ONE Championship: A New Tomorrow Live Coverage

Kicking off the 2020 schedule for major MMA events, ONE Championship presents “A New Tomorrow” on Friday, live from the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Main eventing the card is ONE Muay Thai Flyweight Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon attempting to defend his belt against Jonathan Haggerty in a rematch.

In their first Rodtang prevailed via unanimous decision after five rounds of battle. Turning the page to the new year, Haggerty will attempt to start a new chapter of his career, avenging his sole loss within ONE Championship.

In the co-main event slot of the show, Stamp Fairtex returns to face Puja Tomar. In total, the card consists of 12 fights, including MMA, kickboxing and Muay Thai. Follow along with the blog throughout the evening of competition.

Live coverage begins at 5:30AM EST with the seven-fight undercard.

Quick Results:

Bout 1: Roel Rosuaro def. Yohan Mulia Legowo via Unanimous Decision

Bout 2: Ayaka Miura def. Maira Mazar via Submission, Americana (RD 2, 3:01)

Bout 3: Mehdi Zatout def. Han Zi Hao via Criteria Split Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 4: Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg def. Ma Jia Wen via KO (RD 1, 0:55)

Bout 5: Adam Noi def. Victor Pino via Unanimous Decision (Kickboxing Rules)

Bout 6: Raimond Magomedaliev def. Joey Pierotti via Submission, Guillotine (RD 1, 3:50)

Bout 7: Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym def. Brice Delval via Split Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 8: Liam Harrison def. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud via KO, Punches (RD 1, 2:03) (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 9: Thanh Le def. Ryogo Takahashi via TKO, Punches (RD 1, 2:51)

Bout 10: Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai def. Kenta Yamada via Unanimous Decision (Muay Thai Rules)

Bout 11: Stamp Fairtex def. Puja Tomar via TKO, Elbows (RD 1, 4:27)

Bout 12: Rodtang Jitmuangnon def. Jonathan Haggerty via TKO, Three Knockdown Rule (RD 3, 2:39) (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship)

Live Coverage

Lead Card

The show started with two shows not shown on the feed. It saw Roel Rosuaro defeat Yoha Mulia Legowo, and Ayaka Miura stopped Maira Mazar in the second round. This was the first card that ONE tested out that split the show into three parts. It started with the lead card, then went on to the prime card, then finished with the main card. The goal of the separation is to make the show more action-packed.

Bout 3: Han Zi Hao vs. Mehdi Zatout (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

The English broadcast kicked off with a Muay Thai fight between Han Zi Hao and Mehdi Zatout. Like many Muay Thai fights in ONE, this was done with MMA gloves. This show was held in a ring with five ropes. Hao was the more active fighter early in the first round. They both landed good punches in the final minute of the round. Hao got in another solid two-punch combo as the round ended.

Zatout caught a kick early in the second round, dumping Hao to the ground. Hao caught a kick moments later, but couldn’t do anything with the position. Hao continued to be pushing forward more than his opponent. Zatout seemed to get annoyed with his nose in this round. Hao was kicked in the groin in the final minute of the round, causing a short break. Zatout landed a combination of strikes while holding Zao’s leg in the final minute. In a clinch, Zatout swept Hao. He got dumped again before the round ended.

Zatout started the final round with another clinch, getting split by the referee. A cut opened under Zatout’s left eye during this round. Hao landed some punches while Zatout had a hold of his right leg. While Hao was mostly coming in and not facing consequences, Zatout countered with an explosive right in the final minute of the fight. Zatout threw Hao to the ground again, encouraging the crowd while his opponent stood up. The fight went the distance, with Mehdi Zatout getting the criteria split decision victory.

