The open-door policies which have led to interesting matchups between Bellator and Rizin competitors is giving us yet another intriguing fight.
And this one will be held on one of MMA’s biggest stages.
Rizin’s Rena Kubota will meet Bellator’s Lindsey VanZandtat Bellator 222 on June 14 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the promotions announced Wednesday. The bout will be held at a catchweight of 112 pounds.
Kubota (8-2 MMA; 7-2 Rizin) is a kickboxing and shoot boxing specialist out of Osaka, Japan. She was a finalist in the company’s 2017 super atom weight grand prix and has won two of her past three bouts, including a decision over Samantha Jean Francois at Rizin 15 on April 21.
VanZandt (5-1 MMA; 1-0 BMMA), who fights out of upstate New York, was a TKO winner in her Bellator debut, as she finished Tabitha Ann Watkins at Bellator 215. Four of her five career victories are by way of KO or TKO.
This is the second Bellator-Rizin crossover fight on the card, as Darrion Caldwell will fight Kyogi Horiguchi with Caldwell’s Bellator bantamweight belt on the line. This is a rematch of a New Year’s Eve fight in Japan won by Horiguchi for the inaugural Rizin bantamweight titleholder.
The card, which is headlined by Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen, will stream on DAZN.
For more on Bellator 222, visit the MMA Rumors page of the site.
