RIZIN’s “LANDMARK” series will return this Sunday for a busy 14-fight card from the Dolphins Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Kickboxer Ren Hiramoto will look for the biggest win of his MMA career in the main event of the night, taking on former DEEP Impact Champion Satoshi Yamasu.
Follow along throughout the day for live coverage of the event.
A full preview of the card can be read here.
Quick Results
Main Card (1:00AM EDT / 2:00PM JST) (FITE / RIZIN Live)
Bout 1: Shuto Sato def. KAZUNORI via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (Kickboxing Bout)
Bout 2: Kenta Kubo def. Hideyoshi Okamoto via TKO, Strikes (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 3: Junya Hibino def. Riku Yoshida via TKO, Strikes (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 4: Yuta Kubo def. Keisuke Okuda via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 5: Yang Ji-yong def. Uoi Fullswing via TKO, Strikes (RD 2) (MMA Bout)
Bout 6: Alan Yamaniha def. Yasuhiro Kawamura via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 7: Jin Aoi def. Hiroaki Suzuki via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 8: Yusaku Nakamura def. Takaki Soya via Decision, Split (MMA Bout)
Bout 9: SARAMI def. Laura Fontoura via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 10: Callyu Gibrainn def. Satoshi Kamiyama via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 11: Samurai Mark Hunt def. Minowaman Z via TKO, Strikes (RD 1) (MMA Bout)
Bout 12: Yuki Motoya def. Kazuma Kuramoto via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 13: Chihiro Suzuki def. Masakazu Imanari via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Bout 14: Ren Hiramoto def. Satoshi Yamasu via Decision, Unanimous (MMA Bout)
Live Coverage
Bout 14: Satoshi Yamasu (13-6) vs. Ren Hiramoto (1-2) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Hiramoto Scores Upset Win Over Yamasu In Impressive Showing
Ren Hiramoto earned the biggest win of his short MMA career on Sunday night, putting together a solid performance against Satoshi Yamasu to win a unanimous decision.
Hiramoto, a former K-1 Japan kickboxer, showed his already established striking skills, while also shutting down takedown attempts from Yamasu and escaping positions on the ground.
Hiramoto started the fight hot, dropping Yamasu numerous times with punches during the opening round. Yamasu attempted in to take the fight to the ground with leg submissions later on, but Hiramoto was diligently avoiding engagement in these positions.
Hiramoto hurt Yamasu much later in the fight as well, dropping him three times in the final round. The toughness of Yamasu was on display at this point, battling past the knockdowns and remaining in the fight until the clock expired.
Hiramoto has continued to turn around his MMA career after a rough start in earlier years.
Hiramoto earned his first MMA victory earlier this year, overcoming Hiroaki Suzuki in a split decision result at RIZIN 36. Sunday’s result made his pro record even for the first time since he debuted in 2020 – he now has two wins and two losses.
Yamasu, a former DEEP Impact Featherweight Champion, had a two-fight winning streak in RIZIN heading into this weekend.
Bout 13: Masakazu Imanari (39-21-2) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (8-3) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Suzuki Kicks His Way To A Win Over Imanari
Featherweight Chihiro Suzuki overcame the unique and legendary Masakazu Imanari, using his striking to take the scorecard nod after three rounds.
Suzuki mostly evaded the dangers of Imanari’s unorthodox fighting style, dodging many takedowns and refusing to meet him on the ground. Suzuki was active with kicks throughout the fight, landing to the legs of Imanari while he was grounded and in stand-up positions. The high volume of these strikes was likely what earned him the victory in the end.
Suzuki nearly became a victim to one of Imanari’s submissions in the second round. A grounded Imanari caught a leg of Suzuki after a soccer kick attempt, and used this position to attempt a heel hook. Suzuki was able to keep himself out of severe trouble in his position until the round ran out of time.
Imanari is a submission specialist that has put away numerous opponents with the heel hook submission. Many know him for the “Imanari Roll,” which sees a fighter roll head first in an attempt to grab an opponent’s leg. Imanari attempted this roll during the fight, although he was never successful with the action.
