On Saturday, Nov. 21, Rizin Fighting Federation visited the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan for its 25th numbered event.
The event was headlined by a title bout featuring Mikuru Asakura and Yutaka Saito for the promotion’s featherweight belt. Asakura was riding an eight-fight winning streak and had compiled a 7-0 record within the organization. His opponent, Saito, is a seasoned MMA veteran who had compiled an 18-4-2 record and was coming off a devastating knockout victory via soccer kicks over Kazumasa Majima.
The co-headliner was a bantamweight clash between Hiromasa Ougikubo and Kenta Takizawa. Takizawa was coming off a split-decision victory in his Rizin debut and rode a two-fight winning streak heading into his bout with the 27-fight veteran Ougikubo, who had compiled a 2-2 record with the promotion since 2018.
In addition to the MMA offerings, the event featured four kickboxing bouts. This segment of the card was highlighted by a catchweight showdown at 60.5 kilograms between Taiga Kawabe and Yuma Yamahata.
The action aired live via online pay-per-view beginning at 1 a.m. ET.
Hiromasa Ougikubo def. Kenta Takizawa by unanimous decision
Ryuichiro Sumimura def. Gota Yamashita by split decision
Tatsuki Saomoto def. Daichi Kitakata by unanimous decision
Kyohei Hagiwara def. Yojiro Uchimura by knockout (punch). Round 1, 0:22
Kickboxing: Taiga Kawabe def. Yuma Yamahata by unanimous decision
Kickboxing: Isami Sano def. Hidenori Ebata by unanimous decision
Rikuto Shirakawa def. Kotetsu Boku by TKO (strikes). Round 3, 4:19
Kickboxing: Jin Mandokoro def. Syuto Sato by unanimous decision
Kickboxing: Shohei Asahara def. Yuma Yamaguchi by knockout. Round 3, 2:59