Title bout agreement signed between Champion Juntaro Ushiku and longtime contender Kleber Koike. 6 additional bouts announced for RIZIN.39

Title bout agreement signed between Champion Juntaro Ushiku and longtime contender Kleber Koike. 6 additional bouts announced for RIZIN.39

Tokyo - October 5th, RIZIN a press conference was held to announce additional matchups for the Shonan Beauty Clinic presents RIZIN.39 card at the Marine Messe in Fukuoka.

At the press conference was CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Juntaro Ushiku, Kleber Koike, Koji Takeda, Daichi Abe, Yusuke Yachi, Tsuyoshi Sudario, Genji Umeno and Yoshiki Nakahara, who have already had their bouts announced. A total of 11 fighters, including Patrick Usami, Takahiro Ashida, and Hirotaka Nakada, took the stage.

The title match between Ushiku and Kleber had already been announced, but the signing ceremony was held when Kleber returned to Japan. First, the challenger, Kleber, confirmed his signature, followed by the champion, Ushiku. After confirming the document was signed by both people, CEO Sakakibara signed it.

FITE.TV will broadcast the event internationally.

Tsuyoshi Sudario (5-1, 5-1 RIZIN FF) vs Janos Csukas (7-0, 0-0 RIZIN FF) 120kg MMA

Since tasting his first defeat as a professional MMA fighter, Sudario has scored quick back-to-back KO victories over SAINT and Hideki ‘Shrek’ Sekine, in a combined 2 minutes 44 seconds. He now is granted his wish of facing international competition in the form of the unbeaten Romanian, Janos Csukas. Carrying a 7-0 record with 6 KOs and 1 submission - the former WCMMA Heavyweight Champion has won all of his bouts in the first round. His longest bout lasted 3 minutes and 24 seconds, with the rest of his bouts ending at or under 1 minute and 46 seconds. He has 4 finishes in under a minute. There is little doubt that this heavyweight tilt will be a fan-friendly affair.

Yusuke Yachi (23-13, 7-7 RIZIN FF) vs Boyd Allen (16-4-1, 0-0 RIZIN FF) 71kg MMA

Former PXC & Shooto Pacific Rim Featherweight Champion Yachi makes his 15th appearance in RIZIN. Having started his RIZIN career 5-0 with 4 finishes, he endured a 5-fight losing streak before defeating Shooto and DEEP Champions Yuki Kawana and Koji Takeda respectively. These two wins earned him a title shot and rematch against Roberto Satoshi Souza, where he would suffer his 6th promotional loss. He then rematched Luiz Gustavo - the first man to defeat him in RIZIN - at RIZIN TRIGGER 3rd last April, in what was a repeat of their first meeting back at RIZIN.12 in August of 2018. Boyd Allen is the former EFC Featherweight Champion, and returns to action after a 17 month hiatus from MMA. He has kept busy with boxing, collecting a 5-1-1 record with 3 KOs in the last 3 years. His last boxing match was in March on an ESPN Africa Boxing card, where he scored a unanimous decision win.

Takahiro Ashida (25-12-2, 1-2 RIZIN FF) vs Hirotaka Nakada (5-3, 0-1 RIZIN FF) 66kg MMA

The former DEEP Featherweight Champion Ashida holds 13 stoppage wins. Ashida made his RIZIN debut at RIZIN.24 against surging contender Kyohei Hagiwara, where he won via 1st round submission. He is 4-3 in his last 7 bouts since losing his title to Satoshi ‘Dominator’ Yamasu at DEEP 86 Impact in October 2018. Nakada is a Pancrase contender, carrying a 4-2 record in the promotion, with 3 first round finishes against veterans Tatsuhiko Iwamoto, Issei Tamura and in his most recent bout just 3 months ago, against RIZIN alum Yojiro Uchimura at Pancrase 328. He is making his second appearance in RIZIN after dropping a unanimous decision against Yoshinori Horie last November.

Shinji Sasaki (20-12-3, 0-1 RIZIN FF) vs Sho Patrick Usami (4-1, 0-0 RIZIN FF) 75kg MMA

6 and ½ years after his debut, Shinji Sasaki returns to the RIZIN ring. The 155lb Shooto and ROAD title challenger was able to capture gold last year, with a 1st round stoppage victory over Yutaka Ueda at GLADIATOR 013 in Osaka. 15 of his 20 victories have come by stoppage, with 8 in the first round. Usami enjoyed a brilliant start to his career, going 4-0 with 2 first round KOs, before tasting his first defeat at the hands of the tough Tyson Nobumitsu last April.

