first five bouts in the promotion. However, Yachi had lost back-to-back bouts for the first time since 2011, and looked to rebound in style. Most recently, Yachi suffered a second-round TKO (Doctor Stoppage) loss to Johnny Case due to an eye cut. Asakura on the other hand had won five-straight, most recently defeating Luis Gustavo at RIZIN FF 15. Gustavo was coming off a victory over Asakura’s opponent, Yusuke Yachi prior to the contest. The 27-year-old entered the night 4-0 in RIZIN FF.

In the co-main event, Shintaro Ishiwatari faced Ulka Sasaki at bantamweight. Ishiwatari was the former Pancrase champion but vacated the belt to compete in RIZIN FF. In RIZIN FF, Ishiwatari was 3-1, with his only loss coming to Kyoji Horiguchi back in 2017. Sasaki entered the bout coming off a RIZIN FF debut win over Manel Kape. The 29-year-old is a nine-time UFC veteran, who went 4-5 in the UFC.

Also on the card, Japanese bantamweights Yuki Montoya and Hiromasa collide, and Ivan Shtyrkov is making his RIZIN FF debut. Also, Johnny Case returns to action at RIZIN 17 against Satoru Kitaoka.

RIZIN FF 17: Yachi vs. Asakura Results:

• Mikuru Asakura def. Yusuke Yachi via Unanimous Decision
• Shintaro Ishiwatari def. Ulka Sasaki via Submission, Round 2, 3:57
• Hiromasa Ogikubo def. Yuki Motoya via Split Decision
• Ivan Shtyrkov def. Hoon Kim via TKO (Ground and Pound), Round 2, 4:05
• Taiga def. Hikaru Machida via Unanimous Decision – kickboxing. 
• Johnny Case def. Satoru Kitaoka via TKO (Corner Stoppage), Round 1, 5:00
• Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Ali Abdulkhalikov via Unanimous Decision
• Roberto de Souza def. Mizuto Hirota via TKO (Punches), Round 1, 3:04
• Jake Heun def. Vitaly Shemetov via TKO (Elbow – Referee Stoppage due to a Cut), Round 3, 2:17
• Seo Hee Ham def. Tomo Maesawa via TKO (Knees), Round 1, 3:12
• Stephanie Egger def. King Reina via Unanimous Decision
• Hideki def. Daiki Watabe via Majority Decision  – kickboxing.

The post RIZIN FF 17: Yachi vs. Asakura Live Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Las Vegas, NV — After six fights in the UFC, lightweight Johnny Case saw his career with the promotion come to an end. Cliche as it may be, however, with every end comes a new beginning, and Case has flourished outside the confines of his former home. 3-0-1 outside the UFC since 2017, Case returns Sunday at RIZIN 17 at the storied Saitama Super Arena outside Tokyo, Japan.

Cageside Press caught up with Case in Las Vegas while prepping for the fight, where he spoke of the differences between fighting in Japan versus America, opponent Satoru Kitaoka, and more.

“It’s been almost eight months since my last fight on New Year’s Eve,” Case said, and he’s obviously eager to get things going again. “I feel like my career kind of is just getting started there. You’ve always got to find a silver lining when it comes to any situation, change, new beginning in your life.”

The silver lining in this case is fighting for a promotion that’s a throwback to the Pride days. “To be honest I’ve always been a fan of Pride, I’ve always loved the Japanese MMA rules, the stomps, the kicks on the ground, and the knees to the head on the ground,” he told us. “I grew up as a kid watching Pride, and to be able to go fight in Japan, in the same arena, same rule set, it’s been epic. I’m really fortunate actually.”

“You never know, after I win this title in Japan, maybe it comes free circle, I become a free agent,” he added. “You never know. It’ll have to come down to who’s paying the most.”

It’s not as if UFC returns are unheard of, and “Hollywood” had a winning record with the organization, going 4-2.

In the meantime, a belt is the goal for now. Fighting in RIZIN, “it’s financially stable, but I’m not really doing it just for the money. I feel like I have a really good shot at winning a world title, and I’m seizing that opportunity.”

He’ll be doing so in a very different environment, mind you. “Without a doubt. The whole fight changes whether you’re fighting Japanese rules or American MMA rules. Not having a cage, that’s a weapon you don’t get to have when you’re in a ring. But there’s a trade-off.”

That trade-off comes because “in a cage you can press somebody against the fence and really wear them out and drain on them. You can really just smash them into the fence.” But RIZIN doesn’t use a cage. Just as Pride did, RIZIN employs a boxing ring. “The ring you can’t do that. But your arms can slip through to the body. You can get nice body arms. There’s definitely a trade-off there too.”

