Rizin Fighting Federation
Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Founded to be the spiritual successor of Pride FC,Hero's and Dream, Rizin carries much of the philosophy and ambition of its two predecessors: its events are promoted as larger-than-life events with elaborate opening ceremonies and fighter entrances, its matches are fought in a roped ring and it has a ruleset inherited from Pride and Dream. The organization also promotes "Grand Prix", single-elimination tournaments where fighters have to fight multiple opponents in the same night. Rizin is considered Japan's top MMA promotion. Besides MMA, Rizin events also occasionally contain other combat sport bouts, the promotion promoted kickboxing — with two "Grand Prix" tournaments in 2017 and 2021. — submission grappling, boxing and bare-knuckle boxing matches. The promotion's name is a combination of "Raijin", the Japanese god of lightning; the word "rising", meaning "to prosper and thrive"; and the letter, 'Z', meaning "ultimate".
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Predecessor | Pride Fighting Championships DREAM |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Nobuyuki Sakakibara |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nobuyuki Sakakibara |
| Parent | Dream Factory Worldwide |
| Website | rizin.tv |
Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara.[1][2]
Founded to be the spiritual successor of Pride FC,Hero's and Dream, Rizin carries much of the philosophy and ambition of its two predecessors: its events are promoted as larger-than-life events with elaborate opening ceremonies and fighter entrances, its matches are fought in a roped ring and it has a ruleset inherited from Pride and Dream. The organization also promotes "Grand Prix", single-elimination tournaments where fighters have to fight multiple opponents in the same night.[3][4] Rizin is considered Japan's top MMA promotion.[5]
Besides MMA, Rizin events also occasionally contain other combat sport bouts, the promotion promoted kickboxing — with two "Grand Prix" tournaments in 2017[6] and 2021.[7] — submission grappling, boxing[8] and bare-knuckle boxing matches.[9]
The promotion's name is a combination of "Raijin", the Japanese god of lightning; the word "rising", meaning "to prosper and thrive"; and the letter, 'Z', meaning "ultimate".[10]
History
[edit]Background and formation
[edit]In 1997, Pride Fighting Championships was founded in Japan, promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment. The organization quickly rose up to become the world's most popular MMA promotion and helped to popularize the sport in Japan and in the world. Pride differentiated itself from the UFC with its focus on spectacle and entertainment, as well a more permissive ruleset.[11] By 2007, a scandal alleging its ties to the yakuza caused a financial decline that led to the promotion folding. Dream Stage Entertainment was bought by Zuffa—UFC's holding company—which initially promised to keep the event running. However, Zuffa would lay off most of Pride's staff with several Pride fighters moving to the UFC.[11]
After Pride folded, most of DSE's former staff, fighters and executives joined Fighting and Entertainment Group, the promoters of K-1, to organize a successor, which became known as Dream.[12] However, FEG would have its own financial issues and went bankrupt in 2012. As a result, Dream became defunct.[13]
Three years after Dream folded, rumors began circulating that Pride and Dream founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara would return to the industry after an interview with Bellator MMA President Scott Coker was released.[14] On September 19, 2015, during Bellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1, it was announced that Sakakibara had signed former Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko to headline a New Year's Eve Show in Tokyo for his new MMA promotion.[15] Sakakibara held a press conference on October 8, 2015, with Nobuhiko Takada and other former Pride FC employees to formally announce the launch of "Rizin Fighting Federation".[16] Initial signees included Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, as well as female competitors Gabi Garcia and Rena Kubota.[17]
A Grand Prix tournament was announced (held at 100 kg or roughly 220 lbs), with champions and competitors from Bellator, KSW, Jungle Fight,[18] BAMMA, and King of Kings. Most notably, King Mo was announced to represent Bellator in the tournament.[19] The 8-man bracket was officially finalized on November 30, 2015, with other bouts also being announced shortly thereafter.[20][21][22][23] Kron Gracie (whose father Rickson competed at the inaugural PRIDE event) was announced to participate against Asen Yamamoto.[24] Amongst the veterans in the Japanese scene, Tsuyoshi Kosaka would face James Thompson,[25] and Akebono Tarō would face Bob Sapp.[26]
