Historically, RIZIN have hosted shows almost exclusively in Japan, with the exception of an event in Azerbaijan in 2023 (RIZIN Landmark 7).

After forging a relationship with Bellator MMA and Scott Coker prior to that promotion’s demise, RIZIN appear to be branching out a little, and have established a relationship with the UFC, facilitating the transition of Kai Asakura and Kyoji Horiguchi, both former RIZIN champs, to that company.

As for the South Korea date, RIZIN World Series in Korea will take place on May 31, 2025 at the Paradise City hotel in Incheon, South Korea. The main event sees RIZIN lightweight champ Roberto Satoshi Souza in a non-title fight with Korean standout Ki Won Bin, one of several Japan vs. South Korea match-ups announced for the event.

The current line-up breaks down as follows:

Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. Ki Won-bin – Lightweight
Juri Ohara vs. Johnny Case – Lightweight
Kim Soo-chul vs. Shoko Sato – Bantamweight
Ji Min-hyuk vs. Koji Takeda – Featherweight
Yang Ji-yong vs. Kintaro – Bantamweight
Song Jae-young vs. Yoshiki Nakahara – Featherweight
Shim Yu-ri vs. Kate Lotus – Super Atomweight
Kim Si-won vs. Sho Patrick Usami – Lightweight
Kwon Yong-chul vs. Kota Miura – Catchweight 139lbs
Kang Bum-jung vs. Seiya Inoue – Kickboxing
Cho San-hae vs. Hide Meison Usami – Kickboxing

The post RIZIN Set for South Korea Debut with RIZIN World Series appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hosting a 22-fight card at the Saitama Super Arena entitled RIZIN Decade (a nod to the promotion’s 10th anniversary), the Japanese fight promotion put on the sort of New Year’s party only they could – with explosive action, wild actics, and high-stakes title fights all featured.

The antics included a ref being struck multiple times during the Rukiya Anpo boxing match, which saw him earn a clear unanimous decision over Sina Karimian, who held a serious size advantage. Chaos erupted late in the fight when Karimian fired off a spinning back fist; moments later, the ref was struck repeatedly (though accidentally), leading to security entering the ring – though the fight was allowed to continue shortly after.

What was going on here?!? A spinning back fist, and multiple blows landed on the ref… CHAOS!! #RIZIN_Decade (Footage courtesy of RIZIN FF/RIZIN.tv) pic.twitter.com/Sfo0m0CuPE

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 31, 2024

The night’s first title fight saw lightweight gold on the line when Roberto Satoshi Souza faced off with former featherweight champ Vugar Karamov. The tone was set early with a takedown for Souza roughly 90 seconds in; that had Karamov scrambling but unable to escape back to his feet. Souza passed into side control, looking to create space, but Karamov then found his escape route and scrambled out.

After a bit of trading, and some back-and-forth grappling along the ropes, the next takedown actually came care of Karamov, who landed on top of the dangerous submission expert. Souza would throw up his legs, looking for a triangle, late in the round after a big punch from Karamov, and though it looked as if Vugar might make it out of the round, he was quickly forced to tap! The victory marked Souza’s fourth defense of the RIZIN lightweight title, which the Brazilian has held since its inception.

Go to the ground with Roberto Satoshi Souza at your own peril. He retains his lightweight title with yet another submission win, this time of former featherweight champ Vugar Karamov. #RIZIN_Decade (Footage courtesy of RIZIN FF/RIZIN.tv) pic.twitter.com/nkueB3RtPu

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 31, 2024

Kyoji Horiguchi also retained his flyweight title in the RIZIN Decade co-main event. In a fight that was not without adversity for the champ, Horiguchi was able to impose his will on the ground, while holding his own enough on the feet to earn a unanimous decision win. A former bantamweight champ in both Bellator MMA and RIZIN, Horiguchi remains one of the most formidable fighters in the lighter weight classes, globally.

Capping off the night at RIZIN Decade, Kleber Koike faced Chihiro Suzuki in a rematch of a fight that saw him stripped of his featherweight title for missing weight. Suzuki had, in the interim, claimed gold himself, upping the stakes for this second encounter. However despite doing significant damage, opening up a cut on the challenger in the third round that seemed to spurt blood at times, Suzuki could not do enough to retain. All too often, he found himself caught in dangerous submission attempts, and while the bout went the distance, all three judges awarded it to Koike.