“Plus the Japanese way, it kind of entices more of a finish. More submission, more knockout kind of fights,” Case continued. “Where as opposed to America sometimes, you can see wrestlers going out there and just laying on somebody and eking out a win. That doesn’t work really well [in Japan]. You’ve got to fight to finish the fight, and that works for my style anyway.”

After a couple of false starts, Case is now ready to walk to the RIZIN ring once again. He’s had a bit of an issue with opponents, though that seems cleared up now. “RIZIN’s cool, you can negotiate rule sets. If you guys want to do 10 minute first round, five minute second, if you want to do three five minutes, if you want to use elbows or no elbows, it’s pretty cool.”

The no elbows rule is another callback to Pride, where they didn’t allow them due to cuts. “They want the clean death, they want an unconscious body, and elbows tend to cut.” In RIZIN, it all comes down to negotiation.

“So we were negotiating the fight, we had the rule set, everything, money was good,” he said of one opponent he had lined up earlier this year. “We were deciding on the weight.” A bit of negotiating even worked out the weight class. Then, the fighter pulled out. “I think it was kind of like, he didn’t have a lot of negotiating power with the promotion.”

Satoru Kitaoka, Case’s current opponent, has come through. “He’s a veteran of the sport. This will be like his 73rd professional fight. He’s got some wins over some big name veterans, fought in there with the biggest names, Masvidal, Daley, Carlos Condit, the list goes on. The guy’s a legend in the sport, big legend over there. Fighting a guy like him is so awesome.”

“I’m ready. I feel like I’m just getting better and better and better,” Case added. “Made some life changes, that just really made all the difference in how I approach my game and how I approach my training. I’m excited to fight, man.”

Check out our full interview with Johnny Case above. Don’t miss RIZIN 17 live on FITE.tv Sunday!

The post RIZIN 17’s Johnny Case: Hollywood Goes to Japan appeared first on Cageside Press.

PFL 5 | Thursday | New Jersey

Lightweight: Akhmet Aliev (18-4)

Aliev prefers to stay on the feet where he is quick, explosive, and diverse. Aliev loves to spin, sometimes too much, but it is effective to keep range. Aliev has a good kickboxing base with body kicks and leg kicks, but when he puts it behind his combinations, that’s where he shines. Combinations and output are what Aliev is best at as he throws three to four strikes at a time with good speed and a bit of power. The footwork is also sound moving in and out, once again illustrating his quickness. He fights former UFC lightweight Chris Wade (15-5), which will be his toughest fight to date.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uzmsgdJQhM&t=1s

Featherweight: Andre Harrison (21-1)

“The Bull” is a two-time All-American DII wrestler who lives up to his nickname by pulling his opponents down to the mat and staying on top with heavy pressure. His wrestling is excellent and striking wise he is also dangerous. He has power in his hands, as he has dropped opponents in the past but his wrestling is his bread and butter. He is a grinding type fighter who likes to wear down his opponents and he has used his wrestling to take out some top-notch competition. He fights Movlid Khaybulaev (14-0).

Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (14-0)

Movlid is a very solid fighter all around, he is really technical in his stand-up he throws a lot of spinning attacks, not overdoing it, but that is a good thing. Movlid uses the flying knee often, with which he knocked out his last opponent. With that, he also has good wrestling, he is able to shoot in for a double leg or he can lift and slam you to the mat. Movlid can usually get the fight down multiple times in a fight and from the fights I’ve seen, I see no weakness yet. He fights Andre Harrison (21-1).

Lightweight: Islam Mamedov (17-2)

A top-level wrestler, Mamedov finds the takedown naturally, and on top, he is as good as it gets. He sticks like glue, he moves well and is even excellent at taking the back. His ground-and-pound is very solid – not heavy strikes but constant strikes. Once Mamedov gets the separation, he has a good submission game. On the feet, he is explosive, and he lunges forward with hooks and flying knees. He has power but his ground game is where he is best. He fights Yincang Bao (13-8), who is on a two-fight skid.

Future FC 7 | Friday | Brazil

Bantamweight: Herbeth Sousa (13-1)

With only one loss, Sousa is currently on a three-fight win streak. His latest win coming against Glyan Alves, someone who I was high on. “Indio” is an aggressive grappler who has nine submissions all coming in the first round. His wrestling is solid but obviously, it’s the grappling that’s key. His transitions are smooth and his finishing ability on the submissions is dangerous as he is a black belt in BJJ. He still needs some work on the feet but only 25-years-old. He fights Tiagro Costa (15-4) who is tough but Sousa should win.

