2017 in Rizin Fighting Federation

The year 2017 was the third year in the history of the Rizin Fighting Federation, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. The year began with Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura on April 16, 2017.

2017 in Rizin Fighting Federation
Information
First date	April 16, 2017
Last date	December 31, 2017
Events
Total events	5
Fights
Chronology
2016 in Rizin Fighting Federation 2017 in Rizin Fighting Federation 2018 in Rizin Fighting Federation

Rizin events are broadcased through a television agreement with Fuji Television. In North America and Europe, Rizin events became available on FITE TV.^[1]

Background

Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that Rizin will do 5 events in 2017: April, July, October, and the usual December 29 and 31 show.

He also announced that they will do 2 Grand Prix this year. One is men, other is women. He stated the women grand prix will be at Atomweight due to the fact Rena Kubota will be in the grand prix. Kyoji Horiguchi will compete in the men tournament which take place at Bantamweight 61 kg.

Rizin's Bantamweight grand prix will begin on July 30 at the Saitama Super Arena, with the first four opening rounds bouts of the tournament bracket. The remaining four opening bouts will take place in the autumn. Similar to the last year GP, the quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 29. The semifinals and finals will be held on the same night, Dec. 31, at Saitama Super Arena.

16-Man bantamweight 61 kg GP participants

• Kyoji Horiguchi
• Hideo Tokoro
• Erson Yamamoto
• Takafumi Otsuka
• Keita Ishibashi
• Khalid Taha
• Anthony Birchak
• Shintaro Ishiwatari
• Manel Kape
• Akhmed Musakaev
• Jae Hoon Moon
• Kevin Petshi
• Ian McCall
• Gabriel Oliviera

8-female super atomweight 49 kg GP participants

• Rena Kubota
• Kanna Asakura
• Andy Nguyen
• Miyuu Yamamoto
• Maria Oliveira
• Sylwia Juśkiewicz
• Alyssa Garcia
• Irene Cabello Rivera

List of events

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Attendance
1	Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura	April 16, 2017	Yokohama Arena	Yokohama, Japan	12,729
2	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 1	July 30, 2017	Saitama Super Arena	Saitama, Japan	17,730
3	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 2	October 15, 2017	Marine Messe Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	7,732
4	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round	December 29, 2017	Saitama Super Arena	Saitama, Japan	15,539
5	Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: final round	December 31, 2017	Saitama Super Arena	Saitama, Japan	18,316

Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix 2017 bracket

1st Round Rizin WGP opening round part 1 & part 2

2nd Round

Semifinals

Final

Ian McCall

BYE

Ian McCall

1:48

Manel Kape

TKO

Erson Yamamoto

1:10

Manel Kape

TKO

Manel Kape

14:28

Kyoji Horiguchi

SUB

Kyoji Horiguchi

KO

Hideo Tokoro

1:49

Kyoji Horiguchi

KO

Gabriel Oliviera

4:30

Gabriel Oliviera

BYE

Kyoji Horiguchi

TKO

Shintaro Ishiwatari

5:14

Keita Ishibashi

4:51

Khalid Taha

KO

Khalid Taha

12:22

Takafumi Otsuka

SUB

Takafumi Otsuka

DEC

Anthony Birchak

15:00

Takafumi Otsuka

15:00

Shintaro Ishiwatari

DEC

Jae Hoon Moon

15:00

Kevin Petshi

DEC

Kevin Petshi

4:30

Shintaro Ishiwatari

KO

Shintaro Ishiwatari

DEC

Akhmed Musakaev

15:00

Rizin Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 2017 bracket

1st Round Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 2

Semifinals

Final

Rena Kubota

KO

Andy Nguyen

3:23

Rena Kubota

TKO

Irene Cabello Rivera

4:38

Miyuu Yamamoto

7:25

Irene Cabello Rivera

SUB

Rena Kubota

4:33

Kanna Asakura

SUB

Alyssa Garcia

15:00

Maria Oliveira

DEC

Maria Oliveira

8:40

Kanna Asakura

SUB

Kanna Asakura

DEC

Sylwia Juśkiewicz

15:00

Rizin flyweight KB tournament

	Semi-finals					Final
	Tenshin Nasukawa		KO
	Yuta Hamamoto		4:58
						Tenshin Nasukawa		TKO
						Yamato Fujita		1:27
	Mitsuhisa Sunabe		6:46
	Yamato Fujita		KO

Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura

Rizin 2017 at Yokohama: Sakura
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	April 16, 2017
Venue	Yokohama Arena
City	Yokohama, Japan
Event chronology
Rizin 4 World Grand-Prix 2016: Final Round Rizin 2017 at Yokohama: Sakura Rizin Fighting Federation 6

Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura was a mixed martial arts event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on April 16, 2017 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

