Kleber Koike’s RIZIN debut made official as RIZIN 26 adds four more fights
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This New Year’s Eve, MMA fans will be treated to what looks to be yet another great RIZIN event. Thursday, the promotion announced four more bouts that will take place on this year’s RIZIN 26 spectacular. Thus giving it a current 12 in total.
We can expect at least one more batch of fights to be added after this one as the card is likely to be finalized with 15-18 overall. Currently, there are two title fights set to go down, and now there are two family members of fighters in each of those contests that have been booked for the event.
After just suffering his first career loss in RIZIN, Mikuru Asakura is back hoping to rebound. At RIZIN 25, he took on Yutaka Saito with the hope of walking away as the promotion’s first-ever featherweight champion. He is now set to welcome Satoshi Yamasu to the RIZIN ring after competing almost exclusively in Deep up until this point.
“Although I lost in November, NYE is something I don’t want to miss,” Asakura said via press release. “I’m not sure why I’m not getting the DEEP champion but I look to show the difference in skills and finish him early. My opponent says he’s a full-time company man but I can assure you I’m busier than him. My fight style has been a bit conservative so I look to get back into street fight mode.”
The wait is finally over for former KSW featherweight champion, Kleber Koike Erbst as he will make his RIZIN debut opposite Kyle Aguon. For about a full year, Koike has had his sights on RIZIN as he trains alongside lightweight standout, Roberto de Souza.
As for the returning Aguon, he’ll be competing for the first time since getting married to Miyuu Yamamoto who fights for the vacant super atomweight crown on that same night.
A bantamweight clash between Kazuma Kuramoto and Taiyo Nakahara was also added to RIZIN 26. And lastly, the first kickboxing bout was made official as Nadaka Yoshinari squares off with Phetmarai Phetjaroenvit at 112-pounds.
The full RIZIN 26 lineup as it currently stands can be seen below.
- Bantamweight – 135lbs: (C)Kai Asakura vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
- Super atomweight – 108lbs: (C) – Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Miyuu Yamamoto
- Super atomweight (no elbows allowed): Kanna Asakura vs. Ai Shimizu
- Bantamweight: Yuki Motoya vs. Naoki Inoue
- Catchweight – 149lbs: Ren Hiramoto vs. Kyohei Hagiwara
- Heavyweight – 207-265lbs (no elbows allowed): Sudario Tsuyoshi vs. Minowaman
- Bantamweight: Ulka Sasaki vs. Kenta Takizawa
- Bantamweight: Hideo Tokoro vs. Shinobu Ota
- Catchweight – 149lbs: Mikuru Asakura vs. Satoshi Yamasu
- Catchweight – 147lbs: Kleber Koike vs. Kyle Aguon
- Catchweight – 138lbs: Kazuma Kuramoto vs. Taiyo Nakahara
- Kickboxing: Catchweight – 110lbs: Nadaka Yoshinari vs. Phetmarai Phetjaroenvit
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