Laying Down Leather #10: Bellator 238, RIZIN, and Special Announcement!

Good morning and welcome to another edition of Laying Down Leather, the casual blog post discussing my thoughts on events throughout the past week. There’s a lot to discuss this week so let’s jump in.

Before the MMA thoughts, I have a very special announcement. On February 3rd, I will launch my new MMA news site, Knockdown News! This will be my final week doing MMA coverage on JackWannan.com, with the coverage switching next week.

It feels like a new chapter to me. One where I can continue to do what I love and hopefully reach more people. Also, I have many new ideas for the site. Some I’ve already unveiled at KnockdownNews.com, and some will be rolled out in the coming months.

Anyway, no more about me…

MMA

I did not catch much MMA this week due to my work. But, I am slowly working through the week.

Cris Cyborg had a successful Bellator debut on Saturday, stopping Julia Budd in the fourth round. The fight was amazing to me as it was another example of the nonstop pace that Cyborg can work. To say it’s impressive is an understatement.

Read: Cris Cyborg Claims Bellator Featherweight Championship, Stopping Budd In Four Rounds

I’m happy that Darrion Caldwell advanced into the next round. It sucks to see Adam Borics take his first loss as a pro, but obviously, we will see him again. Caldwell versus McKee in the next round should be really fun. I wonder how long we’ll have to wait to see that. Hopefully enough time for me to decide who I think will win.

Read: Darrion Caldwell Advances In Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix With First Round Stoppage

Um, I think many expected Sergio Pettis to have a good debut in Bellator, but did many expect that? That was pretty, well, uh, brutal for his opponent.

Unrelated to Bellator, but I watched CES on Friday and quite enjoyed it. I have not followed CES closely in the past, but they put on some good fights and had a pretty good television product for a regional MMA promotion. I’ll check them out again soon.

Read the full coverage of CES 60

RIZIN announced many fights for RIZIN 21, and I have a few thoughts.

The elephant in the room is that it’s a weak card. And while this could change, it currently lacks any of the promotion’s major stars. This wasn’t a shocker to me since everyone just fought a month ago.

With that being said, I’m happy to see Roque Martinez and Kyle Aguon on the card. The representation of Guam in JMMA is such an interesting crossover.

What’s Ahead

This week I’ll have my late full scouting reports of UFC on ESPN+ 24 and Bellator 238 out on the site. Before switching over to Knockdown News on Monday, I’ll have live coverage of ONE Championship on Friday morning.

Laying Down Leather will continue as a Monday morning series on Knockdown News.

Have a great week!

RIZIN Light Heavyweight Champion Jiri Prochazka Signs Contract With The UFC

RIZIN Fighting Federation Light Heavyweight Champion Jiri Prochazka has signed an exclusive UFC contract, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.

Prochazka is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak, with nine of those coming from the top Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN.

The Czech Republic fighter won the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Championship in April of 2019, stopping Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the third round.

He made his first defence of the belt on New Year’s Eve, defeating former-UFC veteran C.B. Dollaway within a round.

Laying Down Leather #7: New Year’s Eve, NJPW and More!

Happy new year, and welcome to another episode of Laying Down Leather! It has returned, and my goal is to maintain it on the site for this whole year. I hope everyone has a good 2020, as I plan to have a good one as well.

Just like every year this time around, a few big events happened, and they were all in Japan. Let’s talk about them, shall we?

MMA

As many of you might know, RIZIN 20 took place on New Year’s Eve. I have a LOT of notes on the event. If you want to skip past it, click here.

Overall, RIZIN 20 was an amazing event. Personally, I’d say it was the best MMA event I watched in 2019. Of course nobody likes the intermissions, but they weren’t super bad. If the intermission issue never goes away, oh well.

The event saw the stock of Tofiq Musayev rise exponentially, defeaing Patricky Pitbull. He’s been fun to watch for the past year, and it’s nice that he’s getting the recognition.

While Miyuu Yamamoto’s performance over AMP The Rocket was good, please stop giving Rocket all of these close matchups. She’s a clear prospect but taking lots of losses early in her career.

Source say Johnny Case has went to PFL, but if he didn’t, I’d love to see him back. Maybe he can pull a Satoshi Ishii and do both in one year. Not that Ishii’s 4-3 2019 run was good, though.

Whether you’re a fan or not of Tenshin Nasukawa after the tabloids had their fun with him this winter, you have to admit that he is an absolute beast. I did not expect him to crush Rui Ebata in such a damaging fashion.

I don’t have a ton more to say about the show, but if you could only watch some fights, I’d recommend:

Jake Heun vs. Satoshi Ishii
Hiromasa Ogikubo vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari
RENA vs. Lindsey VanZandt
Tofiq Musayev vs. Patricky Pitbull
Seo Hee Ham vs. Ayaka Hamasaki

I didn’t catch the PFL finale, but I saw the results…

Nice to see Ray Cooper III win the grand finals after her came up short last year.

I’m interested to see Ali Isaev as he continues to be undefeated. Same with Kayla Harrison.

Wrestling

I watched the two nights of Wrestle Kingdom at the Tokyo Dome this week as well. Both shows had some amazing wrestling on it. It was not the best Wrestle Kingdom I’ve seen, but it sure did not disappoint.

NJPW has done only one-night of Wrestle Kingdom in the past, changing that this year to two nights. Quite honestly, I’d prefer if they went back to the two-night format. While the first night had some great matches, the bottom half of the card felt lame. Not so much the case with the second night.

Uhh, spoilers:

Kenta spoiling the part that Tetsuya Naito almost finally got was amazing. Just further shows how NJPW is great at their long-term booking.

