Tag: RIZIN FF 23

Rizin FF 23 free fight: Kai Asakura smashes Hiromasa Ogikubo with soccer kicks to win 135-pound title

Recap the action as Kai Asakura and Hiromasa Ogikubo faced off for the bantamweight title in the main event of Rizin FF 23 in Yokohama.

After losing his first shot at the Rizin FF bantamweight title, Japan’s [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] had no intention of letting history repeat itself when he returned for a second crack at the gold.

Asakura (15-2) took on “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 finalist [autotag]Hiromasa Ogikubo[/autotag] in the main event of Rizin FF 23 at the Pia Arena in Yokohama, and he didn’t waste his chance as he demolished Ogikubo (20-5-2) inside a round to claim the title in impressive style.

Asakura found his groove early on and let fly with some flashy, powerful strikes, including a thumping body kick and a flying knee as he attacked Ogikubo’s midsection early.

He then switched his attention to Ogikubo’s chin and connected with a peach of an uppercut that briefly wobbled his opponent. Sensing victory was near, Asakura cut off the cage and loaded up with strikes as his power began to tell.

Then, in the second half of the first round, Asakura found the breakthrough as he landed another huge uppercut, then followed up with a flying knee that sent Ogikubo to the canvas.

Asakura then unloaded a barrage of heavy-handed ground strikes, then connected with two huge soccer kicks as he forced the first-round stoppage and claimed the vacant belt in devastating style.

Recap Asakura’s blistering performance at Rizin FF 23 via the video above.

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Rizin FF 23 live results

Follow the results as they happen with MMA Junkie’s live coverage of Rizin FF 23 in Yokohama, Japan.

The lights come back on at Yokohama’s Pia Arena as the venue hosts its second event in successive days, with Rizin FF 23 completing the promotion’s double-header as they return with their second post-COVID-19 event, taglined “Calling Over.”

The main event features a battle for the vacant Rizin FF bantamweight title, as former title challenger [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] gets a second successive shot at the vacant 135-pound belt against [autotag]Hiromasa Ogikubo[/autotag].

Asakura’s first attempt ended in a knockout defeat to Manel Kape, who has since departed the promotion to sign for the UFC. It means the strap is up for grabs once again, and the door has reopened for Asakura (14-2), who will now face Ogikubo (20-4-2), who booked his place in the title fight with a pair of split-decision victories over fellow contenders [autotag]Yuki Motoya[/autotag] and Shintaro Ishiwatari last year at Rizin FF 17 and 20 respectively.

With the title on the line in the main event, the co-headliner features a pair of contenders who will look to position themselves as the next man in line to fight for the belt.

Motoya was narrowly edged out by Ogikubo last year in a highly-competitive fight, and suffered a first-round submission loss to Bellator’s Patchy Mix at Rizin FF 20. But the 30-year-old rebounded with a decision win at DEEP 94 Impact in March to send him into Monday’s fight night in winning form.

He’ll take on [autotag]Mamoru Uoi[/autotag], (billed in Japan as Uoi Fullswing), who is looking to bounce back into the win column following back to back defeats for Japanese promotion Shooto.

His last appearance in the Rizin FF ring brought success, however, with a soccer kick KO giving him an eye-catching knockout victory at Rizin FF 16 last June. Now Uoi returns to Rizin hoping to rediscover that form and catapult himself into title contention in the process.

Rizin FF 23 live results include:

  • Kai Asakura vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo (for vacant bantamweight title)
  • Mamoru Uoi vs. Yuki Motoya
  • Kazumasa Majima vs. Yutaka Saito
  • Jin Aoi vs. Kotetsu Boku
  • Seiichiro Ito vs. Makoto Shinryu
  • Yusaku Nakamura vs. Tatsuki Saomoto

RIZIN FF announces arena return with August double-header in Yokohama

RIZIN FF 22 and 23 will take place in Yokohama with a half-filled arena as the Japanese promotion returns to fan-attended events.

Japanese promotion RIZIN FF is returning to action in August with a double-header in Yokohama and a pair of title fights already booked.

RIZIN FF 22 and RIZIN FF 23 – dubbed “Starting Over” and “Calling Over” respectively – will take place at the Pia Arena in Yokohoma. The events will take place with fans in attendance, with the arena operating at 50% capacity to allow for social distancing.

The headline fight of the weekend will see [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] take on [autotag]Hiromasa Ogikubo[/autotag] for the vacant bantamweight title. The fight represents Asakura’s second consecutive shot at the bantamweight bout after he was knocked out by Manel Kape in their battle for the vacant belt at RIZIN FF 20. Kape has since departed RIZIN to join the UFC, leaving the title up for grabs once again, and Asakura is determined to take full advantage.

He’ll take on 33-year-old Ogikubo, who defeated Shintaro Ishiwatari via split decision in a thriller at RIZIN FF 20 to position himself for a shot at the title. The former Shooto flyweight champion and finalist of The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 “Tournament of Champions” is now competing 10 pounds heavier and hoping to capture the RIZIN title in only his third fight for the promotion.

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Set to star at RIZIN FF 22 is Brazilian grappler [autotag]Roberto Satoshi Souza[/autotag], who will take on the [autotag]Yachi Yusuke[/autotag] in a lightweight showcase bout.

Souza’s last MMA outing saw hm finished by America’s Johnny Case in the first round of their quarterfinal clash in the RIZIN lightweight grand prix. He has since showcased his submission skills in a one-versus-five elimination challenge at RIZIN FF 21.

Now he returns to action against Yusuke, who rebounded from a three-fight skid with a resounding soccer-kick KO victory over Hrito Uesako at the co-promoted Bellator 237 event in Saitama last December.

RIZIN FF 22 bouts include:

  • Robert Satoshi Souza vs. Yusuke Yachi
  • Kanna Asakura vs. Mizuki Furuse
  • Naokei Inoue vs. Shooto Watanabe
  • Tetsuya Seki vs. Yojiro Uchimura

RIZIN FF 23 bouts include:

  • Kai Asakura vs. Hromasa Ogikubo
  • Yuki Motoya vs. Mamoru Uoi
  • Kazumasa Majima vs. Yuyaka Saito
  • Seiichiro Ito vs. Makoto Takahashi