Bout 4: Ma Jia Wen (6-2) vs. Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg (5-2) (155 lbs)

The next fight was an MMA bout between Ma Jia Wen and Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg. This was finally Zoltsetseg’s ONE Championship debut after fighting five times in the promotion’s “Warrior Series.” Heading into this fight, Wen was on a four-fight winning streak. Zoltsetseg was coming forward with strikes early on. He landed a right hook in under a minute which dropped Wen and ended the fight. Coming back into consciousness, Wen tried to put referee Olivier Coste in a heel hook, which took others to separate. Ending a long winning streak, Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg finally had his dominant debut in ONE.

Bout 5: Victor Pinto vs. Adam Noi (Kickboxing Rules) (145 lbs)

The sole kickboxing fight of the evening was next, with Victor Pinto facing Adam Noi. Unlike the Muay Thai fights, the kickboxing fight was done with usual boxing gloves. Pinto was advancing throughout the round. Pinto had Noi against the ropes landing punches, but was hit with a head kick which dropped him. It was scored as a knockdown, with Noi suddenly becoming the fighter who pushed the pace of the fight. He landed many leg kicks.

They picked up right where they left off when the second round started, with the fighters taking turns throwing combinations. The pace was like double the speed of the round before. It felt like every time Pinto put Noi against the ropes he would end up being the one getting hit. As the pace slowed down in the round, Pinto was the one scoring with punches.

Just like the rounds before, they battled up against the ropes more. Most of the time, Noi was the one up against the ropes. Noi was stringing together punches throughout this round. After working an unbelievable pace for nine minutes, the fight went to the judges. With a unanimous decision victory, Adam Noi walked away with the victory.

Bout 6: Raimond Magomedaliev (5-1) vs. Joey Pierotti (12-1) (185 lbs)

Switching back to MMA, Raimond Madomedaliev attempted to bounce back from his ONE Championship loss, facing Joey Pierotti. The fight was the debut in the promotion for Pierotti. Pierotti caught a leg kick right off the bat and went into a standing clinch. Magomedaliev landed elbows in the clinch. They split up, although Pierotti came back in for another clinch. Magomedaliev was hurting Pierotti with elbows, dropping him at one point. Pierotti was cut open, causing the referee to pause the fight to get him checked by a doctor. They resumed after a minute or so of a pause. Magomedaliev landed a clean head kick to resume action., Pierotti went into another clinch where Magomedaliev was able to go back to work with strikes. He landed some knees to the head. Another pause came as Pierotti was bleeding quite a bit. They resumed yet again. Pierotti shot for a takedown, where Magomedaliev put in a standing guillotine. Pierotti tapped out to the guillotine in quick time. Getting his first win in ONE Championship, Raimond Magomedaliev put on nothing short of a dominant performance over Joey Pierotti.

Bout 7: Brice Delval vs. Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Finishing off the preliminary card was Brice Delval and Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigym facing off in a Muay Thai contest. Delval dropped Muangthai with a right straight in the first few seconds of the fight. It was not ruled a knockdown. Delval was the much more active fighter at the start. Muangthai heated up a little at the end, throwing more. Muangthai threw a punch or two after the bell, which Delval wasn’t fond of.

Delval scored a front kick early in the second round which pushed Muangthai back. Delval was backing up, avoiding a lot of strikes. Muangthai was finding periodic success with punches, chasing down Delval. Delval caught many kicks throughout the round. He was on his backfoot for the whole round, not throwing much in the second half of the round.

The referee warned Delval in the final round for being too passive. He was also warned in the second round. After the warning, Delval started to come forward more. The fight went it’s three scheduled rounds, heading to the scorecards. When heading to the scorecards, we had a split decision, with Muangthai PK.Saenchaimuaythaigymwalking away with the victory.

Bout 8: Liam Harrison vs. Mohammed Bin Mahmoud (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Kicking off the main card was Liam Harrison and Mohammed Bin Mahmoud battling in a Muay Thai fight. Mahmoud landed a good head kick in the second minute of the fight. The first minute was slow-paced, with the referee encourage action a few times. Harrison landed a left hook halfway through the round which dropped Mahmoud. Harrison took him down again with punches, and taken out cold in the third time. Mahmoud was seemingly unaware of where he was the third time around. Showcasing explosive fists, Liam Harrison got a first round win.

