Tag: Bellator X Rizin 2

Lorenz Larkin explains why not ‘giving a f*ck about everything’ changed his career

Lorenz Larkin is running hot, and he explains why things are going so well for him in his career ahead of Bellator X Rizin 2 in Japan.

[autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] is on one of the best runs of his professional MMA career and credits a fresh perspective for his success.

When Bellator and Rizin collide for their second co-promotional event in Japan on July 29, Larkin (25-7 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) will look to extend his current winning streak to eight. Standing across the cage from him at Bellator X Rizin 2 will be former Bellator welterweight champ Andrey Koreshkov (26-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA).

Larkin doesn’t care about the name he’ll be facing. In fact, he believes changing his mentality to not caring about much at all is the reason he’s running so hot at this point in his career.

“I really think I just stopped giving a f*ck about everything,” Larkin told MMA Junkie Radio. “The good thing is, even if something is bothering me like out there, when I fight or when I train, that sh*t is out of my head. I don’t even think about it. But I think for the most part, I just stopped worrying about every-f*cking-thing else that comes with fighting.”

Larkin, 36, says he will also get some added motivation in his second appearance of 2023 because he will be fighting at Saitama Super Arena, which is one of his favorite locations on the planet. However, beyond that, and whatever the result is against Koreshkov, “The Monsoon” just hopes Bellator can keep him active, because he has no plans on slowing down.

“Just keep me busy,” Larkin said. “I’m not even worried about all the other bullsh*t, just keep me fighting. Because with me, when I’m stagnant, that’s the sh*t that’s stupid for me. I either get big, which I’m pretty sure is no f*cking secret now. I get big. If there’s no fight on the table, like, I don’t just f*cking train 24/7. I don’t beat up my body like that. I’m doing other sh*t. I’m f*cking off-roading or shooting, or f*cking doing other sh*t.

“So for me, keep me excited. keep me busy. I never b*tch and complain about opponents. Just keep me busy. So far, I’ve had one fight in February, and then I got this fight now, so we’ll see if that comes true or not. But in the past, it’s been like two fights a year, so I don’t know.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator X Rizin 2.

Patricky Freire hopes to draw Usman Nurmagomedov rematch in grand prix final: ‘It’s a good fight to make history’

Crossing paths with Usman Nurmagomedov in the grand prix final could make a storybook ending for Patricio Freire.

Crossing paths with [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] in the grand prix final could make a storybook ending for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag].

Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) lost his lightweight title to Nurmagomedov in his most recent outing at Bellator 288 last November, and now has to get through a grand prix to win it back.

Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), who submitted Benson Henderson in the opening round, is slated to face Brent Primus in the semifinals. If both men can get through their side of the bracket, 37-year-old Freire hinted that it could be the final fight of his career.

“It’s a good fight to make history,” Freire told MMA Junkie Radio on rematching Nurmagomedov. “Take my belt again, take $1 million, maybe finish my career, I don’t know. Let’s see.”

First up for Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) is A.J. McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) in the opening round of the 155-pound grand prix at Bellator X Rizin 2 on July 30 near Tokyo. Waiting for the winner of Freire vs. McKee is Alexandr Shabliy, who scored a TKO of Tofiq Musayev to advance to the semifinals.

Freire watched his brother Patricio split his two appearances with McKee, where he regained his featherweight title in a close decision win. McKee has since moved up to lightweight, but Freire isn’t expecting anything different from what he’s already seen.

“He don’t change nothing,” Freire said. “He fights the same style. Maybe he tried to change something, but I don’t believe too much.”

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A.J. McKee on Patricio Freire: ‘I still think we’ve got unfinished business’ with series tied 1-1

A.J. McKee’s focus is on the Bellator lightweight grand prix, but he’s willing to return to featherweight for a Patricio Freire trilogy.

For [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], his story with [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is still being written.

McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) and Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) have split their two fights against each other, with McKee submitting Freire to win the featherweight grand prix in 2021 and “Pitbull” avenging his loss i to regain his belt in a unanimous decision win.

McKee has since moved up to lightweight, and Freire eventually dropped down to bantamweight. Freire failed in his bid to claim a Bellator title in a third division when he lost to champion Sergio Pettis in June, but that hasn’t changed McKee’s mind on a potential trilogy.

“I wanted Patricio to do good,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “It sucks he took an ‘L.’ Obviously nobody wants to lose, but I still think we’ve got unfinished business – one-one, he was the champ-champ. I’m looking forward to becoming the champ-champ myself, and then maybe I’ll come back down to ’45, and we can fight that trilogy out at 145.”

McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) meets Freire’s brother, former lightweight champion Patricky Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA), in the opening round of the 155-pound grand prix at Bellator X Rizin 2 on July 30 near Tokyo.

While his focus is on lightweight, McKee is willing to return  to featherweight to complete his rubber match with Freire or take on any notable challenge.