Initial plans were to do at least four events per year, as opposed to the more frequent scheduling of other promotions, in order to build up the excitement and anticipation.[27] Rizin's presentation is modeled after major sporting events, such as the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup.[28]
2018–present
[edit]In 2018, it was announced that the main event for the traditional New Year's Eve card (Rizin 14) was going to be a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and undefeated Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.[29] The match ended up with Nasukawa knocked out two minutes into the first round.[30]
Rizin Trigger 1st, on November 11, 2021, would be Rizin's first event in which matches would take place inside a cage, instead of the traditional roped ring.[31]
In Summer 2022, Sakakibara would produce the Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Takeru PPV broadcast (known as "THE MATCH 2022"), with the broadcast using Rizin's on-air graphics and visual presentation.[32] Mayweather would return to Rizin that September to co-promote (via The Money Team) and headline the inaugural Super Rizin card.[33][34]
On December 31, 2022, as the traditional New Year's Eve event, Rizin hosted a crossover Bellator vs Rizin card with Bellator MMA as part of Rizin 40.[35] The card saw fighters from each promotion fight each other.[36] The card saw Bellator MMA fighters Gadzhi Rabadanov, former champions A.J. McKee, Juan Archuleta and Kyoji Horiguchi, and current champion Patricio Freire, fighting against Rizin representatives Koji Takeda, Soo Chul Kim, Hiromasa Ougikubo and champions Kleber Koike Erbst and Roberto de Souza. All five Bellator representatives would win their matches in a clean sweep.[37] During the event, former boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao made a public announcement that he had signed with Rizin for a boxing exhibition match against a yet-unannounced opponent.[38]
During the Super Rizin 2 card on July 30, 2023, the promotion announced their first international event, Rizin Landmark 7, to take place in Azerbaijan on November 4.[39] It will also be the first major MMA event to take place in the country.[40]
In June 2024, Rizin announced a partnership with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), which both companies would allow talent fight in each other's organizations in bareknuckle bouts. At Super Rizin 3 on July 28, 2024, Charisa Sigal, Tai Emery, Takaki Soya, and John Dodson all fought in bare-knucking bouts on the undercard.[41][9]
Broadcasting and coverage
[edit]Rizin's inaugural event was broadcast in North America on Spike TV.[42] Other broadcasters have included SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, Fuji Television, Fox Sports Brazil, Kix and Match TV.[43] From 2017 to 2020, Rizin events have been streaming on FITE TV in North America and Europe.[44] Rizin 26 to Rizin 37 would stream on LIVENow in Europe and North America.[45]
In 2022, due to several controversies, Rizin would be dropped by Fuji by May of that year.[46][47] Rizin would since begin broadcasting on events via PPV on their streaming service, RIZIN STREAM PASS, and various other streaming platforms in Japan.[48]
Starting with Super Rizin & Rizin 38 in 2022,[49][50] Integrated Sports would produce English-language PPVs of Rizin events for FITE.[51]
In February 2024, Rizin announced the launch of a new international service, RIZIN.tv. From March, the service will be subscription-based, and will include past events.[52]
Weight classes
[edit]| Weight class name | Upper limit | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Atomweight | 47 kg (103.6 lb) | Female |
| Super Atomweight | 49 kg (108.0 lb) | Female |
| Light Flyweight | 53 kg (116.8 lb) | Female |
| Flyweight | 57 kg (125.7 lb) | Male |
| Bantamweight | 61 kg (134.5 lb) | Male |
| Featherweight | 66 kg (145.5 lb) | Male |
| Lightweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Male |
| Welterweight | 77 kg (169.8 lb) | Male |
| Middleweight | 85 kg (187.4 lb) | Male |
| Light Heavyweight | 93 kg (205.0 lb) | Male |
| Heavyweight | 120 kg (264.6 lb) | Male |
| Openweight | No weight restriction | Male / Female |
Rules
[edit]Mixed martial arts
[edit]The rules in Rizin FF have been adopted from Pride FC with some slight modifications over the years. Matches are three rounds in length. Prior to May 2018, the first round of men's matches spanned 10 minutes, while the final two rounds lasted five minutes each. Since then matches have been three rounds of five minutes each. Victory can be attained by knockout, submission, technical knockout by referee stoppage, or by judges' decision.