Obviously, very saw to see Jushin Thunder Liger retire. But, the brightside of it was it was on his terms, and not decided by fate. I was lucky to witness him live a couple of times.

TJPW’s 1/4 show was a fun viewing. If you enjoy comedy wrestling, you’ll absolutely love Shoko Nakajima versus Hyper Misao. The post-match promo between Maki Itoh and Thunder Rosa was also funny.

Just an update about content on the site, while I’ll do these weekly little “blog”-ish posts, I’ll try to also get more professionally shaped columns out too. Stay tuned!

Upcoming work:

On lwos.life, I’ll be doing my annual K-pop awards hopefully later this week. I really enjoy writing it, and hopefully you’ll enjoy reading it (if you’re interested of course).

The hope is to cover the ONE Championship event on this site on Friday. I’ll likely do it live, but hey, no promises.

Take care, and see you around!

Manel Kape Stops Kai Asakura In The Second Round, Becomes New RIZIN Bantamweight Champion

Manel Kape won the vacant RIZIN Bantamweight Championship in the main event of RIZIN 20, stopping Kai Asakura early in the second round with punches. Kape became champion at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Kape dropped Asakura with punches early in the second round, continuing with punches on the ground until referee Jason Herzog called a halt to the competition.

The original plan for New Year’s Eve was for Kai Asakura to challenge Kyoji Horiguchi for his Bantamweight belt. Horiguchi pulled from the fight and vacated his belt after being sidelined by a torn ACL.

Right after winning the fight, Kape went over to Horiguchi at ringside and kissed him on the forehead.

In the co-main event of the evening, Tenshin Nasukawa stopped Rui Ebata in under a round in a kickboxing bout.

Full coverage of the event can be found here.

Seo Hee Ham Gets Split Decision Victory Over Ayaka Hamasaki, Becomes New RIZIN Atomweight Champion

Seo Hee Ham edged out two-out-of-three scorecards against Ayaka Hamasaki on Tuesday, making her the new RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion. The win was on the top half of RIZIN 20, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Ham was crowned the new champion after three rounds of competition. The most impactful round from Ham was the second one, where she landed dozens of elbows on the ground.

Hamasaki became the RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion on New Year’s Eve last year, defeating Kanna Asakura. She defended her belt once since then, going to the scorecards against Jinh Yu Frey in a rematch.

Earlier on the RIZIN 20 card, Jiri Prochazka defended his Light Heavyweight Championship against former-UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway.

Full coverage of the event can be found here.

Tofiq Musayev Defeats Patricky Pitbull, Becomes RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix Winner

Tofiq Musayev won the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix, stopping Patricky Pitbull in the grand finale at RIZIN 20 on Tuesday, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Musayev went three rounds with the Bellator fighter, getting a unanimous decision victory.

While a lot of the battle was focused on stand-up, Musayev was the fighter who consistently landed takedowns and pushed the pace of the fight.

To win the Lightweight Grand Prix, Musayev had to fight twice in one night. He punched his ticket to the finals by defeating Johnny Case with punches in the first round. Pitbull stopped Luiz Gustavo in the following fight to get into the finals.

The loss is the first one Pitbull has seen since 2016 when he lost to Michael Chandler.

Musayev has been undefeated since 2015, having five of those wins in RIZIN.

His quarter-final victory came against Tatsuya Kawajiri at RIZIN 19, defeating him in just over a minute with strikes.

In the fight before on the card, Jiri Prochazka made the first defence of his RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship, defeating C.B. Dollaway.

Full coverage of the event can be found here.

Jiri Prochazka Makes First Defence of RIZIN LW Belt, Stopping C.B. Dollaway

Jiri Prochazka made the first defence of his RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship on Tuesday, stopping C.B. Dollaway via a first-round knockout at RIZIN 20, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The fight was close for the first few minutes, but it ended abruptly after Prochazka landed a left hook which dropped Dollaway, bouncing him on the canvas. No extra strikes were needed to give Prochazka the victory.

Prochazka has now won 10 in a row with a streak which started in 2016. He became the promotion’s first light heavyweight champion in April defeating King Mo, avenging a loss from 2015 with punches in the third round.

This fight was the first one outside the UFC for Dollaway since 2007. He left the UFC after being given a two-year suspension for a USADA violation.

RIZIN 20 Live Coverage

The tradition of New Year’s Eve MMA continues this year, with RIZIN presenting “RIZIN 20.” The show includes numerous championship fights, and the final two rounds of a grand prix. In the main event, Kai Asakura and Manel Kape battle to become the second RIZIN Bantamweight Champion.

Follow the live blog throughout the night for updates of the happenings at Saitama Super Arena.

RIZIN 20 starts at 1:00 AM EST, being broadcasted internationally on FITE.TV.