“I can do a couple more fights maybe at ’45, but for the most part, I’m pretty much done with ’45,” McKee said. “I feel I’ve made a pretty good statement at 145 pounds that the division and, anybody in the world, I know I’m the best, period.

“If anybody wants to test it, then I’m more than willing to do it. I’m more than capable to do it. Other than that, I feel being named the best 145 pounder is hands down. That’s not a question. So, for now, lightweight is my home, and that’s where I’m willing to work to be called the best at that division now.”

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A.J. McKee, Scott Coker agree McKee vs. Patricky Freire perfect fight for Bellator X Rizin 2 in Japan

For the second straight time, Bellator is taking one of its biggest stars to Japan.

For the second straight time, Bellator is taking one of its biggest stars to Japan.

At Bellator X Rizin 2, which was announced Saturday for late July near Tokyo, Bellator president Scott Coker will take former featherweight champion [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) overseas to fight former lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) in the opening round of the promotion’s ongoing 155-pound grand prix.

Coker said doing that high-profile fight in Japan is a testament to what Bellator wants to do with events there.

“We could have brought this anywhere in the world,” Coker said at a Saturday news conference announcing the event in Tokyo. “We thought about doing this in Los Angeles or doing it in New York, but as (Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara) and I continued our dialogue, we thought this was the perfect fight for Japan.”

McKee won the featherweight title against Freire’s brother Patricio in July 2021, but Freire beat him in April 2022 in their rematch.

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McKee decided to move up to lightweight and after seven years as a pro featherweight, won a pair of decisions at 155 pounds against Spike Carlyle and Roberto de Souza. The latter victory came this past New Year’s Eve in a co-promoted event with Bellator and Rizin in Japan.

Once he was in the tournament and matched up against Patricky Freire for a natural rivalry, Coker said he started to get antsy about when the fight would take place.

“A.J. was calling me every week asking, ‘When am I fighting?’ Coker said. “But we had to wait a month and it worked out for the better. I think the fans in Japan are going to get a great show on July 30.”

McKee said starting the tournament with the former champ and a natural rival is what he wanted. He thinks that will add some sparks to the event.

“I think this couldn’t have been a better matchup to start off the tournament, the world grand prix,” McKee said. “The rivalry between his brother and I, and now (us) leading up to our fight, it’s just awesome. Up until this point, there hasn’t really been a rivalry in my career. Me and my teammates are very cordial and respectful, but when it comes down to getting in that cage and handling business, we will both know what we are going to do to each other.”

Patricky Freire won the vacant lightweight title against Peter Queally in November 2021, but lost it to Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 288 a year later. Nurmagomedov is on the opposite side of the bracket, so the first time the McKee-Freire winner will have a shot at the lightweight title would be in the tournament final.

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Scott Coker: Bellator’s Japan collaboration with Rizin should be MMA’s future

Bellator and Rizin are starting to get comfortable working together, it seems.

Bellator and Rizin are starting to get comfortable working together, it seems.

That means co-promoted events between the two organizations, like Bellator X Rizin 2 set for July 30 in Japan, could become more frequent. In fact, Bellator president Scott Coker thinks they should be a regular thing.

Coker long has been a supporter of Japanese MMA and combat sports and has been a frequent traveler there during his extensive and lengthy career in martial arts. So it’s no surprise he’ll jump at opportunities to keep Bellator involved there, and particularly when he can work with Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who was at the helm for PRIDE when it was sold to the UFC in 2007.

“When I think of mixed martial arts, I always think about Japan,” Coker said at a Saturday news conference in Tokyo. “This really was the mecca. When I was growing up as a promoter, all the eyes were on Japan. All the best fighters in the world fought here. One day, I said I’m going to go there and we’re going to do some work together when I get into the mixed martial arts business. So when Sakakibara came back (to Rizin), I was really excited because we can do things like we’re going to do on July 30 – something that has never been done before where two organizations are getting together to create one show for the fans that really will be spectacular. I really feel this should be the future of mixed martial arts fighting.”

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At Bellator X Rizin 2, a Bellator event will include a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal headliner in Bellator’s regular cage and an inaugural flyweight title fight. But Rizin will have its own fights, too, that will take place in its standard ring. Some Bellator fighters, like Juan Archuleta, will fight under the Rizin banner. Some Rizin fighters will fight for Bellator.

In 2015 in San Jose, Calif., Bellator partnered with Glory Kickboxing for a show that had a cage and ring in the same arena – and also had four fights that went on simultaneously in both enclosures.

Sakakibara said his working relationship with Coker is one that is built on support rather than rivalry, which allows the collaborations to happen.

“Last year, we were able to do a promotion vs. promotion event on New Year’s Eve with the help of Scott Coker, who understands and values the Japanese mixed martial arts scene very much,” Sakakibara said. “In a world where people talk trash amongst each other, we were able to cooperate and have a productive event. We have been in this business for 30 years now and we’ve been able to build.

