The white-roped ring of Rizin FF takes center stage Saturday as the latest installment of the Japanese promotion’s evolution takes place in Osaka.
The main event features Rizin’s light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka, who faces off against heavy-handed, hard-headed Brazilian Fabio Maldonado in a 100-kilogram catchweight contest, while the preliminary card will feature the four Rizin lightweight grand prix quarterfinal matchups, with Bellator’s Patricky Freire and notable former UFC stars Johnny Case and Tatsuya Kawajiri in the lineup.
Here are five reasons to check out Rizin FF 19 this weekend.
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Catchweight fireworks in the main event
Jiri Prochazka and Fabio Maldonado have 49 career victories between them, with a staggering 36 coming by way of KO/TKO, so it’s a fair bet we’re going to see a stand-up war between these two noted knockout artists.
Rizin light heavyweight champion Prochazka (24-3 MMA, 9-1 Rizin) owns an impressive finishing rate, with 21 wins coming via knockout. He’s riding an eight-fight winning streak, with each of his last six wins coming via KO/TKO. His last outing saw him avenge his most recent defeat – to Muhammed Lawal on New Year’s Eve 2015.
He’ll take on Maldonado (25-13 MMA, 0-0 Rizin), whose penchant for getting into toe-to-toe tear-ups has become his calling card over the years. The 39-year-old Brazilian has 15 KOs from 25 career wins and won his last fight by 97-second knockout over an 0-0 opponent in Brazil.
It remains to be seen whether that’s sufficient preparation to face a Rizin champion on a six-fight knockout streak.
Asakura gets the spotlight to earn a title shot
Fresh off his stunning first-round finish of Rizin (and Bellator) bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi, Kai Asakura has been thrust into the co-main event spotlight for a showcase fight with Rizin bosses effectively daring him to do it again.
Asakura (13-1 MMA, 5-0 Rizin) faces off against the dangerous Ulka Sasaki (22-7 MMA, 1-1 Rizin) in a bout that should see the 25-year-old hold the significant striking advantage. He’ll have to be wary of Sasaki’s dangerous submission game – 12 of his 22 career wins have come via submission – but after the manner of his dismantling of Horiguchi, you can bet Asakura’s confidence will be soaring heading into this weekend’s matchup.
If he can repeat the sort of heavy-handed showing he produced against Horiguchi, Asakura could find himself in a huge title fight rematch against “The Gooch”, perhaps on New Year’s Eve.
Scott Coker unleashes ‘Pitbull’ on Rizin’s lightweight GP field
Rizin FF 19 will also feature the latest collaboration between the Japanese promotion and Bellator as the latter’s lightweight star and perennial 155-pound contender Patricky Freire makes the trip from Brazil to Japan to take on Rizin’s best in its lightweight grand prix.
“Pitbull” (21-8 MMA, 0-0 Rizin) takes on 41-year-old Japanese MMA veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri (37-13 MMA, 2-3 Rizin), who booked his place in the tournament by handing Russian prospect Ali Abdulkhalikov the first defeat of his career at Rizin FF 17. The Brazilian hasn’t lost since the summer of 2016 and will be looking to make an impact in Japan.
After unsuccessfully challenging for the lightweight strap in Bellator, then seeing his brother Patricio claiming the title, Patricky’s switch to Rizin’s GP offers the perfect tonic for ‘Pitbull’, who remains a world-class competitor at 155-pounds, and now has the opportunity to pursue the Rizin lightweight title while his brother holds the Bellator version.
Super atomweight crowd-pleasers go head to head
Seo Hee Ham and Japan’s Miyuu Yamamoto set up their eagerly-anticipated clash after Seo’s victory at Rizin FF 17 with a post-fight face-off in the ring. Now that matchup becomes a reality in Osaka, with the seasoned South Korean MMA veteran taking on the Japanese wrestling favorite in a battle between two of the biggest names in Rizin’s 108-pound super atomweight division.
Seo (21-8 MMA, 1-0 Rizin) undoubtedly has the experience edge, with 29 fights to her name compared to Yamamoto’s eight, but the Japanese fighter’s wrestling credentials have played a big part in her Rizin career to date. Canada-based Yamamoto (5-3 MMA, 5-3 Rizin) has won her last four fights under the Rizin FF banner, and most recently defeated Rizin’s 2017 super atomweight grand prix champion Kanna Asakura.
Now “The Fighting Queen Bee” will face off against “Hamderlei Silva” in one of the most eagerly-anticipated fights on the card.
Johnny Case looks to fly the flag in the lightweight GP
The lone U.S. representative in the Rizin lightweight grand prix Johnny Case is in form and looking to make his mark by running the table and capturing the tournament title.
“Hollywood” (26-6 MMA, 2-0 Rizin) hasn’t lost since his final UFC fight in 2017 and heads into Rizin’s 155-pound tournament riding a five-fight undefeated streak, including back-to-back wins in the Rizin ring. He takes on undefeated Brazilian Roberto Souza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 Rizin) in the quarterfinal round, and is confident of securing a berth in the semis with victory in Osaka.
Speaking to MMA Junkie earlier in the week, Case said he’s confident of capturing Rizin gold, but made clear he was focusing on one fight at a time as he looks to progress to the very end of the tournament.
“It’s always been the same for me, preparation, performance and payday, so that’s all I’m focused on,” he told MMA Junkie Radio’s Brian “Goze” Garcia. “I’m focused on one opponent and one goal at a time. And if I do that, it’ll play out like it’s supposed to play out.”
