# 2019 in Rizin Fighting Federation

The year 2019 was the fifth year in the history of the Rizin Fighting Federation, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. The year began with Rizin 15 in Yokohama on April 21, 2019.
Rizin events are broadcast through a television agreement with Fuji Television. In North America and Europe, Rizin events are available via PPV on FITE TV.

## Background

Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced that Rizin will do 6 events in 2019: April, June, July, August, October, and the usual December 31 show.
He also announced that they will do a lightweight Grand Prix this year. Bellator MMA CEO Scott Coker has announced that he will be sending Patricky Freire to participate in the opening round.
Rizin's Lightweight grand prix will begin on October 12 at the Osaka-jo Hall, with the four opening rounds bouts of the tournament bracket. The semifinals and finals will be held on Dec. 31, at Saitama Super Arena.

## List of events

| # | Event | Date | Venue | Location | Attendance |
| 1 | Rizin 15 - Yokohama | April 21, 2019 | Yokohama Arena | Yokohama, Japan | 12,914 |
| 2 | Rizin 16 - Kobe | June 2, 2019 | World Memorial Hall | Kobe, Japan | 8,107 |
| 3 | Rizin 17 - Saitama | July 28, 2019 | Saitama Super Arena | Saitama, Japan | 16,930 |
| 4 | Rizin 18 - Nagoya | August 18, 2019 | Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium | Nagoya, Japan | 6,281 |
| 5 | Rizin 19 - Osaka | October 12, 2019 | Edion Arena | Osaka, Japan | 5,098 |
| 6 | Rizin 20 - Saitama | December 31, 2019 | Saitama Super Arena | Saitama, Japan | 29,315 |

## Title fights

Title fights in 2019 :
| # | Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | Time | Event | Notes |
| 1 | Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Jiří Procházka | def. | Muhammed Lawal | TKO (Punches) | 3 | 13:02 | Rizin 15 | For the inaugural Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship |
| 2 | Super Atomweight 49 kg | Ayaka Hamasaki (c) | def. | Jinh Yu Frey | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | Rizin 16 | For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship |
| 3 | Featherweight 57 kg | Tenshin Nasukawa | def. | Martin Blanco | KO (Knee to the Body) | 2 | 5:19 | Rizin 16 | For the ISKA Featherweight Championship |
| 4 | Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Jiří Procházka (c) | def. | C. B. Dollaway | KO (Punches) | 1 | 1:55 | Rizin 20 | For the Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship |
| 5 | Super Atomweight 49 kg | Seo Hee Ham | def. | Ayaka Hamasaki (c) | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | Rizin 20 | For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship |
| 6 | Bantamweight 61 kg | Manel Kape | def. | Kai Asakura | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 5:38 | Rizin 20 | For the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship |

## Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix
### 8-Man Lightweight Grand Prix Participant

* Hiroto Uesako
* Damien Brown
* Johnny Case
* Patricky Freire
* Roberto de Souza
* Tatsuya Kawajiri
* Luiz Gustavo

### Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix bracket

| 1st Round | 1st Round | 1st Round | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Tofiq Musayev | Tofiq Musayev | TKO | | | | | | |
| Damien Brown | Damien Brown | 1R. | | | | | | |
| Damien Brown | Damien Brown | 1R. | Tofiq Musayev | Tofiq Musayev | TKO | | | |
| | | | Johnny Case | Johnny Case | 1R. | | | |
| Johnny Case | Johnny Case | TKO | Johnny Case | Johnny Case | 1R. | | | |
| Roberto de Souza | Roberto de Souza | 1R. | | | | | | |
| Roberto de Souza | Roberto de Souza | 1R. | | | | Tofiq Musayev | Tofiq Musayev | UD |
| | | | | | | Patricky Freire | Patricky Freire | 3R. |
| Patricky Freire | Patricky Freire | TKO | | | | | | | Patricky Freire | Patricky Freire | 3R. |
| Tatsuya Kawajiri | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 1R. | | | | | | |
| Tatsuya Kawajiri | Tatsuya Kawajiri | 1R. | Patricky Freire | Patricky Freire | TKO | | | |
| | | | Luiz Gustavo | Luiz Gustavo | 1R. | | | |
| Luiz Gustavo | Luiz Gustavo | TKO | Luiz Gustavo | Luiz Gustavo | 1R. | | | |
| Hiroto Uesako | Hiroto Uesako | 1R. | | | | | | |

