It also featured a one-night kickboxing tournament, with the RIZIN KICK tournament running the semifinal round early in the night, then saving the finale for the main event slot.

On the MMA side, the bantamweight tournament continued. Four opening round bouts were set to unfold, following an additional four bouts at RIZIN 28 earlier in the month. Of note, Takafumi Otsuka was up against Hiroki Yamashita in the co-main event. A two-time DEEP bantamweight champ (not to mention featherweight champ as well), Otsuka had experience on his side after making it to the semi-final round in RIZIN’s 2017 bantamweight grand prix.

RIZIN 29 takes place Sunday, June 27, live in Osaka, Japan. The English-language live stream can be found via LIVE-NOW.

RIZIN 29 Results

Taiju Shiratori def. Koji by unanimous decision – RIZIN KICK Tournament Final
Yuto Hokamura def. Kuya Ito by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix 2021 Opening Round
Takafumi Otsuka def. Hiroki Yamashita by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix 2021 Opening Round
Kenta Takizawa def. Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix 2021 Opening Round
Alan Yamaniha def. Kazuma Kuramoto by unanimous decision – RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix 2021 Opening Round
Yusuke Yachi def. Yuki Kawana by unanimous decision
Rikuto Shirakawa def. Jin Aoi by unanimous decision
Taiju Shiratori def. Ryo Takahashi by TKO, Round 1, 1:37 – RIZIN KICK Tournament Semi Final
Koji vs. Genji Umeno ends in a no contest (accidental headbutt), Round 1, 0:43 – RIZIN KICK Tournament Semi Final
Nadaka Yoshinari def. Chikai  by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 3:00 – Kickboxing
Seiki Ueyama def. Jyosei Izumi by TKO, Round 2, 1:55 – Kickboxing
Yuma Yamahata vs. Kiyoto Takahashi ends in a draw – Kickboxing

The post RIZIN 29 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Certainly, the heavyweight main event between UFC’s #3-ranked Ciryl Gane taking on the #5 ranked Alexander Volkov is getting the headlines. However, the stakes in Japan are just as high, if not higher, this weekend at RIZIN 29.

After being rescheduled for this Sunday due to the coronavirus pandemic, RIZIN 29 will air on pay-per-view live from Osaka. The co-main event of the evening will feature Takafumi Otsuka (28-18-1) taking on Yamashita Hiroki (8-8). Then, to cap the night off, Yuto Hokamura (13-9-2) will fight Kuya Ito (10-8-1) in the main event for a spot in the Grand Prix Quarterfinals.

Takafumi Otsuka vs. Yamashita Hiroki

Otsuka began his professional fighting career losing by rear-naked choke back in 2006. The path for the Japanese native never eased up as he would also lose his second fight as a pro. Following that adversity, Otsuka went on a 7-fight unbeaten streak (with 1 No Contest result included). As a 2017 RIZIN Bantamweight GP semi-finalist, thanks to that experience, Otsuka is a legitimate player in the RIZIN 2021 Grand Prix.

2017 RIZIN Bantamweight GP semi finalist @Takafumi_otsuka will be making his return this Sunday!!

Watch and see which 4 will make it to the quarter finals on @LIVENowglobal🔻https://t.co/KpLGcymEmD#RIZIN #RIZINFF #RIZIN29 pic.twitter.com/UEHPHMhqsF

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) June 25, 2021

Otsuka lost a unanimous decision to Ryo Okada at Shooto 2021 Vol.2. Prior to that loss, Otsuka would mostly alternate wins and losses in different organizations. However, with his wrestling skills, the 34-year old Otsuka has rounded his MMA skills out. With the ability to keep the fight where he wants it to stay, he is a definite problem at 134lbs.

Hiroki is known for his fast hands and the shocking power that comes behind the speed. Specifically, the Japanese heavy-handed athlete has five KO/TKOs to his record. Additionally, Hiroki is looking to expand his last win into a streak to cement his name in the RIZIN promotion.

Recently, “Shian” who might want to change his nickname to “27” demonstrated his power with a 27-second left-hook knockout against Kazuma Sone. After Hiroki’s last performance at RIZIN 27, fans are ready to see the swiftness of his technique grace the ring again.

RIZIN 29 Main Event: Yuto Hokamura vs. Kuya Ito

The 24-year old Ito is young but has been fighting since 2013. Nearing a decade of combat experience at such a young age will pay dividends as the Japanese native continues to carve out his combat sports career.

The 5 foot 5 bantamweight will look to build on his previous win against Hiroki Yamashita last September. It is always a treat to see a professional fighter come back from the jaws of defeat, and Ito is definitely familiar with that sensation. In particular, Ito lost his first four professional fights and then picked up a majority draw before tasting the sweetness of victory.

Hometown favorite @Kintarou0319 squares off against Kuya Ito for a spot in the Grand Prix Quarterfinals!

Buy the PPV https://t.co/hNAvHYEwuJhttps://t.co/7ooYs4ytGe#RIZIN #RIZINFF #RIZIN29 pic.twitter.com/urbNiJFeGt

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) June 25, 2021

Despite Rough Beginnings, Ito Is Ready For RIZIN 29 Showcase

Having gone 0-4 in a 4-year stretch just highlights the bulletproof mentality and of course, Ito’s commitment to MMA. With a new lease on his career and much more consistency, the Japanese native has a huge opportunity to seize at RIZIN 29 this Sunday.