Imanari was returning to RIZIN after losing on a recent DEEP Impact card and competing in a grappling bout over at ONE Championship. His previous RIZIN fight was a armbar submission against Takeshi Kasugai in October 2021.
Suzuki was a short-notice opponent for Imanari, stepping in to replace Kazumasa Majima.
Sunday’s co-main event was Suzuki’s fourth consecutive RIZIN win. He appeared on RIZIN 38 just two months prior, submitting Kyohei Hagiwara in that outing.
Bout 12: Yuki Motoya (31-10) vs. Kazuma Kuramoto (10-2) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Motoya Wins Tough Battle Against Kuramoto
Veteran Yuki Motoya walked away with a decision victory over Kazuma Kuramoto after a three-round brawl as part of Sunday’s card.
Motoya had the much more accurate striking during the fast-paced bout, putting together combinations of shots and coming close to finishing the fight in many instances.
Motoya’s best moment in the fight arguably came late, connecting with a series of clean hooks to the head of Kuramoto during the third round. Kuramoto attempted to answer back with a flurry of his own, but the head movement of Motoya prevented him from consuming as much damage.
Motoya has now put together four consecutive victories in RIZIN. Earlier this year he beat Bonsai Jiu-Jitsu Gym talent Alan Yamaniha and defeated Shinobu Ota on scorecards.
Kuramoto entered this fight after scoring two wins earlier this year, defeating Kenji Kato and Uoi Fullswing.
Bout 11: Minowaman Z (65-44-8) vs. Samurai Mark Hunt (16-12) (265 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Samurai Mark Hunt Stops Legend Minowaman Early
Kiyoshi Kuwabara, also known as Samurai Mark Hunt, beat legendary heavyweight Minowaman Z within a round in his return.
The fight went to the ground in the first minute after a grazing punch dropped Minowaman Z. Samurai Mark Hunt kept Minowaman Z on the ground for numerous minutes after, landing punches while in controlling positions. The referee stepped in to stop the fight with just over half of the round to go due to the high volume of strikes that landed.
This fight was the first time that Minowaman made an appearance in MMA since adding the “Z” to his alias. He is a veteran of multiple decades in the sport, with numerous appearances in Pride FC and Pancrase.
The 46-year-old’s previous fight was in late 2020, when he suffered a finish loss against Tsuyoshi Sudario.
Samurai Mark Hunt was making his return to competition after numerous years outside of the cage. His prior appearance was a 2018 loss to Roque Martinez at RIZIN 12.
Bout 10: Callyu Gibrainn (5-2) vs. Satoshi Kamiyama (0-1) (265 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Gibrainn Keeps Kamiyama Winless In MMA
Former sumo wrestler Satoshi Kamiyama remained winless in MMA this weekend, getting finished within a round by Callyu Gibrainn.
Gibrainn stopped the fight late in the first round, landing ground and pound shots that were not blocked by Kamiyama. This position came after minutes of Gibrainn succeeding on the feet, pressing forward and connecting with punches against Kamiyama.
Kamiyama, also known as “Takakenshin,” has been finished in both of his MMA fights. He lost his debut in April, getting beat by veteran Hideki Sekine.
Gibrainn now has his first RIZIN victory. He lost his promotional debut two months back, getting submitted within a round by Shoma Shibisai. Before then he had a streak of two wins in both MMA and kickboxing.
Bout 9: SARAMI (16-13) vs. Laura Fontoura (7-1) (108 lbs) (MMA Bout)
SARAMI Prevails Over Fontoura For First RIZIN Win
Shooto Japan Atomweight Champion SARAMI picked up her first RIZIN win this weekend, beating Laura Fontoura in a unanimous decision result.
SARAMI won the fight after a low-output fight that primarily was on the feet.
The bout saw the fighters keep a significant distance from each other on the feet, dipping in for quick exchanges of strikes. SARAMI was always marching forward with shots and proved to be the more aggressive striker in these exchanges.
SARAMI was able to end her fight on a high note, taking Fontoura down in the final minutes and using the position to land a series of ground and pound punches.