Quick Results:

Bout 1: Tofiq Musayev def. Johnny Case via TKO (RD 1)

Bout 2: Patricky Pitbull def. Luiz Gustavo via TKO (RD 1)

Bout 3: Miyuu Yamamoto def. AMP The Rocket via Unanimous Decision

Bout 4: Taiju Shiratori def. Taiga via Doctor’s Stoppage (Cut) (RD 2)

Bout 5: Patrick Mix def. Yuki Motoya via Submission (Guillotine Choke) (RD 1)

Bout 6: Jake Heun def. Satoshi Ishii via TKO (RD 1)

Bout 7: Hiromasa Ogikubo def. Shintaro Ishiwatari via Split Decision

Bout 8: Simon Biyong def. Vitaly Shemetov via TKO (Tap Out) (RD 2)

Bout 9: Jiri Prochazka def. C.B. Dollaway via KO (RD 1)

Bout 10: Tofiq Musayev def. Patricky Pitbull via Unanimous Decision

Bout 11: RENA def. Lindsey VanZandt via Corner Stoppage (RD 3)

Bout 12: Mikuru Asakura def. John Macapa via Unanimous Decision

Bout 13: Seo Hee Ham def. Ayaka Hamasaki via Split Decision

Bout 14: Tenshin Nasukawa def. Rui Ebata via TKO (RD 1)

Bout 15: Manel Kape def. Kai Asakura via TKO (RD 2)

Bout 1: Johnny Case (27-6-1) vs. Tofiq Musayev (16-3) (Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)

The broadcast of RIZIN 20 started with their usual ceremonies. They played a video package that started by showing the struggles of many fighters in the promotion this year. They then introduced all of the fighters in the main fights. After that, everyone was introduced by Lenne Hardt on-stage.

The first two fights on the card were the lightweight grand prix semi-finals. This first bout saw Johnny Case challenge Azerbaijan’s Tofiq Musayev. Both fighters were given flowers before their fight. Musayev was counter-striking early on in the first round. Case landed a good head kick in the second minute. Case was hurt by two hooks in the third minute. While retreating, Case landed a takedown on Musayev. They got back up, where Musayev hurt Case with more punches. Musayev dropped Case and then finished him with ground and pound to win the fight. Staying fresh for his next fight later in the night, Tofiq Musyaev won in a quick fight.

Bout 2: Patricky Pitbull (22-8) vs. Luiz Gustavo (10-1) (Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)

To find the opponent of Tofiq Musayev, Patricky Pitbull fought Luiz Gustavo in an all-Brazilian matchup. Pitbull came into this event representing Bellator. Gustavo refused to fist-bump Pitbull when they met in the middle of the ring before the fight. Pitbull dropped Gustavo with punches in the opening seconds. He kept on him with punches and connected with a soccer kick before the referee stepped in to end it. Similar to Tofiq Musayev’s performance, Patricky Pitbull moved on to the second round without taking any significant damage.

Bout 3: Miyuu Yamamoto (5-4) vs. AMP The Rocket (4-2) (108 lbs)

In the first of many women’s MMA fights of the evening, Krazy Bee’s “Queen Bee” Miyuu Yamamoto returns to fight Thailand prospect AMP The Rocket. Rocket landed a leg kick early on which connected well. Yamamoto landed a good elbow in the clinch. In another clinch, Yamamoto landed a takedown. Yamamoto landed some strikes from the top position. With a minute left in the round, the referee stood them up due to inactivity on the ground. Rocket kept connecting with the leg kicks.

Yamamoto got a takedown in the opening moments of the second round. She landed a few strikes on the ground before they got back up. Yamamoto got in the pocket and landed a combination of punches. Yamamoto got another takedown with over two minutes to go. Yamamoto was in control on the ground until the final moments of the fight.

In-between rounds, former RIZIN and Bellator Bantamweight Champion Kyoji Horiguchi was shown in the crowd. Rocket landed a good teep kick early in the final round. Yamamoto got yet another takedown after a minute of the round. While holding one of Rocket’s arms in a crucifix, Yamamoto rained down punches. From side position, she landed knees to the head. Yamamoto went into full guard, continuing with periodic punches. They got up, but Yamamoto threw Rocket back down with a minute left in the fight. Yamamoto scored many knees to the body and head on the ground. She tried for an armbar as the time ran out in the second round. When going to the scorecards, Miyuu Yamamoto won via unanimous decision.

Bout 4: Taiju Shiratori vs. Taiga (137 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

The first kickboxing fight on the show saw a rematch between Taiju Shiratori and Taiga. Their first meeting was at RIZIN 19, where Shiratori won, although Taiga scored a late knockdown to make it a closer affair than people expected. Tenshin Nasukawa was sitting ringside in support of Shiratori. They traded leg kicks to start the first round. The round in general was a feeling out process, with not many punches connected. Shiratori got wobbled by a leg kick in the final minute of the round. Shiratori threw a combination of punches, which made Taiga tell him to throw some more.

Shiratori threw a good combination with punches and a knee to the body in the second round. He was stringing together combinations frequently. Shiratori landed two knees late in the round, including one in the clinch which cut Taiga above the left eyebrow. They traded hard hooks as the round ended. The doctor checked Taiga out in-between rounds and deemed him not able to continue. Despite getting another win on his record, Taiju Shiratori failed to get a satisfying win over Taiga yet again. After the fight, Shiratori asked for a promotion versus promotion show next year involving kickboxing promotions RIZIN, RISE and K-1.

Bout 5: Yuki Motoya (23-7) vs. Patrick Mix (12-0) (135 lbs)

The first Bellator versus RIZIN fight of the evening saw undefeated fighter Patrick Mix take the trip to Japan to face Yuki Motoya. Mix was very amped up before the fight. Mix tried for a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight. Motoya got back up moments later. Mix got another takedown. Mix put in a guillotine choke that had Motoya stuck. The referee eventually came in to stop the bout, giving Mix a quick win. Extending his undefeated record, Patrick Mix caught Yuki Motoya early.

