Tag: Chihiro Suzuki

Video: Upkick KOs fighter, who eats 20 more punches while unconscious on top

Vugar Karamov was out cold when he fell on Chihiro Suzuki at RIZIN but the referee took a little longer to process what happened.

Depending on who you ask, [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] may have scored the sickest and slickest upkick knockout in MMA history.

At RIZIN Landmark 7 in Azerbaijan, a grounded Suzuki (11-3) clunked [autotag]Vugar Karamov[/autotag] with his heel, a highlight-reel knockout blow.

With nowhere else to topple, the unconscious Karamov (19-5) landed directly on Suzuki, who proceeded to pummel away with punches because the referee hadn’t stepped in. The official took a closer and closer look, but it took approximately 20 punches before a stoppage.

Check out the unbelievable finish from multiple angles below:

Upkick knockouts are certainly rare in mixed martial arts. To put in perspective, there have only been two in UFC history: Jon Fitch over Thiago Alves and Niko Price over James Vick.

MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month for July: Justin Gaethje floors Dustin Poirier for ‘BMF’ belt

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from July 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from July 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Knockout of the Month award for July.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

Nominees

Major changes to Bellator X Rizin 2: A.J. McKee out; Patricky Freire faces RIZIN champ; Patricio ‘Pitbull’ added

Major changes tweak Bellator X Rizin 2 in Japan, including the removal of A.J. McKee and random addition of Patricio Freire in a new bout.

Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 has been hit with a pair of changes to the lineup during fight week, including the loss of one half of the main event.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], who was set to take on [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout, is now out with a medical issue. Stepping in to face Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on short notice is RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the new main event, the promotions announced during a joint news conference Wednesday local time.

Details about McKee’s medical issues were not disclosed, but a Bellator official told MMA Junkie he will be an alternate in the tournament moving forward. De Souza is now officially in the Bellator lightweight grand prix, and the bout against Patricky Freire will be five rounds. However, due to the short-notice nature of the change, the bout will be contested at 161 pounds.

In addition to a shift in the headliner, a late addition will see the other “Pitbull,” Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-6 MMA), take on [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] (10-3) in a 154-pound catchweight contest – an additional bout added to the event on just days’ notice. This bout will take place on the RIZIN portion of the event, which follows the five-fight Bellator segment of the card.

Bellator X Rizin 2 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. The co-feature bout will crown an inaugural Bellator flyweight champion, as Kyoji Horiguchi takes on Makoto Shinryu.

With the changes, the Bellator X Rizin 2 lineup includes:

  • Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu – inaugural flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Danny Sabatello
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin

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

Kyoji Horiguchi returns at RIZIN 38 in September, same card as Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura

Kyoji Horiguchi will return in search of his first win of 2022.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] will return in search of his first win of 2022.

The former Bellator titleholder and current Rizin champion has been booked to return to the ring. Horiguchi (29-5) is set to take on [autotag]Yuto Hokamura[/autotag] (14-11-2) in a bantamweight bout at Rizin 38, which is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

The promotion announced the news Tuesday. It did not specify if the bout between Horiguchi and Hokamura is a championship fight.

Horiguchi is on the heels of the worst streak of his 12-year-career. The Japanese star is on a two-fight skid and 1-3 in his past four outings. Horiguchi was last seen in April when he was eliminated from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix in a unanimous decision loss to Patchy Mix. This upcoming fight will be Horiguchi’s first with Rizin since December 2020.

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Additionally, the previously reported exhibition boxing bout between [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] and [autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] will take place on the same card.

Other matchups that were also announced: [autotag]Kyohei Hagiwara[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] at featherweight; [autotag]Juri Ohara[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Luiz Gustavo[/autotag] at lightweight; [autotag]Shoma Shibisai[/autotag] vs. Callyu Gibrainn at heavyweight, [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Soo Chul Kim[/autotag] at bantamweight, and [autotag]Nadaka Yoshinari[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bandasak So Trakunpet[/autotag] at strawweight (kickboxing).

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