All strikes, throws and chokes are permitted, with the exception of headbutts and strikes to the back of the head, medulla oblongata, spinal cord or genitals.[53] Soccer kicks, knees and stomps to grounded opponents are also permitted. However, if there is a weight discrepancy of 15 kg (33 lb) or more, the lighter fighter is allowed to choose if such ground attacks are permitted.[53] Unlike Pride, Rizin allows the use of elbow strikes, including the 12–6 elbow.[54]
Judging criteria
[edit]Fights are judged on the following criteria:[53]
- Damage: when assessing damage, both striking and grappling are given the same weight. The judges will place value on the extent to which the effective striking or grappling 'influences the match' - in other words, whether there was such damage/advantage to the fighter which would have led to the fight being ended by the opponent tapping out or being knocked out.
- Aggressiveness: the judges will consider which fighter was more effective in delivering attacks which may end the fight in a finish. Note this element does not take into consideration the actual impact of damage caused by the fighter's strikes, throws or submission. Rather, the judges will place value on whether fighters were aggressive and proactive in their approach during the fight.
- Generalship: the judges will consider which fighter was more effective in dominating the pace, place and position of the fight. Judges will also consider the amount of time spent in a ground position or the standing position.
Although not outlined in the Rizin rules, scorecards published on the JMOC website suggest that damage, aggressiveness and generalship are scored 50, 30 and 20 points respectively. Where the fighter has not fulfilled the element, they are given a score of zero - there are no in-betweens.[54]
Kickboxing
[edit]Rizin kickboxing matches are three rounds of three minutes each. Victory can be attained by knockout, technical knockout by referee stoppage, or by judges' decision. If the match goes the distance, a 10-point system is used to judge.[53] Three knockdowns in a single round will result in a technical knockout.[53] All forms of elbow strikes are illegal.[53]
List of Rizin FF events
[edit]Current champions
[edit]| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight |  Vacant
|
- | – |
| Lightweight |  Ilkhom Nozimov
|
Dec 31, 2025 | 0 |
| Featherweight |  Razhabali Shaydullaev
|
May 4, 2025 | 2 |
| Bantamweight |  Danny Sabatello
|
Dec 31, 2025 | 0 |
| Flyweight |  Hiromasa Ougikubo
|
Dec 31, 2025 | 0 |
| Women's Super Atomweight | Seika Izawa
|
Apr 17, 2022 | 3 |
Championship history
[edit]Light Heavyweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 93 kg (205.0 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jiří Procházka def. Muhammed Lawal |
Rizin 15 Yokohama, Japan |
Apr 21, 2019 | 269 days |
1. def. C. B. Dollaway at Rizin 20 on Dec 31, 2019 |
| Procházka vacated the title on January 15, 2020 after he signed with UFC.[58] | |||||
Lightweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 71 kg (156.5 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Roberto de Souza def. Tofiq Musayev |
Rizin 28 Tokyo, Japan |
Jun 13, 2021 | 1,162 days |
1. def. Yusuke Yachi at Rizin 33 on Dec 31, 2021 |
| 2 | Ilkhom Nozimov
|
Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2025 | 104 days (incumbent) |
Featherweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 66 kg (145.5 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yutaka Saito def. Mikuru Asakura |
Rizin 25 Osaka, Japan |
Nov 21, 2020 | 337 days | |
| 2 | Juntaro Ushiku
|
Rizin 31 Yokohama, Japan |
Oct 24, 2021 | 364 days |
1. def. Yutaka Saito at Rizin 35 on Apr 17, 2022 |
| 3 | Kleber Koike Erbst
|
Rizin 39 Fukuoka, Japan |