Bout 9: Thanh Le (10-2) vs. Ryogo Takahashi (13-3) (155 lbs)

The next fight saw Krazy Bee gym fighter and Shooto veteran Ryogo Takahashi face Thanh Le, who is undefeated in ONE. Takahashi won his first ONE fight in May, stopping Keanu Subba with punches in under two minutes. Le threw a kick to the body early on which Takahashi caught. Both fighters took a while to get going in this fight. Takahashi slipped halfway through the round, getting dropped by a right hook while getting up. Le landed more punches to Takahashi flooring him again, ending the fight. Ending the extensive winning streak of Ryogo Takahashi, Thanh Le advanced to 2-0 in ONE.

Bout 10: Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai vs. Kenta Yamada (Muay Thai Rules) (145 lbs)

Switching back to Muay Thai, Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai fought Kenta Yamada. Sangmanee was throwing good left leg kicks early on. Yamada caught a few kicks, never really getting hit hard by any. Halfway through the round, Sangmanee threw down Yamada in a clinch. He continued with the kicks, really starting to rock Yamada with some. Apart from a few spiking elbows in the clinch, Yamada just took damage in this round.

Sangmanee continued with the strong kicks throughout the second round. A pause came as Yamada got a cut around his left eye. They continued shortly after. The pause didn’t change Sangmanee’s work rate, keeping with the kicks. Yamada charged forward with punches in the final seconds of the round, possibly in his best offence of the whole fight up until this point.

The third round was similar to the two before, as in Sangmanee found a home for kicks to the body. Yamada kept eating them, showcasing toughness more than anything else. Yamada survived for all three rounds, bringing the fight to a decision. Getting a unanimous decision win, Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai put on a great showcase of his kicks on this show.

Bout 11: Stamp Fairtex (3-0) vs. Puja Tomar (4-3) (115 lbs)

In the final MMA fight of the evening, undefeated Stamp Fairtex fought Puja Tomar. As usual, Fairtex had lots of dancing in her walkout. Fairtex was landing leg kicks early. Tomar caught a kick and got a takedown from it, although Stamp got up quickly. They went back to the ground moments later, with Stamp on Tomar’s back trying for a rear-naked choke. She let go of trying for the choke, and took full mount as Tomar flipped over. Tomar shifted around and tried to set up for something with Stamp’s legs. Stamp avoided that, going back into top position and landing some strikes. Stamp got on Tomar’s back again after Tomar grabbed for a leg. Stamp scored unanswered hammerfist strikes and punches from the top position. After starting to incorporate elbows into the attack, the referee stepped in to end the fight. Extending her MMA record to four-straight wins, Stamp Fairtex put on a brief and damaging performance against Puja Tomar.

Bout 12: Rodtang Jitmuangnon vs. Jonathan Haggerty (ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship) (135 lbs)

In the main event of the evening, Rodtang Jitmuangnon put his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship on the line against Jonathan Haggerty in a rematch. The two fighters traded leg kicks to start the fight. Rodtang landed a good body punch. He landed a two-punch body combination a minute into the fight which dropped Haggerty. When they resumed, Rodtang was targeting the body even more.

Rodtang continued to target the body in the second round. Halfway through the round, Rodtang dumped Haggerty to the ground. Haggerty was landing good teep kicks every once in a while.

Rodtang threw Haggerty to the ground in a clinch to open the third round. Haggerty was backing up, but also landing strikes often. A timeout was called halfway through the round as Haggerty was hit in the eye. When they resumed, Rodtang smothered Haggerty. A combination of shots to the body dropped Haggerty for the second time in the fight. He got a cut around his right ear as well. After the knockdown, Haggerty got swept to the ground. In the third minute of the fight, Haggerty got dropped again. Rodtang landed another punch to the body to Haggerty, who was up against the ropes. Haggerty hit the ground for the third time in the fight, calling an end to the competition. After four knockdowns, Rodtang Jitmuangnon retained his ONE Flyweight Muay Thai Championship against Jonathan Haggerty, not needing scorecards this time.

