RIZIN 20 final fights revealed, CB Dolloway returns for title fight

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RIZIN 20 has been finalized! And with the addition of two more title fights, we’re getting the promotional debut of longtime UFC veteran CB Dolloway.

Early Tuesday the addition of the rematch between Lindsey VanZandt and Rena Kubota was announced for RIZIN 20 on New Year’s Eve. To close the night out, the promotion announced the rest of the bouts that will be taking place on the big year-end card of 2019.

Most surprisingly is the light heavyweight title fight which features reigning champion Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) looking to defend his crown. Standing across from him in the ring will be none other than The Ultimate Fighter season 7 finalist CB Dolloway (17-9).

For Dolloway, this will be his RIZIN debut and first fight outside of the UFC since October 2007. Dolloway went 11-9 during his time inside the Octagon. His last fight took place at UFC Moscow in September 2018 when he was TKO’d in the second round by Khalid Murtazaliev. The loss snapped his two-fight winning streak.

The other of the two title fights added is for the now vacant bantamweight title as Kai Asakura (14-1) and Manel Kape (14-4) will lock horns for the second time. This fight was originally going to be the highly anticipated rematch between Asakura and the inaugural champion Kyoji Horiguchi. Unfortunately, Horiguchi ended up suffering a torn ACL and was forced to vacate both his RIZIN and Bellator bantamweight crowns.

In Asakura and Kape’s first encounter at RIZIN 10, Asakura would be the one to walk away victorious as he earned a split decision nod. Kape has gone 3-1 since their first fight while Asakura has won four straight with the obvious biggest being his massive upset win over Horiguchi. Following that win, he handily dispatched of Ulka Sasaki who is the one blemish in Kape’s last four-fight stretch.

In regards to the rest of the announced matchups, top atomweight contender Kanna Asakura (15-4) will be making her return to action but she’ll be doing so in the Bellator cage on Dec. 29. “Honey Bear” Jake Heun (14-9) also returns as he welcomes Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1) back to RIZIN for the first time since their inaugural event in 2015. The full fight card lineup can be seen in its entirety below for RIZIN 20. The official bout order remains to be determined.

Below it is Bellator: Japan which has yet to be confirmed if it’s completed or not.

RIZIN 20 – Dec. 31

Bantamweight – 134lbs: (C) – Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape
Light heavyweight – 205lbs: (C)Jiri Prochazka vs. CB Dolloway
Super atomweight – 108lbs: (C)Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham
Lightweight – 156lbs: Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Luiz Gustavo – [Lightweight Grand Prix semifinals]
Lightweight: Tofiq Musayev vs. Johnny Case – [Lightweight Grand Prix semifinals]
Bantamweight: Yuki Motoya vs. Patrick Mix
Featherweight – 145lbs: Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira
Light heavyweight: Cameroon Simon Biyong vs. Vitaly Shemetov
Catchweight – 111lbs: Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey VanZandt
Bantamweight: Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo
Catchweight – 231lbs: Jake Heun vs Satoshi Ishii

Bellator: Japan – Dec. 29

Heavyweight: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton Jackson
Catchweight – 160lbs: Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson
Welterweight – 170lbs: Keita Nakamura vs. Lorenz Larkin
Flyweight – 125lbs: Kana Watanabe vs. Ilara Joanne
Lightweight: Daron Cruickshank vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Welterweight: Ryuichiro Sumimura vs. Jon Tuck
Flyweight: Haruo Ochi vs. Jarred Brooks
Strawweight – 115lbs: Andy Nguyen vs. Ai Shimizu
Lightweight: Yusuke Yachi vs. Hiroto Uesako
Super atomweight: Kanna Asakura vs Jayme Hinshaw
Catchweight – 149lbs: Kickboxing – Ren Hiramoto vs Takahiro Ashida
Heavyweight – 207-265lbs: Shoma Shibisai vs Sergey Shemetov

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The Scrap’s Drake Riggs is an MMA writer and YouTuber based out of Brush Prairie, Washington who specializes in feature pieces, the women’s fight scene, lists, news coverage, and rankings. Riggs has been a passionate MMA fan since 2009 and has written for various news sources. You can follow him on Twitter (@Dre_Kriggs).

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