Rizin Fighting Federation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 2021 season, see 2021 in Rizin Fighting Federation.
Rizin Fighting Federation
TypePrivate
IndustryMixed martial arts promotion
Founded2015; 6 years ago (2015)
FounderNobuyuki Sakakibara
Headquarters
Minato-ku, Tokyo
,
Japan
Key people
Nobuyuki Sakakibara
Nobuhiko Takada
ParentDream Factory Worldwide
Websitejp.rizinff.com/_tags/English

Rizin Fighting Federation (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]

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".[3]

History[]

The precursors to Rizin were Pride Fighting Championships and DREAM, the latter of which was founded in 2008 through a collaboration with Fighting and Entertainment Group and Dream Stage Entertainment.[4] Three years after DREAM folded in the summer of 2012,[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8] Initial signees included Kazushi Sakuraba, Shinya Aoki, as well as female competitors Gabi Garcia and RENA.[9]

A Grand Prix tournament was announced (held at 100 kg or roughly 220 lbs), with champions and competitors from Bellator, KSW, Jungle Fight,[10] BAMMA, and King of Kings. Most notably, King Mo was announced to represent Bellator in the tournament.[11] The 8-man bracket was officially finalized on November 30, 2015, with other bouts also being announced shortly thereafter.[12][13][14][15] Kron Gracie (whose father Rickson competed at the inaugural PRIDE event) was announced to participate against Asen Yamamoto.[16] Amongst the veterans in the Japanese scene, Tsuyoshi Kosaka would face James Thompson,[17] and Akebono Tarō would face Bob Sapp.[18]

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.[19] Rizin's presentation is modeled after major sporting events, such as the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup.[20]

Broadcasting and coverage[]

Rizin's inaugural event was broadcast in North America on Spike TV.[21] Other broadcasters have included SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, Fuji Television, Fox Sports Brazil, Kix and Match TV.[22] From 2017 to 2019, Rizin events have been streaming on FITE TV in North America and Europe.[23] As of RIZIN 26, they have been streaming on LIVENow.

Weight classes[]

Weight class name Upper limit Gender
Atomweight 47 kg (103.6 lb) Feminine
Super Atomweight 50 kg (110.2 lb) Feminine
Light Flyweight 54 kg (119.0 lb) Feminine
Flyweight 58 kg (127.9 lb) Masculine
Bantamweight 62 kg (136.7 lb) Masculine
Featherweight 66 kg (145.5 lb) Masculine
Lightweight 70 kg (154.3 lb) Masculine
Welterweight 77 kg (169.8 lb) Masculine
Middleweight 85 kg (187.4 lb) Masculine
Light Heavyweight 95 kg (209.4 lb) Masculine
Heavyweight 120 kg (264.6 lb) Masculine
Openweight No weight restriction Masculine / Feminine

Rules[]

The rules in Rizin FF have been adopted from Pride FC with some slight modifications over the years. Like Pride, Rizin rules highly differ from the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.[24]

Match length[]

There are three types of matches in Rizin FF:

1. Rizin single matches – These are three rounds in length. The first round spans ten minutes with the final two rounds lasting five minutes each.

2. Rizin tournament matches – These are three rounds in length, with each round lasting five minutes.

3. Women's matches – These are three rounds of five minutes.

Judging criteria[]

Fights are judged on the following criteria:

  • 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.[25]

Differences from Unified Rules of MMA and PRIDE[]

  • All attacks to the head are allowed, regardless of the fighter being grounded or standing up. This includes soccer kicks, knees, and stomps. 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. Any kicks, knees or stomps on the head of a grounded opponent are considered fouls in the Unified Rules.
  • Rizin FF allows for use of the 12-6 elbow.[26]
  • Unlike Pride FC, Rizin FF allows for use of elbow strikes to the head of an opponent.

List of Rizin FF events[]

