RIZIN 15 Full Report

RIZIN made their second appearance in Yokohama this Sunday. The card had tons of action, so let’s look at how it went down.

Bout 1: Thalison Ferreira (14-2) vs. Taiga (19-7-1) (134 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

After RIZIN’s traditional show opening where every fighter was introduced, we had our first fight. The first bout on the card was a kickboxing battle between Thalison Ferreira and Taiga. Taiga has fought in RIZIN before, fighting to a draw at RIZIN 13. Thalison Ferreira had a very intense and long walkout. Both guys were fighting at a fast tempo throughout the first round. Ferreira kept trying for a spinning back fist. With under 20 seconds left in the round, Ferreira was hit with a knee to the body, causing a knockdown. He barely escaped the round. His team was very late for leaving the ring after the first round. Taiga was dropped at the start of round two from an overhand right but recovered. Another overhand that was landed maybe a minute later took Taiga down once again. Ferreira saw red at this point and was fully on the offense. Taiga went down after a jab with under 30 seconds left, causing the referee to end the bout.

Bout 2: Kanako Murata (8-1) vs. Saray Orozco (4-2) (126 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

The second bout was Kanako Murata filling in for Shinju Nozawa-Auclair, facing Saray Orozco. Early in the fight Murata took it to the ground, landing a takedown. They got back up after Murata landed some strikes on the ground. Murata did another takedown and started trying for a guillotine. In general, Murata had the upper hand on the ground, but wasn’t completely dominant. After Murata picked up Orozco and put her down, she put in a von flue choke, which made the fight end via referee stoppage. As usual for Murata, she threw around her cornermen and cornerwomen after the bout.

Bout 3: Seiichiro Ito (12-2-2) vs. Manel Kape (12-4) (128 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

In the next fight, longtime ZST fighter Seiichiro Ito fought Manel Kape. Kape had a new look, wearing long pants and shoes in the ring. Within the first minute of the bout, Ito was hit in the groin with a shoe. Kape landed a good takedown in the second minute. Ito had a takedown attempt denied near the end of the round. Kape started to amp up his striking in the second round. There we many moments where Ito was in full defensive mode. From punches to spinning back fists, to grounded knees, Kape was hitting all of his spots in the second round. With a minute left, the referee stepped in to end the fight, giving Kape the stoppage victory. After the fight he dedicated the fight to his mother.

Bout 4: Koji Takeda (8-0) vs. Damien Brown (18-12) (157 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

After his successful performance at New Year’s Eve, Damien Brown returned to face Koji Takeda. The first round was only stand-up, with Damien Brown having a great round. In-between rounds, Yusuke Yachi was spotted in the crowd. Takeda held onto Brown’s back for a portion of the second round. After an amazing scramble, they went back to kickboxing. Brown seemed to be more dominant in the striking. Takanori Gomi was spotted in the crowd during the second break. Early in the final round, there was a pause due to Brown getting poked in the eye. Takeda was completely defensive in the closing minutes of the fight. This became the first fight of the night to go it’s scheduled distance, with Brown winning via unanimous decision.

Bout 5: Kana Watanabe (6-0-1) vs. Justyna Zofia Haba (1-0) (126 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

It was a battle of undefeated fighters in the next match when Kana Watanabe battled Justyna Zofia Haba. After a few minutes of stand-up, Watanabe did a trip to take it to the ground. Watanabe landed some forearms on the ground before the round ended. Kana Asakura and KING Reina were shown on the broadcast in-between rounds. In the second round there was a stoppage for Watanabe’s nose to be checked by a doctor. Miyuu Yamamoto and AI Shimizu were seen in the crowd before the third round started. From the ground, Watanabe was landing tons of strikes in the final round. Her nose was bleeding quite a bit during this. The fight went the distance, with the final round being the most dominant for Watanabe. The judges gave Watanabe the nod via unanimous decision.

Bout 6: Mikuru Asakura (9-1) vs. Luiz Gustavo (9-0) (150 lbs) (No Elbows Allowed)

In what is a great fight to have before intermission, Luiz Gustavo fought Mikuru Asakura. Gustavo landed a hard kick to the head early into the fight. Asakura landed a takedown shortly after. They were stood up after nothing happened on the ground. The referee stopped the fight after Asakura claimed an eye poke. After a doctor extensively checked him out the fight resumed. Back on the ground, Gustavo put in a guillotine but was broken as they almost fully got out of the ring. At the start of the second round, Asakura did a good kick to the ribs. Gustavo jumped into a takedown after trying to do a kick. When back on their feet, Asakura and Gustavo got into a swinging battle. Gustavo got dropped from a right hand but recovered and was taken down moments later. Gustavo got fully out of the ring while Asakura was on top, forcing a break. This caused Gustavo to be given a yellow card. The final minute was more powerful strikes from both fighters. In the third round Gustavo started to bleed from the left eye. The final round was the most intense as both guys were swinging for the fences. Asakura did a takedown with over a minute left, but Gustavo backed out of the ring again. Both fighters survived all three rounds. The judges gave Mikuru Asakura the unanimous win.

Bout 7: RENA (7-2) vs. Samantha Jean-Francois (4-5) (112 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

After the first intermission ended, RENA faced Samantha Jean-Francois in a match that was originally scheduled for New Year’s Eve. This time around RENA was able to survive the weight cut, so the fight went through. Francois was wearing wrestling shoes for this match. After clinching for a little in the first, RENA threw Francois onto the ground, but got immediately reversed. Francois did a trip shortly after, with RENA attempting an armbar from the bottom position. Francois escaped the armbar, going back into a standing clinch in the corner. RENA tried for a judo throw, but Francois sort of collapsed on her and assumed top position on the ground. Francois tried for a rear naked choke but couldn’t find it as the round ended. RENA landed some good stand-up shots at the start of the second, but was taken down shortly after. RENA tried for an armbar and got slammed by Francois but kept ahold of the move. They found themselves in a stalemate as RENA stood up and Francois stayed on the ground. RENA dove down for a punch, but stood back up shortly after. The referee stood Francois up this time. Francois landed another takedown but RENA reversed it using momentum. From top mount, RENA started to land strikes. After some hammer fist strikes, RENA tried for more submission moves. The round ended in this position. In RENA’s corner, she got her coach to slap her in the face with both hands before the final round started. In the final round, Francois landed a takedown but RENA fought her way into the top position. They got stood up after being in that position for a few minutes. RENA defended a takedown successfully in the final minute, taking top position once again from it. In a north south position, RENA landed some knee strikes to the head. The fight went the full distance. All three judges gave RENA the victory.

Bout 8: Karl Albrektsson (8-2) vs. Christiano Frolich (10-4) (205 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

In a Light Heavyweight bout, Karl Albrektsson fought Christiano Frolich next. Albrektsson had a huge height advantage over Frolich. In the first minute, Albrektsson landed a left kick to the body that dropped Frohlich and echoed throughout the building. That exchange brought the fight to the ground. Albrektsson was dominant with strikes on the ground. Albrektsson was dropped by punches in the final ten seconds, possibly being saved by the bell. The second round had an emphasis on kickboxing. In the first minute of the final round, Albrektsson landed a takedown that almost made Frohlich fall out of the ring. Despite landing this, since they went out of the ring he lost the position. Albrektsson got a top position on the ground and landed tons of strikes. The fight went the distance, with Albrektsson winning via scorecards.