Juntaro Ushiku vs Kleber Koike [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules] Featherweight Title Match

Juntaro Ushiku

“It’s been a year since I won this belt. And getting such a tough opponent like Kleber on this anniversary means a lot for me. I will promise you an exciting fight that will please you. I have a solid game plan and I’m confident in my abilities to defend the belt against a great challenger”

Kleber Koike

“Thank you everybody for your support. I am finally getting the fight I deserve and I will win. I appreciate your support. Ushiku is a good champ but I’m not worried. He’s only fought twice in RIZIN and against lower skilled opponents. I have fought much better opponents.”

Tsuyoshi Sudario vs Janos Csukas [120kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Tsuyoshi Sudario

“I’m finally getting my chance against an international opponent. I know this won’t be easy like my last fight. I expect a great fight and I will win.”

Janos Csukas

“I’m honored to fight in RIZIN. This is a massive opportunity for me to showcase my skills and talents on one of the world’s biggest MMA stages. I know what it’ll take for me to get the victory and all I can say to the fans is make sure you’re tuned for this fight and DON’T BLINK!!”

Daichi Abe vs Hibiki Tamura [77kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Daichi Abe

“I will dominate my opponent in the middle of the ring with my striking.”

Hibiki Tamura

“I’m honored to be able to fight in RIZIN, where many tough fighters gather which is extremely exciting. A win is the minimum requirement and I hope to give the fans what they want while doing so.”

Shinji Sasaki vs Sho Patrick Usami [75kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Shinji Sasaki

“It took me 6 1/2 years to come back from my first fight in RIZIN. I have experienced many things during this time from injuries to capturing local Championship titles. I have been dying to get back here so I will show everything I have in this fight.”

Sho Patrick Usami

“I want to put my name on the map with my debut fight in RIZIN. There are so many guys I want to fight here. Keep an eye out on me.”

Koji Takeda vs Zach Zane [71kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Koji Takeda

“My style is gritty and not pretty. I don't have the power to finish the fight with 1 shot, but expect me to be gritty and fight with my heart.”

Yusuke Yachi vs Boido Allen [71kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Yusuke Yachi

“My opponent is a striker but I plan to fight to neutralize his strong points and win clearly. I expect a fun fight.”

Boyd Allen

“I cannot wait to perform on this platform. I think my opponent Yusuke Yachi is a good fighter and has an all round skill set. I want to show the level of striking and fight IQ. Humble but there to fight and put on a show for the crowd !”

Takahiro Ashida vs Hirotaka Nakada [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Takahiro Ashida

“I’m excited to be fighting on the island of Kyushu where I was born. I plan to do the same, and out in a fight for my fans.”

Hirotaka Nakada

“I appreciate everybody who worked hard to get me this opportunity. I plan to put on a show for everybody.”

Vugar Karamov vs Yoshiki Nakahara [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Yoshiki Nakahara

“I’ve even heard that many people are excited about this fight. I look forward to delivering. I appreciate your support”

Motonobu Tezuka vs Mehman Mamedov [61kg - RIZIN MMA rules]

Motonobu Tezuka

“I’m happy to be brought back to RIZIN and to be facing the third man from Azerbaijan. I was extremely disappointed with my performance against Yamaniha but there was a lot to take back from that fight. I will put on a show that will erase my first impression in RIZIN and show that I am here to stay.“

Genji Umeno vs Trent Girdham [61kg - RIZIN Kickboxing rules with elbows]

Genji Umeno

“I’m finally getting the opportunity to fight under Muay Thai rules in RIZIN. I’m the best with elbows. Just watch!”

Confirmed Bouts

Shonan Beauty Clinic presents RIZIN.39 - Marine Messe in Fukuoka, October 23rd

Featherweight Title Match
Juntaro Ushiku vs Kleber Koike [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Tsuyoshi Sudario vs Janos Csukas [120kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Daichi Abe vs Hibiki Tamura [77kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Shinji Sasaki vs Sho Patrick Usami [75kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Koji Takeda vs Zach Zane [71kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Yusuke Yachi vs Boido Allen [71kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Takahiro Ashida vs Hirotaka Nakada [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Vugar Karamov vs Yoshiki Nakahara [66kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Motonobu Tezuka vs Mehman Mamedov [61kg - RIZIN MMA rules]
Genji Umeno vs Trent Girdham [61kg - RIZIN Kickboxing rules with elbows]
REITO BRAVELY vs Koichiro Seki [63kg - RIZIN Kickboxing rules]
Shogo Kuriaki vs Kakeru [57.5kg - RIZIN Kickboxing rules]

RIZIN.39 doors are expected to open at 12:30PM, with a 2:00pm start time on October 23rd (Sun) in Nagoya.

English News

English - RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION

This page contains English content only such as interviews and press conferences

jp.rizinff.com