Two Kickboxing Bouts Added To RIZIN 20

Two kickboxing bouts were announced for RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve event RIZIN 20, including TEPPEN gym names Tenshin Nasukawa and Taiju Shiratori.

RIZIN and RISE Kickboxing’s ace Tenshin Nawsukawa will face Rui Ebata. Ebata is 42-3-3 in kickboxing, currently riding a 11-fight winning streak that dates back to 2016. The fight was announced as a 56 kg “Special Rules” kickboxing fight via Twitter on Thursday afternoon (Japan time).

Nasukawa is 35-0 in kickboxing, winning five times in 2019. He recently won the 58kg Rise World Series kickboxing tournament.

RIZIN 20 will see a kickboxing rematch between Taiju Shiratori and Taiga, who recently matched up against each other at RIZIN 19. A third round overhand right from Taiga scored a knockdown, making the fight much closer than it was before.

Former K-1 kickboxer Taiga holds a professional record of 21-10-1, with a 1-2-1 record in RIZIN. Shiratori has been undefeated with three wins in RIZIN, holding a 18-5-1 record altogether.

RIZIN 20 will take place at 1 AM EST on December 31st live from Saitama Super Arena.

Here’s the full card for RIZIN 20 as of right now:

Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (22-8) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship)
Kai Asakura (14-1) vs. Manel Kape (14-4) (RIZIN Vacant Bantamweight Championship)
Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) vs. C.B. Dollaway (17-9) (RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship)
RIZIN Lightweight GP Grand Final
Johnny Case (27-6-1) vs. Tofiq Musaev (16-3) (RIZIN Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
Patricky Pitbull (22-8) vs. Luiz Gustavo (10-1) (RIZIN Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
Tenshin Nasukawa (35-0) vs. Rui Ebata (41-2-3) (123 lbs Kickboxing Special Rules)
Taiju Shiratori (18-5-1) vs. Taiga (21-10-1) (136 lbs Kickboxing)
Yuki Motoya (23-7) vs. Patrick Mix (12-0) (135 lbs)
Mikuru Asakura (11-1) vs. John Teixeira (146 lbs)
Lindsey VanZandt (7-2) vs. RENA (9-3) (112 lbs)
Vitaly Shemetov (23-10) vs. Simon Biyong (6-1) (205 lbs)
Jake Heun (14-9) vs. Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1) (231 lbs)
Shintaro Ishiwatari (26-7-4) vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (19-4-2) (134 lbs)

RIZIN 19 Live Coverage

RIZIN will make their debut in Osaka, Japan on tonight with “RIZIN 19.” The stacked show includes the first round fights from the first round of the Lightweight Grand Prix, among other big matchups. Amid a typhoon in Japan which has made the whole country re-schedule and cancel events, RIZIN 19 went on. Live coverage of the event can be seen here as the night progresses.

Bout 1: Taisei Umei (7-6) vs. Seiki Ueyama (22-11) (123 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

The evening started with a kickboxing bout between Taisei Umei and Seiki Ueyama. Both fighters were fighting in their hometown. Ueyama had interesting pants, with one leg ending at the ankle and the other at the knee. In the first round both fighters were landing lots of low leg kicks. Umei had the better punches in the first three minutes.

In the second round the damage from leg kicks on Umei’s legs started to show. The tempo between the fighters stayed fast in the second round.

The third round was even better than the one before, with both fighters throwing everything at each other. Ueyama was really picking Umei apart as the fight was closing out. In the final seconds of the round, Umei was knocked down but endured. He had a bloody nose as the fight concluded. As expected after his performance, Seiki Ueyama got the unanimous decision victory.