Bout 9: Satoru Kitaoka (42-18-9) vs. Roberto Satoshi Souza (7-0) (156 lbs) (No Elbows Allowed)

Veteran JMMA fighter Satoru Kitaoka faced BJJ ace Roberto Satoshi Souza in the next bout. This was Kitaoka’s 70th pro MMA fight. After some striking, Kitaoka had a guillotine on that Souza rolled out of. Souza got a large cut on his head which cause a break in the bout. After a somewhat contained battle, both guys let their hands fly for a few seconds in the final minute. Kitaoka got a takedown early in the second. The fight was stopped once again, this time to look at a cut on Kitaoka’s head. The fight continued, with Souza landing some good combos of punches before Kitaoka shot for another takedown. Kitaoka tried for a leg lock on the ground (a move that got him put to sleep against Diego Brandao). Souza reversed the move into a rear naked choke and then a triangle choke. Kitaoka was able to escape the predicament. They were stood up after a bit of inactivity on the ground. They started to trade strikes, with Kitaoka being dropped after numerous strikes, and was hit a few more times before the referee dove in. Souza had an emotional speech after the fight, talking about how he watched PRIDE as a kid, and how this was a dream come true.

Bout 10: Kyoji Horiguchi (26-2) vs. Ben Nguyen (16-8) (132 lbs) (Elbows Allowed)

The first of three huge fights on the card was RIZIN’s star Kyoji Horiguchi facing Ben Nguyen. The crowd was very electric for this fight. Nguyen was wearing shoes in the ring. Right off the bat, Nguyen was the aggressor. He got onto Horiguchi’s back while he was standing, but was taken out of the position after Horiguchi spun. They clinched up against the ropes for a while. Horiguchi started to land some good hooks. Nguyen stopped being the fight who was pushing the pace as he stated getting tagged. Nguyen was dropped twice, and after being hit in the corner many times, the referee stepped in and concluded the bout. After the fight, Nobuyuki Sakakibara got in the ring and asked Horiguchi if he wants to fight on Bellator’s Madison Square Garden card. The implication was that Horiguchi would face Darrion Caldwell for his Bellator Championship.

Bout 11: Tenshin Nasukawa (29-0) vs. Fritz Biagtan (12-3) (130 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

After the second intermission ended, Manny Pacquiao came to the ring and thanked everyone for the opportunity to be here, and for his kickboxer Fritz Biagtan to fight Tenshin Nasukawa. He took a seat at ringside for the fight. The first round was very methodical, with both guys having a feeling out process. There was a pause due to Nasukawa getting un-intentionally hit in the groin. Biagtan was landing strikes in the second round, but it felt like Nasukawa was controlling the bout. In the final minute of the second round, there was a moment where Biagtan was spun into a corner and then hit a few times clean on the chin. In the final round, Nasukawa started to really egg on with strikes. He landed a knockdown after a knee to the body. With another knee only second laster, Nasukawa got a second knockdown and a victory. He did the Street Fighter “Hadouken” pose after winning.

Bout 12: King Mo (21-8) vs. Jiri Prochazka (23-3-1) (Light Heavyweight Title Match) (Elbows Allowed)

In the main event of RIZIN 15, Jiri Prochazka and King Mo fought to become the first ever RIZIN Light Heavyweight Champion. Like many people tonight, King Mo fought in shoes. Before the main event happened, the Czech Republic and United States National Anthems were played. Despite being a championship bout, it was only scheduled for three rounds. The first round of the fight felt very slow, and while Prochazka landed some, it wasn’t a huge round for him. There was a pause in the action when a doctor had to check on a cut around Prochazka’s left eye. Prochazka was more aggressive than King Mo in this round. With two minutes left in the final round, Prochazka started to land head strikes, dropping King Mo and eventually closing out the fight. Jiri Prochazka is RIZIN’s first Light Heavyweight Champion.

With RIZIN’s evening of fights concluded, we look to the future. RIZIN is scheduled to have their next event on June 2nd in Kobe, Japan, making it the promotion’s debut in the city. It will be in World Memorial Hall, a venue that has 8,000 seats in it. No fights are booked for the event yet, but once we edge closer to the date some bouts are eventually going to be announced.

UFC on ESPN+ 7: Overeem vs. Oleinik Full Report

UFC made its second appearance in Russia this weekend, showcasing the power of veteran Heavyweights Aleksei Oleinik and Alistair Overeem. The card was very much a Russia versus The World theme but also had a newcomer spin to it, as six fighters on the card were making their UFC debut.

Preliminary Card

Bout 1: Rafael Fiziev (6-0) vs. Magomed Mustafaev (13-2) (Lightweight)

The first bout to open the show was in the Lightweight division, with Rafael Fiziev facing Magomed Mustafaev. In the first minute of the fight, Mustafaev landed a spinning back kick that looked like it hit him but could have gotten him much harder. A minute later he landed another spinning back kick, except this time it dropped Fiziev. After some more punches on the ground the referee intervened to end it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Fiziev
Mustafaev

Bout 2: Michal Oleksiejczuk (13-2-1) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-5) (Light Heavyweight)

After one fight that didn’t make it through the first round, we saw another one like that. Antigulov landed punches in the first 10 seconds, fighting very aggressively. While advancing he was hit with a left hook that dropped him. He landed an uppercut that dropped him a second time. Another uppercut made the light heavyweight fall again, and the fight ended.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Oleksiejczuk
Antigulov

Bout 3: Shamil Abdurakhimov (19-4) (#13) vs. Marcin Tybura (17-4) (#10) (Heavyweight)

Moving up a weight class from the previous bout, we saw a Heavyweight clash between Shamil Abdurakhimov and Marcin Tybura. The first round was purely kickboxing, with Abdurakhimov out-striking Tybura. The second round was much of the same, with Abdurakhimov landing a spinning back fist at one point. With under two minutes left, Tybura was hit with a left hook that made is legs nearly collapse under him. Retreating, he got hit a few more times up against the cage before referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Abdurakhimov (#13)	10
Tybura (#10)	9

Bout 4: Alex Da Silva (20-1) vs. Alexander Yakovlev (23-8-1) (Lightweight)

The next fight had Brazilian Alex Da Silva face Russia’s Alexander Yakovlev. Da Silva showcased good wrestling in the first round, slamming Yakovlev after holding him up against the cage. At the start of round two the fight went to the ground after Yakovlev slipped while throwing a kick. After clinching for a while, Yakovlev landed a hard slam of his own. On the ground, Yakovlev put in a guillotine that made Da Silva tap out.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Da Silva	10
Yakovlev	9

Bout 5: Keita Nakamura (34-9-2) vs. Sultan Aliev (14-3) (Welterweight)

In the final hour of prelims, Keita Nakamura faced Sultan Aliev in a Welterweight fight. Nakamura’s mouthpiece fell off in the first few seconds, and he put it right back in, no wash needed. Both fighters were landing punches in the first round. Although Aliev was landing more than Nakamura. In the second half of the second round, Aliev landed a takedown. In the final round, Aliev was trying for a rear naked choke but couldn’t find it. Aliev continued his dominant striking throughout the fight. The contest went it’s scheduled three rounds. The scorecards were all in favour of Sultan Aliev (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Nakamura	9	9	9	27
Aliev	10	10	10	30

Bout 6: Seungwoo Choi (7-1) vs. Movsar Evloev (10-0) (Featherweight)

In a double debut fight, Seungwoo Choi and Movsar Evloev ended off the preliminary part of the card. Evloev landed a hard sounding uppercut in the first round. Shortly after landing a nice overhead strike, Evloev brought the fight to the ground. He landed shots on the ground more than he tried to do submission moves. Evloev landed an illegal knee in the second round, which made the referee take away a point. Right out the gates of the final round, Evloev landed a takedown. He was successful in wrestling for the whole round. The fight went the distance, with the judges giving Movsar Evloev the victory (29-27, 29-27 & 29-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Choi	9	9	9	28
Evloev	10	9	10	29

Main Card

Bout 7: Krzysztof Jotko (19-4) vs. Alen Amedovski (8-0) (Middleweight)

The first fight on the main card was a Middleweight battle between Krzysztof Jotko versus Alen Amedovski. Amedovski wagered his undefeated streak in this fight, which was also his UFC debut. The first two minutes of the fight had close striking. After a trip, the fight went to the ground. Jotko tried for a rear naked choke, but Amedovski escaped and landed some strikes before going back to stand-up. Jokto landed a spinning elbow that brought Amedovski onto one knee for a moment. He landed a takedown and stayed in top position for the rest of the round.