Oct 23, 2022 | 243 days | |
| Koike was stripped of the title on June 23, 2023 after failing to make weight for his title defense against Chihiro Suzuki at Rizin 43.[59] | |||||
| 4 |  Vugar Karamov def. Mikuru Asakura |
Super Rizin 2 Saitama, Japan |
Jul 30, 2023 | 97 days | |
| 5 | Chihiro Suzuki
|
Rizin Landmark 7 Baku, Azerbaijan |
Nov 4, 2023 | 423 days |
1. def. Masanori Kanehara at Rizin 46 on Apr 29, 2024 |
| 6 | Kleber Koike Erbst (2)
|
Rizin 49 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2024 | 124 days (367 days) |
|
| 7 | Razhabali Shaydullaev
|
Rizin: Otoko Matsuri Tokyo, Japan |
May 4, 2025 | 345 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Viktor Kolesnik at Rizin 51 on Sep 28, 2025 |
Bantamweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 61 kg (134.5 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyoji Horiguchi def. Darrion Caldwell |
Rizin 14 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2018 | 318 days | |
| Horiguchi vacated the title on November 14, 2019 after he was unable to defend the title due to injury.[60] | |||||
| 2 |  Manel Kape def. Kai Asakura |
Rizin 20 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2019 | 92 days | |
| Kape vacated the title on April 1, 2020 after he signed with the UFC.[61] | |||||
| 3 | Kai Asakura def. Hiromasa Ougikubo |
Rizin 23 Yokohama, Japan |
Aug 10, 2020 | 143 days | |
| 4 | Kyoji Horiguchi (2)
|
Rizin 26 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2020 | 730 days (1,048 days) |
|
| Horiguchi vacated the title on December 31, 2022 after he moved down to Flyweight. | |||||
| 5 | Juan Archuleta def. Hiromasa Ougikubo |
Super Rizin 2 Saitama, Japan |
Jul 30, 2023 | 154 days | |
| Archuleta was stripped of the title on December 31, 2023 after failing to make weight for his title defense against Kai Asakura at Rizin 45.[62] | |||||
| 6 | Kai Asakura (2) def. Juan Archuleta |
Rizin 45 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2023 | 161 days (304 days) |
|
| Asakura vacated the title on June 9, 2024, when he signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[63] | |||||
| 7 | Naoki Inoue def. Kim Soo-chul |
Rizin 48 Saitama, Japan |
Sep 29, 2024 | 458 days |
1. def. Yuki Motoya at Rizin 50 on Mar 30, 2025 |
| 8 | Danny Sabatello
|
Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2025 | 104 days (incumbent) |
1. def. Joji Goto at Rizin Landmark 13 on Apr 11, 2026 |
Flyweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 57 kg (125.7 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyoji Horiguchi def. Makoto Takahashi |
Rizin 45 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2023 | 455 days |
1. def. Nkazimulo Zulu at Rizin 49 on Dec 31, 2024 |
| Horiguchi vacated the title on March 30, 2025, when he re-signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[64] | |||||
| 2 | Hiromasa Ougikubo def. Yuki Motoya |
Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2025 | 104 days (incumbent) |
|
Women's Super Atomweight Championship
[edit]- Weight limit: 49 kg (108.0 lb)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) |
Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayaka Hamasaki def. Kanna Asakura |
Rizin 14 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2018 | 365 days |
1. def. Jinh Yu Frey at Rizin 16 on Jun 2, 2019 |
| 2 |  Ham Seo-hee
|
Rizin 20 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2019 | 290 days | |
| Ham vacated her title on October 16, 2020 after being unable to agree on her next fight with the organization and signed with ONE Championship.[65] | |||||
| 3 | Ayaka Hamasaki (2) def. Miyuu Yamamoto |
Rizin 26 Saitama, Japan |
Dec 31, 2020 | 1,930 days (1,957 days) |
1. def. Kanna Asakura at Rizin 27 on Mar 21, 2021 |
| 4 | Seika Izawa
|