The post RIZIN Decade: Satoshi, Horiguchi Retain, Koike Reclaims Gold appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN Decade serves as the promotion’s annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza, and features a full three title fights, three parts (RIZIN 49 Part 1, Part 2, and to kick things off, RIZIN Bangaichi), and has a total of 22 combat sports bouts scheduled.

In the main event, Chihiro Suzuki puts his featherweight title on the line against a former  champ in Kleber Koike. It was Suzuki who faced Koike back in 2023 when the Brazilian missed weight, leading to him being stripped of the title and the fight ending in a No Contest.

Vugar Karamov, the man Suzuki went on the defeat to win featherweight gold, looks to claim a lightweight title against Roberto Satoshi earlier in the night. Flyweight champ Kyoji Horiguchi, long a UFC standout and later a Bellator and RIZIN bantamweight champ, is in the co-main event, defending his 125lb title opposite Nkazimulo Zulu.

Where to Watch RIZIN 49/Decade

Set on New Year’s Eve in Japan, RIZIN 49 gets underway at 11PM ET, 8PM PT on Dec. 30, and will carry on into New Year’s Eve morning for those staying up late. The event takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, streaming live on RIZIN.tv. Full results from the event can be found below.

RIZIN Decade Results

RIZIN 49 Part 2:

Kleber Koike def. Chihiro Suzuki (c) by unanimous decision – for the RIZIN featherweight championship
Kyoji Horiguchi (c) def. Nkazimulo Zulu by unanimous decision – for the RIZIN flyweight championship
Roberto Satoshi Souza (c) def. Vugar Karamov by submission (triangle), Round 1, 4:45 – for the RIZIN lightweight championship
Seika Izawa def. Lucia Apdelgarim by submission (triangle arm-bar), Round 1, 2:21
Yuki Motoya def. Kyoma Akimoto by unanimous decision

INTERMISSION

RIZIN 49 Part 1:

Razhabali Shaidulloev def. Yuta Kubo by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 2:30
Karshyga Dautbek def. YA-MAN by unanimous decision
Ryuya Fukuda def. Ryusei Ashizawa by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:54
Mikio Ueda def. Kim Tae-In by KO (knees), Round 2, 2:31
Jose Torres def. Makoto Shinryu by split decision
Taisei Sakuraba def. Yusuke Yachi by TKO, Round 1, 0:26
Koji Takeda def. Suguru Nii by technical unanimous decision
King Edokpolo def. Takakenshin by KO (knee and punches), Round 1, 3:22
Genji Umeno def. Taiga by unanimous decision
Sanou Yokouchi def. Kenshin Saito by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:03 – RIZIN Koshien Final

RIZIN Bangaichi

Rukiya Anpo def. Sina Karimian by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54) – Exhibition Boxing (RIZIN Standing Special Rules bout)
Sho Patrick Usami def. Issa Hosokawa by TKO, Round 2, 2:59 – Kickboxing
Tatsuki Shinotsuka def. Aoi Noda by TKO, Round 1, 2:07 – Kickboxing
Daichi Tomizawa def. Kota Miura by KO (knee/punches), Round 1, 1:53 – Special Rules MMA
Taio Asahisa def. YURA by unanimous decision – Kickboxing
Hyuma Yasui def. Hiroaki Suzuki by unanimous decision
Hiroto Gomyo def. Koki Playboi Akada by split decision

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

At lightweight, Roberto Satoshi Souza is set to defend his title against Vugar Karamov — a former RIZIN featherweight champ moving up in weight in search of a second championship with the promotion. At flyweight, meanwhile, Kyoji Horiguchi looks to defend flyweight gold against EFC champ Nkazimulo Zulu.

Also added to RIZIN Decade, Seika Izawa, the RIZIN Women’s Super Atomweight champion, will take on Lucia Apdelgarim of Argentina, while Koji Takeda meets Suguru Nii at featherweight.

The title fights join a card that already features a featherweight championship bout, with Chihiro Suzuki facing off with Kleber Koike.