Bout 2: Chang Hee Kim (1-4 1 NC) vs. Shoma Shibisai (4-2 1 NC) (Openweight Bout) (MMA Rules)

The next fight was an interesting one as it was a rare openweight bout. The much larger Chang Hee Kim faced Shoma Shibisai, who was smaller but came into the fight with a better record. Both fighters were given flowers before their fight. Early on, Kim went into a standing clinch with Shibisai. Shibisai got good knees in before getting put against the ropes. Shibisai tried for a kimura, taking Kim to the ground. He tapped out only seconds later. Getting a quick kimura victory, Shoma Shibisai bettered the much larger Chang Hee Kim.

Bout 3: Takuma Konishi (22-6-1) vs. HIROYA (38-17) (170 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

Switching back to kickboxing again, the next fight was between Takuma Konishi and HIROYA. Konishi’s originally opponent Shintaro Matsukara pulled out earlier this week, with HIROYA being announced as the replacement fight. HIROYA was targeting leg kicks early on. Konishi landed a counter-punch which dropped HIROYA only a minute into the round. He got back up and started to trade punches with Konishi. A knee was landed by Konishi which dropped HIROYA again and called an end to the bout.

Bout 4: Taiga (20-9-1) vs. Taiju Shiratori (17-5-1) (137 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

The final kickboxing figbt of the evening saw Taiga face TEAM TEPPEN’s Taiju Shiratori. Tenshin Nasukawa was in attendance to support Shiratori. The height and reach advantage was more than clear. After a minute of fighting, Shiratori landed a punch combination which dropped Taiga. It quickly became target practice for Shiratori.

Early in the first round Taiga took a tumble after getting hit with a hook. It was ruled as a knockdown. After Shiratori continued to land strikes, Taiga went down again making it the third knockdown of the fight.

The third round opened with a shocking overhand knockdown from Taiga. The crowd woke up because of this. Both fighters were connecting with wild punches. The final round was chaotic as both of them were scrambling to do damage. When consulting the scorecards, all three judges gave the fight to Taiju Shiratori. After the fight he asked to be on the New Year’s Eve show.

Bout 5: Marcos Yoshio Souza (8-1 1 NC) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (34-10-2 1 NC) (170 lbs) (MMA Rules)

Before the next fight, Tenshin Nasukawa came into the ring to say that he will fight on New Year’s Eve after healing a hand injury. The next fight saw brother of Roberto Satoshi Souza, Marcos Yoshio Souza face K-Taro Nakamura. This was the RIZIN debut for both fighters. Nakamura finished up his UFC run in his previous fight. Shizuka Sugiyama was shown at ringside supporting Nakamura. Early on, Souza slipped from a spinning back kick and found himself in bottom position on the ground. They got up shortly after with Nakamura landing a strike. Souza was dropped by a punch, with Nakamura doing ground and pound. Nakamura kept hitting Souza until his corner called the end to it. It was clear that K-Taro Nakamura was levels ahead of his opponent in his RIZIN debut. After the fight he had his wife and his kid in the ring with him. He said he wanted to be part of the collaborative card with Bellator on January 29th.

Bout 6: Damien Brown (19-12) vs. Tofiq Musayev (15-3) (RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix First Round) (MMA Rules)

The next four fights on the card were in the first round of the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix. The first fight was between Damien Brown and Tofiq Musayev. Both of them have won twice in RIZIN before. Brown was hit with a low blow kick in the first minute causing a pause in the fight. They resumed quite quickly. Musayev was landing hard shots in the first round. With a minute left in the round, Brown got smothered with punches in the corner, eventually getting hit enough that the referee stepped in. Moving on to the second round of the Lightweight GP, Tofiq Musayev proved himself again as a dangerous fighter.