## Rizin 15 - Yokohama

Rizin 15 - Yokohama was a Combat sport event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on April 21, 2019 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

### Background

A light heavyweight bout between RIZIN top contender Jiří Procházka and former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Muhammed Lawal will serve as the Rizin 15 - Yokohama main event. The bout will crown the inaugural RIZIN Light Heavyweight champion.
Ulka Sasaki has been forced to withdraw from his schedule fight against Kai Asakura due to a visceral infection and Justin Scoggins has stepped in as a replacement. Unfortunately, Scoggins has suffered a knee injury during training and has been unable to compete, that forced his fight against Kai Asakura to be cancelled.
Shinju Nozawa-Auclair was supposed to face Saray Orozco. However, Nozawa-Auclair suffered an ankle injury during training and was forced to withdraw from the fight. Kanako Murata has stepped in on short notice against Orozco.

### Results

Rizin 15 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Jiří Procházka | def. | Muhammed Lawal | TKO (Punches) | 3 | 13:02 | For the inaugural Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Catchweight 59 kg | Tenshin Nasukawa | def. | Fritz Aldin Biagtan | TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) | 3 | 7:24 | Kickboxing |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Catchweight 60 kg | Kyoji Horiguchi | def. | Ben Nguyen | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 2:53 | |
| Catchweight 71 kg | Roberto de Souza | def. | Satoru Kitaoka | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 8:56 | |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Karl Albrektsson | def. | Christiano Frohlich | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Catchweight 51 kg | Rena Kubota | def. | Samantha Jean-Francois | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Catchweight 68 kg | Mikuru Asakura | def. | Luiz Gustavo | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Flyweight 57 kg | Kana Watanabe | def. | Justyna Haba | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Lightweight 70 kg | Damien Brown | def. | Koji Takeda | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Flyweight 58 kg | Manel Kape | def. | Seiichiro Ito | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 8:59 | |
| Flyweight 57 kg | Kanako Murata | def. | Saray Orozco | Submission (Von Flue choke) | 2 | 7:12 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Thalisson Gomes Ferreira | def. | Taiga | TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) | 2 | 5:34 | Kickboxing |

## Rizin 16 - Kobe

Rizin 16 - Kobe was a Combat sport event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on June 2, 2019 at the World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan.

### Background

ISKA Featherweight Ahmed Ferradji was scheduled to defend his title against Tenshin Nasukawa at RIZIN 16, but Ferradji withdrew from the scheduled fight. As a result, ISKA has stripped the title from Ferradji and ISKA Bantamweight Champion Martin Blanco has stepped in on short notice to face Nasukawa for the vacant ISKA Featherweight World Title.
Kizaemon Saiga was scheduled to face Kunitaka Fujiwara at RIZIN 16, but was not medically cleared for the event due to vision issues. Stepping in on a few days' notice to fight Fujiwara was the former K-1 Krush champion Ryuji Horio.

### Results

Rizin 16 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Featherweight 57 kg | Tenshin Nasukawa | def. | Martin Blanco | KO (Knee to the Body) | 2 | 5:19 | For the ISKA Featherweight Championship |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Ayaka Hamasaki (c) | def. | Jinh Yu Frey | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Miyuu Yamamoto | def. | Kanna Asakura | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Heavyweight 120 kg | Jake Heun | def. | Roque Martinez | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Flyweight 57 kg | Yusaku Nakamura | def. | Topnoi Thanongsaklek | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Tofiq Musayev | def. | Daron Cruickshank | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Mamoru Uoi | def. | Kana Hayatt | TKO (Punches and Soccer Kicks) | 3 | 14:32 | |
| Catchweight 59 kg | Ryuji Horio | def. | Kunitaka Fujiwara | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Erson Yamamoto | def. | Tim Eschtruth | KO (Elbow and Punches) | 1 | 2:04 | |
| Catchweight 63 kg | Taiju Shiratori | def. | Hiroto Yamaguchi | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Catchweight 59 kg | Takaki Soya | def. | Namiki Kawahara | KO (Punch and Soccer Kick) | 1 | 4:05 | |
| Catchweight 60 kg | Kan Nakamura | def. | Itto | KO (Head Kick) | 2 | 3:18 | Kickboxing |
| Catchweight 56 kg | Seiki Ueyama | def. | Kengo | TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) | 1 | 2:42 | Kickboxing |
| Catchweight 69 kg | Yuya | def. | Yuki Tanaka | TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) | 1 | 2:45 | Kickboxing |