Bout 6: Jake Heun (14-9) vs. Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1) (230 lbs)

The next fight saw light heavyweights Jake Heun and Satoshi Ishii face off. This was Ishii’s first fight since competing in the 2019 PFL season. Heun did a walkout to “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. Ishii tried for a single-leg takedown in the first minute. He didn’t get it, but got a hold of Heun’s back. Heun did an impressive roll to get out of the hold. Heun went back to coming forward with punches. Heun landed a clean uppercut which snapped Ishii’s head back. Ishii got clipped and dropped by punches. The referee stopped the fight on the ground. With a dominant performance, Jake Heun continued to rise his stock in RIZIN. After the fight, he called for a championship fight.

Bout 7: Shintaro Ishiwatari (26-7-4) vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (19-4-2) (135 lbs)

Before the intermission, Invicta Strawweight Champion Kanako Murata came to the ring. She talked about winning the belt in Invicta earlier this year. After the break, we had a high-level bantamweight battle between Shintaro Ishiwatari and Hiromasa Ogikubo. Ogikubo caught a leg kick in the first minute, landing a punch before scoring a takedown. While his head was being held by Ishiwatari, Ogikubo landed some strikes in top position. They got up, with Ogikubo holding Ishiwatari up against the ropes. They eventually returned to stand-up striking. Ishiwatari scored a good jab. They had these moments where they would both trade wild swings. Throughout the round Ishiwatari was connecting well with his jabs. They were in an exchange as the bell went, forcing the referee to intervene.

The two fighters had another back-and-forth exchange of blows at the start of the second round. Ogibuko had a good two-punch combo halfway through the round. Ogikubo got a takedown with a minute and a half left in the round. They got up around 10 seconds after. Ishiwatari got hit with a shot in the final minute of the round that seemingly hurt him. Ogikubo didn’t really try to follow up on that. He tried for another takedown, although Ishiwatari kept it on the feet. Ogikubo landed good hooks as the round ended.

Ogikubo shot for another takedown as the third round started. While Ishiwatari was standing on his hands and had his legs held, Ogikubo threw a kick to the head. Unique use of the soccer kick rules. They got back up, with Ishiwatari getting a takedown and top position on the ground. They got back up with three minutes left in the round. Ogikubo was coming forward with punches. They were both swinging wildly. This continued for minutes somehow. The crowd was eating up the striking battle. Ishiwatari started to bleed from the nose. They were fighting from such a close distance. Ishiwatari got a takedown in the final 30 seconds of the round, although they got back up for the final 10 seconds of the round. The fight went the distance with the judges being needed to find a winner. While it was a split decision, it was Hiromasa Ogikubo who walked away with the win. Ishiwatari seemed heartbroken by this.

Bout 8: Vitaly Shemetov (23-10) vs. Simon Biyong (6-1) (205 lbs)

In the next fight, Vitaly Shemetov searched for his first RIZIN victory against the debuting Simon Biyong. Shemetov fell early in the fight from trying a flying knee. Shemetov had fast hands. Biyong caught Shemetov when he came in for a punch. He put Shemetov against the ropes, eventually getting a takedown. Shemetov tried for an armbar, with Biyong landing knees to the body while fighting it off. He eventually escaped it, taking Shemetov’s back. Shemetov turned to his back, with Biyong taking half guard in top position. He threw strikes from the position. A cut above Shemetov’s left eye began to bleed. Another cut was open on the right side of Shemetov’s forehead from a knee. Biyong picked up the pace of punches in the final seconds of the round.

Before the second round started, a doctor checked the cuts on Shemetov’s head. After the check-up, the fight resumed. Biyong caught Shemetov again in the first seconds of the round, getting another takedown. Finding success with it in the first round, Buyong returned to ground and pound immediately. Shemetov’s cuts got opened more. Biyong continued with strikes until Shemetov tapped out. Dominant in his RIZIN debut, Simon Biyong made a good case for being invited yet again in the future.

Bout 9: Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) vs. CB Dollaway (17-9) (RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship)

The first championship fight of the evening saw Jiri Prochazka attempt to make the first defence of his RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship against former UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway. Worth noting that Dollaway was wearing shoes in this fight. Dollaway was throwing good leg kicks early on. Prochazka caught a kick in the second minute, trying for a takedown although they returned to striking quickly after. Dollaway was dropped by a left hook in the second minute that gave Prochazka the win. Dollaway was hit so hard that he bounced on the mat. Making the first defence of his RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship, Jiri Prochazka stopped C.B. Dollaway within a round.

Bout 10: Tofiq Musayev (17-3) vs. Patricky Pitbull (23-8) (Lightweight Grand Prix Grand Final)

In the final fight before the intermission, Tofiq Musayev and Patricky Pitbull returned to find the winner of the Lightweight Grand Prix. The first minute of the fight was pretty inactive. Pitbull connected with a right hand in the second minute. He got a jab too in a different exchange moments later. Pitbull landed many leg kicks throughout the rest of the round. Musayev had his own good combination of punches in the fourth minute. With a minute left in the fight, chaos ensued. Both fighters threw numerous punches, with Pitbull slipping at one point. Musayev tried for a takedown, but it was Pitbull who ended up on top on the ground. He did some ground and pound, also throwing a head kick as Musayev got up. Musayev got a takedown in the final seconds, doing some ground and pound, including one that went after the bell.

Musayev caught a leg kick at the start of the second round. He threw Pitbull to the ground, although he got up right after. They returned to striking. Pitbull landed a good right straight counter-punch. Musayev tried for a takedown, with Pitbull being thrown out of the ring while resisting takedown. Pitbull seemingly hurt his left shoulder in the process. Musayev’s corner was given a yellow card. The two fighters hugged then resumed competition. Musayev tried for another takedown, but Pitbull stopped it. Musayev got a takedown from catching another kick. He did strikes while on Pitbull’s back. Pitbull got back up, although Musayev kept on him. They went back to the ground where Musayev continued with the striking. They got up again in the final 10 seconds of the round, with Musayev throwing a good combination of punches.

