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Nate Diaz teases move to RIZIN in latest social media post
It appears that we may soon have an answer as to where Nate Diaz is fighting next. The Stockton native has been out of action since his clash with Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September. Prior to the bout, it was revealed that it was the last of Diaz’s contract with the promotion. The […]
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A.J. McKee reveals the samurai warrior armor he wore during Bellator vs. RIZIN event cost six-figures
Bellator lightweight contender A.J. McKee had quite the night in Japan last Saturday. Over the weekend, Bellator and RIZIN held their first co-promotional event. While the two promotions have had a talent-sharing program for years, Saturday was their first event featuring both brands. Names such as Patricio Pitbull and Kyoji Horiguchi fought on the card […]
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VIDEO | Johnny Case has hilarious weigh-in with naked Nobumitsu Osawa for Bellator vs. RIZIN event
The Bellator vs. RIZIN weigh-in show had a hilarious moment earlier today. The two organizations are slated to put on a co-promoted event tomorrow night in Japan. The card is set to feature some of the biggest stars from Bellator, such as Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee. In return, RIZIN will send their best, in […]
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Photo | Incredible Samurai poster revealed for Bellator vs. RIZIN New Year’s Eve event
Bellator and RIZIN are going all out for their New Year’s Eve event in Japan. The two promotions have had a partnership since 2015. For the most part, that partnership has just led to fighters crossing over between promotions. For example, Bellator lent future champion, Patricky Pitbull, to RIZIN for their 2019 lightweight Grand Prix. […]
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Bellator vs. Rizin event slated for New Year’s Eve in Japan
Bellator MMA have announced another crossover event with Rizin, which is set to take place on New Year’s Eve. Over the course of the last few years, Bellator has made an effort to branch out and work with a series of different promotions. While it’s unlikely they’ll be able to strike any kind of cross-promotional […]
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Floyd Mayweather reveals payday for his exhibition match in RIZIN: “It’s always a few million a minute”
Floyd Mayweather will be getting paid when he faces MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in a boxing exhibition match at RIZIN 38 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on September 25. The fight will only be nine minutes, and even though it is short and an exhibition, Mayweather still got a hefty purse for it. […]
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Floyd Mayweather not worried ahead of return to RIZIN against Mikuru Asakura: “I’m special”
Undefeated professional boxer Floyd Mayweather isn’t stressing ahead of his return against Mikuru Asakura. ‘Money’ retired from the sport of boxing following a 2017 knockout of Conor McGregor. Sitting at 50-0 in his professional career, Mayweather has cemented his place as one of the greatest to ever put on the gloves. However, while he’s retired […]
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Floyd Mayweather set to return to RIZIN FF, faces Mikuru Asakura
Floyd Mayweather will be returning to Japan to fight for RIZIN FF. Mayweather who fought kickboxing phenom Tenshin Nasukawa and knocked him out under the RIZIN FF banner in December of 2019, has struck another deal with the promotion. RIZIN FF announced that Mayweather will take on MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura in an exhibition boxing […]
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Pros react after Sergio Pettis sleeps Kyoji Horiguchi with spinning backfist
Tonight’s Bellator 272 event was headlined by a highly anticipated title fight featuring Sergio Pettis taking on Kyoji Horiguchi. Pettis (21-5 MMA) was looking to earn his first career title defense when he took on former champion Horiguchi (29-3 MMA) this evening. ‘SP’ had captured the promotions bantamweight world title this past May in Connecticut, […]
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Kyoji Horiguchi doesn’t see Sergio Pettis as ‘real champion’ ahead of Bellator 272 title clash
Kyoji Horiguchi is a man on a mission. The current RIZIN FF 135-pound bantamweight king recaptured the title he never officially lost on New Year’s Eve 2020 and hasn’t fought since. Now, Horiguchi has signed with Bellator in a rare deal that sees him remain the RIZIN champ and seeks the other title he relinquished […]
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Kyoji Horiguchi gets immediate title shot in return to Bellator, challenges Sergio Pettis
RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi is set to attempt to reclaim the title he never lost. Bellator announced on Wednesday that their newest Bellator 135-pound champion in Sergio Pettis has his next challenger. Pettis will defend against the RIZIN titlist in Horiguchi on Dec. 3 at Bellator 272 in Uncasville, Connecticut. “It’s always a special […]
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Kyoji Horiguchi joins Bellator roster, expected to still compete in Japan
Kyoji Horiguchi is taking new steps forward in his storied career. It was revealed Thursday to BJPenn.com that the current RIZIN bantamweight champion has joined the Bellator roster. RIZIN, Bellator President Scott Coker, and Horiguchi himself announced the news via social media. Due to the global pandemic and the fight against COVID-19, RIZIN has been […]
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Dana White on working with RIZIN in future: ‘I’m not saying I would but I’m not saying I wouldn’t’
UFC President Dana White and RIZIN FF Founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara go way back. During the rise of the UFC in the early 2000s, PRIDE FC was doing its thing over in Japan. 15 years later and two most prolific MMA bosses reunited recently. PRIDE only held two statewide events in Las Vegas during its 10-year […]
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Rule changes and lightweight title fight announced for RIZIN 28
RIZIN 28 is the return to the Tokyo Dome for the great sport of MMA and Japan’s premier organization. The centerpiece of the next two RIZIN events is undeniably the big 16-man bantamweight Grand Prix tournament. The action begins with four opening round bouts on this first June 13 card while things conclude on the […]