## Rizin 17 - Saitama

Rizin 17 - Saitama was a Combat sport event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on July 28, 2019 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

### Background

Daiki Watabe was due to fight Kevin Ross in a kickboxing bout, but the American fighter withdrew due to a hand injury. Watabe instead faced the Bolivian fighter Hideki, who stepped in on 3 weeks notice for this encounter.

### Results

Rizin 17 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Lightweight 70 kg | Mikuru Asakura | def. | Yusuke Yachi | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Shintaro Ishiwatari | def. | Ulka Sasaki | Submission (North-South Choke | 2 | 8:57 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Hiromasa Ougikubo | def. | Yuki Motoya | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Ivan Shtyrkov | def. | Hoon Kim | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 9:05 | |
| Catchweight 62 kg | Taiga | def. | Hikaru Machida | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Lightweight 71 kg | Johnny Case | def. | Satoru Kitaoka | TKO (Retirement) | 1 | 5:00 | Lightweight GP Qualifying Round |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Tatsuya Kawajiri | def. | Ali Abdulkhalikov | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | Lightweight GP Qualifying Round |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Roberto de Souza | def. | Mizuto Hirota | KO (Punches) | 1 | 3:04 | Lightweight GP Qualifying Round |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Jake Heun | def. | Vitaly Shemetov | TKO (Cut) | 3 | 12:20 | |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Seo Hee Ham | def. | Tomo Maesawa | TKO (Knees) | 1 | 3:12 | |
| Catchweight 63 kg | Stephanie Egger | def. | Reina Miura | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Catchweight 67 kg | Hideki | def. | Daiki Watabe | Decision (Majority) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |

## Rizin 18 - Nagoya

Rizin 18 - Nagoya was a Combat sport event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on August 18, 2019 at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.

### Background

Marcos de Souza, was set to fight at RIZIN 18, but his debut was pushed back because of an injury.
Kazuma Sone was expected to face Erson Yamamoto, But plans have changed for undisclosed reasons. That forced the fight to be cancelled. Justin Scoggins has stepped in as a replacement.

### Results

Rizin 18 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Kai Asakura | def. | Kyoji Horiguchi | KO (Punches) | 1 | 1:07 | |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Ayaka Hamasaki | def. | Suwanan Boonsorn | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 3:20 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Victor Henry | def. | Trent Girdham | Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke) | 3 | 12:14 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Manel Kape | def. | Takeya Mizugaki | KO (punch) | 2 | 6:35 | |
| Catchweight 75 kg | Danilo Zanolini | def. | John Wayne Parr | Decision (Split) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Kanna Asakura | def. | Alesha Zappitella | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Strawweight 53 kg | Haruo Ochi | vs. | Jarred Brooks | No Contest (Accidental Headbutt) | 1 | 0:11 | |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Hiroto Uesako | def. | Yves Landu | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 8:45 | Lightweight GP Qualifying Round |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Justin Scoggins | def. | Kazuma Sone | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Catchweight 59 kg | Takaki Soya | def. | Yutaro Muramoto | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 6:27 | |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Ai Shimizu | def. | Tabatha Watkins | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Strawweight 53 kg | Kazuki Osaki | def. | Shota Takiya | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Flyweight 57 kg | Ryuji Horio | def. | Uchu Sakurai | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |

## Rizin 19 - Osaka

Rizin 19 - Osaka was a Combat sport event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on October 12, 2019 at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan.

