Tag: Hideo Tokoro

Rizin FF 40 video: Ex-UFC title challenger John Dodson scores vicious knockout in debut

Two-time UFC title challenger John Dodson scored a vicious knockout of Hideo Tokoro in his Rizin FF debut.

[autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] sure made a good first impression with the Japanese fan base.

Two-time UFC title challenger Dodson scored a vicious knockout in his Rizin FF debut at Saturday’s Rizin FF vs. Bellator event in Japan. Dodson (23-13) put the lights out on veteran [autotag]Hideo Tokoro[/autotag] (35-32-1) in their flyweight bout on the preliminary card of the event. The official stoppage came at the 1:43 minute mark of Round 1.

The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 8 p.m. ET.

You can watch Dodson’s KO win in the video below:

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This was Dodson’s second MMA fight and second MMA win of 2022. The 38-year-old was coming off a unanimous decision win over Francisco Rivera back in April at XMMA 4: Black Magic. Dodson also competed in bareknuckle boxing this year, knocking out Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28 in August.

Dodson is currently 2-1 in MMA since his departure from the UFC in 2020.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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John Dodson books fight at Rizin 40 on New Year’s Eve

John Dodson most recently competed in BKFC, but he’ll be back for his third post-UFC MMA fight at Rizin 40 on New Year’s Eve.

Former UFC standout [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] will join the stacked Rizin 40 card on New Year’s Eve.

Dodson (22-13) will take on [autotag]Hideo Tokoro[/autotag] (35–31–2) in a flyweight bout on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo, promotion officials announced Wednesday. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime as a joint Rizin vs. Bellator event.

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Dodson, 38, was last seen in action in the bare-knuckle ring. The former UFC title challenger made his BKFC debut against fellow octagon veteran Ryan Benoit in the co-main event of BKFC 28. It took Dodson just 40 seconds to dispatch of Benoit. Dodson’s last MMA appearance came over another UFC alum in Francisco Rivera, whom he defeated by unanimous decision at XMMA 4: Black Magic in April.

Tokoro, 45, has fought across various major organizations including Dream, Bellator and Rizin. The Japanese veteran, who battled Royce Gracie to a draw in 2005, holds notable wins over Brad Pickett and Royler Gracie.

The current Rizin 40 lineup includes:

  • A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
  • Patricio Freire vs. Kleber Koike
  • Juan Archuleta vs. Kim Soo Chul
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs Hiromasa Ougikubo
  • Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
  • Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Junior Tafa
  • Naoki Inoue vs. Kenta Takizawa
  • Yuki Motoya vs. Rogerio Bontorin
  • John Dodson vs. Hideo Tokoro
  • Luiz Gustavo vs. Johnny Case
  • Noah Bey vs. Sho Patrick Usami

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Video: 20 must-see Bellator ‘fire’ fights (in full)

If you’ve got nearly six hours to kill, here you go with some classic Bellator action.

Since its first event held in 2009, Bellator has given us some of the most memorable fights in MMA history.

While events remain on hold because of coronavirus pandemic, Bellator has put 20 of its greatest bouts – “fire” fights, if you will – all in one place, which you can watch in the video above.

The complete list, which goes for nearly six hours, includes:

  • 1. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] 1 – Bellator 58 | 0:00
  • 2. [autotag]Joe Schilling[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Melvin Manhoef[/autotag] – Bellator 131 | 24:51
  • 3. [autotag]L.C. Davis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hideo Tokoro[/autotag] – Bellator 135 | 37:25
  • 4. Michael Chandler vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] – Bellator 165 | 55:41
  • 5. [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] – Bellator 238 | 1:31:16
  • 6. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] – Bellator 138 | 1:56:41
  • 7. [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] – Bellator 214 | 2:09:58
  • 8. [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gerald Harris[/autotag] – Bellator 218 | 2:17:18
  • 9. [autotag]Derek Campos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brandon Girtz[/autotag] 3 – Bellator 181 | 2:29:29
  • 10. [autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brennan Ward[/autotag] – Bellator 170 | 2:49:20
  • 11. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] vs. Paul Daley – Bellator 158 | 2:59:15
  • 12. Douglas Lima vs. [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] – Bellator 221 | 3:18:09
  • 13. [autotag]Patricky Freire [/autotag]vs. [autotag]Roger Huerta[/autotag] – Bellator 205 | 3:33:28
  • 14. Patricio Freire vs. [autotag]Daniel Straus[/autotag] – Bellator 178 | 3:44:52
  • 15. [autotag]Saad Awad[/autotag] vs. Brandon Girtz – Bellator 219 | 3:57:46
  • 16. [autotag]AJ Agazarm[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Adel Altamimi[/autotag] – Bellator 238 | 4:19:31
  • 17. [autotag]John Salter[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Costello van Steenis[/autotag] – Bellator 233 | 4:36:10
  • 18. Douglas Lima vs. [autotag]Ben Saunders[/autotag] 2 – Bellator 100 | 4:57:18
  • 19. Patricio Freire vs. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] – Bellator 209 | 5:11:22
  • 20. [autotag]Ricky Bandejas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] – Bellator 204 | 5:44:13

So sit back, relax and enjoy the action.