A cut on SARAMI’s face near her right eyebrow caused concern during the bout. The cut, which opened early due to a clash of heads between the fighters, caused the fight to get paused twice.
SARAMI was making her second appearance in RIZIN. She lost her promotional debut earlier this year, dropping a decision to Kanna Asakura.
Fontoura was on the hunt for her first RIZIN win. She made her debut in the promotion’s super atomweight tournament earlier this year, losing to divisional champ Seika Izawa.
Bout 8: Yusaku Nakamura (16-9-1) vs. Takaki Soya (12-4-1) (126 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Nakamura Ends Soya’s Winning Streak In Split Decision
Yusaku Nakamura stopped the momentum of flyweight Takaki Soya on Sunday night, edging out a split decision result after three rounds.
Most of the fight saw Nakamura out-strike Soya in stand-up positions. Nakamura was the more efficient striker despite being on his back foot for most of the fight, often countering punches from Soya to win exchanges.
Soya earned a dominant position over Nakamura in the final round, although Nakamura made the best of the position by scoring with numerous elbows to the head. In the end, it was Nakamura that got the best out of that exchange.
Sunday was Nakamura’s first RIZIN victory since 2019. He snapped a three-fight losing streak in this appearance, and was competing for the first time in over a year.
Nakamura called for a RIZIN flyweight grand prix after his victory.
Soya entered the card with an undefeated RIZIN record of three wins, with all of those bouts coming via finish. He notably returned from an absence in April, beating Nobuyoshi Nakatsukasa.
Bout 7: Jin Aoi (9-5-1) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (2-2) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Aoi Proves To Be Efficient On The Ground, Overcomes Suzuki
Jin Aoi picked up a win in his return to RIZIN, defeating Hiroaki Suzuki on scorecards.
The win for Aoi came from his ability to control the fight on the ground, taking Suzuki down and landing shots from dominant positions.
Suzuki showed solid striking early in the fight, scoring clean with a few punches on the feet.
Aoi landed takedowns to stop Aoi’s momentum early on. He was able to take control of most of the fight with these successful takedowns, going from something that stopped successful moments for Suzuki, to an action that gave Aoi and advantage and lead in the battle.
Aoi’s best round was his last, as he earned a takedown early and controlled the majority of the frame on top. Suzuki did damage despite being on his back in this frame, causing Aoi’s nose to bleed heavily due to a knee. The fight was briefly paused late in the contest so that bleeding from Aoi’s nose could be slowed down.
Aoi was making his first RIZIN appearance since June 2021. He fought twice in DEEP Impact earlier this year, winning and losing a fight each.
Suzuki suffered a loss earlier this year as well, becoming the first person to lose an MMA fight to Ren Hiramoto.
Bout 6: Alan Yamaniha (19-10-4) vs. Yasuhiro Kawamura (13-7-1) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Yamaniha Beats Fighting NEXUS Champion Kawamura
Alan Yamaniha returned to the win column on Sunday night, defeating Fighting NEXUS Bantamweight Champion Yasuhiro Kawamura via unanimous decision.
Yamaniha spent a large portion of the fight in dominant positions on the ground, frequently searching for submissions and forcing Kawamura to remain on defence.
Kawamura’s best moment came on the feet during the first round, as he was able to rock Yamaniha briefly with a combination of punches in the second half of the frame. The fight was somewhat close in the first round after this moment, although the ground work in the following rounds from Yamaniha gave him a comfortable lead by the end.
Yamaniha’s RIZIN record is now three wins and two losses. His previous fight came in April, when veteran Yuki Motoya beat him on scorecards.
Kawamura defended his Fighting NEXUS belt in his previous appearance, handing Takuma Sudo his first pro loss in August via submission.
Bout 5: Uoi Fullswing (23-12-5) vs. Yang Ji-yong (5-0) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Yang Stops Fullswing For Second RIZIN Victory
Undefeated Korean prospect Yang Ji-yong scored a brutal stoppage win on Sunday night, flooring Uoi Fullswing in the second round for a finish victory.