Rizin 35 Chōfu, Japan |
Apr 17, 2022 | 1,456 days |
1. def. Claire Lopez at Super Rizin 2 on Jul 30, 2023 |
| Izawa vacated the title on April 12, 2026, after announces during Rizin Landmark 13 as she is pregnant.[66] | |||||
Grand-Prix Champions
[edit]Mixed martial arts
[edit]| Event | Date | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza | Dec 31, 2015 | 100 kg | Muhammed Lawal
|
Jiří Procházka
|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round | Dec 31, 2016 | Openweight |  Mirko Cro Cop
|
 Amir Aliakbari
|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round | Dec 31, 2017 | Bantamweight | Kyoji Horiguchi
|
Shintaro Ishiwatari
|
| Women's Super Atomweight | Kanna Asakura
|
Rena Kubota
| ||
| Rizin 20 | Dec 31, 2019 | Lightweight | Tofiq Musayev
|
Patricky Pitbull
|
| Rizin 33 | Dec 31, 2021 | Japan Bantamweight | Hiromasa Ougikubo
|
Kai Asakura
|
| Rizin 40 | Dec 31, 2022 | Women's Super Atomweight | Seika Izawa
|
Park Si-woo
|
| Rizin 51 | Sep 28, 2025 | Heavyweight |  Alexander Soldatkin
|
 Marek Samociuk
|
Kickboxing
[edit]| Event | Date | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round | Dec 31, 2017 | Flyweight | Tenshin Nasukawa
|
Yamato Fujita
|
| Rizin 29 | Jun 27, 2021 | Bantamweight | Taiju Shiratori
|
Kouzi
|
Records
[edit]Most wins in title bouts
[edit]| Title wins | Champion | Division | W | D | NC | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Roberto de Souza
|
Lightweight | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Ayaka Hamasaki
|
Super Atomweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kyoji Horiguchi
|
Bantamweight Flyweight |
2 2 |
0 0 |
0 0 |
0 0 | |
| Seika Izawa
|
Super Atomweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Naoki Inoue
|
Bantamweight | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Razhabali Shaydullaev
|
Featherweight | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Kai Asakura
|
Bantamweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Juntaro Ushiku
|
Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Chihiro Suzuki
|
Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Kleber Koike Erbst
|
Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Most consecutive title defenses
[edit]| Defenses | Champion | Division | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Roberto de Souza
|
Lightweight | June 13, 2021 – December 31, 2025 |
| 3 | Seika Izawa
|
Women's Super Atomweight | April 17, 2022 – present |
| 2 | Naoki Inoue
|
Bantamweight | Sep 29, 2024 – December 31, 2025 |
| Razhabali Shaydullaev
|
Featherweight | May 4, 2025 – present | |
| 1 | Ayaka Hamasaki
|
Women's Super Atomweight | December 31, 2018 – December 31, 2019 |
| Jiří Procházka
|
Light Heavyweight | April 21, 2019 – January 15, 2020 | |
| Ayaka Hamasaki
|
Women's Super Atomweight | December 31, 2020 – April 17, 2022 | |
| Juntaro Ushiku
|
Featherweight | October 24, 2021 – October 23, 2022 | |
| Chihiro Suzuki
|
Featherweight | Nov 4, 2023 – Dec 31, 2024 | |
| Kyoji Horiguchi
|
Flyweight | Dec 31, 2023 – Mar 30, 2025 |
Multi-division champions
[edit]| Interim title |
| No. | Champion | Division | Won | Lost | Defenses | Reign | Total Reign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyoji Horiguchi
|
Bantamweight | Dec 31, 2018 (Rizin 14) |
Nov 14, 2019 (vacated) |
0 | 318 days | 1883 days |
| Dec 31, 2020 (Rizin 26) |
Dec 31, 2022 (vacated) |
0 | 730 days | ||||
| Flyweight | Dec 31, 2023 (Rizin 45) |
Mar 30, 2025 (vacated) |
1 | 455 days |
Champions by nationality
[edit]The division champions include only linear and true champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions. Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will also be counted once. Runners-up are not included in tournaments champions.