Results

Fight Card
Weight Class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Featherweight 66 kg	Tatsuya Kawajiri	def.	Anthony Birchak	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00
Openweight	Amir Aliakbari	def.	Gerônimo Dos Santos	TKO (punches)	1	3:34
Flyweight 58 kg	Kyoji Horiguchi	def.	Yuki Motoya	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00
Female Atomweight 48 kg	Rena Kubota	def.	Dóra Perjés	KO (punch to the body)	1	2:49
Flyweight 57 kg	Tenshin Nasukawa	def.	Francesco Ghigliotti	KO (head kick)	1	1:07
Heavyweight 120 kg	Satoshi Ishii	def.	Heath Herring	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00
Female Catchweight 90 kg	Reina Miura	def.	Jazzy Gabert	Submission (armbar)	2	9:54
Lightweight 70 kg	Yusuke Yachi	def.	Daron Cruickshank	KO (punch)	1	5:10
Female Atomweight 48 kg	Saori Ishioka	def.	Bestare Kicaj	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	1	2:12
Female Atomweight 48 kg	Kanna Asakura	def.	Aleksandra Toncheva	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00
Flyweight 58 kg	Seiichiro Ito	def.	Kizaemon Saiga	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 1

Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 opening round - Natsu no Jin
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	July 30, 2017
Venue	Saitama Super Arena
City	Saitama, Japan
Event chronology
Rizin FF 5 - Sakura Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017 opening round - Natsu no Jin Rizin FF 7: RIZIN World Grand Prix 2017 opening round part 2

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017 opening round part 1 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on July 30, 2017 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Results

Fight Card
Weight Class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Bantamweight 61 kg	Kyoji Horiguchi	def.	Hideo Tokoro	KO (punches)	1	1:49	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Heavyweight 120 kg	Amir Aliakbari	def.	Tyler King	TKO (punches)	1	1:39
Female Openweight	Gabrielle Garcia	vs.	Oksana Gagloeva	No contest (accidental eye poke)	1	0:15
Female Openweight	Reina Miura	def.	Lei'D Tapa	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00
Flyweight 57 kg	Tenshin Nasukawa	def.	Kizaemon Saiga	KO (punch)	1	1:36	Mix Rules
Lightweight 70 kg	Yusuke Yachi	def.	Satoru Kitaoka	TKO (punches)	2	4:46
Atomweight 49 kg	Miyuu Yamamoto	def.	Cassie Robb	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00
Bantamweight 61 kg	Takafumi Otsuka	def.	Anthony Birchak	Decision (split)	2	15:00	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Bantamweight 61 kg	Khalid Taha	def.	Keita Ishibashi	KO (Grounded Knees and Punches)	1	4:51	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Female Flyweight 57 kg	Shinju Nozawa-Auclair	def.	Sheena Brandenburg	Submission (armbar)	1	1:40
Light Heavyweight 93 kg	Karl Abrektsson	def.	Teodoras Aukstuolis	Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)	1	8:02

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 2

Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017: opening round - Aki no Jin
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	October 15, 2017
Venue	Marine Messe Fukuoka
City	Fukuoka, Japan
Event chronology
Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 1 Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017: opening round - Aki no Jin

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: opening round part 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on October 15, 2017 at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

Background

Dan Henderson supposed to face fellow MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba in a grappling match however, Henderson suffered a neck injury and Frank Shamrock step in as a replacement.

Kanna Asakura fought Saori Ishioka at DEEP JEWELS 17 in a Super Atomweight Grand Prix Qualification bout. Asakura won by Unanimous Decision.

Andy Nguyen missed weight.

Results

Fight Card
Weight Class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Rena Kubota	def.	Andy Nguyen	KO (punch to the body)	1	3:23	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 1st round
Flyweight 57 kg	Tenshin Nasukawa	def.	Yamato Fujita	Decision (unanimous)	3	5:00
Middleweight 84 kg	Kazushi Sakuraba	vs.	Frank Shamrock	Draw	1	10:00	Grappling Match
Lightweight 70 kg	Akiyo Nishiura	def.	Andy Souwer	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00
Catchweight 75 kg	Reina Miura	def.	Crystal Stokes	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00
Catchweight 63 kg	Gabriel Oliveira	def.	Tatsuya Kawajiri	KO (Knee)	2	1:00
Bantamweight 61 kg	Shintaro Ishiwatari	def.	Akhmed Musakaev	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Bantamweight 61 kg	Kevin Petshi	def.	Jae Hoon Moon	Decision (split)	3	15:00	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Bantamweight 61 kg	Manel Kape	def.	Erson Yamamoto	TKO (Head Kick and Punch)	1	1:10	Bantamweight Grand Prix 1st round
Openweight	Roque Martinez	def.	Jerome Le Banner	Submission (Scarf Hold Chest Choke)	1	2:10
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Maria Oliveira	def.	Alyssa Garcia	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 1st round
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Kanna Asakura	def.	Sylwia Juśkiewicz	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 1st round
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Irene Cabello Rivera	def.	Miyuu Yamamoto	Submission (armbar)	2	7:25	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 1st round
Catchweight 51 kg	Jin Mandokoro	def.	Issei Ishii	Decision (majority)	3	9:00	Kickboxing
Catchweight 62 kg	Yuki	vs.	Kurogi Darvish	Draw (majority)	3	9:00	Kickboxing
Catchweight 58 kg	Yoshihisa Morimoto	def.	Ryota Renseigym	TKO (punches)	3	7:57	Kickboxing

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	December 29, 2017
Venue	Saitama Super Arena
City	Saitama, Japan
Event chronology
Rizin FF 7: RIZIN World Grand Prix 2017 opening round part 2 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round Rizin Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament 2017

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round was a mixed martial arts event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on December 29, 2017 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Background

Seiichiro Ito was to face Kai Asakura at this event but had to withdraw due to a nasal fractures. He was replaced by Kizaemon Saiga.

Gabrielle Garcia was scheduled to face Shinobu Kandori at this event. However, Garcia missed weight by over 26 pounds and the bout was canceled.

Results

Fight Card
Weight Class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Bantamweight 61 kg	Kyoji Horiguchi	def.	Gabriel Oliviera	TKO (punches)	1	4:30	Bantamweight Grand Prix quarter-finals
Bantamweight 61 kg	Manel Kape	def.	Ian McCall	TKO (doctor Stoppage)	1	1:48	Bantamweight Grand Prix quarter-finals
Bantamweight 61 kg	Shintaro Ishiwatari	def.	Kevin Petshi	KO (punch)	1	4:30	Bantamweight Grand Prix quarter-finals
Bantamweight 61 kg	Takafumi Otsuka	def.	Khalid Taha	Submission (Guillotine Choke)	3	12:22	Bantamweight Grand Prix quarter-finals
Light Heavyweight 93 kg	Jiří Procházka	def.	Karl Albrektsson	TKO (punches)	1	9:57
Women's Lightweight 70 kg	Cindy Dandois	def.	Reina Miura	Decision (split)	3	15:00
Featherweight 66 kg	Hiroyuki Takaya	def.	Baataryn Azjavkhlan	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00
Bantamweight 61 kg	Jae Hoon Moon	def.	Anthony Birchak	Decision (split)	3	15:00	Bantamweight Grand Prix reserve bout
Catchweight 62.5 kg	Kai Asakura	def.	Kizaemon Saiga	TKO (Punches and Knee)	2	7:36
Women's Flyweight 57 kg	Kana Watanabe	def.	Shizuka Sugiyama	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00
Catchweight 75 kg	Kiichi Kunimoto	def.	Satoru Kitaoka	Decision (unanimous)	2	15:00

Rizin Fan Expo 2017

Rizin Fan Expo 2017
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	December 30, 2017
Venue	Saitama Super Arena
City	Saitama, Japan
Event chronology
Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round Rizin Fan Expo 2017 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round

Rizin Fan Expo 2017 was an Expo event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on December 29-30-31,2017 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Background

This expo featured the Rizin 2017 jiu-jitsu tournament, a Grappling tournament, a high school Sambo tournament, an amateur Kickboxing tournament and an amateur Mixed martial arts tournament.

Fight card

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: final round

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: final round
Promotion	Rizin Fighting Federation
Date	December 31, 2017
Venue	Saitama Super Arena
City	Saitama, Japan

Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: final round was a mixed martial arts event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on December 31, 2017, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Background

This event included the semi-finals and final of the Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix. The quarter-finals were held two days previous at Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd round. Also on the card are the semi-finals and final of the Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix.

Results

Fight Card
Weight Class				Method	Round	Time	Notes
Bantamweight 61 kg	Kyoji Horiguchi	def.	Shintaro Ishiwatari	KO (punches)	2	5:14	Bantamweight Grand Prix final
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Kanna Asakura	def.	Rena Kubota	Submission (Rear Naked Choke)	1	4:33	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix final
Flyweight 57 kg	Tenshin Nasukawa	def.	Yamato Fujita	TKO (3 knockdowns)	1	1:27	Flyweight KB Tournament Final
Heavyweight 120 kg	Mirko Cro Cop	def.	Tsuyoshi Kohsaka	TKO (punches)	1	1:02
Women's Flyweight 57 kg	Shinju Nozawa-Auclair	def.	Chelsea LaGrasse	Submission (armbar)	1	4:47
Catchweight 72 kg	Yusuke Yachi	def.	Takanori Gomi	Submission (Triangle Choke)	1	2:36
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Kanna Asakura	def.	Maria Oliveira	Submission (armbar)	2	8:40	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix semi-finals
Super Atomweight 49 kg	Rena Kubota	def.	Irene Cabello Rivera	TKO (punches)	1	4:38	Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix semi-finals
Flyweight 57 kg	Yamato Fujita	def.	Mitsuhisa Sunabe	KO (punch)	3	6:46	Flyweight KB Tournament Semi-Finals
Flyweight 57 kg	Tenshin Nasukawa	def.	Yuta Hamamoto	KO (flying knee)	2	4:58	Flyweight KB Tournament Semi-Finals
Bantamweight 61 kg	Shintaro Ishiwatari	def.	Takafumi Otsuka	Decision (unanimous)	3	15:00	Bantamweight Grand Prix semi-finals
Bantamweight 61 kg	Kyoji Horiguchi	def.	Manel Kape	Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)	3	14:28	Bantamweight Grand Prix semi-finals