Lightweight: Anderson Ferreira (13-1)

Ferreira has a background in Muay Thai with a record of 18-1 (which may not even be up-to-date) and in kickboxing with a 15-2 record, with a WGP title to his name. Obviously, the Brazilian wants to keep the fight standing where he can use his length with his kicks and strikes. After losing his first fight, Ferreira has won all his 13 subsequent fights with a 100% finish rate. He does have an issue holding his chin straight up and his takedown defense is still a work in progress but he is very dangerous on the feet. He fights Jackson Loureiro (8-0), who I’m not too impressed with.

Flyweight: Danilo Adreani (8-2)

Adreani still needs work on the feet on his technique but his explosiveness and speed is good enough. He excels on the mat though and his wrestling is good being very strong against the cage and throwing his foes to their back. Adreani is scrappy on the mat, always moving and throwing constant ground-and-pound for the entire fight with a solid pace. The Brazilian has lost positions before but he can scramble very well making him such a good prospect. He fights Marcelo Dias (10-3), who has lost to other grapplers.

Lightweight: Brendo Bispo (16-4)

With already 20fights at only 25-years-old, Bispo looks to be in his prime since moving up to lightweight, Bispo trains out of Chute Boxe with UFC fighter Charles Oliveira. Bispo is very explosive but needs to throw more leg kicks because his legs are huge. He needs to throw more but he hits hard. He does a good job striking his way into the clinch where he has solid Muay Thai and can prove his strength. Bispo has some good ground-and-pound and is a threat with submissions. He’s really improved and is a good prospect all-around. He fights Luis Fernando de Oliveira Lima (7-4), who is a step down in competition.

Featherweight: Gabriel Alves Braga (3-0)

Only 3-0 and 21-years-old, Barga really impressed me in his last fight. He has a solid ground game with his ground-and-pound but prefers to stay standing. Braga is very technical as he loves to throw from all different kinds of angles. He throws a bit of everything including knees, elbows, and ripping all his strikes together perfectly. Braga rips the body frequently and he mixes that into combinations very well. He’s always throwing output mixing, in all his weapons. He fights Jean Inácio Soares (5-2), who is coming off a loss.

Battlefield FC 2 | Friday | Macau

Lightweight: Kaik Brito (12-1)

Brito, at only 22-years-old, is already impressive and well tested for his age. Brito has a background in Muay Thai and really would prefer to keep the fight standing. Brito excels in the clinch, where his Muay Thai comes into play with elbows and knees. At a distance, he is well versed in throwing kicks behind punches, throwing with a lot of power behind them. Brito would need to work on his takedown defense as he does find himself on his back often, but he has a good, active guard and threatens with submissions off of his back. He fights Mateusz Rębecki (9-1), who lacks footage.

Lightweight: Bruno Miranda (12-3)

Miranda is an exciting prospect training out of a top camp in Tiger Muay Thai. Miranda has extensive experience in Muay Thai and it’s shown throughout his MMA career. You will see Miranda attack the leg kicks early and often throughout the fight. The Brazilian is a banger who will come out throwing bombs the entire fight. He is wild though and that’s resulted in him getting tagged but he’s tough and his will breaks opponents. Miranda is a striker/kickboxer by trade but he has some decent wrestling to fall back on. He fights Ricardo Tirloni (23-7) in a fight that is hard to predict.

Featherweight: Julio Cesar Neves (34-1)

 The record this kid has is just insane especially at 25-years-old, though like any Astra Fight Team member there is a lot of sub-professional early-career filler on his resume. With 19 KO/TKOs and 10 submissions, Neves is very skilled everywhere and has a legit BJJ game that he can use to easily neutralize most opponents. On the feet is where Neves is most dangerous, as his Muay Thai is lethal – ending multiple fights by knee strikes – and his kickboxing is dangerous. He’s flashy in the cage but it’s not just to put on a show, as he’s had a lot of success with his unpredictable striking style. He fights Kevin Park (2-1).

Oktagon 13 | Saturday | Czech Republic

Middleweight: Makhmud Muradov (21-6)

The Uzbekistan-born fighter has a lot of experience with 27 total fights. Muradov relies on his explosiveness on the feet with straight punches and loves to throw the flying knees. On the feet, he covers distance very well. Muradov does a great job throwing different attacks and mixing it all together. His takedowns usually come just from him bulldozing over his opponents. He’s at his best on top with smashing ground-and-pound until the ref steps in. He fights former UFC fighter, Wendell Oliveira (31-12). With a win, expect to see him in the UFC next.

