Tag: Rizin FF 26

Rizin FF 26: Kyoji Horiguchi exacts revenge, TKOs Kai Asakura to reclaim bantamweight title

Returning to the sport after a one-year injury hiatus, Kyoji Horiguchi reclaimed the Rizin FF bantamweight title with a first-round finish of Kai Asakura in Saitama.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] exacted sweet revenge on his nemesis with a stunning first-round TKO to dethrone [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] and mark his return to action by reclaiming the Rizin FF bantamweight title.

Horiguchi (29-3) faced off against Asakura (16-3) in the main event of Rizin FF 26, which took place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and the former UFC title challenger showed no signs of ring rust as he made his return from a one-year injury hiatus to stun the champion and reclaim the title he never lost in the ring.

Horiguchi was shocked in 68 seconds by Asakura in a non-title fight at Rizin FF 18 in August 2019. The rematch for the title was scrapped when Horiguchi sustained a torn ACL that required surgery and forced him out of action for more than a year. As a result, he also relinquished his Rizin and Bellator bantamweight titles.

After an unsuccessful first attempt to claim the vacant belt against Manel Kape, Asakura eventually won the belt during Horiguchi’s absence to set up an eagerly anticipated rematch upon Horiguchi’s return, and the 30-year-old rose to the occasion to finish Asakura in the first round and return to the bantamweight throne once again.

Perhaps a little wary of Asakura’s power after their first meeting, Horiguchi stayed largely on the outside and looked to pick off the champion as he attempted to close the distance. Asakura, meanwhile, looked to load up with powerful punches from the very start.

The 10,000-strong crowd inside the Saitama Super Arena gasped as a Horiguchi low kick appeared to briefly trouble the champion, and that gasp turned into a roar when he connected perfectly with a counter right hand as Asakura leaped in with a flying knee attempt.

Horiguchi then grabbed the back of the stunned champion’s neck and connected with two more hard rights to the temple that sent Asakura down to the canvas. A couple of ground strikes were all the referee needed to see before he dived in to wave off the bout at the 2:48 mark of the opening round.

It means that Horiguchi has now reclaimed one of the two titles he relinquished due to his injury, and it’s likely he’ll be keen to arrange a return to the Bellator cage to challenge Juan Archuleta for the Bellator crown in 2021.

Rizin FF 26: Mikuru Asakura vows to return to ‘street fighting’ style to earn title rematch

Mikuru Asakura has vowed to return to his aggressive fighting style at Rizin FF 26 to earn a title rematch with his nemesis, Yutaka Saito.

[autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] has embraced the pain of defeat and has turned the negative of losing out on the Rizin FF featherweight title into a positive as he prepares to return to the ring on New Year’s Eve.

Asakura (13-2) suffered his first loss as a Rizin FF fighter at Rizin FF 25 on Nov. 25, when he lost out on the scorecards to Yutaka Saito for the vacant featherweight title.

Now the 28-year-old is set to return and says victory, coupled with his own star power, should propel him toward a rematch with Saito early in 2021.

“Saito is a stud, no doubt. But when Saito fights next time, how many people will buy tickets to watch him fight?” he asked. “Guys who have the numbers get to call the shots, and being a badass fighter is the icing on the cake. So I would like that revenge fight.”

After his defeat, Asakura recorded a YouTube video where he stated that he was pleased that he lost, saying, “It’s been a while since I’ve lost a fight. I’m happy about it. I’ve confirmed I really like fighting.”

His comments prompted a plethora of negative comments online, but Asakura is shaking off the haters.

“Of course, it’s mortifying,” he said during an episode of Rizin’s pre-fight video series, “Rizin Confessions.” “All I said was that I’ve reconfirmed my love for the sport and that loss motivated me. So many haters who won’t understand the meaning of my comment. Haters hating on me only generates more exposure for me. But this is part of the fight game. This is part of the fun.”