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Tsuyoshi Sudario fined for continuing to punch opponent after 8-second knockout at RIZIN 27
Tsuyoshi Sudario made some history during RIZIN’s first event of 2021. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the bout could overshadow his win. Entering into his matchup with 42-year old professional wrestler Kazushi Miyamoto, the former Sumo wrestling sensation, Tsuyoshi Sudario, was 2-0 in MMA. Coming in off of a big win over the iconic Ikuhisa “Minowaman” […]
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Video | Heavyweight sumo wrestler Tsuyoshi Sudario earns fastest knockout in RIZIN history
Heavyweight sumo wrestler Tsuyoshi Sudario earned the fastest knockout in RIZIN history during past weekend’s RIZIN 27 event. Sudario is a 23-year-old native of Japan who comes from a sumo wrestling background who trains MMA under the legendary Enson Inoue. In September 2020, he made his pro debut in mixed martial arts and finished Dylan […]
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Report: Rizin star Jake Heun charged with drug trafficking
Rizin favourite, Jake Heun has reportedly got himself into some serious trouble Down Under. According to a report from Jack Wannan in Knockdown News, the 33 year old Heun is facing a slew of drug charges in Melbourne, Australia. The article details how Heun (15-9) was forced to appear in front of the Magistrates’ Court […]
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UFC expressed interest in Tenshin Nasukawa ‘a few years ago’ says longtime Japanese MMA manager Shu Hirata
Prodigy kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa is already one of the best ever in his sport despite his age. Apparently, there was a point where the world’s premier MMA promotion wanted to get their hands on the Chiba Prefecture native. 41-0 at just age 22, Nasukawa first stepped foot inside the RIZIN FF ring at RIZIN […]
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RIZIN boss interested in “working with” Alistair Overeem
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara is interested in working with heavyweight mixed martial arts legend Alistair Overeem. Overeem, the former DREAM, Strikeforce and K-1 heavyweight champion, has spent the recent years of his illustrious career fighting for the UFC, but was released by the promotion earlier this week. While it remains to be seen where Overeem […]
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RIZIN boss responds to Spike Carlyle, lays out plans for featherweight GP
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara has responded to some recent comments from Spike Carlyle, and laid out plans for a Featherweight Grand Prix. Carlyle was recently released by the UFC after going 1-2 in the promotion’s featherweight division. After his release, he expressed interest in migrating to RIZIN because he’s always wanted to fight in Japan, […]
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RIZIN 26 results: Kyoji Horiguchi gets his vengeance, reclaims title
On New Years Eve in Japan (Thursday morning in North America), RIZIN Fighting Federation wrapped up the year with the stacked RIZIN 26 event. The card was headlined by a bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Kai Asakura and former champion Kyoji Horiguchi. The bout was a rematch of a non-title fight that Asakura won […]
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Minowaman previews “explosively inspiring, wacky fight” at RIZIN 26
Minowaman, a legend among hardcore fight fans, is headed to the RIZIN Fighting Federation ring. The 44-year-old, who has competed in well over 100 mixed martial arts bouts and many pro wrestling matches, will take on jūryō-ranked sumo Tsuyoshi Sudario at RIZIN 26 inside the Saitama Super Arena on New Years Eve. Considering the legend […]
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Takanori Gomi returns at RIZIN 26 for ‘special standing bout’ with Kouzi
As per usual, RIZIN is closing out the year with a bang. For 2020, it’s RIZIN 26, and to fully complete the lineup, “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi is back. The promotion held a press conference on Monday to announce the finishing touches on the card. Which included the lightweight legend being booked for a […]
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Rizin boss interested in signing Anderson Silva: “I would like to help him fulfill his wishes”
Rizin Fighting Federation boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara is interested in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to his promotion. Silva last fought on Halloween night, when he was stopped by Uriah Hall. Shortly after this setback, he was released from the UFC roster, but he emphasized that he intends to continue fighting nonetheless. As the […]
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Report | RIZIN 20 does worst New Years Eve ratings in promotional history
RIZIN 20 was viewed as an objectively fun show by many of the fans that tuned in to watch, and with reports suggesting that all 26,000 available seats were sold out at the Saitama Super Arena for the New Year’s Eve spectacular. Alas, while it may have been a spectacular set of fights for the […]
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RIZIN champ Seo Hee Ham claims management has been embezzling money
UFC veteran Seo Hee Ham, who is currently the RIZIN atomweight champion, claims she’s the victim of embezzlement. Ham put forth this allegation on her Instagram account, claiming that manager Hidekatsu Morooka and with his wife have been embezzling money from her since the early days of her career. In that time, she alleges they’ve […]
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VIDEO | Jiri Prochazka decimates UFC veteran CB Dollaway, gets called out by Ryan Bader
CB Dollaway’s RIZIN debut, which went down on Tuesday’s action-packed RIZIN 20 card, didn’t go the way he had planned. Instead, the 20-fight UFC veteran was decimated by the promotion’s ferocious light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka in the first round. See Prochazka’s crushing knockout victory below (via Kyle Johnson on Twitter). Literal and figurative kicks […]
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VIDEO | Patricky Freire scores nasty soccer kick KO over Luiz Gustavo at RIZIN 20
Patricky Freire secured his place in the final of the Lightweight Grand Prix wit a superb soccer kick knockout over Luiz Gustavo at RIZIN 20. Coming into the event the expectation was that Freire would be viewed as one of the favorites, especially after his dominant quarter-final win over Tatsuya Kawajiri back at RIZIN 19 […]