The eyes of the MMA world will be set squarely on Japan this New Year’s Eve, where local organization Rizin FF has partnered with the California-based Bellator MMA to put on a historic co-promotion at the legendary Saitama Super Arena.
Bellator has offered up five of the promotion’s top talents, including one reigning champion and two former titleholders, and they will take on five of Rizin FF’s best fighters in a blockbuster collaboration the likes of which is not often seen in the sport.
Bellator MMA president Scott Coker said his longstanding friendship with Rizin FF head Nobuyuki Sakakibara – which dates back to their days working together at the kickboxing giant K-1 more than 20 years ago – made the unique event, Rizin FF 40, a reality.
“When I think about two promotions getting together like this and not just doing one fight, or two fights, this is a five-on-five team match,” Coker said on a media call in advance of the event. “It’s like the Olympics. You bring five of your best athletes in different weightclasses, and they bring five of their best athletes, and this is like a mini-Olympics in my mind.
“Historically, because of the way the MMA companies have been so separated or maybe working with their own verticals, it just hasn’t happened. The UFC doesn’t do it. In the past, we haven’t done it. Sakakibara hasn’t done it. We’ve done one-offs here, one-offs there, but to do something like this where it’s five-on-five, the best fighting the best, it’s a historical event, which is why I think the people are so excited.”
Indeed, the event has caught the attention of many hardcore MMA fans.
For years, Japan was host to the legendary PRIDE organization, and internet message boards such The Underground would be filled with debate on who would win in fantasy matchups between fighters from that promotion and its rival, the UFC. On December 31, Bellator MMA and Rizin FF will combine to put on contests that are reminiscent of those dream fights.
“Rizin started our event back in 2015, so this will be our seventh New Year’s Eve,” Sakakibara told MMA Underground through an interpreter. “New Year’s Eve is a big day for us, culturally. It’s become a tradition, and it’s become a culture people expect on New Year’s Eve. We’ve always wanted to make New Year’s Eve the biggest event of the year, and people are always anticipating what they will see this year. Now is the perfect time to collaborate with Bellator, who are bringing their best, so it is the best time to do this event.”
The Rizin FF 40 main event sees Bellator’s No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound fighter A.J. “Mercenary” McKee (19-1) taking on Rizin FF lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza (14-1), while Bellator’s current featherweight world champion and No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound athlete Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (34-5) takes on Rizin FF featherweight kingpin Kleber Koike (31-5-1) in the co-feature.
It’s a huge opportunity for both promotions to make a statement regarding the quality of their roster against international competition, but it doesn’t come without risk to both organizations, as well. Coker said it’s that danger of opposing talent that has typically prevented MMA promotions from taking part in such plans.
“Working with other promoters, there has to be a certain amount of trust and what are they bringing to the table,” Coker said. “I think really the question is what is the relationship going to look like moving forward and what fighters are they going to want to fight. You are putting your fighters in harm’s way, you’re putting your brand in harm’s way, and that’s OK because that should be the martial arts way.”
The New Year’s Eve fights will be contested under Rizin FF rules, which means the bouts will take place in a ring rather than a cage. Additionally, fights are judged as a whole rather than round-by-round scoring, and some banned techniques in the U.S. will be allowed, such as soccer kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent.
Coker knows that makes it extra challenging for Bellator MMA fighters to adjust but says he’s expecting for the Rizin FF athletes to deal with a similar challenge at a planned return event, details of which are still to be determined.
“Sakakibara and I talked about two events,” Coker said. “The next one has to be in the cage, and it has to be Bellator rules. It would be different, whether in the U.S. or somewhere else. I think Hawaii would be fun. I just want to get through this one on the 31st, and then we can go from there.”
How many times the two organizations ultimately elect to work together moving forward remains to be seen, but the New Year’s Eve event certainly marks a unique moment in the sport’s history. It’s one that Sakakibara believes can benefit fans on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
“Despite where the MMA origin came from, PRIDE had its days in Japan,” Sakakibara said. “The modern-day industry is from North America; it’s the place for martial arts right now, and Bellator is one of them. As a promotion from Japan, it’s very exciting for us to take on and challenge one of the major leagues.
“For us, it’s very important to challenge the major league, to challenge North America, to challenge the global market. That’s what the Japanese fans want to see.”
Rizin FF 40 airs Saturday, December 31 via tape delay on Showtime (8 p.m. ET/PT).