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Asakura will take on former DEEP featherweight champion [autotag]Satoshi Yamasu[/autotag] (11-5) at Rizin FF 26 on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan, and said that, following his below-par performance last time out, he plans to bring back the super-aggressive fighting style that catapulted him to stardom earlier in his career.

“Going the distance itself is embarrassing,” he said. “You find that zen moment during firefights. I think it would be fun to bring that from the beginning. I’d like to fight in a way that the fight will end in the very first round. I think of bringing back my old style, from the street fighting days. It’s that ‘kill or be killed’ mentality that I want to bring back to my next fight.”

For his part, Yamasu heads into the fight thinking he’s been chosen as the perfect opponent to get Asakura back into the win.

“This is a fight that Asakura cannot lose, so I got the call,” he said. “A salary man who trains part-time. Rizin’s extraordinary risk management skills bring me here today.

“When you look at us on paper, Asakura has the significant experience and accomplishments (advantage). But I possess the ability to beat opponents with higher credentials. I’ve developed that style which will definitely be utilized in this fight. I think I can be the better fighter for just that finishing sequence. It’d be more dramatic for the salary man to win.”

While he’s seemingly happy to play the role of underdog, Yamasu plans on scoring the upset and making a big impression of his own on his Rizin FF debut.

“He’s taking me lightly. I’m the sacrificial lamb, but the sacrificial lamb is still alive and can bite,” Yamasu said. “So-called ‘characters’ add more appeal and flavor after a few losses. I want to help him add more appeal.”

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Inspired by her late brother, Miyuu Yamamoto targets championship glory at Rizin FF 26

At the age of 46, Miyuu Yamamoto says she’s never been more prepared to capture Rizin FF championship gold.

[autotag]Miyuu Yamamoto[/autotag] heads into the biggest fight of her career with the words of her legendary brother still fresh in her mind.

Yamamoto (6-4) will challenge for the vacant Rizin FF super atomweight title when she takes on former champion Ayaka Hamasaki (20-3) at Rizin FF 26 on Dec. 31 in Saitama, Japan. It’s the opportunity she has been hoping for ever since she transitioned from freestyle wrestling to MMA in 2016, and, at the age of 46, she says she’s never felt better.

Yamamoto’s title tilt comes exactly one year after her last appearance, when she outpointed Thailand’s Suwanan Boonsorn at Rizin FF 20. Since then, she’s been in Guam, sharpening her skills while the island has remained largely locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Guam is more strict than Japan and is currently under lockdown,” she explained during Rizin’s pre-fight YouTube series, “Rizin Confessions.” “There are limits for gatherings (and) my kids are still attending online classes.”

But that isolation, out of the competitive cycle and left to work on her skills, has proved to be a blessing for Yamamoto, who has used the time to sharpen her skills ahead of her return.

“Because there was no fight lined up, I didn’t have to think about my opponent,” she said. “I was able to focus on what I needed to work on. So it worked out well.”

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The extra time to work on her game has proved invaluable, as Yamamoto looks to fulfill the potential she brought to the sport after capturing four freestyle wrestling world championships earlier in her career.

As she explained, her start to life in MMA was a tough one, as she struggled to fully adapt to the sport. But, after suffering some early setbacks, she was boosted by the confidence of her brother, the late Japanese MMA legend Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto.

“I started off with back-to-back losses,” she recalled. “‘Kid’ told me, ‘Your physical strengths, your natural instincts, your speed and gifts, nobody can match that. So believe in yourself.'”

The advice clearly worked. After starting out 1-3 with Rizin, Yamamoto hit form and heads into the New Year’s Eve title clash with Hamasaki having won five of her last six outings.

“I started winning and finally started to climb the ladder,” she said. “I have come this far (and feel) the strongest in my life at 46 years old. … Now I need to start finishing things.”

Rizin FF 26 takes place on Thursday, Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena and streams via pay-per-view on LIVENow.

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