Tag: Rizin 40

Roberto de Souza expects ‘difficult fight’ with A.J. McKee, but hopes win helps Rizin’s brand value

“I hope I get a win and raise the name of Rizin around the world.”

[autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] hopes a win over [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] puts Rizin’s name on the map globally.

Rizin FF’s lightweight champ de Souza (14-1) faces former Bellator featherweight champ McKee (19-1) in Saturday’s Rizin 40 headliner at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime via tape delay and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

De Souza’s lone career loss came to Johnny Case by TKO in 2019 – a result he avenged by first-round submission in his recent outing in April. De Souza acknowledges that McKee is well-versed everywhere, but wants to show Rizin’s level in this big cross-promotion bout.

“I think he’s a dangerous fighter, but that’s about it,” de Souza said through an interpreter during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference. “But he’s from Bellator and he’s been chosen by Bellator so I have to be careful in that sense.”

He continued, “I know it’s gonna be a difficult fight and maybe one of the most difficult fights of my career. But I’ve trained hard for this match and I hope I get a win and raise the name of Rizin around the world.”

This will mark McKee’s second fight at lightweight. After losing his featherweight title in his rematch against Patricio Freire, McKee made his lightweight debut against Spike Carlyle. He won the bout by unanimous decision.

“Of course he’s fought in lightweight only once so I can’t really comment on the difference (between featherweight and lightweight),” de Souza said. “But watching his featherweight matches, he was physically strong, he had mostly finishes in his matches. But his previous match at lightweight, he wasn’t able to finish that, so I really can’t tell.”

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

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Juan Archuleta hopes Kim Soo Chul has the endurance for ‘a long f*cking 15 minutes’

Juan Archuleta plans on breaking Kim Soo Chul at Saturday’s Bellator vs. Rizin event.

[autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] plans on breaking [autotag]Kim Soo Chul[/autotag].

Archuleta (26-4) takes on Chul (18-6-1) on Saturday’s Rizin 40 event at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime via tape-delay and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

Having gone 25 minutes on six different occasions, Archuleta is confident that he’ll have both experience and endurance on his side.

“I hope he’s fast enough to keep up with me,” Archuleta said during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference. “I hope he has the endurance to keep up with me because it’s gonna be a long f*cking 15 minutes for him.”

He continued, “I know where my conditioning is, I know how hard I can push my body, I know where I could take myself mentally, physically and spiritually to get a victory. I don’t think he does. I don’t think he understands why I train so hard, why I wake up day in and day out to be so diligent in my work that it shows in my performances. I’m gonna drag him with me and I’m gonna pull him down as much as I can all the way down to hell and if I have to go with him to get this victory, I will.”

Archuleta vows to put on a memorable battle against the former Road FC and ONE Championship bantamweight title holder in front of the Japanese fans who have experienced plenty of historic wars.

“I’m very excited because we have similar styles,” Archuleta said. “We’re gonna both come to the center of the ring and we’re gonna give the audience a very exciting performance. We’re both offensive, we’re both gonna look for the kill, and we’re gonna see who’s soul breaks first.”

He continued, “The image I have for the match that I’ve painted over and over in my head is a war. A literal war. This guy comes forward, he has a very aggressive offense and so do I, and that makes a very entertaining fight because we have two fighters, two warriors that want to come and do battle on a battlefield that’s known to have great battles. You’re in for an exciting treat. We’re gonna come and continue to press forward, continue to push offense until one man’s will breaks the other.”

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

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Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator ceremonial weigh-in faceoff highlights

Check out the highlights from the Rizin FF 40 ceremonial fighter weigh-ins and face-offs, including A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza.

The Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator ceremonial fighter weigh-ins took place Thursday, and the fighters came face-to-face one final time before Friday’s event.

The weigh-ins took place in Japan. The event airs on Showtime via tape-delay on Saturday from Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo.

Check out the video above for the ceremonial weigh-ins and faceoffs for the final event of 2022.

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

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Kyoji Horiguchi: Hiromasa Ougikubo improved, but I should be able to ‘dominate him in every aspect’

“I should be able to control him and dominate him in every aspect.”

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] thinks he’ll have the edge over [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] everywhere in their trilogy bout.

Horiguchi (30-5) faces Ougikubo (25–6–2) on Saturday’s Rizin 40 card which takes place at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime via tape-delay and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

Horiguchi already holds two wins over Ougikubo – once by submission to capture the Shooto bantamweight title in 2013, then a second time by unanimous decision at Rizin 11 in 2018, and the Japanese star doesn’t see their trilogy going any differently.

“I think he’s improved his skills since our last fight,” Horiguchi said through an interpreter during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference. “But I should be able to control him and dominate him in every aspect.”

He continued, “I just need to control the match and if I do, then I should be able to finish the match. And my condition, I feel very great.”