Main articles: 2021 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 2020 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 2019 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 2018 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 2017 in Rizin Fighting Federation, 2016 in Rizin Fighting Federation, and 2015 in Rizin Fighting Federation
# Event Date Venue Location Attendance
32 Rizin 29 – Osaka June 27, 2021 Maruzen Intec Arena Japan Osaka, Japan 4,796
31 Rizin 28 – Tokyo June 13, 2021 Tokyo Dome Japan Tokyo, Japan 9,317
30 Rizin 27 – Nagoya March 21, 2021 Nippon Gaishi Hall Japan Nagoya, Japan 4,558
29 Rizin 26 – Saitama December 31, 2020 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 9,978
28 Rizin 25 – Osaka November 21, 2020 Osaka-jō Hall Japan Osaka, Japan 5,487
27 Rizin 24 – Saitama September 27, 2020 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 5,000
26 Rizin 23 - Calling Over August 10, 2020 Pia Arena MM Japan Yokohama, Japan 4,410
25 Rizin 22 - Starting Over August 9, 2020 Pia Arena MM Japan Yokohama, Japan 2,805
24 Rizin 21 - Hamamatsu February 22, 2020 Hamamatsu Arena Japan Hamamatsu, Japan 6,832
23 Rizin 20 - Saitama December 31, 2019 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 29,315[27]
22 Rizin 19 - Osaka October 12, 2019 Edion Arena Japan Osaka, Japan 5,098
21 Rizin 18 - Nagoya August 18, 2019 Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium Japan Nagoya, Japan 6,281
20 Rizin 17 - Saitama July 28, 2019 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 16,930
19 Rizin 16 - Kobe June 2, 2019 World Memorial Hall Japan Kobe, Japan 8,107
18 Rizin 15 - Yokohama April 21, 2019 Yokohama Arena Japan Yokohama, Japan 12,914
17 Rizin 14 - Saitama December 31, 2018 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 29,105[28]
16 Rizin - Heisei's Last Yarennoka! December 31, 2018 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 7,498[29]
15 Rizin 13 - Saitama September 30, 2018 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 27,208
14 Rizin 12 - Aichi - Ken August 12, 2018 Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium Japan Nagoya, Japan 5,567
13 Rizin 11 - Saitama July 29, 2018 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 17,912
12 Rizin 10 - Fukuoka May 6, 2018 Marine Messe Fukuoka Japan Fukuoka, Japan 7,910
11 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 18,316
10 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round December 29, 2017 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 15,539
9 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2 October 15, 2017 Marine Messe Fukuoka Japan Fukuoka, Japan 7,732
8 Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 1 July 30, 2017 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 17,730
7 Rizin 2017 in Yokohama: Sakura April 16, 2017 Yokohama Arena Japan Yokohama, Japan 12,729
6 Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round December 31, 2016 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 19,357
5 Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 2nd Round December 29, 2016 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 16,642
4 Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: 1st Round September 25, 2016 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 15,011
3 Rizin 1 April 17, 2016 Nippon Gaishi Hall Japan Nagoya, Japan 7,291
2 Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza December 31, 2015 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 18,365
1 Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba December 29, 2015 Saitama Super Arena Japan Saitama, Japan 12,214

Current champions[]

Division Champion Since Defenses
Light Heavyweight Vacant
Lightweight Brazil Roberto de Souza June 13, 2021 0
Featherweight Japan Juntaro Ushiku October 24, 2021 0
Bantamweight Japan Kyoji Horiguchi December 31, 2020 0
Women's Super Atomweight Japan Ayaka Hamasaki December 31, 2020 1

Championship history[]

Light Heavyweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 95 kg (209.4 lb)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Czech Republic Jiří Procházka
def. Muhammed Lawal 		Rizin 15
Japan Yokohama, Japan 		April 21, 2019 269 days 1. def. C. B. Dollaway at Rizin 20 on December 31, 2019
Procházka vacated the title on January 15, 2020 after he signed with UFC.[30]

Lightweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 71 kg (156.5 lb)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Brazil Roberto de Souza
def. Tofiq Musayev 		Rizin 28
Japan Tokyo, Japan 		June 13, 2021 196 days

Featherweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 66 kg (145.5 lb)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Japan Yutaka Saito
def. Mikuru Asakura 		Rizin 25
Japan Osaka, Japan 		November 21, 2020 337 days
2 Japan Juntaro Ushiku Rizin 31
Japan Yokohama, Japan 		October 24, 2021 63 days

Bantamweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 61 kg (134.5 lb)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Japan Kyoji Horiguchi
def. Darrion Caldwell 		Rizin 14
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2018 318 days
Horiguchi was stripped the title on November 14, 2019 after was unable to defend the title due to injury.[31]
2 Angola Manel Kape
def. Kai Asakura 		Rizin 20
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2019 92 days
Kape vacated he title on April 1, 2020 after he signed with the UFC.[32]
3 Japan Kai Asakura
def. Hiromasa Ougikubo 		Rizin 23
Japan Yokohama, Japan 		August 10, 2020 143 days
4 Japan Kyoji Horiguchi (2) Rizin 26
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2020 360 days

Women's Super Atomweight Championship[]

Weight limit: 49 kg (108.0 lb)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Japan Ayaka Hamasaki
def. Kanna Asakura 		Rizin 14
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2018 365 days 1. def. Jinh Yu Frey at Rizin 16 on June 2, 2019
2 South Korea Seo Hee Ham Rizin 20
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2019 293 days
On October 19, Seo Hee Ham vacated her title after being unable to agree on her next fight with the organization and signed with ONE Championship.[33]
3 Japan Ayaka Hamasaki (2)
def. Miyuu Yamamoto 		Rizin 26
Japan Saitama, Japan 		December 31, 2020 360 days 1. def. Kanna Asakura at Rizin 27 on March 21, 2021

Grand-Prix Champions[]

MMA[]