Yang dropped Fullswing with a clean left cross during an exchange in the second frame. He then landed a couple of ground and pound shots while the referee rushed in to stop the fight.
Yang was the more active fighter in earlier minutes, constantly advancing on Fullswing with strikes. Fullswing was able to land a few of his trademark overhand punches early in the contest, but struggled apart from that.
Yang has now picked up two wins in the RIZIN cage. He was originally scheduled to headline RIZIN 36 in July against former bantamweight champion Kai Asakura. However, after Asakura was pulled from the card, he faced veteran Shoji instead.
Yang earned a submission win against Shoji earlier this year.
He called for a fight on RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve card afterward.
Sunday’s result continued recent troubles for Yang recently. He has now only won one of his last eight bouts, with five of those bouts taking place in RIZIN.
Bout 4: Keisuke Okuda (0-4) vs. Yuta Kubo (0-1) (146 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Former K-1 Japan Kickboxer Kubo Earns First MMA Win
Yuta Kubo earned his first MMA victory on Sunday night, stopping Keisuke Okuda in the first round with ground and pound shots.
Kubo finished the fight from full mount on the ground, which he earned after being in a clinch position on the feet. From this position he landed unanswered elbows and punches for numerous minutes, eventually scoring enough for the referee to make the call to end the fight.
Kubo, a former K-1 Japan kickboxing champion, lost his pro MMA debut in 2021 against former Greco-Roman wrestling Olympian Shinobu Ota. He appeared in an exhibition bout against Youtube Shibatar in December 2021, in a fight that became controversial afterward due to rumors that the outcome of the bout was orchestrated between the two fighters.
Okuda is best known for his career in pro wrestling. He competed in RIZIN twice before, losing via finish in both instances. He is now winless in MMA through five appearances.
Bout 3: Junya Hibino (4-2) vs. Riku Yoshida (5-0) (134 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Hibino Ends Yoshida’s Undefeated Run
Junya Hibino handed Riku Yoshida his first pro loss in the final prelim, putting him away in the second round with ground and pound shots.
Hibino used a series of ground and pound punches in the second round to force a stoppage. This finish came after a fight where he was able to use his ground control to keep Yoshida on the canvas, and allowed him to land strikes throughout the fight.
Hibino was coming off a first-round finish win from an appearance in DEEP two months ago.
Yoshida had attained his five previous victories in regional promotion DEEP before making his debut in November 2020.
Bout 2: Kenta Kubo (6-2) vs. Hideyoshi Okamoto (3-2) (126 lbs) (MMA Bout)
Kubo Finishes Okamoto To End Fast Contest
Kenta Kubo scored a win over Hideyoshi Okamoto in a fast-paced MMA bout, finishing him late in the second round to close out a competitive battle.
Kubo got Okamoto to the ground in the second frame with a combination of knees to the head in a clinch position. He then unloaded with a series of strikes, including a soccer kick, that caused the referee to step in and end the fight.
The bout was close prior to the finish, with the flyweights having a high output and both connecting with clean shots.
Kubo has now earned three wins in 2022. His last loss was against a notable name, dropping a bout to undefeated prospect Rei Tsuruya in 2021.
Okamoto has now lost two consecutive fights, with his previous defeat coming against Kenjiro Taira.
Bout 1: Shuto Sato vs. KAZUNORI (117 lbs) (Kickboxing Bout)
In Fifth RIZIN Appearance, Sato Gets On The Board
Shuto Sato opened the night with a quick victory, stopping KAZUNORI in the first minute of a kickboxing bout with a head kick.
The Shoot Boxing veteran dropped KAZUNORI clean with a head kick in the first minute. KAZUNORI was given a count by the referee after he was downed, but was not able to return to his feet in time for the fight to continue.
The fight earned Sato his first RIZIN win. He has appeared in the promotion four times in the past, earning two losses, one draw and one no contest. He entered this card after taking two losses in Shoot Boxing recently.
KAZUNORI had earned a win and a loss in DEEP KICK earlier this year.
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