Souza (17-3) won lightweight gold in 2021, defeating Tofiq Musayev to becoming RIZIN’s inaugural 155lb champ. He defended his belt twice before taking time off for some non-title bouts, losing to Bellator’s A.J. McKee, picking up a win over UFC/Bellator vet Spike Carlyle, and falling short in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix against Patricky Pitbull.

The Brazilian got back to defending his RIZIN lightweight title in September, defeating Luis Gustavo.

Karamov (18-3) lost his featherweight to Chihiro Suzuki last year, but bounced back opposite Kazumasa Majima.

On the flyweight side, former UFC star and Bellator bantamweight champ Kyoji Horiguchi (33-5, 1NC) looks to make the first defense of his RIZIN flyweight title opposite Nkazimulo Zulu (16-6-1). Horiguchi is coming off a non-title win over ex-Bellator champ and rival Sergio Pettis. The Japanese star is also a former RIZIN bantamweight champ.

The RIZIN 49: Decade card, set for December 31, 2024 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan includes the following match-ups:

• Chihiro Suzuki vs. Kleber Koike — for the RIZIN featherweight championship
• Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. Vuguar Karamov — for the RIZIN lightweight championship
• Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Nkazimulo Zulu — for the RIZIN flyweight championship
• Yuki Motoya vs. Kyoma Akimoto
• Seika Izawa vs. Lucia Apdelgarim
• Koji Takeda vs. Suguru Nii
• Taiga vs. Genji Umeno
• Sanou Yokouchi vs. Kenshin Saito

The post Kyoji Horiguchi, Roberto Satoshi Souza Among Fighters Added to RIZIN Decade appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

The post UFC Alum Naoki Inoue Gets Title Shot, Roberto Satoshi vs. Luiz Gustavo Set for RIZIN 48 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The cross-promotion with RIZIN Fighting Federation came with a second half, Super RIZIN 2, that would air (via Fite.tv) after the Bellator portion of the show on Showtime in the U.S. And while the promotion versus promotion format was gone for the most part, due to a staph infection endured by A.J. McKee, RIZIN’s Roberto de Souza stepped into the main event and million dollar grand prix against Patricky Pitbull.

In the co-main event, meanwhile, Kyoji Horiguchi finally had a chance to claim a major title at flyweight. Once a two-promotion champ at bantamweight in both Bellator and RIZIN, Japan’s Horiguchi would face Makoto Shinryu for the inaugural Bellator MMA flyweight championship on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena.

The former UFC title challenger has long been considered one of the best lighter fighters on the planet, and the chance for a third major title underscored that.

Bellator x RIZIN 2 kicks off at 11PM ET on Showtime — full results can be found below!

Bellator x RIZIN 2: Pitbull vs. De Souza Results

Lightweight: Patricky Pitbull def. Roberto De Souza by TKO (leg kick and strikes), Round 3, 0:49 — Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal
Flyweight: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto “Shinryu” ends in a No Contest (accidental eye poke), Round 1, 0:25 — for the Inaugural Flyweight World Championship:
Flyweight: Kana Watanabe def. Veta Arteaga by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Magomed Magomedov def. Danny Sabatello by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:55
Welterweight: Andrey Koreshkov def. Lorenz Larkin by split decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28)

The post Bellator x RIZIN 2: Pitbull vs. De Souza Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN 35 is scheduled for April 17, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan. Promotion officials revealed the news on social media, with the following bouts announced:

• Roberto Satoshi Souza (c) vs. Johnny Case – for the RIZIN lightweight world championship
• Juntaro Ushiku (c) vs. Yutaka Saito – for the RIZIN featherweight world championship
• Ayaka Hamasaki (c) vs. Seika Izawa – for the RIZIN women’s atomweight world championship

Souza (13-1) saw his lone loss in mixed martial arts come at the hands of Johnny Case (27-7-1) in 2019. Since that fight, he’s won four straight, capturing the promotion’s lightweight title last year, and successfully defending it against Yusuke Yachi in December.

Case actually lost his next fight following the Souza win, against Tofiq Musayev. Since then, he’s been competing in boxing, winning three bouts dating back to July of last year.