Early in the second round, Jotko landed another takedown. Jotko was dominant on the ground, landing punches and elbows near the end. While Amedovski resisted more in the next takedown, Jotko still landed it. Jokto continued his dominant ground performance until the final round ended. The judges gave Krzysztof Jotko the win unanimously (30-25, 30-26 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Jotko	10	10	10	30
Amedovski	9	8	8	25

Bout 8: Antonina Shevchenko (7-0) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (22-15) (Flyweight)

Antonina Shevchenko, the sister of Valentina Shevchenko fought against Roxanne Modafferi in the next bout. In the first round, Modafferi was aggressive, consistently being the fighter that was advancing. Modafferi was successful when wrestling. In the second round, Shevchenko’s kickboxing skills started to really show. Modafferi was able to land a takedown against the cage around halfway through the round. On the ground, Shevchenko landed some hammer strikes on the ground. Similar to the second round, in the third Shevchenko had great striking in stand-up. She also seemed to be less useless on the ground, bringing the fight back to stand-up at the end. The fight went the distance, with the judges favouring Roxanne Modafferi via split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Shevchenko	9	9	10	28
Modafferi	10	10	9	29

Bout 9: Sergey Pavlovich (12-1) vs. Marcelo Golm (6-2) (Heavyweight)

Heading up to the Heavyweight division, Sergey Pavlovich fought Marcelo Golm. From the very start of the fight, both guys were swinging. Pavlovich landed a flurry a minute into the bout ending with an uppercut that put Golm to sleep.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Pavlovich
Golm

Bout 10: Islam Makhachev (16-1) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (13-1) (Lightweight)

In the co-main event slot this evening was Islam Makhachev versus Arman Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan was taken to the cage in the first minute after tripping. Makhachev landed a great takedown after being in a standing clinch. Tsarukyan had a standing guillotine on Makhachev after he found himself in the move seconds before. This round was some real high-level wrestling from both fighters. The crowd was behind Makhachev, cheering on all of his moves. Makhachev was controlling with the wrestling throughout the second. Tsarukyan broke out more kickboxing at the start of the third. The fight went all 15 minutes, with Islam Makhachev winning unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Makhachev	10	10	10	30
Tsarukyan	9	9	9	27

Bout 11: Aleksei Oleinik (57-11-1) (#9) vs. Alistair Overeem (44-17) (#7) (Heavyweight)

The main event in St. Petersburg was Aleksei Oleinik and Alistair Overeem. Oleinik took the fight to the ground immediately. When back on their feet, Oleinik clipped Overeem with an overhand. He was hit more when shelled up against the cage, but made it out of the exchange. For the first few minutes of the fight, Overeem landed knees but Oleinik was dominating overall with his fists. In the final minute, Oleinik was dropped from knees and covered up. Overeem landed more punches until the referee came in and stopped it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
Oleinik (#9)
Overeem (#7)

UFC will be back on ESPN+ next week, live from Sunrise, Florida when Jacare Souza faces Jack Hermansson. The next PPV from the promotion is under a month away, with Rose Namajunas facing Jessica Andrade on May 11 from Jeunesse Arena in Brazil.

RIZIN 15 Preview

On Sunday RIZIN will return with their first event of 2019. Their last event was the classic New Year’s Eve MMA event being held in Saitama Super Arena. The show saw kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa lose within a round of boxing to the 50-0 Floyd Mayweather. The loss went viral, as did Mayweather’s reported nine million dollar paycheck did. The show also saw the crowing of Kyoji Horiguchi and Ayaka Hamasaki as champions. Horiguchi defeated Bellator star Darrion Caldwell via submission to become a Bantamweight Champion, and Hamasaki beat Kanna Asakura with a second-round armbar to become a Super Atomweight Champion.

This weekend’s show will be headlined by Jiri Prochazka and Bellator’s King Mo, as they compete for the inagural RIZIN Heavyweight Championship. Below them on the card will also be RIZIN regulars Kyoji Horiguchi and Tenshin Nasukawa.

RIZIN 15 will see inaugural promotion’s return to Yokohama, with their last appearance being in April of 2017. With the order of this weekend’s card being unveiled this week, let’s preview the card in order.

Taiga vs. Thalisson Gomes Ferreira (Kickboxing Bout)

The first fight of the evening is contested under kickboxing rules, as Taiga returns to face RIZIN newcomer Thailisson Gomes Ferreria. Taiga competed at RIZIN 13, where he fought to a draw against Kento Haraguchi. Both fighters are coming off of losses from the RISE kickboxing promotion.

Kanako Murata vs. Saray Orozco

The matchup of Kanako Murata and Saray Orozco only became official this week when Orozco’s original opponent, Shinju Nozawa-Auclair backed out of the bout due to injury. Nozawa-Auclair noted on Instagram that she fought through an injury before, and it forced her to be sidelined for a year after the fight because of the severity of the injury afterwards. Kanako Murata is no newcomer to RIZIN as she has an established 4-1 record within the fighting federation. Saray Orozco has a 4-2 professional MMA record and is on a three-fight win streak heading into her battle in Yokohama.

Seiichiro Ito vs. Manel Kape

Manel Kape is an example of someone who RIZIN has really built up. Prior to his career within RIZIN, he didn’t compete in any major promotions. Although RIZIN has made him into a huge star, he hasn’t had an easy run. Out of his last four career losses, he has been given three of them in his last four fights. He lost to Ulka Sasaki on New Year’s Eve back when he was coming off a win against Yusaku Nakamura. He’ll be facing Seiichiro Ito in his next fight. Ito will be making his second RIZIN appearance, getting a win at the last Yokohama show. He’s a veteran within the ZST promotion in Japan and is coming off his first MMA loss in over five years.

Koji Takeda vs. Damien Brown

Damien Brown had a strong debut with RIZIN at New Year’s Eve after wrapping up his 2-4 UFC career. He defeated RIZIN veteran Daron Cruickshank via guillotine in just one round. He faces Koji Takeda, a DEEP promotion fighter who, despite only debuting in 2017, has racked up eight victories. His last win came against Satoru Kitaoka, who also fights on this card.

Kana Watanabe vs. Justyna Zofia Haba

Justyna Zofia Haba and Kana Watanabe are two success stories that came from the New Year’s Eve shows. Watanabe defeated Shizuka Sugiyama in 11 seconds after a knockdown (which Sugiyama protested about after the match) in their sequel fight, and Haba handed Shinju Nozawa-Auclair her first pro loss via submission. Watanabe’s fight came from RIZIN’s afternoon show “RIZIN Heisei’s Last Yarennoka!” Since then she has also gotten her either pro victory at DEEP JEWELS 23, defeating Soo Min Kang. While Watanabe isn’t a veteran by any means, her 8-0-1 record is many more minutes in the sport than what Haba has experienced in her 1-0 pro MMA career.

Mikuru Asakura vs. Luis Gustavo

This weekend’s show was set to be a showcase of both of the Asakura brothers, but couldn’t happen after Kai Asakura’s fight fell through. After Ulka Sasaki and Justin Scoggins both pulled out due to injury, RIZIN decided to bench Kai for the event. Mikuru’s bout is still set to happen, as he faces Luis Gustavo. The undefeated Brazilian left an impact in his debut in RIZIN when he dropped Yusuke Yachi in the main event of RIZIN 12. Mikuru defeated Shooto veteran Takeshi Inoue at the “Heisei’s Last Yarennoka” show on NYE.