Bout 7: Hiroto Uesako (18-7) vs. Luiz Gustavo (9-1) (RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix First Round) (MMA Rules)

The second of four first round fights was Hiroto Uesako facing “The Killer” Luiz Gustavo. Right off the bat, Uesako charged at Gustavo and put the pressure on him. Uesako was dropped by punches with two minutes left in the first round. They got up into a standing clinch in the corner, with Uesako cut open quite badly on the face. The referee called a pause to the fight with Uesako being checked by a doctor. Shortly after, the fight was called off, giving Luiz Gustavo the victory, moving on to the second round. As expected, Uesako was very upset about this.

Bout 8: Tatsuya Kawajiri (37-13-2) vs. Patricky Pitbull (21-8) (RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix First Round) (MMA Rules)

After the first intermission of the night, the Lightweight Grand Prix continued. The next first round fight was between Bellator’s Patricky Pitbull and JMMA veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri. Pitbull stopped takedown attempts early on. Kawajiri ate a hard uppercut while trying for a takedown. Kawajiri caught a jumping knee but was hit with punches on the ground while holding the leg. The referee stepped in, giving Pitbull the win. Completely stunning the Osaka crowd, Patricky Pitbull brought Bellator to the second round of the Lightweight Grand Prix.

Bout 9: Roberto Satoshi Souza (9-0) vs. Johnny Case (26-6-1) (RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix First Round) (MMA Rules)

The final of four Lightweight Grand Prix fights was between Johnny Case and Roberto Satoshi Souza. Early on, Case stuffed a takedown attempt. They went back to stand-up after Case avoided an omoplata. While Souza went down for a takedown he was hit with a punch which dropped him and made him tap out on the ground. It looked like the punch might have went in his eye. Johnny Case became the final fighter to move on to the semi-finals in an anti-climactic finish.

RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals Draw

Before the second intermission of the evening, all four Lightweight Grand Prix winners came out to draw the next round of matchups. There were four translators in the ring (one for Tofiq Musayev, one for Luiz Gustavo and Patricky Pitbull, and one for Johnny Case) since no Japanese fighter moved on to the semi-finals. Here were the second round picks:

Johnny Case vs. Tofiq Musayev
Luiz Gustavo vs. Patricky Pitbull

We were told later in the broadcast that the semi-finals and the finals of the tournament will take place on the New Year’s Eve card.

Bout 10: Alexandra Alvare (0-2) vs. RENA (8-3) (112 lbs) (MMA Rules)

After a lengthy second intermission, the next fight was RENA versus Alexandra Alvare. The fight was RENA’s return after losing to Lindsey VanZandt at Bellator 222. Alvare was a short notice replacement for RENA after Shawna Ram pulled out due to a concussion. RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki was in the corner of RENA. RENA dropped and hurt Alvare within seconds, getting an easy victory. While against an extremely easy opponent, RENA had a return to form after a loss in the summer.

Bout 11: Miyuu Yamamoto (5-3) vs. Seo Hee Ham (21-8) (108 lbs) (MMA Rules)

After her RIZIN debut in the summer, Seo Hee Ham returned to face Miyuu Yamamoto. The fight was presumably a #1 contenders matchup for to decide the next opponent for Ayaka Hamasaki. Miyuu walked out to a mashup of songs including KID Yamamoto’s walkout theme. Her son Erson Yamamoto was cornering her for this fight. Yamamoto got a single leg takedown in the second minute of the fight. Ham got up quickly but was pushed back down. They stood back up into a clinch and then returned to stand-up. Ham stopped the next takedown attempt. Yamamoto got another takedown with two minutes left in the round. The referee stood them up due to inactivity with a minute left in the round. The round ended in stand-up.

