Two title fights, the heavyweight world grand prix final, and the second round of the flyweight grand prix made RIZIN 51 must-see TV for fight fans (and if we’re being honest, vastly superior on paper to UFC Perth, which preceded it).

In the main event, lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi Souza looked to defend his title against Yoshinori Horie, a one-and-done UFC alum who had found renewed success in recent years. As for the co-main event, Razhabali Shaydullaev was looking to defend his featherweight title for the first time, opposite Viktor Kolesnik.

Where to Watch RIZIN FF

RIZIN 51 takes place on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at the IG Arena in Nagoya. The card streams live on RIZIN.tv; full results can be found below. For western fight fans, the action gets underway at 10PM ET, 7PM PT on Saturday night.

RIZIN 51 Results

Main Card

Roberto Satoshi Souza def. Yoshinori Horie by submission (standing rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:40 – for the RIZIN lightweight championship
Razhabali Shaidullaev def. Viktor Kolesnik by KO, Round 1, 0:33 – for the RIZIN featherweight championship
Hiromasa Ougikubo def. Alibek Gadzhammatov by unanimous decision – Flyweight World Grand Prix Second Round
Yuki Motoya def. Makoto “Shinryu” by unanimous decision – Flyweight World Grand Prix Second Round
Erson Yamamoto def. Yuki Ito by unanimous decision – Flyweight World Grand Prix Reserve Bout

Intermission

Aleksandr Soldatkin def. Marek Samociuk by unanimous decision – Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final
Danny Sabatello def. Shoko Sato by split decision
Genji Umeno def. Ryusei Ashizawa by unanimous decision
Ryo Takagi def. Kisa Miyake by unanimous decision
Yusuke Yachi def. Bilal Haga by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:09
Hiroaki Suzuki def. Yuele Huang by split decision
Daichi Tomizawa def. Joe Hiramoto by split decision
Thiatou Bambilor def. Kosuke Kindaichi by unanimous decision
Takahiro Okuyama def. Tetsuya Yamato by submission (arm-bar), Round 1

Opening Card

Street Bob Kousuke def. Shogo Ota by unanimous decision – RIZIN MMA Special Rules
Kuushi Ishizaka def. Mahiro Yamaki by unanimous decision – RIZIN MMA Special Rules
Daisuke Kobayashi def. Syuto Sato by unanimous decision – RIZIN MMA Special Rules
Yuhei def. Jin Wakita by unanimous decision – RIZIN MMA Special Rules

The post RIZIN 51 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

It couldn’t have gone any better.

The 26-year old second generation star was making the walk for first time at RIZIN’s biggest show of the year, not to mention its 10-year anniversary. And while your average debuting fighter might take on a fellow newcomer, or someone with just a handful of fights, Sakuraba (Jr) jumped straight into the deep end, facing 40+ fight veteran and RIZIN Fighting Federation mainstay Yusuke Yachi.

Yachi, with roughly 15 years experience as a pro, entered the night at 27-14. His most recent outing, back in September, saw him earn a unanimous decision victory over the dangerous Sho Patrick Usami.

There's going to be some talk of the quick stoppage, but that isn't on Taisei Sakuraba. THAT is how you make your debut against a 40+ fight veteran. Mere seconds. The legacy continues! #RIZIN_Decade (footage courtesy of RIZIN FF/RIZIN.tv) pic.twitter.com/bQyAc6pTnj

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) December 31, 2024

Taisei Sakuraba wasted no time in putting an end to Yachi’s night in Saitama. Fighting at the same famed Saitama Super Arena his father had once stalked, Sakuraba dropped Yachi off a caught kick, then piled on with ground n’ pound, at least a couple of blows connecting flush. While there might be a bit of talk of a quick stoppage, Yachi was certainly taking damage, and that’s on the ref, not Sakuraba, who picks up the win in his debut in the biggest way possible. The entire fight took a grand total of 26 seconds, the RIZIN Decade broadcast later announced.

Following the victory, Taisei Sakuraba vowed to continue training and improving – and who can blame him, with the very sizeable shoes he has to fill. Meanwhile, he joins the likes of Royce and Khonry Gracie, and Antonio and A.J. McKee, as a second generation fighter in MMA.

The post Taisei Sakuraba, Son of PRIDE Legend, Dispatches 41-Fight Vet in MMA Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

Barnaoui (20-6) fights in Paris for the second time in 12 months and it’s a welcome feeling for the Paris resident.

“This time it’s for me. It’s a bigger one so I want to win and I will (do) everything (to) win,” Barnaoui told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator during a media call on Tuesday.

The French lightweight is on a two-fight losing streak coming into Bellator Paris. Not a stranger to losing streaks Barnaoui has shown the ability to come back even better after consecutive losses.

“I’m really here for the victory. I made a big training for that and I will win,” he said.

He takes on Yachi who comes over from Rizin FF and makes his Bellator debut in Paris. The ruleset being different than what is done in Bellator it may help Barnaoui in the bout.

