On Monday, Dec. 31, Rizin Fighting Federation held its final event of 2018 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, for Rizin.14.
In the evening’s headliner, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. knocked Japanese kickboxing phenom Tenshin Nasukawa in a three-round boxing exhibition.
In the co-main event, Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell challenged Rizin 2017 bantamweight world grand prix champ for the inaugural Rizin bantamweight world title. Horiguchi won the belt, so Bellator’s president Scott Coker has announced there will be a rematch inside of the Bellator cage for Caldwell’s belt.
In the night’s main card action, Rizin atomweight grand prix winner Kanna Asakura met former Invicta FC atomweight champion Ayaka Hamasaki, surging lightweight Daron Cruickshank took on exciting brawler Damien Brown, UFC castoff Yuta “Ulka” Sasaki fought exciting Portuguese prospect Manel Kape, top Japanese flyweight Yuki Motoya battled UFC veteran Justin Scoggins, and top light heavyweight prospect Jiří Procházka took on former Bellator middleweight champ Brandon Halsey.
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Darrion Caldwell by submission (guillotine choke). Round 3 – for bantamweight title
Ayaka Hamasaki def. Kanna Asakura by submission (armbar). Round 2 – women’s super atomweight title
Jiří Procházka def. Brandon Halsey by TKO (punches). Round 1
Gabi Garcia def. Barbara Nepomuceno by submission (keylock). Round 1
Damien Brown def. Daron Cruickshank by submission (guillotine choke). Round 1
Miyuu Yamamoto def. Mika Nagano by unanimous decision
Kazuyuki Miyata def. Erson Yamamoto by submission (hammerlock). Round 2
Johnny Case def. Yusuke Yachi by TKO (doctor’s stoppage). Round 2
Yuki Motoya def. Justin Scoggins by submission (teepee choke). Round 1
Ulka Sasaki def. Manel Kape by unanimous decision
Justyna Haba def. Shinju Nozawa-Auclair by technical submission (rear-naked choke). Round 2
Tofiq Musayev def. Nobumitsu “Tyson” Osawa by TKO (ground and pound). Round 2, 1:19