RENA vs. Samantha Jean-Francois

A bout that was set to go down at RIZIN 14 will be tried for again at this event. Samantha Jean-Francois didn’t have an opponent last minute in December due to RENA suffering from anemia and dehydration during her weight cut. The last fight took place at 49 kg, and this fight will be held at 51 kg.

Karl Albrektsson vs. Christiano Frolich

Karl Albrektsson will make his return to RIZIN, facing Christiano Frolich, who will make his debut in the promotion. Albrektsson’s last fight in RIZIN was against Jiri Prochazka, losing in the first round via punches. Since then he has gotten two more wins in the Swedish promotion “Superior Challenge,” making his record 8-2. Frolich comes into RIZIN with a 10-4 record, with his last fight being a win in July against Eduardo Rufino.

Roberto de Souza vs. Satoru Kitaoka

Nearly two decades into his MMA career, Satoru Kitaoka is still fighting frequently. After defeating Tatsuya Kawajiri on New Year’s Eve, Kitaoka will face Roberto de Souza in his next battle. Souza is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based MMA fighter, having presence in Japan through his participation in QUINTET events.

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ben Nguyen

RIZIN’s top MMA dog Kyoji Horiguchi will face former UFC fighter Ben Nguyen in his next fight. Horiguchi is coming off a championship victory in December. Nguyen will be making his first appearance outside the UFC after he first fought for them in 2015. At the end of his stint with the promotion, he lost two fights, finishing with a UFC record of 4-3. This fight won’t be for a title, and will only be three rounds.

Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Fritz Aldin Biagtan

Tenshin Nasukawa’s recent fights seemingly follow a theme of being involved with people who don’t have much to do with kickboxing. At RIZIN 13, he fought Kyoji Horiguchi in a kickboxing match. At RIZIN 14, he lost to Floyd Mayweather in boxing after being knocked down three times. And now at RIZIN 15, Nasukawa will face a kickboxer that has been brought in through famous boxer Manny Pacquiao. Fritz Aldin Biagtan was the fighter that “Pac-Man” assigned for the event. The Filipino fighter is a current WBC Muay Thai Featherweight Champion and will be facing Nasukawa in Kickboxing rules. Nasukawa’s last fight was last month at RISE, competing in the first round of the promotion’s 58kg tournament.

King Mo vs. Jiri Prochazka (RIZIN Heavyweight Championship Match)

RIZIN will have their first Heavyweight Championship match in the main event of the show. Muhammed Lawal, also known as King Mo will come into the promotion from Bellator to face Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka is currently on a seven-fight win streak, defeating Brandon Halsey in December. He has fought for RIZIN since their inaugural event. This won’t be the first time he’s squared off against Mo, as he took his third and most recent loss to him back in 2015 via punches. King Mo has lost his last two fights, both being via strikes. In RIZIN he has a record of 3-1.

After RIZIN makes it’s long-awaited return to Yokohama, the promotion will make their debut in Kobe afterwards. On the 2nd of June, RIZIN will go to the World Memorial Hall for RIZIN 16. But until then, there are 12 bouts that have the potential to be very entertaining.

Pancrase 304 Results

Live from Shinbika Studio Coast, commentated by Stewart Fulton and Guy Delumaeu, let’s look at how Pancrase 304 went down.

Preliminary Card:

Bout 1: Tatsuki Ozaki vs. Ryuji Abe (2019 Neo Blood Tournament First Round Strawweight) (3×3)

The first bout of the evening was Tatsuki Ozaki versus Ryuji Abe in the first round of the Neo Blood strawweight Tournament. Abe landed a takedown after a minute of standup. Ozaki landed some elbows to the head while being pinned up against the cage. Ozaki tried for a guillotine but it did not work. Ozaki rolled out of the clinch and then took top mount, which Abe escaped in the final seconds, rolling out and trying for a flying knee. In the first minute of the second round Ozaki had some good striking. Abe landed another takedown and took Ozaki up against the cage once again. They escaped clinch and went back to stand-up. The final round started with Ozaki being aggressive with striking, but found himself against the cage again. He broke free with two minutes left, but was hit with a double-leg takedown. The fight went the full nine minutes, leaving the judges to decide who won. The judges gave Tatsuki Ozaki the win, which surprised the commentators.

Bout 2: Kei Arimura vs. Takashi Araya (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Strawweight) (3×3)

The second of two strawweight tournament fights was next. Arimura was the better striker from the get-go. Araya landed a takedown as he started to bleed. They stook back up after Arimura escaped. Araya did land some strikes to the head while in top mount. Araya got a second takedown before the round ended. At the start of the second round it was Araya who was quick to bring it to the ground. Araya was on top mount for most of the round, but with a few seconds left in the round Arimura landed a few more stand-up punches. It was clear that Arimura was the superior striker while Araya was the better grappler. Most of the third round was on the ground. The fight was put up for decision, where Araya was favoured.

Bout 3: Daiki Nishimura vs. Yosuke Shimoda (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Flyweight (3×3)

After the strawweights we saw a flyweight tournament bout. It was noted that both fighters were making their pro debut. Shimoda landed a single leg takedown after a minute of stand-up, but Nishimura took his back after a roll. They went back to stand-up after that. Early in round two Shimoda landed a spinning back kick to the head. The whole round was a good striking battle. In the final round Nishimura tried for a guillotine but did not find success with it. After three rounds, Shimoda was given the victory.

Bout 4: Ryosuke Takasugi vs. Masahide Hiraoka (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Bantamweight) (3×3)

The next fight was a bantamweight Neo Blood fight. Masahide Hiraoka fought out of Krazy Bee. The first round had Takasugi landing a takedown, with Hiraoka escaping in the final seconds of the round. Takasugi shot for another takedown in the second after Hiraoka had some decent ground game. Hiraoka’s striking was really successful in this round. The final round was mostly stand-up. Hiraoka was given the victory from the judges.

Bout 5: Tatsuhiko Iwamoto vs. Michio Ito (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Featherweight) (3×3)

The next fight was a featherweight battle. Ito is representing Krazy Bee as well. The first round was grappling heavy as both fighters tried for many moves. Ito had some heavy heads in the second round, and then landed a double leg takedown up against the cage. In the final round, Ito was in top mount when he stared landing hammer fists, so much so that the referee stopped the bout.

Bout 6: Ryosuke Shiotsu vs. Yota Tatsunari (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Featherweight) (3×3)

We saw a second featherweight fight next. The first round show aggressive striking and grappling from both fighters. Very early in the second round, Tatsunari landed a kick and then strikes on the ground afterwards making the ref stop the bout. Watching the replay, it was revealed that before the exchange Shiotsu had tweaked is leg and fallen down. He was carried out via stretcher.

Bout 7: Yohei Nada vs. Darani Date (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Featherweight) (3×3)

In another Featherweight fight, we saw Yohei Nada and Darani Date compete. Nada landed a takedown within the first minute of the bout. He had complete control on the ground, staying dominant for the whole round. Nada continued with his well done grappling in the second and third round. The fight went the distance. Nada won the fight from the scorecards.

Bout 8: Takashi Yamashita vs. Masayoshi Watanabe (Neo Blood Tournament First Round Welterweight) (3×3)

Moving up the weight classes more, we had welterweights Takashi Yamashita and Masayoshi Watanabe fight next. The first round was purely stand-up. Watanabe landed a takedown in the final round, making the rest of the fight stay on the ground. Both fighters lasted all three rounds with Watanabe getting the nod.