“(My) opponent is a former champion from Rizin so he’s here for the victory,” he said.

Barnaoui ends up on the same card as French MMA star Cedric Doumbe who has said he’s the face of French MMA.

“(I) have no response for that,” he said.

“Don’t care.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Mansour Barnaoui above. He takes on Yusuke Yachi at Bellator Paris on Friday night.

The post Mansour Barnaoui Wants To Bounce Back From Losing Streak appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.

The event was headlined by a featherweight title fight that saw former KSW star Kleber Koike Erbst challenging champ Juntaro Ushiku for RIZIN’s featherweight championship. For Koike, the opportunity had been a long time coming, and he had won six straight heading into the fight — including five under the RIZIN banner.

Also featured on the RIZIN 39 card, familiar names like Yusuke Yachi and UFC vet Daichi Abe, as well as Zach Zane, a 2019 Contender Series alum who has also competed for the likes of LFA, Eagle FC, Bellator MMA, and on the bare-knuckle boxing side of things, BKFC.

RIZIN 39 takes place on Sunday, September 23, 2022 in Fukuoka, Japan. The card streams live via Fite.tv starting at 1AM ET — full results can be found below.

RIZIN 39 Results

Kleber Koike Erbst def. Juntaro Ushiku (c) by submission (triangle), Round 2, 1:29  – For the Rizin Featherweight Championship
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Janos Csukas by TKO, Round 2, 0:30
Yusuke Yachi def. Boyd Allen by unanimous decision
Koji Takeda def. Zach Zane by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:35
Sho Patrick Usami def. Shinji Sasaki by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:33
Daichi Abe def. Yukinari Tamura by unanimous decision
Genji Umeno def. Trent Girdham by TKO (injury), Round 1, 0:21 – Kickboxing rules
Takahiro Ashida def. Hirotaka Nakada unanimous decision
Yoshiki Nakahara def. Akira Haraguchi by TKO (soccer kicks), Round 1, 2:37
Motonobu Tezuka def. Mehman Mamedov by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 1, 4:33
Shogo Kuriaki def. Kakeru by TKO, Round 2, 1:42 – Kickboxing rules
REITO BRAVELY def. Koichiro Seki by knockout, Round 1, 0:34 – Kickboxing rules

The post RIZIN 39 Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Atop the RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd card was a familiar name, as Yusuke Yachi met Luiz Gustavo in a lightweight match-up. The fight was a rematch of the pair’s 2018 rematch, which Gustavo won care of a second-round knockout.

Yachi was also looking to shake off a loss to Roberto “Satoshi” Souza is his last fight, which saw him come up short in a bid for the RIZIN lightweight title. Gustavo was returning to RIZIN, and to fighting period, for the first time since 2019 meanwhile. Back in 2019, he’d been bounced from the lightweight grand prix by Patricky Pitbull.

In total, eight fights were set to unfold at the event, followed by RIZIN 35 at the same venue the following night.

RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd takes place live at the Musashino Forest Sport Plaza in Tokyo, Japan on April 16, 2022, with an English language live stream available via LIVE-NOW. Full results from the event can be found below.

RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd Results

Luiz Gustavo def. Yusuke Yachi by TKO (strikes), Round 2
Hideki “Shrek” Sekine def. Takakenshin by TKO (soccer kick), Round 2, 3:49
Masanori Kanehara def. Kazumasa Majima by TKO (strikes), Round 3, 1:23
Takaki Soya def. Nobuyoshi Nakatsukasa by TKO (strikes), Round 2, 3:29
Takuma Sudo def. Shooto Watanabe by split decision
Kimihiro Ito def. Tatsuya Saika by TKO (ground and pound), Round 3, 4:12
Grant Bogdanove def. Takeshi Izumi by TKO (elbows), Round 3, 3:16
Shoji Otani def. Rikiya by TKO (three knockdowns), Round 1, 2:52 – kickboxing

The post RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday, promotion officials announced via press release that RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd was set for April 16, 2022 at the Musashino Mori Sports Plaza in Tokyo, Japan. The show is the first night of a double header in Tokyo, with the previously announced RIZIN 35 taking place on April 17.

Three fights have been added to the RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd, including a couple of very familiar names:

• Yusuke Yachi vs Luiz Gustavo
  
• Kazumasa Majima vs Masanori Kanehara
  
• Kintaro vs Kazuma Kuramoto

Among them, a rematch between Yusuke Yachi (23-12) and Luiz Gustavo (10-2), who first met in 2018 at RIZIN 12. Gustavo won the fight care of a second-round knockout, sending Yachi on a three-fight skid. It seems the Japanese lightweight hasn’t forgotten.

“Gustavo started my losing streak and I’ve been wanting this fight for a long time. And now it’s finally happening so I plan to dominate in all aspects and pay my debt that I owe him,” Yachi was quoted as saying in Saturday’s press release. “I’ve learned how to come up with a game plan and I have many cards to play during the fight along with my basic skills evolving. I know I’m a different fighter.”