Ham was able to stop a takedown early in the second round. Her striking was significantly better this round. Yamamoto was taken down and was hit with strikes from bottom position. The fight was paused as Ham went out of the right. Yamamoto got a cut around her ear that was checked out, although they were able to resume. When they resumed, Yamamoto went into a clinch and landed knees. Ham landed a few punches and then stuffed a takedown. With Yamamoto holding her leg, Ham let off some hammerfist punches to the head. They got back to a standing clinch where Yamamoto was thrown down and hit with two soccer kicks to the head. Yamamoto got back up but was shoved down again. Ham was on Yamamoto’s back, throwing hammerfist strikes. The strikes continued unanswered until the referee stepped in and ended it. Ham seemed sad after the stoppage, immediately hugging and bowing to Yamamoto while tearing up. Both of them were very emotional. After the fight, RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Ayaka Hamasaki came out and accepted a challenge from Ham. They did a face-off photo as well.

Bellator Japan and RIZIN 20 Announcement

Before the next fight, it was announced that Bellator MMA will do a show on December 29th, and RIZIN 20 will take place on New Year’s Eve. Headlining Bellator Japan will be Rampage Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko. Names shown in the video package were Kyoji Horiguchi, Ayaka Hamasaki and Mikuru Asakura.

Bout 12: Kai Asakura (13-1) vs. Ulka Sasaki (22-7-2) (134 lbs) (MMA Rules)

After the third and final intermission of the evening, the show had it’s co-main event. It was 7 AM EST by the time this fight had come. The co-main event was Kai Asakura versus Ulka Sasaki. Asakura was hot off his huge upset win over Kyoji Horiguchi. Sasaki was coming back after his loss against Shintaro Ishiwatari. His edge over Asakura was really just experience. Kyoji Horiguchi was celebrating his birthday, watching the fight at ringside. As expected, Mikuru Asakura was in the corner of his brother Kai. The fight was chaotic from the start, with Sasaki being dropped in the first 20 seconds. Asakura started to land knees and kicks to a grounded Sasaki. The referee paused the fight to check out Sasaki, who had a broken jaw. Obviously due to the injury the fight was stopped. In under a minute, Kai Asakura added another W to his record, priming himself for a title fight with Horiguchi. After the fight, Horiguchi came into the ring and accepted a fight against Asakura.

Bout 13: Fabio Maldonado (25-13) vs. Jiri Prochazka (24-3-1) (220 lbs) (MMA Rules)

The main event of the evening was Fabio Maldonado facing RIZIN Light Heavyweight Champion Jiri Prochazka in a non-championship bout. Prochazka started to clip Maldonado in the second mi nute of the fight. Cornered, Maldonado was completely covering up and letting Prochazka swing away. Shortly after being dropped by punches, the referee came in and ended it, giving Prochazka the win. In a completely one-sided bout, Jiri Prochazka gave himself his second win of the year.

RIZIN’s next event will be on December 29th, collaborating with Bellator for the promotion’s first show in Japan. After that, RIZIN will hold the traditional New Year’s Eve show. More updates will come in the next couple of months for the matchups on those shows.

Tenshin Nasukawa Becomes ISKA Featherweight Champion at RIZIN 16

Tenshin Nasukawa extended his kickboxing record to 31-0 on Sunday and got some gold around his waist. From World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan, it only took two rounds for Nasukawa to defeat Martin Blanco, gaining the ISKA Featherweight Championship.

The first round of the fight wasn’t that busy, with both fighters landing some shots but none really worth noting. In the second round, Nasukawa found success with landing knees to the body, which is what caused all three knockdowns in the round. The third time it connected was when the referee made the decision to end the contest.

Tenshin Nasukawa’s original opponent was Ahmed Ferradji, who was pulled from the event a few weeks ago. He put out a statement on Instagram recently stating that he “refused to do the fight because they had not respected the initial conditions that we (ISKA) had agreed upon.” He was the ISKA Featherweight Champion, with the Championship being stripped from him for this bout.

Tenshin Nasukawa is expected to fight on the 21st of July at the Rise World Series 2019 Semi-Finals, facing Suakim PK Saenchaimuaythaigym. He advanced to the second round of the tournament back in March, defeating Federico Roma in the third round with a cartwheel kick.

Full coverage of RIZIN 16 can be found here