Horiguchi, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, said he plans on speaking to Bellator president Scott Coker after the fight to ask for the addition of the 125-pound division to the promotion. Horiguchi will compete at flyweight on Saturday for the first time since parting ways with the UFC in 2016.

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

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A.J. McKee looking to push the pace vs. Roberto de Souza: ‘He hasn’t fought anybody my caliber yet’

A.J. McKee thinks Rizin lightweight champ Roberto de Souza hasn’t seen anything like him before in MMA.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] sees his fight against [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] as a stern test for the both of them.

McKee (19-1) meets Rizin lightweight champion de Souza (14-1) on Saturday’s Rizin 40 headliner at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime via tape-delay and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

Like McKee, de Souza only has one loss on his resume. But the former Bellator featherweight champion expects to present de Souza’s toughest challenge to date.

“He’s good,” McKee said during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference. “I feel he hasn’t fought anybody in my caliber yet, so I’m looking forward to just bringing him a good fight and pushing the pace.”

He continued, “It’s gonna be a fun fight, it’s gonna be an exciting fight. It’s gonna be a fight where I think the people are gonna love it, I’m gonna love it, I’m just gonna be out there having fun, doing what I love to do. It’s a ring, so for me it’s gonna be a bit different but for this fight in particular, I’m not too worried about it.”

De Souza has finished all his professional wins, 10 of them by submission. McKee acknowledges the Brazilian-Japanese’s high-level jiu-jitsu game, but thinks he’ll be able to match it.

“He’s got phenomenal ground game,” McKee said. “I don’t think I’ve fought anybody with the caliber of jiu-jitsu that he has. I think this is gonna be a great test. I feel I have just as equal jiu-jitsu as him. So when we hit the ground, it’s gonna be a surprise for everyone – even for myself. I’m intrigued to see how it goes. He’s very slick, he pops out with that triangle and transfers to his armbar very well. So yeah, this is gonna be a fun one.”

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

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Patricio Freire says Rizin’s rules similar to Vale Tudo: ‘I’m very used to kick some heads on the ground’

Bellator champ Patricio Freire is already familiar with Rizin’s rules going into the promotion vs. promotion showdown on New Year’s Eve.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is already familiar with Rizin FF’s rules.

Bellator featherweight champion Freire (34-5) will take on Rizin featherweight champ Kleber Koike (31–5–1) in the co-main event of Rizin 40 on Saturday at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

But Freire isn’t concerned with the ruleset change, which includes soccer kicks to a grounded opponent. Having competed in Brazil in his come-up, Freire is accustomed to Vale Tudo, which translates to anything goes.

“In my debut, I was training in those rules so I’m very used to kick some heads on the ground,” Freire said during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference.”I’ve been fighting in MMA from when I was a little kid and in Brazil of course there’s Vale Tudo which is similar to the Rizin rules so I’m used to those too.”

Freire didn’t offer too much insight on his game plan, but with Koike boasting a whopping 27 submission wins on his resume, “Pitbull” is expecting him to try and take him down and submit him.

“He’s a jiu-jitsu guy and he’s gonna try every time to put me on the ground and finish me,” Freire said. “So maybe we will see I finish him.”

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

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A.J. McKee wants champ Usman Nurmagomedov first in lightweight grand prix: ‘I want to give him a test’

If A.J. McKee participates in Bellator’s lightweight grand prix, he wants a title shot with Usman Nurmagomedov in the first round.

If [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] participates in Bellator’s upcoming lightweight grand prix, he wants a title shot right off the bat.

That means McKee (19-1 MMA, 19-1 BMMA) would have to draw unbeaten lightweight champion [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) first – and he said he’s more than up for the challenge.

McKee is no stranger to a grand prix. He won Bellator’s featherweight grand prix and finished current champion Patricio Freire in the final, but McKee says the order of opponents doesn’t matter, so why not Nurmagomedov first?

“I want my title, man,” McKee said on the “Weighing In” podcast. “Usman, then. Look, when I signed up for the 145-pound tournament, I proved myself the entire way through the tournament. I told everybody I’m going to finish everybody. So stepping into another tournament, I have to prove myself again? I mean, I have no problem doing that.

“I’ve got one goal. If I could have had ‘Pitbull’ in the first round, I would have took him out in the first round. For me, it really doesn’t matter who it is. I’m just looking forward to going in there, putting on a great show, and claiming what’s mine.”

McKee sees a fight with Nurmagomedov being highly anticipated. He also thinks he could test him a lot more than any of his previous opponents have.

“I think it’s the fight that everybody wants to see – on top of, I want to give him a test,” McKee said. “I don’t feel he’s been really tested yet. Patricky (Freire), he’s not a champ to me. He was gifted that belt from his brother – early Christmas present. To be a champion, you must beat the champion.