Heavyweight: Martin Buday (6-1)

Buday doesn’t have any special qualities but his forward pressure and cutting off angles has done well for him. He doesn’t hit hard but has good timing on when he throws. He’s not fast but uses effective footwork. While he’s not the most explosive heavyweight, he is still on a five-fight win streak with all five finishes. He fights Daniel Dittrich (5-3), who he should beat.

Flyweight: David Dvorak (16-3)

Dvorak has been dominating the last couple years as he is currently on a 12-fight win streak. On the feet, he’s dangerous at range with the angles he cuts, always using a large arsenal of attack with the teep kick being highlighted. He does a great job keeping range with his kicks and footwork but he also cuts his opponents off and explodes in when need be. In the clinch, he is lethal with his knees and elbows. He hasn’t shown much wrestling but has shown solid takedown defense and is a threat if he ends up on top where he has fight-stopping ground-and-pound. He fights Arsen Taigibov (16-2), who lacks footage.

Rise FC 4 | Saturday | Canada

Bantamweight: Jamie Siraj (7-1)

Siraj is underrated, but still one of Canada’s best prospects. His only loss comes to UFC fighter Cole Smith, but since then, he’s on a four-fight win streak. Siraj is well-rounded getting it done on the feet and on the mat. Siraj has a nice flow of output with outstanding shot selection. “The Gremlin” has speed and it really shines when he lets his hands go. He has some solid wrestling as well and that comes with ground and pound and a strong submission base. He fights Blake Sigvaldason (3-1), which is a squash match.

Rizin 17 | Saturday | Japan

Lightweight: Mikuru Asakura (10-1)

Asakura is an exciting prospect who has steamrolled all but one of his opponents. Asakura is a very adept grappler who has some proficient judo/wrestling, along with exceptional jiu-jitsu. Having said that, on the feet is where Asakura is most dangerous. Holding huge knockout power, you could describe Asakura as having dynamite in his hands. He uses that innate power with good set-up technique, including counters and feints. He is a sniper with explosiveness. He fights Yusuke Yachi (20-8), who is on a two-fight skid.

Light Heavyweight: Ivan Shtyrkov (16-0-1)

Considered one of the top light-heavyweight prospects in the world. Shtyrkov has the power on his feet to drop anyone but tends to get hit a lot. Luckily, he has shown a good chin and is willing to take one to give one. Shtyrkov does have better wrestling then you might expect for a brawler, with a wide variety of takedowns including body-lock takedowns, to double-leg takedowns, to trip takedowns that show his power and athleticism. On top, he is a real submission threat with six of his wins ending with a submission and five of them by armbar, something uncommon for the big guys. He fights Hoon Kim (10-12-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE9PP4Qewi8

Lightweight: Roberto de Souza (8-0)

Souza grew up doing judo and jiu-jitsu and would later become very successful in BJJ. His grappling record (on paper) is 61-15 with 37 submission wins. He has many achievements in BJJ, and you can read them all here. While MMA is an entirely different sport, Souza still has got it done on the mat with six submissions. His striking has been coming around, as in his last fight, he fought off his back foot and landed the jab over and over. Souza, as shown, can get it done on the feet with his hands as well. He fights Mizuto Hirota (18-10-2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJn_hB_ScZE

The post Weekly MMA Prospect Report: PFL 5, RIZIN 17, and More appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ivan Shtyrkov (16-0-1) has signed on with Japan’s RIZIN FF, the promotion has announced. The massive Russian was briefly under the UFC banner, but USADA troubles put the kibosh on that before the ‘Ural Hulk’ ever appeared for the promotion.

Instead, Shtyrkov will make his RIZIN promotional debut against South Korea’s Kim Hoon (10-12-2) at RIZIN 17 later this month. He’ll add depth to the Japanese promotion’s light heavyweight division, which recently saw Jiří Procházka crowned champion.

News of the Shtyrkov booking was announced in a press release by RIZIN officials. That release included a statement by Shtyrkov’s management addressing his USADA situation.

Ruby Sports and Entertainment CEO Daniel Rubenstein wrote that

“When Ivan Shtyrkov signed with the UFC, he was immediately subjected to USADA testing. During one of those USADA tests, Ivan’s sample came back with an abnormal reading, not a positive test for PED’s. UFC decided it was best to pull Ivan from the fight in Saint Petersburg until more tests could be concluded. After 2 more laboratories did tests on the samples, they found that even though the levels of testosterone in his body were within the legal limits, they couldn’t determine that the testosterone was only naturally produced. Ivan maintains that he has not taken anything on the USADA banned list for the previous10 months, however the UFC and USADA’s look back window is 1 year, and as we have seen with other athletes in the UFC, some substances can stay in your body significantly longer than that 1 year. Ivan is excited for his opportunity with RIZIN and understands that he will be subjected to their drug testing policies and plans to abide by them. He is looking forward to competing in Tokyo in July.”

What RIZIN’s drug testing policies are was not made clear.

Also announced for the RIZIN 17 card are King Reina (11-2) vs Stephanie Egger (3-1), and a kickboxing bout between TAIGA (19-9-1) and Hikari Machida (35-17-3). RIZIN 17 takes place July 28 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The post After USADA Issues, Ivan Shtyrkov Joins RIZIN 17, Faces Kim Hoon In One of Three Newly Announced Fights appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN FF has announced a trio of fights for July’s RIZIN 17 card. Among them, ROAD FC atomweight champ Seo Hee Ham will take on Japan’s own Tomo Maesawa. The bout once again sees RIZIN sharing talent with a competing organization, though it’s unclear if any RIZIN fighters might eventually go back the other way.

Also booked for RIZIN 17 is BJJ star Roberto Satoshi, who is set to face Mizuto Hirota. Jake Heun, meanwhile, has been pitted up against Vitaly Shemetov.

／
‟真夏の男祭り”
RIZIN.17 チケット好評発売中！！
＼

全国のプレイガイド、コンビニエンスストアでチケットが発売中です。熱き闘いを会場でご観戦下さい。

🏳会場：さいたまスーパーアリーナ
📅日時：7/28(日)12:30開場 / 14:00開始
🎟チケット：https://t.co/lMEiElqfjr#RIZINFF #RIZIN17 pic.twitter.com/k9QAH146Dq

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) June 22, 2019

It’s the reigning ROAD FC champ Ham (20-8) who is likely to turn heads however. The South Korean star has won all three of her fights since leaving the UFC, where she competed at strawweight. Returning to her natural weight class of atomweight, the former DEEP Jewels champion is 3-0, with a win over current Invicta FC champ Jinh Yu Frey.

Tomo Maesawa (12-9) has competed mainly for DEEP Jewels throughout her career. She’ll enter the fight off a loss, and was most recently competing in the grappling realm. A former DEEP title holder herself, she’ll be making her RIZIN debut.

Satoshi (8-0) made his first appearance back in August, earning a win against Satoru Kitaoka, a tenured veteran of mixed martial arts. He’ll get another solid test against Hirota (18-10-2), who has had two runs in the UFC to date.

Finally, Jake Heun (13-9) will look to build off his win over Roque Martinez and make it two in a row against Shemetov (23-9, 1NC). ‘The Dancing Russian’ has not lost a fight since 2010, and has won 10 straight (with an eleventh fight, his most recent, ending in a no contest). However, he has not competed since 2017.

RIZIN 17 takes place July 28 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, just a short train ride outside Tokyo.

The post Seo Hee Ham, ROAD FC Atomweight Champ, Will Appear at RIZIN 17 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Grand Prix business is in full swing once again in MMA. With both Bellator and ONE Championship boasting ongoing grand prix tournaments, RIZIN Fighting Federation has teased an upcoming lightweight grand prix of their own. Of course, the grand prix format has a long history in RIZIN (and PRIDE before that), so this really comes as no surprise. Hints at the grand prix were dropped in a press release this week announcing several fights for RIZIN 17.

Among the bouts announced, Mikuru Asakura (10-1) will face Yusuke Yachi (20-8) in a fight said to be “a potential qualifying bout for the Light weight GP which is rumored to take place later in the year.” However, Asakura, for one, doesn’t sound interested in entering the tournament. Instead, he called for the promotion to put together a featherweight grand prix.

“I have nothing to gain from this fight. I’m a featherweight and he’s a lightweight. I asked if he would do a catchweight but he refused,” Asakura was quoted as saying via press release. “So f*ck it, I’ll fight him at his weight. But if I win, I’m not fighting in the lightweight GP. I want a featherweight GP. And also I want main event at the Saitama Super Arena.”

RIZIN officials also announced a pair of bantamweight bouts for the card. Pancrase Champion Shintaro Ishiwatari (25-7-4) will meet ex-Shooto and UFC fighter Ulka Sasaki (22-6-2). And former DEEP Champion Yuki Motoya (23-6) will take on TUF 24 runner up and current Shooto Champion Hiromasa Ogikubo (18-4-2).

RIZIN 17 is set to go down at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on July 28.

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