Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape booked for vacant Rizin belt, additional Bellator 237 bouts announced

Japan’a Rizin FF has confirmed a clutch of new matchups for their end-of-year event, as well as their contributions to Bellator 237.

Japanese promotion Rizin FF has confirmed a clutch of new matchups for their end-of-year event, as well as their contributions to Bellator 237.

Rizin FF 20 takes place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. In the night’s headliner, [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (14-4) has been added to face the previously announced [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] (14-1) for the Rizin bantamweight title recently vacated by the injured Kyoji Horiguchi.

That brings the total number of Rizin title fights on the card to three.

A host of other fight bookings has also been made for the event, with Russia’s [autotag]Vitaly Shemetov[/autotag] (23-10) vs. EFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Simon Biyong[/autotag] (6-1), [autotag]Jake Heun[/autotag] (14-9) vs. Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Satoshi Ishii[/autotag] (22-10-1) and former Pancrase bantamweight champion [autotag]Shintaro Ishiwatari[/autotag] (26-7-4) will take on “The Ultimate Fighter 24” runner-up [autotag]Hiromasa Ogikubo[/autotag] (19-4-2) in a bantamweight title eliminator, with the winner set to face the winner of the Asakura-Kape matchup early in 2020.

Rizin also announced a pair of new matchups for their co-promoted Dec. 29 event, Bellator 237, with 2017 Rizin grand prix champion [autotag]Kanna Asakura[/autotag] (15-4) set to face [autotag]Jayme Hinshaw[/autotag] (4-3), while heavyweights are set to collide as Japan’s [autotag]Shoma Shibisai[/autotag] (5-2) takes on Russia’s [autotag]Sergey Shemetov[/autotag] (9-6).

Rizin FF 20 confirmed fights include:

  • Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape – for vacant bantamweight title
  • Champ Jiri Prochazka vs. C.B. Dollaway – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham – for super atomweight title
  • Johnny Case vs. Tofiq Musaev – lightweight grand prix semifinal
  • Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Luiz Gustavo – lightweight grand prix semifinal
  • Patrick Mix vs. Yuki Motoya
  • Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira
  • Simon Biyong vs. Vitaly Shemetov
  • Jake Heun vs. Satoshi Ishii
  • Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey Vanzandt
  • Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo

* * * *

Bellator 237 confirmed fights include:

MAIN CARD

  • Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
  • Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson
  • Lorenz Larkin vs. Keita Nakamura
  • Ilara Joanne vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Daron Cruickshank vs. Goiti Yamauchi

POSTLIMS

  • Andy Nguyen vs. Ai Shimizu
  • Ryuichiro Sumimura vs. Jon Tuck
  • Jarred Brooks vs. Haruo Ochi
  • Hiroto Uesako vs. Yusuke Yachi
  • Kanna Asakura vs. Jayme Hinshaw
  • Sergey Shemetov vs. Shoma Shibisai