“For Usman, stylistically it’s just a good fight. We both have the wrestling. I would be intrigued to see that fight. I feel I have the advantage on the feet. But wrestling wise, maybe he can neutralize my wrestling, maybe I can neutralize his wrestling. And once we get to the ground, we’ve seen him pull off some nice submissions and we’ve seen me pull of some nice submissions. So, I feel like we match up pretty equally once it comes to wrestling and on the ground. It’d be a fun fight.”

McKee returns to action against Roberto de Souza at Bellator vs. Rizin on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The five-fight main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime.

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A.J. McKee wishes Rizin belt was on line vs. Roberto de Souza, looks forward to ruleset

A.J. McKee is pumped to “go unleash some soccer kicks” on Roberto de Souza at Bellator vs. Rizin in Japan.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] wishes his fight against Rizin lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] would have been for the title.

McKee (19-1) will headline a Bellator vs. Rizin event against de Souza (14-1) on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The five-fight card will air in the U.S. on Showtime.

McKee, the former Bellator featherweight champion, would have liked more on the line than just promotional bragging rights but is excited for the opportunity nonetheless.

“It’s not on the line; I wish it was on the line,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “For me, it’s all about the belts, especially us being the main event. I was looking forward to maybe putting that belt on the line, putting my belt on the line. Maybe I’ll slide into his DMs and tell him, ‘I’m gonna bring my belt, you bring your belt, winner takes all.’ I’m a risk taker, I’m gonna put it all on the table every time.”

McKee, 27, won the Bellator featherweight title in July 2021 with a first-round technical submission of then-champ Patricio Fereira in the promotion’s $1 million grand prix final. McKee lost the belt to Freire by close unanimous decision in their rematch last April. In his most recent bout, McKee beat Spike Carlyle by unanimous decision in a Fight of the Year candidate this past October at Bellator 286.

McKee will be looking to finish his 2022 on a positive note when he competes in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset, which he can’t wait to utilize.

“A fight’s a fight at the end of the day,” McKee said. “I feel like styles make fights and taking nothing against these guys, we’re going over there and fighting them in their home turf, in their ring, under their rules. So for us, we’re the risk takers. But for me, there’s no problem.

“More risk, more reward for myself and since I was a kid I’ve dreamt of doing a Pride-style fight, and that’s what I’m ready for. Go unleash some soccer kicks and knees to the face.”

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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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Inaugural Rizin vs. Bellator event could start new MMA tradition – with pride on the line

“The Bellator all-star team vs. the Rizin all-star team” is what Scott Coker says we have to look forward to this New Year’s Eve.

For [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], it was watching “Rampage” Jackson kick ass in PRIDE back in the day. For [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], it was Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva doing the same. For [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag], “Dragon Ball Z” is what got him.

Since they were young, each of those three Bellator champions past and present have dreamed of fighting in Japan, hallowed ground for martial arts. They’ll soon have the chance after Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara and Bellator president Scott Coker on Wednesday jointly announced Rizin 40 as a Rizin vs. Bellator New Year’s Eve event at Saitama Super Arena just outside of Tokyo.

Five Rizin and Bellator standouts each will square off. McKee will take on Rizin lightweight champion Roberto de Souza; Bellator featherweight champion Freire will face Rizin champ Kleber Koike; Archuleta will meet Kim Soo Chul at bantamweight; and Bellator’s Kyoji Horiguchi and Rizin’s Hiromasa Ougikubo will fight for a third time. A fifth matchup is still to be announced.

“Being here now in this moment, it’s phenomenal,” McKee said during Wednesday’s news conference.

Rizin and Bellator have cross-promoted several individual fights in the past few years but never have they co-promoted a full Rizin vs. Bellator-branded card – until now. It’s all possible thanks to the friendly relationship between Sakakibara and Coker, who’ve known each other for 16 years and decided to start working together in 2015.

For Rizin vs. Bellator, the idea wasn’t just to pick any fighters from each organization to compete. It was to pit some of the best against the best.

“The Bellator all-star team vs. the Rizin all-star team,” Coker said. “This is something I wanted to see; this is something he wanted to see. When I asked Sakakibara about this event, ‘What are you looking to do?’ Because he brought it up about six months ago. And he said, ‘I want you to bring your best fighters in these weight classes. I don’t want any journeymen. I want the best fighters you have.’ So that’s what we did. Every fighter we’re bringing is either a champion in Bellator or a former world champion in Bellator. And we’re ready to fight the Rizin all-star team on December 31st.”

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Rizin 40 will mark the 22nd consecutive year that Saitama Super Arena will host New Year’s Eve MMA action. As it’s taking place in Japan and a de facto home game, this first iteration of Rizin vs. Bellator will be contested in a ring – not a cage – and under Rizin rules.

The hope, Sakakibara said, is for this to become a tradition.

“I think this will be the first time in the history of MMA where two promotions will fully go at it with their best guys,”Sakakibara said through an interpreter. “… We do not want to make this event a one-shot deal. We want to make it a consecutive thing, maybe an annual thing, maybe a bi-annual thing.”

Sounds like a win for MMA fans.

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