“We have something different and special for you all this year. With Bellator and Scott Coker’s help, with Scott Coker’s love and passion for this community, we will be able to combine two events into one. … It will guarantee you an extravaganza – something very unique. So from this point on, myself and all the staff will be on hands on deck to finalize and promote this event to be the biggest summer event in Japan.”

Coker echoed Sakakibara’s thoughts on the power of co-promotion.

“I want to thank Nobuyuki Sakakibara for allowing us to come here and be part of this,” Coker said. “He really doesn’t have to. He’s been a great leader. I would arguably say he’ll go down as one of the greatest fight promoters of all time. He’s been a great mentor for me, even though he doesn’t know it, so any chance I get to come here to work with him, I always say yes. We have been planning this event for the last four months, and we’re truly going to deliver something spectacular.”

Photos: Bellator X Rizin 2 press conference, faceoffs from Japan

Check out these photos from Saturday’s press conference in Japan announcing Bellator X Rizin 2, including A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire.

Check out these photos from Saturday’s press conference in Japan announcing Bellator X Rizin 2, which takes place July 30 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo. (Photos courtesy of Rizin FF)

Scott Coker bullish on Bellator’s future in Japan

Bellator will return to Japan as part of another co-promotion with Rizin, which Scott Coker has teased for a while.

Bellator will return to Japan this summer as part of another co-promotion with Rizin.

It’s something that has been on the radar for Bellator president Scott Coker for months. He told MMA Junkie and other reporters earlier this year in San Jose, Calif., that the wheels were in motion for Saturday’s announcement.

Coker, who has spent plenty of time in Japan in the course of long his combat sports career, said he sees a surge happening there. In addition, his long friendship and working relationship with Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara is a boon to Bellator.

“I’ve seen the early days of PRIDE and the growth of PRIDE and the sale of PRIDE, the beginning of K-1, the end of K-1, and I feel like Japanese MMA is back,” Coker said before Bellator 292 in March. “I feel when you’re there and you can feel what you’re feeling in that audience – the fans are just like nobody’s business. They’re fanatic fans, but they love their fighters. They respect the fighters. They’re very good about paying respect in a proper way.

“I feel like there’s a swell that’s growing there, and we want to be a part of it. We want to help out as much as we can.”

Bellator X Rizin 2 takes place July 30 at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo. In the main event, Bellator’s lightweight grand prix continues with a fight between former featherweight champion AJ McKee and ex-lightweight champ Patricky Freire. In the co-feature, Bellator starts its new men’s flyweight division with former Bellator and Rizin champ Kyoji Horiguichi vs. Makoto Takahashi (16-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) for the inaugural title.

Bellator first went to Japan for a co-promoted event with Rizin in late December 2019. Then this past New Year’s Eve, the promotion returned for a special Bellator vs. Rizin event that saw Bellator fighters go 5-0 vs. their Japanese counterparts.

“I’ve always felt like Japanese MMA or kickboxing, whatever it is, this is kind of to me where it started, so I want to help them as much as I can to keep Japan healthy,” Coker said. “If we can throw a fighter here, two there, we do a co-promotion once a year, it’s something I’m definitely going to support.

“We have our own business to run. We’re very busy, too, and … we have a lot going on, and we’re traveling all over the world, too. We have our business, but if it’s a fight, something that makes sense (with Japan), we’re going to go do it.”

The promotion returns June 16 for Bellator 298 in Chicago and arguably one of its most stacked lineups in history.

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Bellator X Rizin 2 to feature AJ McKee vs. Patricky Freire, Kyoji Horiguchi in inaugural men’s flyweight title fight

Bellator returns to Japan in July to continue the lightweight world grand prix and crown an inaugural men’s flyweight champion.

Bellator is returning to Japan this summer for a second co-promoted event with Rizin to continue its world lightweight grand prix and crown and inaugural men’s flyweight champion.

Bellator X Rizin 2 takes place July 30 at Saitama Super Arena, and the main event will see a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout between former featherweight champion [autotag]AJ McKee[/autotag] (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) and former lightweight champion [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA).

In the co-feature, Bellator opens the doors to a new men’s flyweight division as former Bellator and Rizin champion [autotag]Kyoji Horiguichi[/autotag] (31-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) takes on Makoto Takahashi (16-1-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA). The winner will become the inaugural Bellator men’s flyweight champion.

Bellator announced the event and the featured bouts in a press release Saturday morning.

While the first cross-promoted event which took place on New Year’s Eve featured head-to-head bouts between Bellator and Rizin fighters, the second iteration departs from that format. However, the unique event will see Bellator bouts taking place inside a cage whereas Rizin bouts will take place in a ring. The Bellator fighters will wear red and blue Bellator gloves, while the world grand prix competitors will wear white gloves.

Also announced is a women’s flyweight bout between Kana Watanabe and Veta Artega. Bellator fighters Juan Archuleta and Tofiq Musayev will also be in action during the Rizin portion of the card.

The Bellator X Rizin 2 event’s lineup includes:

  • AJ McKee vs. Patricky Freire – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Takahashi – inaugural flyweight title bout
  • Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Artega

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