Bout 9: Yuma Nakajima vs. Naoki Arikawa (Flyweight) (3×3)

The final preliminary fight was the only one that wasn’t contested within a Neo Blood Tournament. On the ground, Arikawa was landing strikes throughout the first. In the second round, Arikawa had a headlock on the ground that made Nakajima tap out.

Main Card:

Bout 10: Kazuma Maruyama (7-5) vs. Kenta Takagi (#5) (16-16) (Wellterweight) (3×3)

The first main card fight was a Welterweight fight. After a minute and a half of stand-up fighting, Maruyama was hit with a left hook while going for a kick, absolutely knocking him out.

Bout 11: Mayra Cantuaria (4-3-1) vs. Emiko Raika (8-5-1) (Flyweight) (3×5)

The next fight was a Flyweight battle between Mayra Cantuaria and Emiko Raika. Cantuaria was aggressive from the start, landing knees in a clinch. She landed a takedown and took half guard. Landing strikes periodically, Cantuaria was in position for a rear naked choke. She landed numerous unanswered strikes, but it didn’t stop the bout. Cantuaria put in an armbar while trapping a leg, making Raika tap.

Bout 12: Masayuki Kikuiri (4-0) (#8) vs. Yusuke Kasuya (9-5-2) (Lightweight) (3×5)

Masayuki Kikuiri put his undefeated record on the line when he faced Yusuke Kasuya in a Lightweight bout. Kasuya landed a good couple of strikes and then a double leg takedown. On the ground, he threw down hard strikes to win the match in just over a minute. He celebrated with what I would assume is his two children afterwards.

Bout 13: Shinsuke Kamei (4-0) (#11) vs. Yojiro Uchimura (16-12-3) (#10) (Featherweight) (3×5)

This next fight was similar to the one before in that it was a 4-0 fighter facing a more experienced fighter. The two fighters were next to each other in the Featherweight rankings. In the first round both guys were swinging for the fences. In the final minute, Uchimura went to the ground, but the commentators suspected it was over a slip and not a knockdown. At the start of the second round Uchimura landed a beautiful Superman punch and tried to finish the fight with strikes afterwards but Kamei recovered. With a few seconds left in the second round, Kamei got dropped yet again by a left hook. Uchimura landed more strikes up against the cage and then turned around and stopped as if the fight had ended. The fight didn’t end, the ref didn’t do anything to signal it did, so this was complete instinct by Uchimura. The fight continued into the third round. After they were up against the cage for a while in the third, Kamei rolled into a leg lock, but Uchimura escaped. Both fighters were exhausted at this point. They kept swinging until the fight ended. They hugged after the bout ended. This fight had the crowd amped up as it was fast from the get-go. Uchimura got the unanimous victory.

Bout 14: Kenichiro Togashi (18-14-5) (#7) vs. Akira Okada (13-6-3) (#4) (Lightweight) (3×5)

Bout 14 of the evening was Kenichiro Togashi versus Akira Okada. Nearly halfway into the first round, Okada was hit with a right that dropped him. The second round was a slow, methodical stand-up battle between the two. Okada was checked by doctors in-between rounds two and three but was able to continue. In the final round, Okada landed elbows in a clinch that made Togashi start bleeding. He tried for a takedown but was stopped. He landed a takedown from a leg sweep as the fight came to a close. The judges favoured Togashi, giving him his 19th professional win.

Bout 15: Yuto Hokamura (14-8-2) (#6) vs. Toshinori Tsunemura (13-8-4) (#1) (Bantamweight) (3×5)

The #1 ranked Bantamweight Toshinori Tsunemura also known as “Tsune” faced Yuto Hokamura in the next bout. With under two minutes left in the first round, Hokamura landed a kick to the head that made Tsune go absolutely numb. “We almost saw Tsunemura’s head fly into the crowd,” said commentator Stewart Fulton.

Bout 16: Kseniia Guseva (4-0-1) vs. Emi Fujino (22-11-1) (#2) (Strawweight) (3×5)

In the next fight, Kseniia Guseva, current #2 ranked Flyweight in Pancrase faced #2 fighter in Strawweight, Emi Fujino. I recognized Shizuka Sugiyama in Fujino’s corner. The majority of the first round was spent up against the cage. The second round was very similar. They finally went to the ground in the final two minutes. Fujino landed some punches from the top mount and half guard. The fight went the distance with Fujino getting the unanimous decision.

Bout 17: Kyle Aguon (12-7) (#3) vs. Taichi Nakajima (13-9-1) (#2) (Featherweight) (3×5)

The next bout was a Featherweight battle between Kyle Aguon and Taichi Nakajima. Augon fights out of the Spike22 gym in Guam, which also plays host to DEEP’s Roque Martinez. The first round of this fight had lots of stand-up fighting, with Aguon landing some good strikes. Augon tried for a guillotine in the final minute but didn’t keep it for long. Miyuu Yamamoto was in Aguon’s corner for this fight. The fight was very close throughout. It went all 15 minutes, with Aguon getting a split decision victory.

Bout 18: Tatsuya So (17-16-4) (#4) vs. Daichi Kitakata (18-8-1) (#1) (Strawweight) (3×5)

In the 18th fight, Tatsuya So and Daichi Kitakata competed. The first round was close, but Kitakata had a strong ending to the round, dropping So with strikes and then putting in a guillotine for a few seconds. Kitakata landed a takedown after some good strikes at the start of the third round. On the ground, Kitakata attempted a rear naked choke, but did make it work. So tried for his own move but wasn’t able to put anything in. The fight ended with both fighters swinging. The judges gave Kitakata the victory.

Bout 19: Sidy Rocha (9-5-2) (#3) vs. Takayo Hashi (16-6-1) (#1) (Women’s Flyweight Championship) (5×5)

The co-main event of the evening was Sidy Rocha and Takayo Hashi fighting for Pancrase’s Women’s Flyweight Championship. Rocha had a clear advantage due to height and reach when trading blows. In the final seconds of the last round, Rocha landed a takedown. Most rounds felt like the first, where Hashi was being outboxed. In the fifth however, Hashi landed a takedown. Hashi’s work in the final round wasn’t enough though, as Rocha took the decision victory to win the Women’s Flyweight Championship.

Bout 20: Tom Santos (10-6) (#5) vs. Takasuke Kume (21-5-4) (Champion) (Lightweight Championship) (5×5)

The main event of the evening was Tom Santos challenging Takasuke Kume for his Lightweight Championship. In the first round of the fight, Kume landed a trip after a strike to bring the fight to the ground. He landed strikes on the ground for a few minutes. Kume landed another takedown at the start of the second round. Kume continued his ground and pound style. At the start of the third round Santos went down from a right hook. Kume landed more strikes on the ground, and then put in a triangle choke that Santos tapped out to.

RIZIN 14 Preview

With their traditional New Year’s Eve event this year, RIZIN is putting a focus on the North American market. There are three main ways that they are doing this: by having lots of recent UFC fighters in action, by having a collaboration fight with Bellator Champion Darrion Caldwell, and by giving young kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa fight in an exhibition boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. The initial promotion of this event had a bump in the road, as after an initial press conference, Mayweather took to Instagram to say that he was mislead and that he has backed out of the bout. Since then things have seemingly been worked out between the boxer and the promoter Nobuyuki Sakakibara, since the fight is back on.

The official ruleset will be pure boxing, with no scorecards after the scheduled three rounds. The fight will also not affect anyone’s professional records. Nasukawa, the undefeated kickboxer, showed up in Nevada for on open workout at Mayweather’s gym earlier this month. This will be the second fight in a row for Tenshin where he is fighting a crossover bout. In September he battle RIZIN’s MMA star Kyoji Horiguchi in a kickboxing match. Nasukawa trained in Nevada leading up to this fight with boxer Jorge Linares.