### Background

Rena Kubota's original opponent, Shawna Ram suffered a concussion during training. Alexandra Alvare steps in to face Kubota.
Shintaro Matsukura originally supposed to face Takuma Konishi but he suffered an eye injury. His teammate, Hiroya, will be the replacement to face Konishi.

### Results

Rizin 19 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Catchweight 100 kg | Jiří Procházka | def. | Fábio Maldonado | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:49 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Kai Asakura | def. | Ulka Sasaki | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | 1 | 0:54 | |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Seo Hee Ham | def. | Miyuu Yamamoto | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 9:42 | |
| Catchweight 51 kg | Rena Kubota | def. | Alexandra Alvare | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 0:20 | |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Lightweight 71 kg | Johnny Case | def. | Roberto de Souza | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:15 | Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Finals |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Patricky Freire | def. | Tatsuya Kawajiri | TKO (Knee and Punches) | 1 | 1:10 | Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Finals |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Luiz Gustavo | def. | Hiroto Uesako | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | 1 | 3:55 | Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Finals |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Tofiq Musayev | def. | Damien Brown | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 4:14 | Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Finals |
| Welterweight 77 kg | Keita Nakamura | def. | Marcos de Souza | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:18 | |
| Catchweight 62 kg | Taiju Shiratori | def. | Taiga | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |
| Welterweight 77 kg | Takuma Konishi | def. | Hiroya | TKO (Knee) | 1 | 1:20 | Kickboxing |
| Openweight | Shoma Shibisai | def. | Chang Hee Kim | Submission (Kimura) | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Catchweight 56 kg | Seiki Ueyama | def. | Taisei Umei | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9:00 | Kickboxing |

## Rizin 20 - Saitama

Rizin 20 - Saitama was a Combat sport event by Rizin Fighting Federation that took place on December 31, 2019 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

### Background

Kyoji Horiguchi was scheduled to defend his RIZIN Bantamweight Championship against Kai Asakura on this card. However, Horoguchi pulled out of the fight in mid-November citing a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action for approximately 10 – 12 months. In turn, his bantamweight title has been vacated.

### Results

Rizin 20 :
| Weight Class | | | | Method | Round | T.Time | Notes |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Manel Kape | def. | Kai Asakura | TKO (Punches) | 2 | 5:38 | For the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship |
| Catchweight 56 kg | Tenshin Nasukawa | def. | Rui Ebata | TKO (3 Knockdown Rule) | 1 | 2:44 | Kickboxing |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Seo Hee Ham | def. | Ayaka Hamasaki (c) | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship |
| Featherweight 66 kg | Mikuru Asakura | def. | John Teixeira | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Catchweight 50.8 kg | Rena Kubota | def. | Lindsey VanZandt | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 3 | 14:42 | |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Lightweight 71 kg | Tofiq Musayev | def. | Patricky Freire | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | Lightweight Grand Prix Final |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Jiří Procházka (c) | def. | C. B. Dollaway | KO (Punches) | 1 | 1:55 | For the Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship |
| Light Heavyweight 93 kg | Simon Biyong | def. | Vitaly Shemetov | TKO (Elbows and Punches) | 2 | 0:58 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Hiromasa Ougikubo | def. | Shintaro Ishiwatari | Decision (Split) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Intermission ||||||||
| Catchweight 105 kg | Jake Heun | def. | Satoshi Ishii | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 1:12 | |
| Bantamweight 61 kg | Patchy Mix | def. | Yuki Motoya | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 1:36 | |
| Catchweight 62 kg | Taiju Shiratori | def. | Taiga | TKO (Cut) | 2 | 6:00 | Kickboxing |
| Super Atomweight 49 kg | Miyuu Yamamoto | def. | Suwanan Boonsorn | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 15:00 | |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Patricky Freire | def. | Luiz Gustavo | TKO (Punches and Soccer Kick) | 1 | 0:28 | Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals |
| Lightweight 71 kg | Tofiq Musayev | def. | Johnny Case | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 2:46 | Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals |