RIZIN 18 went down over this past weekend, and the end result of the main event was not what anyone expected. After dominating every fight he’d been in since losing a flyweight title bid to Demetrious Johnson in the UFC, and winning two titles (in RIZIN and Bellator MMA), Kyoji Horiguchi seemed unstoppable. Then, he ran up against Kai Asakura, and it all came crashing down.

On Sunday in Nagoya at RIZIN 18, Asakura knocked out Horiguchi just over a minute into the first round. The shock upset left MMA fans reeling, and asking “what’s next?”

Horiguchi, of course, still has his bantamweight titles, as the fight with Asakura was a non-title affair. But whether he pursues a rematch, perhaps with the belt in play, or defends his Bellator title next, or faces an entirely different challenge, remains to be seen.

UFC alum Justin Scoggins picked up a win at the event, while another former UFC notable, Jarred Brooks, a.k.a. The Monkey God, saw his fight end in a No Contest due to an accidental headbutt.

Check below for a gallery of highlights from all the fights at RIZIN 18! And check out our results page to see the rest of the night’s winners and losers.

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RIZIN 18: Horiguchi vs. Asakura live from the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya, Japan. The event was broadcast live on FITE TV. 

In the main event of the evening, RIZIN and Bellator bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi returned to Japan, when he took on fellow Japanese fighter, Kai Asakura.

Horiguchi (28-2) entered the contest just two months after defeating Darrion Caldwell for the second time at Bellator 222 (we spoke with him prior to the event – watch here). Since joining the Japanese promotion in 2017, Horiguchi had gone 9-1 in the promotion, only losing to Tenshin Nasukawa in Kickboxing.

Asakura (12-1) had gone a perfect 4-0 in RIZIN since debuting back in December of 2017. Among his RIZIN stint, he has beat Manel Kape and Thaongsalek Tiger Muay Thai in back-to-back bouts. Most recently, Asakura redeemed his only professional loss when he defeated Je Hoon Moon via unanimous decision last September. Despite going to the judges in his last three fights, Asakura has nine stoppage wins, seven via knockout.

Also on the card, super atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki was back in action. DEEP bantamweight champion Victor Henry and former UFC flyweight Jarred Brooks made their promotional debuts. Additionally, John Wayne Parr competed in kickboxing – where he looked for his 100th professional win.

RIZIN 18: Horiguchi vs. Asakura Results:

• Kai Asakura def. Kyoji Horiguchi via KO (Punches), Round 1, 1:07
• Ayaka Hamasaki def. Amp the Rocket via Submission (Armbar), Round 1, 3:20
• Victor Henry def. Trent Girdham via Submission (Triangle Choke), Round 3, 2:14
• Manel Kape def. Takeya Mizugaki via KO (Punch), Round 2, 0:36
• Danilo Zanolini def. John Wayne Parr via Split Decision – Kickboxing. 

Intermission:

• Kanna Asakura def. Alesha Zappitella via Split Decision
• Jarred Brooks vs. Haruo Ochi ends in a No Contest (Accidental Headbutt – Cut), Round 1, 0:11
• Hiroto Uesako def. Yves Landu via (T)KO (Ground and Pound), Round 2, 3:55
• Justin Scoggins def. Kazuma Sone via Unanimous Decision
• Takaki Soya def. Yutaro Muramoto via (T)KO (Punches), Round 2, 1:28
• Al def. Tabatha Watkins via Unanimous Decision
• Kazuki Osaki def. Takiya Shota via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)  – Kickboxing.
• Ryuji Horio def. Uchu Sakurai via Unanimous Decision – Kickboxing. 

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ONE Championship lands in Bangkok, Thailand this Friday, while RIZIN will be in Nagoya, Japan for RIZIN 18 on Sunday. Those are just two of the cards going down this weekend that will see several MMA prospects in action. So without further adieu, here’s the most recent installment of our Weekly MMA Prospect report!

S-70 | Tuesday | Russia

Featherweight, Leonardo Limberger (12-1)

Limberger has shown one-punch knockout power, but his high volume output is where he excels. He throws one-twos from a variety of angles, almost never throwing just one strike, and mixes in kicks beautifully. The featherweight is an excellent range fighter with great footwork and perfectly-timed counters. He uses leg kicks as one of his main weapons and does a good job switching to spinning kicks that are neither sloppy nor telegraphed at all.

Limberger has underrated wrestling, as he has great timing on his double leg and he sets it up and executes perfectly. On the mat, you can’t ask for much more, possessing good BJJ on top or off of his back, which shows in his five submission victories. Limberger is constantly passing into better positions, getting the mount and the back, and landing effective ground and pound. He fights Boris Fedorov (9-1) who is something of a question mark.

One Championship | Friday | Thailand

Flyweight, Asha Roka (4-0)

Fighting out of India, Asha Roka is a young prospect at only 20-years-old. She has got her cage time out of the way very quickly with her longest fight going 1:41. On the other side her fastest win is a 0:09 knockout. Roka has experience in boxing and bringing it into the cage she does have two knockouts in her MMA career. She’s also shown a submission game with two submission wins. She’s very wild but aggressive, throwing wild hard hooks while staying on the gas. Roka still has a lot to show and needs a step up in competition bad. She fights Ning Stamp (1-0).

Featherweight, Thanh Le (9-2)

Thanh Le is a karate-based fighter and one of the most exciting known prospects out there. He has amazing power, kicks, and punches with “lights out” written on everything he throws. His takedown defense was a problem in the past but he has seemed to improve in that area in his most recent bouts. He is 33-years old, so another loss would be a big step back. He fights Kotetsu Boku (26-13-2) who is on a two-fight skid.

Next up, XFC, CFFC, and RIZIN 18!

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A couple of UFC veterans have been added to next month’s RIZIN 18 card. On Tuesday, the promotion announced via press release that Jarred Brooks, a UFC flyweight released off a win when the UFC was looking to shutter the division, would face Harou Ochi at the event. Also added to the card, Ayaka Hamasaki, formerly of Invicta FC, taking on “Amp the Rocket,” as well as another UFC alum, Justin Scoggins, who would meet Japan’s Kazuma Sone. Finally, Victor Henry vs. Trent Girdham was added at bantamweight.

RIZIN continues to bolster its bantamweight ranks, where dual-promotion (RIZIN FF and Bellator) champ Kyoji Horiguchi reigns. Scoggins (11-6) has been part of that process, but is coming off a loss to Yuki Motoya at RIZIN 14. In his last four bouts, Scoggins has gone 0-4.

Kazuma Sone (23-18-1) is also mired in a slump, having lost his last three fights. He returns to RIZIN for the first time since August 2018, after taking his last two fights in Shooto.

Jarred Brooks (14–2) will return to the strawweight division at RIZIN 18, taking on Haruo Ochi (19-7-2). Brooks went 2-2 as a flyweight for the UFC, and was released off a win over Roberto Sanchez. Outside the promotion, he has competed at strawweight in the past. Ochi, meanwhile, is the current DEEP strawweight champion.

Also at RIZIN 18, Ayaka Hamasaki (18-2), ex-Invicta FC Atomweight Champion and current RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion, takes on “Amp” Suwanan Boonsorn Phukettopteam (5-1) of Thailand, a.k.a. “Amp the Rocket.” The bout will be a non-title affair.

Victor Henry (18-4), who recently claimed the DEEP Bantamweight title, will meet Trent Girdham (11-2) at the show. Both men will be making their RIZIN debuts.

RIZIN 18 will be held at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya, Japan on August 18, 2019.

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The first batch of fights for August’s RIZIN 18 were announced Monday by Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation. And the promotion is wasting no time getting one of its biggest stars, Kyoji Horiguchi, back in the ring. Horiguchi, who recently won the bantamweight title at Bellator 222 in New York, is a two-promotion champion, almost unheard of in the mixed martial arts world. With so much attention on him, he’s getting a quick turnaround, and will fight fellow Japanese standout Kai Asakura next month.

Seven other fights were also announced for the card in a press release distributed by the promotion Monday. But lots of attention will go to Horiguchi (28–2), who has won 13 straight fights dating back to his 2015 loss against Demetrious Johnson. During that span, Horiguchi has picked up wins over Darrion Caldwell, Ben Nguyen, Ian McCall, Ali Bagautinov, Hideo Tokoro, Manel Kape and more.

Horiguchi has, in fact, compiled the sort of resume that may put him in the talk among the greats some day, if he keeps competing at this level. His only career losses have come to Mighty Mouse, and a majority decision defeat against Masakatsu Ueda early in Horiguchi’s career.

Asakura will be no easy test for the double champ, however. On a four fight win streak, and 12-1 overall, he’s peaking at just the right time. However, the bout against Horiguchi will be a non-title affair.

Quoted in Monday’s press release, RIZIN CEO Noboyuki Sakakibara stated that “Kyoji Horiguchi may just be the best Bantamweight in the world at the moment. And out of all the options we had, I do believe that Kai Asakura is the best option who would be able to fight Horiguchi with the most motivation and determination. He’s young, hungry and has been our rising Bantamweight and most of all, he will be taking on the greatest fighter in his home town in front of hundreds of his supporters.”

Also announced for RIZIN 18, former UFC bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki (23-13-2) will face Manel Kape (13-4). Kape, who has fought against Ian McCall and Horiguchi among others, is getting another tough test against a seasoned veteran here. Mizugaki, meanwhile, will be making his RIZIN debut after appearing in ACB and DEEP subsequent to leaving the UFC.

As it has done with Bellator, RIZIN has also fostered a relationship with Invicta FC, and that effort will see Invicta’s Alesha Zappitella (5-1) face RIZIN 2017 Super Atomweight GP winner Kanna Asakura (14-4) on the card.

The full list of bouts announced Monday can be found below. RIZIN 18 takes place August 18 at the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

MMA

Kyoji Horiguchi vs Kai Asakura
Kanna Asakura vs Alesha Zappitella
Manel Kape vs Takeya Mizugaki
Hiroto Uesako vs Yves Landu
Takaki Soya vs Yutaro Muramoto

Kickboxing

John Wayne Parr vs Danilo Zanolini
Ryuji Horio vs Uchu Sakurai
Shota Takiya vs Kazuki Osaki

The post RIZIN 18 Fights Announced, Including Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Kai Asakura, Takeya Mizugaki vs. Manel Kape appeared first on Cageside Press.