There are two championship bouts on this card, with the biggest one being between Darrion Caldwell and Kyoji Horiguchi. Caldwell is a champion in Bellator, but won’t be defending his belt. Instead, he will face Horiguchi for the inaugural RIZIN Bantamweight Championship. The fight is expected to be only the start of a collaboration between the two promotions. Horiguchi has been undefeated in MMA since joining RIZIN. Putting that together with his final UFC fights, he is currently on a 10 fight win streak.

The biggest women’s fight on the card is Kanna Asakura defending her RIZIN Atomweight Championship against Ayaka Hamasaki. Hamasaki is 2-0 after making the move from Invicta to RIZIN. Asakura’s first title fight was against RENA, who she also defeated once before. Hamasaki’s last win was against Mina Kurobe, who was at the time the DEEP Jewels Atomweight Champion. The story going into that RIZIN 13 fight was it was two champions (Kurobe had her DEEP JEWELS belt and Hamasaki was a former Invicta champion) fighting, with the winner challenging Asakura.

After Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto unfortunately passed away in September, three Krazy Bee fighters were booked on this show. One of the fighters was Yusuke Yachi, who was highlighted on RIZIN’s web-docuseries “RIZIN Confessions.” On the show it was shown that Yachi is on a road to redemption. Before fighting in RIZIN he spent time in Shooto and Pancrase. From 2016 to 2018 Yachi was on a tear, getting five wins with three of them being first round stoppages. His momentum was halted at RIZIN 12 when he lost to Luis Gustavo. Part of his loss came because of his long hair getting in his eyes during the fight. On the web series he teased that he might go bald for NYE. He is set to face Johnny Case, who had a short stint in PFL after being released from the UFC.

Norifumi’s sister, Miyuu Yamamoto is also in action. The wrestler only delved into MMA in 2016, currently holding an even record of 3-3. She is set to face Mika Nagano, who is a veteran of the DEEP JEWELS promotion, making her RIZIN debut. Her son, Erson Yamamoto is scheduled to make his return to MMA after a round one loss to Manel Kape back in 2017. He looks to break even with his pro MMA record when he challenges Kazuyuki Miyata. Miyata is also coming off a long layoff, with his last fight being in 2016, defeating Andy Souwer in the first round of a Bushido Rules fight.

On the card there are three fights where RIZIN is feeding fighters to the promotions talent. These three bouts are an attempt to put RENA, Gabi Garcia and Shinju Nozawa-Auclair into the spotlight. In RENA’s case, her fight is a way to bounce back from the two losses she received from Kanna Asakura in her last two RIZIN fights. She is matched up against Samantha Jean-Francois, who has a professional record of 3-5-0. Nozawa-Auclair is clearly being built up as a star in the promotion since her mother, Naoko Nozawa is a well known Japanese comedian. In her first two RIZIN bouts she got first round Armbar victories, with one of the wins avenging her only amateur MMA loss. She fights Justyna Zofia Haba. Haba hasn’t had a professional MMA fight, and had her one amateur win back in 2014. Now longtime RIZIN fighter Gabi Garcia returns after a Road FC win back in the Spring. She fights Barbara Nepomuceno, a kickboxer making her MMA debut.

Former UFC fighter Damien Brown will be welcomed into the promotion by Daron Cruickshank. Also a former UFC competitor, Cruickshank has made himself known in RIZIN as a fighter who doesn’t rely on scorecards to win the bout. Currently on a four fight winning streak, Cruickshank has a 6-2 record in the promotion, all via stoppage. Brown’s run in UFC ended after he lost three fights in a row, exiting the promotion with a 2-4 record.

In a similar situation, former UFC Flyweight Ulka Sasaki will make his RIZIN debut against young fighter Manel Kape. Kape is currently bouncing back from two losses in a row, as he put on a dominant performance against Yusaku Nakamura at RIZIN 13. At age 25 he seems like a young prospect for the promotion. Sasaki had a 50/50 sort of run in the UFC, with his last fight being just last month against Alexandre Pantoja at Fight Night 140.

The fight between Nobumitsu Osawa and Tofik Masaev will be a battle of the newcomers. Osawa has been a fighter for the Shooto promotion for all of his career, and comes into RIZIN on a three fight win streak. Masaev is a fighter with an impressive 13-3 record, which has been collected from fights in China, Turkey and Azerbaijan, among other places.

For a couple of years now, Yuki Motoya has went back and forth between RIZIN and his main promotion DEEP. Currently on a four fight win streak, including one of them being at RIZIN 12, he will face Justin Scoggins. Scoggins is, like many people on this card, a former UFC fighter coming into the promotion. He had a three fight losing streak in the UFC, with one of those losses coming from the previously mentioned Ulka Sasaki.

Back in 2015 Jiri Prochazka joined RIZIN. Since then he has been a regular for the promotion, only losing one of his nine fights. He is currently on a six fight winning streak and is set to battle Brandon Halsey, who competed in PFL Season 1.

The prequel to the evening’s events, “RIZIN Heisei’s Last Yarennoka!,” kicks off in the late evening on the west. The headliner for that show is veteran fighters Tatsuya Kawajiri and Satoru Kitaoka. In Japan the show will be televised on Fuji TV, and in the rest of the world it can be seen via purchase on FITE TV. The 14 fight show is one that will be the main focus of the MMA world before we all say goodbye to 2018, and welcome the new year.

UFC 231 Report: Holloway Retains via Doctors Stoppage

Brian Ortega’s undefeated streak was broken at the Scotiabank Centre on Saturday, allowing his opponent, Max Holloway to retain his Featherweight Championship. The finish came via doctor’s stoppage in-between rounds four and five, with Ortega having substantial damage around his left eye. The fight was an absolute brawl with Holloway pushing the pace most of the time. Holloway was landing more often, but Ortega was responding and doing significant damage as well. Going into round five people were under the assumption that Ortega would have to get a finish in the final round to become the new champion. Once Holloway saw the fight get waved off he jumped the octagon to pick up his son to celebrate.

Promoter Dana White said that the gate for the show was 3.28 million, and that it was a sell out with no single seats available. The main event was given fight of the night, with Holloway receiving performance of the night along with Thiago Santos, who kicked off the main card.

In the co-main event spot for the show was another championship bout, with top contenders Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Valentina Shevchenko battling for the vacant Flyweight championship. The fight went all five rounds with Shevchenko having dominant striking and ground game for the majority of the time. All three judges scored the bout 49-46 in favour for Valentina.

The main card had two bouts held in the heavier of weight classes, both having dramatic finishes. The previously mentioned Santos battled Jimi Manuwa in a slugger bout that did not leave the second round. Santos finished Manuwa with punches after being ahead in the first. In the 11th bout of the night Gunnar Nelson put Alex Oliveira in a Rear Naked Choke after making him bleed heavily with strikes from the ground. On the replay it seemed like the referee came in to stop the fight because of the bleeding instead of the submission.

Canadian fighters went 3-3 for the night, with the biggest name of them all, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, being handed a loss. Up and coming Manitoban fighter Brad Katona and veteran UFC fighter Elias Theodorou both got wins by scorecards favouring them. The slowest bout on the main card included Alberta-born Hakeem Dawodu battling to a decision against Kyle Bochniak. This fight made the Canadians break even for the night.

UFC has their final PPV of the year on the 29th, with formerly suspended Jon Jones fighting Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch. Before then UFC heads to Milwaukee on the 15th for their final UFC on FOX card before making the move to ESPN.