Former UFC fighter Masanori Kanehara (28-14-5) also returns, set to take on Kazumasa Majima (14-3), who will look to snap a two-fight skid.

The post RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd Set for April 16, Three Fights Announced appeared first on Cageside Press.

An Ultimate Fighter alum, Ougikubo took the fight to Kai Asakura throughout the RIZIN bantamweight grand prix final, keeping up the pace throughout the full 15 minutes. While Asakura was more than game, veteran Ougikubo pulled off the upset, using a well-rounded game plan to pick up the decision win. Takedowns were key in the early going, with Ougikubo scooping Asakura up and planting him on his back more than once. That, combined with a leg kick-heavy attack, kept Ougikubo ahead in the fight.

The final minutes of the third round saw the action heat up. Asakura pushed hard for a finish, and nearly had it, coming just short on a front kick with about thirty seconds left in the fight. Ougikubo would survive that, tie Asakura up late, and run out the clock.

Both Asakura and Ougikubo won their semifinal bouts early on the RIZIN 33 card, each going the distance across three rounds to claim unanimous decision victories. For Ougikubo, his semifinal victory came against UFC alum Naoki Inoue, a minor upset dwarfed by the one that would come in the tournament final later in the evening.

Following his grand prix win, having competed a full thirty minutes through two fights, Ougikubo took to the mic to propose to his girlfriend, who was seated in the crowd. She said yes — ending RIZIN’s annual New Year’s Eve card on a high note.

Earlier in the night, RIZIN lightweight champion Roberto “Satoshi” Souza successfully defended his title, in a rematch with Yusuke Yachi. The pair had originally met a year prior, with Satoshi earning the finish with ground strikes. On New Year’s Eve, in his first title defense, Satoshi had to overcome a bit of adversity, bloodied early in the fight. But in the end, he took the fight into his wheelhouse, using a kimura to transition to a triangle, then finishing with an arm-bar in an incredibly slick sequence in the second round.

The victory marked the third straight submission win for the champ, who has not tasted defeat since a 2019 loss to Johnny Case — who coincidentally was working the RIZIN 33 broadcast as an analyst.

Kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa competed for the final time under the RIZIN banner on Friday. Undefeated in both MMA and kickboxing, the 23-year old Tenshin is expected to pursue a boxing career next — but first has a summer date with K-1 champ Takeru. For his “last dance” in RIZIN, however, it was UFC vet Takanori Gomi facing the striking phenom — and holding his own, battling to a draw in the exhibition contest. Being fair to Tenshin, Gomi did hold a 30lb weight advantage.

One of the biggest upsets of the card came immediately following the show’s intermission. Rena Kubota was as much as a -2500 favorite with some odds makers. The lopsided numbers against DEEP atomweight grand prix semifinalist Si Woo Park proved erroneous, with Park winning a unanimous decision to snap Rena’s four-fight win streak.

Full results from RIZIN 33 can be found here.

The post RIZIN 33: “Satoshi” Souza Taps Yachi, Ougikubo Wins Bantamweight Grand Prix appeared first on Cageside Press.

Promotion officials announced additional bouts for the event on Thursday, and revealed the opponent for lightweight champ Roberto Satoshi Souza, who had previously been added to the card.

That fight will see Souza put his title on the line against Yusuke Yachi. It’s a rematch of the pair’s 2020 bout, which Souza won via TKO.

Ayaka Hamasaki has also joined the card, with the Super Atomweight champ taking a non-title bout against the debuting Seika Izawa.

In addition, the promotion announced that a full house of spectators will be able to attend the show, scheduled for December 31 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

“We are also happy to announce that we will be allowed to put on an event at 100% capacity for the NYE show, so we expect about 25,000 in attendance,” CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara was quoted as saying in a press release on Thursday. “NYE in Japan has
always been something special for the fight fans in Japan, and the ‘fight expo’ has always taken a big part of it. We haven’t been able to do our fight expos since the pandemic, but I am happy to announce that we will hold the fight expo during the day time for December
31st.”

RIZIN 33 currently consists of the following announced bouts:

Winner of SF1 vs Winner of SF2 (or reserve bout) – RIZIN Bantamweight GP Finals
Roberto “Satoshi” Souza (c) vs Yachi Yusuke – for the RIZIN Lightweight Championship
Mikuru Asakura vs Yutaka Saito
Ayaka Hamasaki vs Seika Izawa
Kyohei Hagiwara vs Hiroaki Suzuki
Koji Takeda vs Beynoah
Shoma Shibisai vs Hideki ‘Shrek’ Sekine
Kai Asakura vs Kenta Takizawa – RIZIN Bantamweight GP Semi Finals
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs Naoki Inoue – RIZIN Bantamweight GP Semi Finals
Yuki Motoya vs Kintaro – RIZIN Bantamweight GP reserve bout

The post More Fights Added to RIZIN 33, Souza to Defend Lightweight Title Against Yachi appeared first on Cageside Press.

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.