Juntaro Ushiku (28-8-1) won the RIZIN featherweight championship from Yutaka Saito (20-6-2) in their first meeting. The fight ended due to a doctor’s stoppage, after a Ushiku knee opened up a problematic cut on the champ. Ushiku, also the featherweight champion in DEEP, defended his title in that promotion back in January. Saito has fought once since the pair met last year, losing a decision against Mikuru Asakura.

Finally, Ayaka Hamasaki (23-4), a former Invicta FC champ, will run it back with Seika Izawa (5-0). They met at RIZIN 33 in December in a non-title fight, with Izawa earning the victory via TKO. This time, Hamasaki’s super atomweight title will be on the line.

The post Three Title Fights Announced for RIZIN 35 in April appeared first on Cageside Press.

In what amounts to an exhibition boxing match, Gomi will weigh 75.30kg, just over 166lbs, if not more come fight night. In comparison, Nasukawa hit the mark at 62kg, or 136.69lbs, at Thursday’s weigh-in.

Nasukawa will be competing what is likely his swan song for RIZIN FF, having announced earlier this year that he intends to move to boxing full time. With that in mind, Tenshin’s RIZIN 33 appearance has been marketed as his “last dance” — though he has a kickboxing superfight booked later this year against K-1 champ Takeru that RIZIN appears set to at least co-promote.

“I get sad when I think about this being my last fight in RIZIN,” Tenshin was quoted as saying in a press release on Thursday. “I actually don’t want to think about it. I might cry while watching the pre-fight video.”

Also on the RIZIN 33 card, Roberto “Satoshi” Souza will defend his lightweight title against Yusuke Yachi, while the bantamweight grand prix will come to a close. Full weigh-in results are available below.

RIZIN 33 Weigh-In Results

Roberto Satoshi Souza (c) (70.90kg) vs. Yusuke Yachi (70.85kg) – for the RIZIN FF lightweight championship
Yutaka Saito (62.00kg) vs. Mikuru Asakura (65.90kg)
Tenshin Nasukawa (62kg) vs. Takanori Gomi (75.30kg) – Special Rules Bout
Rena (49.90kg) vs. Si Woo Park (49.80kg)
Ayaka Hamasaki (48.86kg) vs. Seika Izawa (48.85kg)
Koji Takeda (70.90kg) vs. “Black Panther” Beynoah (70.90kg)
Shoma Shibisai (111.05kg) vs. Hideki “Shrek” Sekine (118.15kg)
Kyohei Hagiwara (65.80kg) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (65.90kg)
Kouzi (61.95kg) vs. Ya-Man (61.85kg) – kickboxing
Shibatar (88.65kg) vs. Yuta Kubo (76.20kg) – Special Rules Bout
Kazuma Sone (69.90kg) vs. Shinobu Ota (60.95kg)
Yuki Motoya (61.00kg) vs. Kintaro (60.80kg) – bantamweight grand prix reserve bout
Hiromasa Ougikubo (60.95) vs. Naoki Inoue (60.90kg) – bantamweight grand prix semifinal
Kai Asakura (60.95) vs. Kenta Takizawa (60.95) – bantamweight grand prix semifinal
Kota Miura (65.60kg) vs. Yushi (62.45kg)

The post RIZIN 33 Weigh-In Results: Gomi Vastly Outweighs Tenshin appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Tuesday, promotion officials announced via press release that Tofiq Musaev (18-3) will return following an 18-month layoff to take on Roberto Satoshi Souza (11-1). Musaev, the promotion’s lightweight grand prix winner in 2019 (defeating Patricky Pitbull in the finale), has posted a 5-0 record in the Japanese organization. Souza, a star grappler, is 4-1 under the RIZIN banner, with all four wins coming via stoppage.

Additional fights were also announced Tuesday. In one, featherweight champ Yutaka Saito (19-4-2) will face Vugar Karamov (15-3) in a non-title bout. While not the most familiar name, Karamov is a teammate of Tofiq Musaev. Also in action on the card will be heavyweight and former sumo wrestler Tsuyoshi Sudario (3-0), who has been booked opposite Shoma Shibisai (6-2, 1NC).