Floyd Mayweather Claims He Never Agreed To Fight Tenshin Nasukawa

Days after a press conference in Japan, Floyd Mayweather has claimed that he never agreed to fight on RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve card against Tenshin Nasukawa. On Instagram on Wednesday Mayweather made a lengthy Instagram post where he detailed his side of the story. The full statement reads:

“Now that I am back on U.S. soil after a long and disappointing trip to Tokyo, I now have the time to address you, my fans and the media in regard to the upcoming event on December 31st that was recently announced. First and foremost, I want it to be clear that I, Floyd Mayweather, never agreed to an official bout with Tenshin Nasukawa. In fact (with all due respect) I have never heard of him until this recent trip to Japan. Ultimately, I was asked to participate in a 9 minute exhibition of 3 rounds with an opponent selected by the “Rizen Fighting Federation”. What I was originally informed of by Brent Johnson of “One Entertainment” was that this was to be an exhibition put on for a small group of wealthy spectators for a very large fee. This exhibition was previously arranged as a “Special Bout” purely for entertainment purposes with no intentions of being represented as an official fight card nor televised worldwide. Once I arrived to the press conference, my team and I were completely derailed by the new direction this event was going and we should have put a stop to it immediately. I want to sincerely apologize to my fans for the very misleading information that was announced during this press conference and I can assure you that I too was completely blindsided by the arrangements that were being made without my consent nor approval. For the sake of the several fans and attendees that flew in from all parts of the world to attend this past press conference, I was hesitant to create a huge disturbance by combating what was being said and for that I am truly sorry. I am a retired boxer that earns an unprecedented amount of money, globally, for appearances, speaking engagements and occasional small exhibitions.”

Mayweather’s post on Instagram earlier this week of him wearing a RIZIN MMA and Kickboxing glove has since been deleted. RIZIN, Brent Johnson and Tenshin Nasukawa have yet to put out a statement on the matter.

The mentioned fight put on for a small amount of wealthy spectators is something that has been offered to a boxer before. Heavyweight Tyson Fury mentioned on the “JRE MMA Show” that he was offered a fight on a cruise ship from someone “who wanted to make this a fight exclusive for him and his buddies.”

The ball is in RIZIN’s court at this point as to what they do with their New Year’s Eve show.

Floyd Mayweather and Tenshin Nasukawa To Battle On Rizin’s New Year’s Eve Card

RIZIN’s annual New Year’s Eve just became bigger than ever before. It was announced late Monday at noon in Japan (Sunday night in the west) that undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather will face undefeated kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. The exact ruleset hasn’t been made clear as of yet, but at the press conference, which both fighters were present at, Mayweather said that it will be announced in the “coming weeks.”

In mid-September articles said that Mayweather expressed interest in fighting in Japan in what would be a tune-up fight before fighting Manny Pacquiao in a sequel matchup. Less than an hour before the press conference had went live, Mayweather teased his partnership with RIZIN by posting an Instagram photo where he wore a RIZIN MMA glove in his left hand and their kickboxing/boxing glove in the other hand.

Both fighters’ last appearances were in crossover events, with Mayweather participating in the highly lucrative boxing bout with MMA star Conor McGregor. In RIZIN’s promotion Tenshin recently battled MMA star in his own right, Kyoji Horiguchi in a kickboxing bout at RIZIN 13.

RIZIN 14 is scheduled to take place on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena, the unofficial home for RIZIN events. The rest of the card is set to be announced later this week.

UFC 230: Daniel Cormier Successfully Defends Heavyweight Championship via Submission

On Saturday UFC put on their third show inside Madison Square Garden. This has become something of a tradition for the brand, with the MSG events being a supercard. Two years ago UFC made their New York City debut when Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez in the the second round at UFC 205. Last year at UFC 217 George St. Pierre defeated Michael Bisping on a three title card. This time around it’s Daniel Cormier versus Derrick Lewis for the Heavyweight Championship.

This card was something that was originally set to be a supercard, but didn’t become such a thing after many fights falling through. The biggest of fight cancelled was Nate Diaz versus Dustin Poirier in what could be considered a fan friendly fight. There was also another championship bout that was originally planned for this card, being Valentina Shevchenko versus Sijara Eubanks for the Flyweight Championship. This did not happen because Shevchenko was rebooked for a fight against Joanna Jędrzejczyk on the December Toronto card. Eubanks was given Roxanne Modafferi in a prelim bout on this card instead.

The main event of the evening was Daniel Cormier versus Derrick Lewis. Lewis is fighting in a miraculous turnaround time from his last bout at UFC 229 against Alexander Volkov. In that bought Lewis was seconds away from losing on the scorecards when he got a stoppage win on Volkov. Lewis received a spike in Instagram followers, around triple the amount he had before after giving an entertaining post fight interview. Cormier is coming off a summer victory against Stipe Miocic. He broke the Heavyweight fighter’s streak of title defenses with a first round knockout. Some say that Miocic deserved the rematch before others due to his dominance as a champion before his loss.

Below the main event was 11 other bouts. Starting off the PPV was Israel Adesanya versus Derek Brunson. Adesanya has put on dominant performances lately, with his last one coming at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale against Brad Tavares. In the co-main event slot for the evening was Chris Weidman versus Jacare Souza. Weidman fought on the 205 card two years ago and made his return to his home state with this bout. Before any of this happened, the evening began on UFC’s OTT service UFC Fight Pass with the Early Prelims.

The first fight on the Early Prelims was slightly delayed since the second bout between Brian Kelleher versus Montel Jackson was cancelled. Opening the show was Marcus Rogerio de Lima versus Adam Wieczorek. Both heavyweights were on the ground for the majority of the first round. De Lima had top position most of the time and started to land strikes in the final 20 seconds. The second round was mostly stand-up, with de Lima landing more shots. By the end of the second round Wieczorek was wobbling around the place. The commentary team took a liking to de Lima’s leg kicks throughout the second. The final round went in the way of de Lima but did not have any noteworthy action. All three judges had it 30-27 for de Lima.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
De Lima	10	10	10	30
Wieczorek	9	9	9	27

Continuing on with the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims, Kurt Holobaugh had his second fight in his current run in the promotion. Holobaugh was a pickup from the Contender Series, but his fight from the series is no longer valid due to a drug test. Since then he has also lost a fight. He faces Shane Burgos who is coming off his first loss since coming into the UFC. Both fighters were absolutely swinging for the first two minutes of the bout. Holobaugh seemed to have the advantage in the stand-up field. Burgos got dropped two minutes in from a punch but seemed to recover quickly from it. When Holobaugh went to the ground to land more punches he found himself in an armbar that ended the bout. It was an amazing turn of events for Burgos.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Holobaugh
Burgos

Finishing off the early prelims was Matt Frevola versus Lando Vannata. Frevola is a new UFC fighter who lost his debut fight after winning a Contender Series bout. Vannata hasn’t won in a long time, losing two fights and tying one since 2017. Both of these fighters were absolutely explosive in the first round. Frevola got dropped from a kick but recovered very quickly. He was also given some breathing room as the fight was paused for his mouthguard to be put back in. With under two minutes left in the first Vannata looked like he was in trouble when he got tagged with a right. In the final seconds of the round there was absolute chaos. Frevola landed an amazing flurry of strikes then tried for a Guillotine in the final moments. Vannata escaped the Guillotine before time ran out. Early in the second round Frevola got tagged hard with kicks, then dropped with a right moments later. Frevola showed an amazing chin, being able to recover and stay up despite being continually pelted. Frevola tried for a takedown in the final moments of round two but fell into a Guillotine. Lucky for him the time in the round ran out. In the third Vannata caught Frevola’s leg for a takedown but took 3 or so punches clean to the head on the way down. Frevola got a takedown of his own with just over a minute left, but Vannata got up very shortly after. The fight went the distance leaving the judges to decide. This could have went both ways, so it did. The judges scored it a draw (29-28, 28-28 & 28-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Frevola	10	9	10	29
Vannata	9	10	9	28

