RENA will not compete beyond the quarter-final round of RIZIN’s Super Atomweight Grand Prix.
News of RENA’s departure from the bracket was first announced Tuesday when the promotion revealed grand prix bouts for their September 25th card, RIZIN 38, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
It was announced that RENA left the bracket due to a broken orbital bone injury. She will be replaced by Anastasiya Svetkivska, who she beat during the opening round of the bracket in late July.
Svetkivska has another tough challenge ahead of her, as she will meet undefeated RIZIN Super Atomweight Champion Seika Izawa in the semi-final fight.
Izawa has scored the sole finish of the tournament thus far, submitting Laura Fontoura with a front choke at RIZIN 37. The fight was Izawa’s third victory since joining RIZIN and was her first appearance since claiming the promotion’s 108-pound belt.
On the other side of the bracket, former titleholder Ayaka Hamasaki will meet Korean prospect Park Si-woo.
Park made a splash in the first round of the bracket, beating 2017 grand prix winner Kanna Asakura. The DEEP Jewels veteran had previously gained another big win in her RIZIN debut last year, prevailing on scorecards against RENA.
Hamasaki started her bracket run with a victory against former UFC talent Jessica Aguilar. The performance snapped a two-fight skid for Hamasaki, as she was coming off a pair of losses against now-champion Izawa.
Miura Announced For ‘Super RIZIN’
Along with RIZIN’s recent super atomweight announcements, the promotion revealed an additional bout for their “Super RIZIN” card.
Under MMA rules, Kota Miura will return to face Bunchuai Phonsungnoen.
While Miura only has one win as a pro, he carries a significant amount of popularity. Along with being the son of famous footballer Kazuyoshi Miura, the 20-year-old prospect has gained a large following on social media platforms. On Instagram, Miura currently boasts over 700,000 followers.
Miura won his MMA debut late last year, stopping YUSHI in the first round of a fight. His return to the ring has been in the works for a while now, with two recent bookings falling through.
Bunchai will be making his MMA debut. He has a background in boxing and has picked up four wins through seven appearances since 2018.
The “Super RIZIN” card is scheduled to take place earlier in the day before RIZIN 38, also in the Saitama Super Arena.
Updated Lineups
RIZIN 38
Bout 7: Hiromasa Ougikubo (25-5-2) vs. Kim Soo-chul (17-6-1) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Kyoji Horiguchi (29-5) vs. Kintaro (14-11-2) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 5: Kyohei Hagiwara (6-6) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (7-3) (145 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 4: Juri Ohara (31-17-3) vs. Luiz Gustavo (11-2) (156 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Shoma Shibisai (8-3) vs. Callyu Gibrainn (5-1) (264 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Bout 2: Ayaka Hamasaki (24-5) vs. Park Si-woo (8-4) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals)
Bout 1: Seika Izawa (7-0) vs. Anastasiya Svetkivska (2-1) (RIZIN Super Atomweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals)
Super RIZIN
Bout 3: Mikuru Asakura vs. Floyd Mayweather (Exhibition Boxing Bout)
Bout 2: Yoshinari Nadaka vs. So Trakunpet Bandasak (116 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 1: Kota Miura (1-0) vs. Bunchuai Phonsungnoen (0-0) (150 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Knockdown News 