Hokamura is well-known in the world of Asian MMA. With a solid foundation in kickboxing, Hokamura’s foray into MMA was less rocky than Ito’s initial start. Even though the 28-year old Japanese native lost his last fight in the promotion by split decision, his record isn’t an accurate reflection of the skillset he brings into the ring. Prior to his loss to Kenta Takizawa, Hokamura delivered at the RIZIN 21 show against Kenji Kato–and he did so in style.

With a chance to make a statement against Ito, there will be a lot of attention on this fight as most understand how consequential it is to the tournament. Despite momentum being different in each corner, Ito is not looking past Hokamura. Either way, fans will find out which fighters advance to the quarter-finals of the 2021 RIZIN Bantamweight GP come Sunday.

The post RIZIN 29 Main and Co-Main Event Breakdown appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a press release distributed Wednesday, RIZIN FF officials revealed that the event, originally slotted for May 30, would now take place on June 27. Per that release, the event will still be held at the Maruzen Intec Arena in Osaka, Japan.

“I have made the decision to postpone the event after consulting with the fighters, staff and organizers. Everyone was willing to adapt and put on a show for the fans a month later,” promotion CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara was quoted as saying.

Additionally, RIZIN’s top exec cited fan attendance for holding off on the show. “It has been nearly a year with reduced attendance, but the fans presence and support is what pushes the fighters to put on the best shows.”

RIZIN 28 was previously postponed to June 13, which, until now, put the shows out of order. With RIZIN 29 pushed back as well, that is no longer the case.

The following bouts are currently scheduled for the promotion’s June 27 event:

Kintaro vs Kuya Ito – RIZIN Bantamweight GP opening round
Takafumi Otsuka vs Shian – RIZIN Bantamweight GP opening round
Kazuma Kuramoto vs Alan Hiro Yamaniha – RIZIN Bantamweight GP opening round
Kenta Takizawa vs Kazunari Imanari – RIZIN Bantamweight GP opening round
Yusuke Yachi vs Yuki Kawana
Rikuto Shirakawa vs Jin Aoi

Four Man Kickboxing Tournament

Kouzi vs Genji Umeno
Taiju Shiratori vs Ryo Takahashi

The post RIZIN 29 Pushed Back to June 27 appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN 28, set to take place at the Tokyo Dome, had been planned for May 23. But under current restrictions, no more than 5,000 spectators would be able to attend. Instead, the promotion has pushed RIZIN 28 to June 13, with hopes of having 50% capacity in the venue. RIZIN 29, meanwhile, will remain in place on May 30. As tickets have already been sold, the promotion is sticking with the event numbering as is.

RIZIN Fighting Federation officials announced the news in a press release on Monday. Promotion CEO Noboyuki Sakakibara was quoted as saying, in part, that “I know this may be confusing but since we have already started to sell tickets to both events, we will be sticking with these event numbers. Anybody who has already purchased tickets for RIZIN.28 and cannot attend the new date, we will happily make refunds.”

The following bouts have been announced for the cards, which will have the opening round of the Bantamweight Grand Prix split between them.

RIZIN 29 – May 30

Kintaro vs Kuya Ito – Bantamweight GP opening round
Takafumi Otsuka vs Shian – Bantamweight GP opening round
Kazuma Kuramoto vs Alan Hiro Yamaniha – Bantamweight GP opening round
Kenta Takizawa vs Kazunari Imanari – Bantamweight GP opening round
Yusuke Yachi vs Yuki Kawana
Rikuto Shirakawa vs Jin Aoi
Kouzi/TBD/TBD/TBD – Four man kickboxing tournament

RIZIN 28 – June 13

Kai Asakura vs Shooto Watanabe – Bantamweight GP opening round
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs Takeshi Kasugai – Bantamweight GP opening round
Naoki Inoue vs Shintaro Ishiwatari – Bantamweight GP opening round
Yuki Motoya vs Ryo Okada – Bantamweight GP opening round

The post RIZIN 28 Will Take Place After RIZIN 29, Bouts Announced appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, the Japanese promotion hosted a press conference and grand prix draw to determine the opening round match-ups in the 2021 Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix. Prior to Friday, only one name had been announced for the 16-man tournament. That was former champ Kai Asakura. The remaining 15 were also on hand Friday, and took part in a blind selection process to determine their opponent for the opening round.

The match-ups break down as follows:

Yuki Motoya vs. Ryo Okada
Kintaro vs. Kuya Ito
Shooto Watanabe vs. Kai Asakura
Kenta Takizawa vs. Imanari Masakazu
Kazuma Kuramoto vs. Alan “Hiro” Yamaniha
Takeshi Kasugai vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo
Naoki Inoue vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari
Shian vs. Takafumi Otsuka

Promotion President Noboyuki Sakakibara stated during Friday’s press conference that “I’m excited. Having these 16 warriors all lined up, I’m very much looking forward to these opening bouts and to see how the story will be told.”

The opening round of the RIZIN 2021 Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix is expected to take place starting at RIZIN 28, the promotion’s next event. The tournament will carry over to the subsequent card, RIZIN 29. Those cards are expected for May, with RIZIN 28 on May 23 at the Tokyo Dome, and RIZIN 29 on May 30 at the Maruzen Intec Arena in Osaka.

The post RIZIN 2021 Japan Bantamweight Grand Prix Full Roster, Dates Revealed appeared first on Cageside Press.