In the first minute of the final round, both fighters traded hard punches. Musayev landed a good trip takedown. Pitbull dropped in the third minute of the fight after being hit with a clean combination of punches. Musayev took top position on the ground. They got back up with over a minute left in the fight. Musayev landed another group of fourth punches to a retreating Pitbull. Pitbull went into a body lock in the corner. Musayev landed a knee in the clinch. Pitbull did some foot stomps and a knee to the clinch before the round ended. The winner of the Lightweight Grand Prix was left to the judges to decide. Consulting the scorecards, all three judges picked Tofiq Musayev as the winner of the fight.

Before the next intermission, RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara came to the ring to talk to the crowd. He emphasized that when they go live on Fuji TV they need good ratings.

Next, Kyoji Horiguchi came into the ring to speak. He apologized to those who bought tickets in anticipation of seeing him fight.

The broadcast went to an intermission before the final five fights of the evening.

Bout 11: Lindsey VanZandt (7-2) vs. RENA (9-3) (112 lbs)

Returning from the break, RENA fought Lindsey VanZandt in a rematch from Bellator 222. In their first meeting, RENA was put unconscious by a rear naked choke in the first round. RENA’s usual walkout theme was performed live by rap group Asia Engineer. VanZandt tried for a flying knee at the very start but didn’t land it. VanZandt got a takedown after a minute of stand-up. She threw strikes from top position. In the fourth minute of the fight, VanZandt connected with some good hammerfist strikes. She went into side control, where RENA flipped the situation and took top position. RENA landed knees and elbows to the head from side position. They returned to stand-up for the final 30 seconds of the first round. RENA landed a good right straight. VanZandt shot for another takedown but didn’t get it before the round ended.

RENA got some good punches in to open the second round. VanZandt tried for a takedown in the second minute, although didn’t get it. RENA landed a knee to the head while defending the takedown. VanZandt dropped to her back after RENA threw a combination of punches. She tried again for a takedown, failing to do so. RENA shot for a takedown, where VanZandt hopped on RENA’s back. She tried for an armbar. Now on her back, VanZandt put in a triangle choke. She landed elbows to the head while still holding the choke. RENA endured the choke until the round ended.

VanZandt shot for another takedown to start the third round. RENA was able to flatten out and avoid the takedown. She held VanZant to the ground and landed knees. VanZandt got on her back, letting RENA take side control on the ground. RENA transitioned into north-south, where VanZandt started to throw knees to the head. RENA tried for a kimura, pulling on VanZandt’s arm for a long time. VanZandt eventually escaped the hold, and they got back up. They went back down to the ground where RENA was in side control again. She flipped into north-south position and started to throw many hard punches to the body. They got back up with a minute and a half left in the round. RENA landed some punches, then VanZandt went back onto the ground. RENA was in top position with a minute to go. She threw a flurry of punches from above. RENA kept on going with the punches until VanZandt’s corner gave up. In an emotional win for RENA, she avenged her loss to Lindsey VanZandt from earlier this year. In an emotional post-fight interview, RENA mentioned that she recently lost a close friend.

Bout 12: Mikuru Asakura (11-1) vs. John Macapa (23-4-2) (145 lbs)

The first of the two Asakura brothers to step in the ring this evening was Mikuru Asakura. In another RIZIN versus Bellator fight, Asakura fought John Macapa. The first minute or so of the fight was slow, as both fighters were being cautious. Asakura threw a flying knee and two punches in the fourth minute of the round. Asakura caught a leg kick and possibly tried for a takedown with it, but Macapa escaped.

Asakura had a good two punches in the second round, getting close by faking a kick. He was catching lots of kicks throughout the fight. Macapa shot for a single leg takedown in the third minute of the round, although Asakura escaped the attempt quickly. In stand-up, they were both trading punches. Both fighters arguably got shook by certain strikes in this round. In the final minute of the round, Asakura landed a right hand which wobbled Macapa again.

Macapa caught a kick early on, going forward with punches as Asakura tripped. Macapa put on a body lock, trying for a takedown. He got Asakura to his knees, although that’s all he got before they stood back up. Asakura was landing more frequently with punches in this round. Macapa was coming forward and throwing lots, but it felt like Asakura was landing the more significant strikes. Macapa tried for another takedown, although Asakura couldn’t stay on the ground for long. Asakura landed a good knee to the head in the final minute. Macapa was smiling while starting down Asakura in the final seconds. They traded blows as the final round ran out of time. When going to the scorecards, all three judges gave the win to Mikuru Asakura.

Bout 13: Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (22-8) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship)

The next fight saw Ayaka Hamasaki put her RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship on the line against Seo Hee Ham. This fight was arguably the battle to find the best atomweight fighter in the world. Hamasaki came forward with punches right off the bat. Ham tried to respond with punches, but Hamasaki was doing better at the start. The speed of the fight slowed down after the initial flurry. They went back to fast-paced punching a minute and a half into the fight. Both fighters ate the punches, never getting dropped or shook by them. Hamasaki’s jabs were consistently connecting. Both fighters had their moments in stand-up.

Ham’s face was showing more damage than Hamasaki heading into the second round. Hamasaki swept Ham in the first minute of the second round. Ham did upkicks to Hamasaki. In the bottom position, Ham tried for a triangle choke. Hamasaki went from standing to on her knees while still in the choke. Ham threw elbows from the bottom position. This continued for minutes. They slowly shifted outside of the ring, but were dragged back in eventually. The round ended in this position.

