The card was headlined by UFC veteran Yoshinori Horie, taking on Brazilian standout Luiz Gustavo, while promotion staple Yusuke Yachi was also in action. The planned return of former two-time women’s atomweight champ Ayaka Hamasaki, however, was off as the veteran withdrew earlier in the week, replaced by Saori Oshima against Claire Lopez.

Other standouts on the card included another UFC vet in Daichi Abe, Hiroaki Suzuki, and Yuki Ito among others.

Where to Watch RIZIN Landmark 8

RIZIN’s first show of 2024 takes place at the Saga Arena in Saga, Japan on Saturday, September 24, 2024. The card streams live via the newly launched RIZIN.TV; full results from the event can be found below. The broadcast is scheduled to commence at 10PM ET on Feb. 23. In March, RIZIN TV will expand with an app in the Play store offering access to the promotion’s fight library.

RIZIN Landmark 8 Results

Luiz Gustavo def. Yoshinori Horie by unanimous decision
Masakazu Imanari def. Kazumasa Majima by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 1:37
Yusuke Yachi def. Rikuto Shirakawa by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 5:00
Saori Oshima def. Claire Lopez by submission (arm-bar), Round 2, 3:18
Hiroaki Suzuki def. Takahiro Ashida by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 4:29
Daichi Abe def. Kota Ossman by KO (punch), Round 1, 1:35
Shohei Nose def. Kenta Takizawa by TKO (elbows), Round 2, 2:48
Yuki Ito def. Masatoshi Ueda by unanimous decision
Takumi Terada def. Takekiyo Tominaga by TKO, Round 1, 1:54 — Kickboxing rules

Opening Ceremony

Ryuhei Sakai def. Ryoga Fukuchi by split decision — RIZIN MMA Special rules
Daiki Yahiro def. Yuto Araki by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:36  — RIZIN MMA Special rules
Reito Bravely def. Kyohei Furumura by KO (punch), Round 1, 1:49 — Kickboxing rules
Rikito def. Hannya Hashimoto by unanimous decision — Kickboxing rules
Satoshi Katashima def. Keito Ishigo by majority decision — Kickboxing rules

The post RIZIN Landmark 8 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hamasaki has been paired up with Claire Lopez at RIZIN Landmark 8 in Saga, Japan, but it was her last fight, a loss to South Korea’s Si Woo Park, that has kept her away. She fractured her hand in the fight that night, and it has been a long road back.

“The fracture itself of my hand injury, it recovered pretty quickly, but the pain wouldn’t go away,” Hamasaki told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “So I wasn’t fully recovered throughout this, and as a result I just had to take time off from my fights.”

It took an incredibly long time just for Hamasaki, now 41, just to get back in the gym in fact. “Basically I got back into the gym in the summertime of 2023, so basically it took me about a year to get back into the gym,” she explained, speaking via translator.

The layoff was the longest of a career that dates back to 2009. Along the way, Hamasaki has held gold in Jewels, Invicta FC, and twice in RIZIN. Being inactive was something new for the atomweight star.

“I’ve never actually experienced this much time between fights in my career. So I don’t know how I feel, I’m not confident, I don’t really know what to expect,” Hamasaki said of her return. “But what I do know is that Claire Lopez is a very tough opponent, she’s a finisher, and having a clear win against such a tough opponent will definitely send a message to the division that a strong Hamasaki is back.”

With that in mind, Hamasaki is looking for the finish this weekend. She also knows it will not come easy. “Claire, she hits hard too, she’s a good striker. Who knows, if she clips me with a good one, I might go down. But I don’t want to retreat when she’s aggressive with striking, I want to exchange strikes with her. And if the fight hits the mat, goes to the ground, I want to be able to do my best to finish her on the ground.”

If all goes well at RIZIN Landmark 8, Ayaka Hamasaki would no doubt like to work her way back to the super atomweight title, held by Seika Izawa. With two losses to Izawa, Hamasaki knows she isn’t in a position to call the champ out. Instead, she is striving for an undefeated 2024.

“I’m not quite sure how many fights I’ll be able to fight this year, but this is the first event of the year, first fight of the year for me. So I’m determined to win this one, I can’t drop this fight. And I guess my goal for this year would be to go undefeated.”

After that, she may just earn another crack at Izawa — though Hamasaki wasn’t willing to give away what she might do differently in a third fight between the pair.

Watch our full interview with RIZIN Landmark 8’s Ayaka Hamasaki above.

The post Ayaka Hamasaki Wants to Send Message at RIZIN Landmark 8 After Lengthy Layoff appeared first on Cageside Press.

News of the booking was announced by promotion officials during Sunday’s RIZIN 45, the company’s annual New Year’s Eve spectacular. In addition to Horie vs. Gustavo, at lightweight, a featherweight match-up between ex-champ Vugar Karamov and Kazumasa Majima was also announced.

RIZIN Landmark 8 will take place at the Saga Arena in Saga, Japan on February 24, 2024.

Horie (12-3), a former UFC athlete, has posted a 5-2 record since his lone trip to the octagon in 2019. After that head kick loss to Hakeem Dawodu, Horie would make his way back to Japan, competing for Pancrase prior to signing on with RIZIN. 4-1 under the RIZIN banner, Horie holds wins over fellow UFC vets Spike Carlyle and Ulka Sasaki.

Brazil’s Luiz Gustavo (12-2) has won his last three bouts. Gustavo joined the Japanese promotion back in 2018, and has called it home ever since, sharing the cage with the likes of Patricky Pitbull, Yusuke Yachi, and others.

Vugar Karamov (19-5) was on top of the world when he defeated Mikuru Asakura for featherweight gold earlier his year. However, RIZIN Landmark 7 in Azerbaijan saw him lose his title at home in a shock upset against Chihiro Suzuki. He gets Majima (16-4), winner of his last two, in a bounce back fight.

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