Starting off the UFC Prelims on FS1 was Lyman Good versus Ben Saunders. This fight was close until Good landed uppercuts in a clinch that took Saunders out. This was a very quick finish that caught me off guard.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Good
Saunders

After the quickest finish of the night, the next bout was Julio Arce versus Sheymon Moraes. In the first minute of the fight Arce got dropped hard by a right hook. He was able to recover on the ground and make his way back to his feet. Later in the round Arce mounted Moraes and kept trying for a Rear Naked Choke. In the second round Arce started bleeding heavily, which had the commentators worried. With just over a minute left in the second, Arce floored Moraes with a strike. Both of these guys were so bloodied that it was disgusting. The fight went the distance after a close strictly kickboxing final round. The judges gave Moraes the win via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Arce	9	10	9	28
Moraes	10	9	10	29

The next bout was a rematch from The Ultimate Fighter. Sijara Eubanks fought Roxanne Modafferi for the second time in their careers. Eubanks did not make weight the day before, but this fight was still on. The first minute and a half of the first was striking where, while nobody was doing visible damage, Eubanks was more dominant. Eubanks landed a takedown, making most of the first round stay on the ground. Modafferi continued to look not that confident in stand up in the second round. Eubanks seemed to have more power in her strikes. Modafferi had decent ground game at the end of round 2 as both fighters were very tired. Modafferi looked the best striking-wise in the third because she landed much more shots. Eubanks ended up out-powering in the third similarly to how she did in the first, except with less power. The fight went to the judges who tallied it in favour of Eubanks Unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
#4 Eubanks	10	9	10	29
#7 Modafferi	9	10	9	28

Finishing off the preliminary card was Jason Knight versus Jordan Rinaldi. The first round was mostly on the ground with Rinaldi on top. While Knight had more significant strikes in the round, Rinaldi had control for the majority of the time. In the second round Rinaldi was dominating and trying for moves on the ground but Knight was able to defend. Rinaldi put in a Rear Naked Choke in the third round that Knight somehow found a way out of. The fight went the distance with both guys being very tired by the end. The judges gave the fight to Rinaldi by quite the margin (30-27, 30-25 & 30-26)

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Knight	9	9	8	26
Rinaldi	10	10	10	30

The PPV portion of the show kicked off with Israel Adesanya versus Derek Brunson. Leading up to this fight the idea was that it would be the experienced kickboxer Adesanya versus Brunson who is the much better boxer. Very early on in the first round Brunson clinched up and went to the fence. Brunson got taken off the cage after grabbing Adesanya’s shorts twice. Adesanya flipped off Brunson while referee Herb Dean was talking to Brunson. There was the option to take away points because of this, but it didn’t happen. Adesanya guarded a takedown attempt well, but Brunson went to the cage on another attempt right after. Adesanya landed a flurry of kicks, knees and punches in the final minute that had Brunson in a defensive mode. Brunson got dropped over and over until the fight got stopped with ten seconds left. What gave Adesanya the win wasn’t his stellar kickboxing but rather his ability to keep the fight in his own wheelhouse. After this fight the newly signed fighter from ONE Championship Ben Askren was shown in the crowd.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
#6 Brunson
#9 Adesanya

In what feels like a main card bout that was swept under the promotional rug, Karl Roberson fought Jack Marshman. In the first round Roberson was moving and swinging faster than Marshman. Marshman got clipped mid-way through the round but stayed standing. Near the end of the round the commentary team pointed out that the volume of punches from Roberson had significantly dropped off. Through round two and three Marshman continued to get hit but at a much slower pace than round one. It was consistently the left hand that Roberson was landing. With two and a half minutes left Roberson landed a takedown. The final round ended with most people already considering Roberson the winner. Judges gave Roberson the win Unanimously (30-26, 30-26 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
Roberson	10	10	10	30
Marshman	9	9	9	27

The tenth fight of the evening was Dave Branch versus Jared Cannonier. Cannonier had quite the confident walkout. Branch got a pop from the crowd after being billed out of Brooklyn. Branch landed a takedown but didn’t stay on the ground for long. Cannonier was landing more strikes throughout the round and had decent ground defence. At the start of the second round Branch got absolutely floored by a right, and took a few more shots on the ground before the ref stopped it.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
#7 Branch	9
Cannonier	10

The co-main event of the evening was Chris Weidman facing Jacare Souza in a Middleweight bout. The crowd was wildly in favour of Weidman, but that’s no surprise because he is one to wear his home state on his sleeve. The fight was very neutral in the first round until Weidman landed a combo with his hands clean. After this moment it seemed like both guys started to open up much more. Souza started to throw and connect more in the second round. Souza was bleeding from the nose badly in the second. Souza slipped and fell after throwing a kick in the final minute of the second. Souza and Weidman were clinched against the cage until the final moments of the round when they went back to stand up. With over two minutes left Souza dropped Weidman with a strikes. You could tell from the moment Weidman was down that he was out. Souza stared at Weidman who was down, not throwing any extra punches because he assumed it was over. The referee didn’t end it and Weidman clutched Souza’s foot, so Souza did four more shots before the ref ended it. Souza looked disappointed that the referee did not end it. This was quite the comeback as Souza was down 2-0 heading into the third. The whole third round Souza was being more aggressive than the two before.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Total
#3 Weidman	10	10
#5 Souza	9	9

Up next was the main event of the evening in Madison Square Garden. Double champion Daniel Cormier defended his Heavyweight championship against Derrick Lewis, who achieved stardom after his viral victory against Alexander Volkov. In the first minute of the fight Cormier landed a takedown. Lewis got up with over two minutes left in the first, still pinned against the cage by Cormier. Cormier landed a trip which brought Lewis back to the ground. They stayed on the ground until the first round ran out. Similar to the first, Cormier spent a minute closing a distance in the second and then landed a takedown. On the ground Cormier put in a Rear Naked Choke that made Lewis tap quickly. The commentary team knew almost immediately that it was over once it was put in. After the fight Cormier called out Brock Lesnar, telling him to bring his WWE Universal Championship if he faces him.

My Scorecard:

Fighter	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Total
© Cormier	10
#2 Lewis	9

UFC wraps up 2018 with two December PPV cards. The first of the two takes place in Toronto with Max Holloway and Brian Ortega in the main event. Also in another title fight is Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Valentina Shevchenko fighting for the vacant UFC Flyweight Championship. UFC 232 is the company’s final event of the year, with Jon Jones returning to face Alexander Gustafsson in a Light Heavyweight Championship bout. Below them is also Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes fighting for the Featherweight Championship.

Next week UFC heads to Denver, Colorado for Fight Night #139. It’s the finale of UFC’s 25th Anniversary celebrations, with the event taking place in the same city that the first UFC event was held in. The main event is “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung versus Yair Rodriguez. The co-main event is equally entertaining as it has Donald Cerrone versus Mike Perry.

Jacare Souza To Replace Luke Rockhold in UFC 230 Co-Main Event

Earlier today news broke that Luke Rockhold is off of the UFC 230 co-main event due to injury. Since then Jacare Souza has announced that he will step in to face Chris Weidman, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. He takes this co-main event fight two weeks away from the show, as the show is set to take place on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden.

This change leaves Dave Branch out of a fight. Branch was scheduled to fight Souza on the 230 card but due to the scheduling has been put out of the fight. It was reported that he might have an opponent in Jared Connonier, but nothing is 100% as of yet. As previously mentioned in the original report about Rockhold, this card has experienced tons of cancelled fights for numerous reasons.

Some order is restored to the MMA world after a chaotic headline broke earlier today.