Ham landed a good left hand early in the final round. Hamasaki started to bleed from the nose. Hamasaki was backing up, getting hit by lots of punches. They went into a body lock up against the ropes. Hamasaki eventually landed a trip takedown with just over two minutes to go in the fight. Hamasaki threw lots of punches from top position. Ham eventually started to answer back with hammerfist strikes from the bottom position. They got up in the last few seconds in the fight. The fight went all 15 minutes, depending on the judges to decide who walks away with the belt. When finally going to the scorecards, there was a split decision. The third and deciding judge gave the fight to Seo Hee Ham, making her the new RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion.

Bout 14: Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Rui Ebata (Kickboxing Bout) (Special Rules)

The co-main event of the evening saw Tenshin Nasukawa face Rui Ebata in a kickboxing bout. Nasukawa was connecting more in the first round. A teep kick from Nasukawa kicked Ebata’s muthpeice out. A left hook dropped Ebata with a minute to go in the first round. He got his mouthguard put back in when he got back up. He continued to eat punches when the fight resumed. Nasukawa dropped him with more punches. Ebata got up and was able to continue the fight. They resumed with 30 seconds to go. He threw a spinning kick to start. Cornering Ebata, Nasukawa threw a punch and then threw down Ebata, making the referee stop the fight. Proving he is dangerous yet again, Tenshin Nasukawa disposed of Rui Ebata in under three minutes.

Bout 15: Kai Asakura (14-1) vs.Manel Kape (14-4) (RIZIN Bantamweight Championship)

Finally, in the main event of the evening, Kai Asakura and Manel Kape fought for the vacant RIZIN Bantamweight Championship. On his way to the ring, Kape hoisted the bantamweight belt which was displayed on the ramp. Kape was wearing shoes in this bout. Kape shot for a takedown after a minute of stand-up, although Asakura didn’t allow it. Asakura got tagged by a shot in the second minute. Kape was scoring more shots than Asakura. Kape did a good combination of a body kick and then a right hook in the fourth minute. Asakura had good punches in the final minute of the fight. Kape threw a combination then tried again for a takedown. He did not succeed. Kape landed a spinning back fist in the final seconds of the round.

Asakura got dropped by a punch early in the second round. Asakura recovered and got back to his feet but fell again moments later. Kape kept with ground and pound until the referee stepped in and ended it. Kape ran over to Kyoji Horiguchi immediately and kissed him on the head. In a surprising turn of events over the past few months, Manel Kape defeated Kai Asakura to become the RIZIN Bantamweight Champion.

RIZIN 20 Full Preview

The tradition of New Year’s Eve mixed-martial-arts will be continued on Tuesday, with RIZIN hosting RIZIN 20. The stacked card has the absence of the promotion’s biggest star, Kyoji Horiguchi, who is currently healing a torn ACL. He gave up his Bantamweight Championship, freeing it up to find a new champion on this card.

With a grand prix, three championship bouts and much more, there’s a lot of storylines to discuss heading into the evening at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The show will air via internet pay-per-view on FITE TV, with the broadcast starting at 1AM EST.

Bout 1: Johnny Case (27-6-1) vs. Tofiq Musaev (16-3) (Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)

The first two fights of the evening will be the semi-finals of the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix. The winners of those fights will fight again later on that card to find the winner. The first of two fights is between Johnny Case and Tofiq Musaev. Both fighters have a similar recent story, as they both debuted on RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve card last year. They have went undefeated since, wit a record of 3-0 in the past year. Case stopped Roberto de Souza with punches to pass the first round of the tournament. Musaev prevailed over Damien Brown via stoppage as well to move on.

Bout 2: Patricky Pitbull (22-8) vs. Luiz Gustavo (10-1) (Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Final)

The other half of the lightweight grand prix sees an all-Brazilian matchup. Bellator’s Patricky Pitbull will face Luiz Gustavo. Pitbull is riding a six-fight win streak, with many of those being in Bellator. His most recent win however, was a quick victory over Tatsuya Kawajiri. On that same card, Gustavo beat Hiroto Uesako to move on to the semi-finals. Gustavo entered RIZIN in 2018, stopping Yusuke Yachi with a brutal knockout. He then took his first loss as a pro to Mikuru Asakura at RIZIN 15.

Bout 3: Miyuu Yamamoto (5-4) vs. AMP The Rocket (4-2) (108 lbs)

The first women’s fight of the evening is between “Queen Bee” Miyuu Yamamoto and AMP The Rocket. Yamamoto is now a veteran of the RIZIN promotion, fighting with them since 2016. She is notably from the Krazy Bee gym, and is the sister of the late Kid Yamamoto. She most recently lost to Seo Hee Ham, being stopped in the second round with strikes. AMP The Rocket is a prospect coming out of DEEP Jewels. In the biggest challenge yet of her career, Rocket fell to Ayaka Hamasaki in the first round at RIZIN 18. Still young in her career, she has all of her wins (and losses) via stoppage.

Bout 4: Taiju Shiratori vs. Taiga (137 lbs) (Kickboxing Rules)

In the first of many rematches on this card, Taiju Shiratori will go up against Taiga in a kickboxing bout. Their first meeting came at RIZIN 19. Shiratori found himself in trouble late, being dropped by a perfectly timed overhand right. After their close meeting at the last event, they will run it back on this card.