RISE welterweight kickboxing champ Beynoah (17-3 KB), meanwhile, will make his MMA debut at the event, against ex-DEEP champ Satoshi Yamasu (11-6).

The current RIZIN 28 card breaks down as follows:

Tsuyoshi Sudario vs Shoma Shibisa
Satoshi Yamasu vs Black Panther Beynoah
Tofiq Musaev vs Roberto Satoshi Souza
Mikuru Asakura vs Kleber Koike
Yutaka Saito vs Vugar Karamov
Kai Asakura vs Shooto Watanabe
Shintaro Ishiwatari vs Naoki Inoue
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs Kenta Takizawa
Yuki Motoya vs Ryo Okada

In addition to the bout announcements, RIZIN officials also confirmed Tuesday that elbow strikes will now be part of the standard ruleset. Previously, elbows were only allowed in bouts where both opponents agreed to their inclusion. The new rule includes an allowance for 12-6 elbows, so long as they are used on legal areas of the body.

The use of vaseline, previously prohibited by RIZIN, will now be allowed, and is to be applied by officials “before the fight and in between rounds.”

The post Lightweight Title Fight Added to RIZIN 28, Rule Change Announced appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hamasaki, in her second reign as RIZIN Fighting Federation’s super atomweight champ, topped Sunday’s RIZIN 27 card in Nagoya, Japan, securing her second victory over young star Kanna Asakura.

The pair first met in 2018, with the inaugural super atomweight title on the line. Three years later, with Hamasaki in her second run as champ, the result was closer — but ultimately, it was Ayaka Hamasaki once again getting her hand raised.

The main event of RIZIN 27 got off on the wrong foot, or more accurately the wrong knee, when the champion landed just that low on Asakura. The pause in the action, allowing the 23-year old challenger to recover, soon gave way to a spirited game of Rock ’em, Sock ’em Robots on the restart. The fiery exchange saw Hamasaki steadily moving forward, backing Asakura up before taking her down in the corner of the ring. Hamasaki then trapped a leg, allowing her to land some short punches before firing a knee. Sensing danger, Asakura reversed, picked the champ up, and slammed her down, showing she wasn’t out of it just yet. The round would be paused again, however, as the ringside doctor checked on some damage to the eye of Asakura. Luckily, it appeared to be under the eye itself, and the action was allowed to continue.

Asakura’s biggest moment in the opening round came with her takedown and following exchange. Later in the round, she managed to back the champ, who was sporting a trickle of blood by her nose, up, landing kicks to the body. But Hamasaki rallied back. In the second round, Hamasaki’s striking, with her left hand threatening, led to her putting Asakura on her back. The challenger worked to tie up the 38-year old, and an ensuing scramble saw Asakura get on top, only to have to contend with the threat of an upkick. It would be some time before Hamasaki scrambled free, only to be forced to fight off a single-leg takedown attempt. For as long as she could — Asakura would put her back down before the end of the round.

As the fight wore on, the damage to Asakura’s face was looking worse. Hamasaki would attempt a standing kimura in the third, leading to a grappling exchange and brief final takedown by the champion. It would go the distance. At the end of the affair, the judges awarded the split decision to the champion, marking her second defeat against Asakura. With the win, Ayaka Hamasaki improved to 22-3, but it was no easy feat.

RIZIN 27’s co-main event saw Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza taking on Kazuki Tokudome in lightweight action. The Brazilian wasted no time in getting the job done, submitting Tokudome via triangle within two minutes. But it was Japan’s Tokudome who bizarrely took Souza down early in the fight, putting the submission expert right in his wheelhouse while the fighters were still dry. A costly mistake.

Ahead of the fight, Souza had called for an interim title to be created in the absence of Tofiq Musaev, who won the belt as part of RIZIN’s lightweight grand prix in 2019, defeating Bellator standout Patricky Pitbull in the process. Whether an interim title happens or not, the grappling ace, who previously appeared in exhibition BJJ matches for RIZIN that saw him roll with a team of opponents in a single night, is now closer to MMA gold.

The post RIZIN 27: Ayaka Hamasaki Retains, Roberto Satoshi Dominant appeared first on Cageside Press.