Weight Class Champion Runner-up Event Date Tournament Bracket
Rizin Heavyweight 100 kg 2015 United States Muhammed Lawal Czech Republic Jiří Procházka Rizin WGP 2015: Part 2 - Iza December 31, 2015 Rizin 100 Kg Grand-Prix bracket
Rizin Openweight 2016 Croatia Mirko Filipović Iran Amir Aliakbari Rizin WGP 2016: Final Round December 31, 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix 2016 bracket
Rizin Bantamweight 61 kg 2017 Japan Kyoji Horiguchi Japan Shintaro Ishiwatari Rizin WGP 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix 2017 bracket
Rizin Women's Super Atomweight 49 kg 2017 Japan Kanna Asakura Japan Rena Kubota Rizin WGP 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 Rizin Women's Super Atomweight Grand Prix 2017 bracket
Rizin Lightweight 71 kg 2019 Azerbaijan Tofiq Musayev Brazil Patricky Freire Rizin 20 - Saitama December 31, 2019 Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix bracket

Kickboxing[]

Weight Class Champion Runner-Up Event Date Tournament Bracket
Rizin KICK Flyweight 57 kg 2017 Japan Tenshin Nasukawa Japan Yamato Fujita Rizin WGP 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 Rizin Flyweight KB Tournament
Rizin KICK Bantamweight 61 kg 2021 Japan Taiju Shiratori Japan Kouzi Rizin 29 June 27, 2021

Records[]

Most wins in title bouts[]

Title wins Champion Division W D NC L
4 Japan Ayaka Hamasaki Super Atomweight 4 0 0 1
2 Japan Kyoji Horiguchi Bantamweight 2 0 0 0

Most consecutive title defenses[]

Defenses Champion Division Period
1 Japan Ayaka Hamasaki Women's Super Atomweight December 31, 2018 – December 31, 2019
Czech Republic Jiří Procházka Light Heavyweight April 21, 2019 – January 15, 2020
Japan Ayaka Hamasaki Women's Super Atomweight December 31, 2020 – present

Champions by nationality[]

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 4 - 3 7
 Brazil 1 - - 1
 Angola 1 - - 1
 Czech Republic 1 - - 1
 South Korea 1 - - 1
 United States - - 1 1
 Azerbaijan - - 1 1
 Croatia - - 1 1

Notable fighters[]

Main article: List of current Rizin FF fighters

Affiliated organizations[]

Rizin FF is affiliated with the following organizations:[34]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Nobuyuki Sakakibara discusses Rizin FF plans for 2016, Fedor Emelianenko's opponent, drug testing and more". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  2. ^ "Former Pride FC boss: Fedor's opponent will mean something for future of MMA". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  3. ^ "Concept". rizinff.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ FEG's bankruptcy, May 17, 2012, Muay Thai TV
  6. ^ "Scott Coker: Former PRIDE boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara planning MMA return in 2015". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  7. ^ Fedor Emelianenko Returns To MMA On New Year’s Eve
  8. ^ RIZIN Japan - What We Can Expect From The Newcomer
  9. ^ "Long after his prime, Kazushi Sakuraba is in the position to save Japanese MMA". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  10. ^ "Newly crowned Jungle Fight champion enters Rizin FF heavyweight tournament". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  11. ^ "'King Mo' to represent Bellator in Rizin light heavyweight grand prix". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  12. ^ "Rizin announces heavyweight tournament bracket". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  13. ^ "Muhammed 'King Mo' Lawal lands opponent at RIZIN FF". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  14. ^ "Bellator fighter Brennan Ward, additional mixed-rules fight announced for Rizin debut". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  15. ^ "Jerome LeBanner returns to MMA at Rizin". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  16. ^ "Kron Gracie added to Rizin FF card in December". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  17. ^ "Fedor Emelianenko still without an opponent, Tsuyoshi Kosaka to face James Thompson at Rizin". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  18. ^ "Rizin signs Sapp vs. Akebono rematch for its debut". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  19. ^ "Nobuyuki Sakakibara discusses Rizin FF plans for 2016, Fedor Emelianenko's opponent, drug testing and more". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  20. ^ "Concept". rizinff.com. Retrieved 2020-09-09.
  21. ^ Video:Fedor: Return Of The Last Emperor
  22. ^ "Event Summary Rizen Fighting Federation". rizinff.com. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  23. ^ "Rizin FF Partners with FITE TV". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-04-01.
  24. ^ "Rules". Rizin Fighting Federation. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  25. ^ "Musings on new RIZIN rules, the art of judging and JMOC". The Fighter. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  26. ^ "Musings on new RIZIN rules, the art of judging and JMOC". The Fighter. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  27. ^ "Bruno Massami on Twitter 31-12-2019". gazetaesportiva.com.
  28. ^ "Floyd Mayweather dominates Tenshin Nasukawa in exhibition". japantimes.co.jp.
  29. ^ "Rizin Heisei's Last Yarennoka! and RIZIN 14 official results and post fight backstage interviews". fightbookmma.com.
  30. ^ Brett Okamoto (January 15, 2020). "UFC signs European light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka". espn.com.
  31. ^ Nolan King (November 14, 2019). "Kyoji Horiguchi withdraws from Rizin FF 20 due to knee injury, subsequently vacates title". mmajunkie.com.
  32. ^ Jesse Holland (April 2, 2020). "RIZIN cancels April and May events, vacates bantamweight title". mmamania.com.
  33. ^ "Seo Hee Ham vacates Rizin super atomweight title". asianmma.com. October 16, 2020.
  34. ^ "RIZIN Fighting Federation". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""