Bout 5: Yuki Motoya (23-7) vs. Patrick Mix (12-0) (135 lbs)

In one of the many Bellator versus RIZIN fights this week, undefeated Patrick Mix will go up against Yuki Motoya. Mix has fought twice in Bellator, both first round wins via submission. Motoya is an experienced fighter from DEEP Impact. He is currently on a two-fight winning streak, recently getting a split decision loss to Hiromasa Ogikubo.

Bout 6: Jake Heun (14-9) vs. Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1) (230 lbs)

RIZIN’s Jake Heun will welcome back Satoshi Ishii in the next fight. Heun has become a frequent fighter in RIZIN, debuting at RIZIN 13, and fighting twice more since then. He recently stopped Vitaly Shemetov due to a cut at RIZIN 17. Ishii is fresh out of competing in the second season of the PFL. He finished with a 1-2 record, losing to Denis Goltsov in the quarter-finals of the light heavyweight division.

Bout 7: Shintaro Ishiwatari (26-7-4) vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (19-4-2) (135 lbs)

In the seventh fight of the evening, Shintaro Ishiwatari and Hiromasa Ogikubo compete in what will likely decide who’s next in line for a Bantamweight Championship shot. Ishiwatari lost to former champ Kyoji Horiguchi in 2017. He returned to action in mid 2019, taking out Ulka Sasaki with a second-round north-south choke. Ogikubo has also lost to Horiguchi in the past. This year he has won twice, more notably over Yuki Motoya at RIZIN 17.

Bout 8: Vitaly Shemetov (23-10) vs. Simon Biyong (6-1) (205 lbs)

After a cut made him lose in his RIZIN debut to Jake Heun, Vitaly Shemetov gets a second shot at Japanese stardom, this time against debuting Simon Biyong. Shemetov went viral ahead of his RIZIN 17 fight, clamouring for a fight in the promotion for months upon months. Biyong’s most notable win in his early career was a second round stoppage victory over Quinton Roussow at EFC Worldwide 82. EFC is recognized as the top MMA promotion in South Africa.

Bout 9: Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) vs. CB Dollaway (17-9) (RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship)

In the first of three championship bouts of the evening, Jiri Prochazka will attempt to make his first defence of his RIZIN Light Heavyweight Championship against former-UFC veteran C.B. Dollaway. Dollaway fought 20 times in the UFC, with his first fight in the promotion dating back to 2008. In the summer of 2019, Dollaway was flagged by USADA for a banned substance, suspending him until December of 2020. Prochazka first captured the Light Heavyweight Championship by defeating Bellator’s King Mo at RIZIN 15. He has since defeated Fabio Maldonado in a non-championship bout.

Further reading: From pig stem cells to Jiri Prochazka’s punches: C.B. Dollaway ready to go old-school in Rizin

Bout 10: RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix Grand Final

Before the intermission, the grand final for the Lightweight Grand Prix will take place.

Bout 11: Lindsey VanZandt (7-2) vs. RENA (9-3) (112 lbs)

After the break, RIZIN will present their five final big matches. The first of the few is a rematch between Lindsey VanZandt and RENA. VanZandt first beat RENA in June, choking her out in the first round at Bellator 222. The fight was RENA’s debut outside of Japan. VanZandt has competed in Invicta FC and Bellator in the past. RENA bounced back from the loss at RIZIN 19, stopping Alexandra Alvare in 20 seconds. The fight is taking place at the catchweight of 112 pounds, a weight class that RENA has stayed at after falling ill trying to make the 105-pound weight limit at RIZIN 14.

Further reading: Lindsey VanZandt Interview: Unfamiliar Land, Familiar Foe

Bout 12: Mikuru Asakura (11-1) vs. John Macapa (23-4-2) (145 lbs)

The final Bellator versus RIZIN matchup of the night will be between Mikuru Asakura and John Macapa. Asakura has had a flawless past year, winning at RIZIN 15 and more notably RIZIN 17, where he main evented Saitama Super Arena. Asakura has had an eventful 2019 outside of the ring, becoming Youtube famous. Last month he garnered six-million views on his channel for a one-round grudge match against fellow MMA fighter and Youtuber Atsushi Saito. Macapa turned around a three-fight losing streak this year, beating Kevin Croom and more-recently Ashleigh Grimshaw

Bout 13: Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (22-8) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship)

The next fight sees arguably the top two atomweights in the world square off. RIZIN’s champion, Ayaka Hamasaki, puts her belt on the line against Korea’s Seo Hee Ham. Hamasaki is the only RIZIN Champion that has defended her belt. Since winning it against Kanna Asakura at RIZIN 14, she has went on to beat Jinh Yu Frey in a rematch and AMP The Rocket. Ham made her RIZIN debut late this year at RIZIN 17, stopping DEEP Jewels Champion Tomo Maesawa in under a round. She then beat Miyuu Yamamoto in under two rounds at RIZIN 19, quickly solidifying her as the next in line for a title shot.

Further Reading: The Last, And Lightest Superfight of 2019

Bout 14: Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Rui Ebata (Kickboxing Bout) (Special Rules)

The co-main event of the show will see RIZIN’s kickboxing ace Tenshin Nasukawa face Rui Ebata. Last New Year’s Eve, Nasukawa saw the biggest challenge of his career, facing Floyd Mayweather in a three-round exhibition boxing match. Three rounds weren’t needed however, as Mayweather scored three knockdowns in the first round before Nasukawa’s corner ended it. He has since returned to kickboxing, winning five fights this year, including a tournament in his home promotion RISE Kickboxing. Ebata is older and more experienced, with 41 wins as a pro. He has won 11 in a row, with the streak starting back in 2016. Many critics argue this is the first big challenge for Nasukawa in a while.