| Country | Division champions |
Interim champions |
Tournaments champions |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan
|
9 | - | 4 | 13 |
 United States
|
2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| Brazil
|
2 | - | - | 2 |
| Azerbaijan
|
1 | - | 1 | 2 |
| Czech Republic
|
1 | - | - | 1 |
| Portugal
|
1 | - | - | 1 |
| South Korea
|
1 | - | - | 1 |
| Kyrgyzstan
|
1 | - | - | 1 |
| Uzbekistan
|
1 | - | - | 1 |
| Croatia
|
- | - | 1 | 1 |
| Germany
|
- | - | 1 | 1 |
Notable fighters
[edit]- Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- Goran Reljić
- Mirko Filipović
- Danny Sabatello
- Jarred Brooks
- Bob Sapp
- Muhammed Lawal
- Tenshin Nasukawa
- Kyoji Horiguchi
- Kai Asakura
- Mikuru Asakura
- Shintaro Ishiwatari
- Naoki Inoue
- Hiromasa Ougikubo
- Takafumi Otsuka
- Ulka Sasaki
- Shoji
- Justin Scoggins
- Ben Nguyen
- Diego Brandao
- Gabi Garcia
Jairzinho Rozenstruik- Daron Cruickshank
- Ren Hiramoto
- Amir Aliakbari
Fedor Emelianenko- Vadim Nemkov
- Jiří Procházka
- Tatsuya Kawajiri
- Satoru Kitaoka
- Takasuke Kume
- Daron Cruickshank
- Takanori Gomi
- Gota Yamashita
- K-Taro Nakamura
- C.B. Dollaway
- Sudario Tsuyoshi
- Chihiro Suzuki (fighter)
- Roberto de Souza
- Kyoma Akimoto
- Kyohei Hagiwara
Affiliated organizations
[edit]Rizin FF is affiliated with the following organizations:[67]
- Bellator MMA
- Invicta FC
- Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
- Fight Nights Global
- Jungle Fight
- Deep
- Shooto
- VTJ
Full Metal Dojo- K-1
- Shoot boxing
- Road FC
- KSW
Lithuania Bushido Federation- Gladiator Championship Fighting
- Russian MMA Union
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Nobuyuki Sakakibara discusses Rizin FF plans for 2016, Fedor Emelianenko's opponent, drug testing and more". MMA Fighting. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ "Former Pride FC boss: Fedor's opponent will mean something for future of MMA". Bloody Elbow. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
- ^ "'New PRIDE' to be called Rizin Fighting Federation » MixedMartialArts.com". Mma Underground. 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ Rondina, Steven. "Pride Never Die: Rizin FF Instantly Becomes Compelling UFC Alternative". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ Zivanovic, Tomislav (2020-11-11). "Best MMA Promotions Outside the UFC (Top 7)". Martial Arts Unleashed. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ "RIZIN Fighting World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round | MMA & Kickboxing Event". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ Bowker, Dylan (2021-05-03). "Rizin 29 Kickboxing Tournament: all participants announced". MyMMANews. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ "Rizin 14: Mayweather Vs Nasukawa 2018 - December Events in Saitama". JapanTravel. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ a b Staff, MMA Fighting (2024-06-05). "BKFC partners with RIZIN on co-promoted events, talent exchange, expansion into Japan". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
- ^ "Concept". rizinff.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
- ^ a b Snowden, Jonathan. "Sex, Drugs, Gangsters and MMA: Remembering Pride, UFC's Wild Predecessor". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
- ^ "K-1's new Dream includes Cro Cop". Mma Weekly. February 13, 2008. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
- ^ FEG's bankruptcy Archived 2012-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, May 17, 2012, Muay Thai TV
- ^ "Scott Coker: Former PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara planning MMA return in 2015". mmafighting.com. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ Fedor Emelianenko Returns To MMA On New Year's Eve
- ^ "RIZIN Japan - What We Can Expect From The Newcomer". Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
- ^ "Long after his prime, Kazushi Sakuraba is in the position to save Japanese MMA". mmafighting.com. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "Newly crowned Jungle Fight champion enters Rizin FF heavyweight tournament". mmafighting.com. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "'King Mo' to represent Bellator in Rizin light heavyweight grand prix". mmafighting.com. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "Rizin announces heavyweight tournament bracket". mmafighting.com. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal lands opponent at RIZIN FF". mmafighting.com. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "Bellator fighter Brennan Ward, additional mixed-rules fight announced for Rizin debut". mmafighting.com. 10 December 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
- ^ "Jerome LeBanner returns to MMA at Rizin". mmafighting.com. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
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- ^ "Fedor Emelianenko still without an opponent, Tsuyoshi Kosaka to face James Thompson at Rizin". mmafighting.com. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
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