RIZIN announced eight bouts for their first event in 2021, which will take place at the Nippon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan. Yogibo presents RIZIN.27 will be taking place on Sunday, March 21st at the Nippon Gaishi Hall. 5,000 spectators will be allowed inside to attend the event due to the governmental requirements around the COVID-19 pandemic.
This event will feature RIZIN’s first lightweight bouts since RIZIN 23 in August of last year. The opening bout features Kohei Sugiyama (10-5) and Yuki Ito (6-1). Sugiyama, 25, recently dropped a split-decision to Pancrase flyweight title challenger Masatatsu Ueda, snapping a 3-fight win streak. Ito enjoyed an 11-fight win streak (5-0 amateur, 6-0 pro), capturing the RINGS 55kg Championship in his 2nd pro bout. From there, he competed in ROAD and DEEP, submitting RIZIN veteran, Yamato Fujita. With all but one of their combined finishes being in the first round, fans can expect a fiery start to the event.
Ayaka Hamasaki (21-3, 7-1 RFF) was crowned RIZIN’s first-ever, two-time champion after submitting top super atomweight Miyuu Yamamoto with a unique leg-scissors choke last New Year’s Eve. The former Jewels and Invicta champion stands as the top super atomweight in the world, and will rematch perennial contender Kanna Asakura (18-4, 9-3 RFF). Asakura has gone 5-1 since facing Hamasaki at RIZIN 14, and currently rides a 4-fight win streak with 2 finishes. Both fighters hold several records in RIZIN.
Roberto Satoshi Souza (10-1, 3-1 RFF) bounced back from his 2019 Lightweight Grand Prix elimination in phenomenal fashion, thrashing Yachi Yusuke with vicious ground and pound in under 2 minutes at RIZIN 22 last August. Now, 6 months later, he will welcome former Pancrase Lightweight Champion Kazuki Tokudome (20-10-1) to the RIZIN ring. Tokudome – who has faced fellow RIZIN lightweights Kitaoka and Kume (twice) – is a 4-fight UFC veteran, and currently is riding a 2-fight win streak. All of Souza’s wins have come by way of finish, and he looks to continue his run to a potential lightweight title showdown against reigning champion, Tofiq Musaev.
The second of the two marquee lightweight matchups sees DEEP Lightweight Champion Koji Takeda (11-1, 1-1 RFF) fulfill an awaited champion versus champion bout against Pancrase Lightweight Champion Takasuke Kume (24-6-3, 1-0 RFF). Both fighters hold 3-fight win streaks and are coming off of hard-fought split decision victories in RIZIN, and will try to fight their name into the mix for the lightweight title.
A flyweight bout between Yutaro Muramoto (7-5-2, 0-1 RFF) and Seigo Yamamoto (5-5) will also take place. Muramoto has only lost 1 of his last 5 (vs. Takaki Soya at RIZIN 18) and won his last bout by a 3rd round submission. Yamamoto is a GRACHAN Flyweight Title challenger and is on a 2-fight win streak.
After a successful debut at RIZIN 26, two-time KSW Featherweight Champion Kleber Koike (26-5-1, 1-0 RFF) squares off against Kazumasa Majima (14-2, 0-1 RFF). Majima, a former REBEL FC Featherweight Champion and Shooto Tournament Champion, was riding a 12-fight win streak (11 finishes) until falling short against current RIZIN Featherweight Champion Yutaka Saito at RIZIN 23 last August. Koike won via his patented submission game, handing tough Pancrase veteran Kyle Aguon his first stoppage loss. The fans can expect exciting scrambles and a dynamic ground battle from both former champions.
Rounding out the featherweight bouts, Tetsuya Seki (13-6-1, 1-0 RFF) faces promotional newcomer Yoshinori Horie (9-3). The ZST Featherweight Champion won his RIZIN debut at RIZIN 22, scoring his 9th win by KO against Kouya Kanda in the 2nd round. Horie started his career with a 7-1 run before facing top featherweight Hakeem Dawodu in the UFC. Horie has since picked up a victory over fellow RIZIN featherweight Yojiro Uchimura, and now steps into the RIZIN ring as a rising prospect. This will be a true battle of strikers, as Seki and Horie have 14 KO/TKOs and only have 1 submission win in their combined 22 victories.
Sudario Tsuyoshi (2-0) will take on his largest opponent yet in the form of Japanese pro wrestler, Kazushi Miyamoto (0-0). Tsuyoshi has been training with Japanese legend Enson Inoue, and has surprised many with his striking ability thus far into his MMA career despite having a sumo background. Tsuyoshi is the older twin brother of fellow Sumo champion, Takagenji, and they are the first twin brothers to ever reach the rank of jūryō. Tsuyoshi is making his third appearance in RIZIN after 1st round TKO victories over Dylan James and JMMA legend Minowaman in 2020. Miyamoto made his professional wrestling debut in 2001, and has held titles in AJPW and NWA.
Top Shooto prospect Takumi Tamaru (12-2-1) will also make his RIZIN debut against Shooto Watanabe (21-5-6, 0-1 RFF). Tamaru won the 2015 Shooto BORDER Tournament Championship, and has won 5 of his last 6, with his sole loss coming in a Shooto Bantamweight Championship title bout last August. Watanabe is the ZST Tournament Champion, and Fighting Nexus Bantamweight Champion, and makes his return to the RIZIN ring after suffering a 1st round submission loss to current top Bantamweight contender, Naoki Inoue at RIZIN 22 last year. A long-time JMMA contender, he has competed for belts in ZST and GLADIATOR.
2-fight RIZIN vet Kazuma Sone (24-20-1, 0-2 RFF) fights Hiroki Shian Yamashita (7-8) in a bantamweight bout. Sone has challenged for and won multiple domestic titles in Japan, notably capturing the Shooto belt with a majority decision victory over Mamoru Fullswing Uoi in January of 2018. He snapped a 5-fight skid with a win against UFC veteran Teruto Ishihara just 2 weeks ago at Shooto 2021. Shian is coming off a title fight for the GRACHAN Bantamweight Championship.
Fight Card
Ayaka Hamasaki vs Kanna Asakura – 49kg RIZIN Super Atomweight Championship (Elbows allowed)
Satoshi Souza vs Kazuki Tokudome – 71kg RIZIN MMA Rules
Koji Takeda vs Takasuke Kume – 71kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Kleber Koike vs Kazumasa Majima – 66kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Yutaro Muramoto vs Seigo Yamamoto – 57kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Sudario vs Kazushi Miyamoto – 120kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Keisuke Horie vs Tetsuya Seki – 66kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Takumi Tamaru vs Shooto Watanabe – 61kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Kazuma Sone vs Hiroki Shian Yamashita – 61kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
Kohei Sugiyama vs Yuki Ito – 57kg RIZIN MMA Rules (Elbows allowed)
RIZIN.27 will be Streamed LIVE on SkyperfectTV, and RIZIN LIVE PPV with Japanese commentary. English commentary stream is to be determined. Doors open at 12:30 PM with the opening ceremony at 2:00 PM on Sunday, March 21st.
Promotion president Sakakibara also revealed his plans for the year, which included a 16-man Bantamweight Japan Grand Prix, which will begin in April, and an 8-man Featherweight tournament starting in the fall.