Bout 15: Kai Asakura (14-1) vs.Manel Kape (14-4) (RIZIN Bantamweight Championship)

The main event of RIZIN 20 is for the vacant RIZIN Bantamweight Championship. The fight will see Kai Asakura face Manel Kape in a rematch from 2018. Asakura was originally meant to face Kyoji Horiguchi on New Year’s Eve, although injury made Horiguchi withdraw. Asakura defeated Horiguchi in a huge upset at RIZIN 18, stopping him in just over a minute. He then went through Ulka Sasaki at RIZIN 19, breaking his jaw in the first minute of action.

In their first matchup, Asakura won, albeit by a split decision. Kape has won three and lost one since then. All three of his wins were via stoppage. Kape trains out of the recognized gym AKA Thailand.

Asakura’s backstory is interesting, coming up with Mikuru Asakura in a troubled childhood. Both of the brothers first gained relevance by fighting in the promotion “The Outsider,” which attempted to take troubled people off of the streets. Similar to his brother, Asakura has also found recent Youtube fame, famous for dressing up as a stereotypical nerd despite his exceptional athletic ability.

Further Reading: Are RIZIN’s brutal brothers its next native stars?

News broke earlier this week that RIZIN’s first 2020 event will be RIZIN 21, at Hamamatsu Arena in Hamamatsu, Japan. The event will be the promotion’s debut in the area. It also breaks their pattern of schedule in past years which saw the promotion take a break for a few months after it’s New Year’s Eve show.

The Last, And Lightest Superfight of 2019

On New Year’s Eve, the best Super Atomweight will be found…

On New Year’s Eve, the world will get the biggest fight that one of MMA’s most niche weight classes has ever seen. In a trilogy bout, Seo Hee Ham will attempt to take Ayaka Hamasaki’s championship. The division’s biggest matchup in recent history is one of near parallels. Soon, however, after they meet on New Year’s Eve, they will no longer be parallels, as one will go up and the other will go down.

Early Wins

While the New Year’s Eve fight will be a rematch, a lot has changed since their first two meetings. Hamasaki first prevailed over Ham back in 2010, earning her fourth professional MMA win, also winning the DEEP Jewels Lightweight Championship (115 lbs). She held on to the belt for many years, making three defences of it before leaving the promotion, one of those over Ham, ending through corner stoppage after one round.

Parting Ways

Ham continued to fight in DEEP Jewels and the newly opened Korean MMA promotion Road FC until 2014, where she was signed to the UFC. She made history as the first female Korean fighter to sign with the promotion. Traditionally being a super atomweight fighter, Ham had to move up to strawweight to fight in the UFC, as they didn’t support the lighter class.

She struggled in her four-fight run, notably losing to Joanne Calderwood and Bec Rawlings. Her sole win in the UFC came against Cortney Casey, which earned both of them a fight of the night bonus.

In late 2016, Ham lost to Danielle Taylor via split decision, ending her UFC career.

In 2015, Hamasaki fought at Invicta FC 13, defeating Herica Tiburcio via split decision to win the promotion’s Atomweight Championship. She would go on to defend it two times. Her win over Jinh Yu Frey wasn’t a decisive victory, as a cut made the doctor call it off in the second round.

After a loss in early 2017 to Livia Renata Souza, Hamasaki vacated her Invicta Championship.

Supporting Roles

While Hamasaki and Ham were building themselves up in different parts of the world, the RIZIN fanbase had their eyes on different fighters. They were focused on the person who was made to be #1, that being RENA, and the fighter who forced themself to be #1, that, of course, being Kanna Asakura.

Asakura unavoidably became the #1 woman in RIZIN after putting RENA to sleep at RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017, concluding her three-fight run in the Super Atomweight GP. In 2018, RENA fought Asakura again. While she didn’t finish her, Asakura won yet again. The losses were the first that RENA had ever received in her career.

Returning Back Home

In 2017, Seo Hee Ham returned to Road FC in Korea, being given a title shot against Mina Kurobe. She stopped the Japanese fighter in under three rounds, earning herself the belt. Before the year ended, Ham made her first defence of the belt, dropping Jinh Yu Frey with punches in the fifth minute of their fight. She made one more defence before going to RIZIN.

Hamasaki made her RIZIN debut at RIZIN 10, going three rounds against Alyssa Garcia. Later that year, she went up against Mina Kurobe in a fight that was made to determine who’s next in line to face Kanna Asakura.

Set for 2018’s New Year’s Eve show RIZIN 14, Hamasaki challenged Asakura for the vacant RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship.

Falling Into Place

At RIZIN 14, Hamasaki put on a dominant performance, stopping Asakura in the second round with an armbar. It took Asakura out of the title picture, as nothing about her performance called for a rematch.

Asakura made her sole defence of the RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship at RIZIN 16, going to the scorecards in a rematch against Jinh Yu Frey, the only past opponent who had a good reason for a rematch.

Ham made her RIZIN debut in July. She was pitted against Tomo Maesawa, the DEEP Jewels Atomweight Champion, in a champ-versus-champ matchup. She stopped Maesawa in a round, utilizing RIZIN’s legal grounded knees to the head to end the bout.

Both Ham and Hamasaki have picked up one more win en route to RIZIN 20.

So Here We Are…

For most weight classes, the best in the world is seen in a different promotion. Most look to UFC to find who is the best in every class. However, in a world that sweeps super atomweight under the mat, the absolute best will be found out at RIZIN. And for many, that makes it better.

A real “best in the world” fight will have the theatrics, ring, and of course the ruleset of RIZIN. That’s not something people get often or arguably have ever gotten before.