RIZIN Fighting Federation held a press conference in Meguro, Tokyo, on Wednesday afternoon to announce six new fights for their next event, RIZIN 48, on Sunday 29 September at Saitama Super Arena.
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara first provided an update on the fallout of the blockbuster Super RIZIN 3 show that attracted 48,117 fans to the iconic venue in Saitama.
The former PRIDE FC supremo addressed allegations which have gained traction on social media that Ren Hiramoto used PED’s in the run-up to beating Mikuru Asakura at Super RIZIN 3.
“There has been a lot of talk about suspicions surrounding Ren Hiramoto but RIZIN would like to give a clear response. For title matches and Grand Prix events, we conduct rigorous testing of all fighters on the day of the tournament. The test results are all that matters.
“The test results will be available within the next week. The team has taken samples from both fighters. These are being airlifted and sent to a testing facility in the United States.”
Sakakibara also said that Floyd Mayweather Jr. called him to say that he wants to fight former kickboxer Rukiya Anpo who impressively took Mayweather's former victim Manny Pacquiao to a draw in their boxing exhibition last month.
"I can beat him, Anpo is really popular,” Mayweather told Sakakibara.
Nkazinmulo Zulu v Jo Arai
The card for RIZIN 48 started to take shape with the announcement that UFC Middleweight Champion Plessis's teammate Nkazinmulo Zulu will make his RIZIN debut against Jo Arai at RIZIN 48.
The 35-year-old from Johannesburg is the reigning flyweight and bantamweight champion in his home promotion of Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC).
Zulu took part in The Ultimate Fighter 24 but lost his first contest to Hiromasa Ogikubo who has since become a mainstay in RIZIN.
The former karate fighter could be cornered by South African hero Dricus du Plessis, who won his first title defence against Israel Adesanya on Sunday, at RIZIN 48.
Shinobu Ota v Yuki Motoya
Former world greco-roman wrestling gold medallist and Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist Shinobu Ota will rematch Yuki Motoya.
Blackbelt Japan fighter Ota, whose riding a three-fight winning-streak, will aim to avenge one of the three blemishes on his pro record and will be tipped to overcome 47-fight veteran Motoya who he previously faced in only his fourth MMA fight in 2022.
Juntaro Ushiku v Shoko Sato
Former PANCRASE standout Juntaro Ushiku is eyeing a return to winning ways when he battles the heavy-handed Shoko Sato.
Decision specialist Ushiku fell to Ota last time out while Sato, who conquered Ota in 2023, was bested by Naoki Inoue.
KINTARO v Kyoma Akimoto
Japan Top Team’s teenage starlet Kyouma Akimoto will make his RIZIN debut against American Top Team’s KINTARO.
Akimoto, 18, is 13 years younger than his opponent who ended a four-fight losing run by thwarting Daiki Tsubota by unanimous decision at RIZIN LANDMARK 9 in March.
Yusuke Yachi v Sho Patrick Usami
Ex-KRAZY BEE fighter Yusuke Yachi returns to domestic duty after falling to Mansour Barnaoui by rear naked choke in Bellator in May.
The former RIZIN Lightweight Championship challenger takes on Sho Patrick Usami who dismantled Kazuki Tokudome in under three minutes at RIZIN 47.
Karshyga Dautbek v Karate Kinoshita
Kazakh featherweight Karshyga Dautbek, who is undefeated since 2019, is set for his second appearance in RIZIN.
The Shymkent-based fighter walked through Tetsuya Seki in his RIZIN debut with a left body shot in round one at RIZIN 47 and will tangle with DEEP veteran Karate Kinoshita in what should be an enthralling stand-up clash.
Updated RIZIN 48 Card: RIZIN Lightweight Championship: Roberto Satoshi Souza (c) v Luis Gustavo RIZIN Bantamweight Championship (Vacant): Naoki Inoue v Soo Chum Kim Seika Izawa v Kanna Asakura (Kanna’s Retirement Fight) Kyohei Hagiwara v Ryo Takagi Yuki Motoya v Shinobu Ota Juntaro Ushiku v Shoko Sato KINTARO v Kyoma Akimoto Nkazimulo Zulu v Jo Arai Yusuke Yachi v Sho Patrick Usami Karshyga Dautbek v Karate Kinoshita
Stay tuned to AsiaFighting.com and our social media channels for all the build-up to RIZIN 48
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