03Oct 2026
Rizin Landmark 16
Happiness Arena, Nagasaki
Main event: Horie vs Usami
Rizin
News, fighters and results
Rizin Fighting Federation
RizinEvents, champions and history
Japanese MMA promotion founded in 2015 by Nobuyuki Sakakibara as the successor to Pride. 83 events, a roped ring and a New Year's Eve card every year.
- Founded 2015
- Tokyo
- RIZIN.tv
- Ring and Pride rules
83events held since 2015
48,968fans at the Kyocera Dome Osaka (Super Rizin 5)
4Rizin champions who moved to the UFC
12weight classes, 3 of them for women
Champions
Lightweight
Luiz Gustavo 🇧🇷
Rizin 53, May 2026
Featherweight
Razhabali Shaydullaev 🇰🇬
Rizin Otoko Matsuri, May 2025, 4 defenses
Bantamweight
Danny Sabatello 🇺🇸
December 31, 2025 card, 2 defenses
Flyweight
Makoto Takahashi 🇯🇵
Rizin Landmark 14, June 2026
From Rizin to the UFC
Jiří Procházka
UFC · 2020
First light heavyweight champion
Manel Kape
UFC · 2020
Bantamweight champion
Ham Seo-hee
ONE · 2020
Super atomweight champion
Kai Asakura
UFC · 2024
Bantamweight champion
Kyoji Horiguchi
UFC · 2025
Bantamweight and flyweight champion
The story of Rizin
Rizin Fighting Federation was created in 2015 by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, former president of Pride FC and Dream Stage Entertainment. The promotion presents itself as the successor to Pride, Hero's and Dream, with opening ceremonies, staged fighter entrances, a roped ring and a ruleset inherited from Pride. Its first event, the Rizin World Grand Prix 2015, took place on December 29 and 31, 2015 at the Saitama Super Arena.
Rizin holds a card every December 31, a tradition carried over from Pride. In 2018, the promotion staged a boxing exhibition between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Tenshin Nasukawa. The cage arrived in 2021 with the Rizin Trigger series. Rizin fighters faced a Bellator team on December 31, 2022, and the promotion held its first event abroad in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2023.
In 2026, Rizin signed a partnership with the PFL. Super Rizin 5, held on September 10, 2026 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka, drew 48,968 fans: featherweight champion Razhabali Shaydullaev beat A. J. McKee by unanimous decision with both the Rizin and PFL belts on the line. The December 31, 2026 card will be held at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya for the first time.
Four Rizin champions later signed with the UFC: Jiří Procházka, Manel Kape, Kai Asakura and Kyoji Horiguchi. French-speaking fighters who have competed in Rizin include France's Claire Lopez, at Rizin Landmark 8 in 2024, and Prince Aounallah, in the 2025 Heavyweight Grand Prix, as well as Senegalese wrestler Thiatou Bambilor, who won at Rizin 51 in September 2025.
Standout facts
2015
first Grand Prix, on December 29 and 31 at the Saitama Super Arena, won by Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.
48,968
fans at the Kyocera Dome Osaka for Super Rizin 5 in September 2026.
5
lightweight title defenses for Roberto de Souza between 2021 and 2025, a Rizin record.
3
title wins for Kyoji Horiguchi, twice at bantamweight and once at flyweight.
The latest 20 Rizin events
| Event | Date | Venue | Main event | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Rizin 5 | Sep 10, 2026 | Kyocera Dome Osaka, Osaka | Shaydullaev vs McKee | Shaydullaev |
| Rizin 54 | Aug 11, 2026 | Toyota Arena Tokyo, Tokyo | Akimoto vs Koike | Akimoto |
| Rizin Landmark 15 | Jul 18, 2026 | Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center, Hiroshima | Sabatello vs Kashimura | Sabatello |
| Rizin Landmark 14 | Jun 6, 2026 | Xebio Arena Sendai, Sendai | Ougikubo vs Takahashi | Takahashi |
| Rizin 53 | May 10, 2026 | Glion Arena Kobe, Kobe | Nozimov vs L. Gustavo | L. Gustavo |
| Rizin Landmark 13 | Apr 12, 2026 | Marine Messe Fukuoka, Fukuoka | Shaydullaev vs Kubo | Shaydullaev |
| Rizin 52 | Mar 7, 2026 | Ariake Arena, Tokyo | Akimoto vs Mix | Akimoto |
| Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri | Dec 31, 2025 | Saitama Super Arena, Saitama | Shaydullaev vs M. Asakura | Shaydullaev |
| Rizin Landmark 12 | Nov 3, 2025 | Glion Arena Kobe, Kobe | Akimoto vs Hagiwara | Akimoto |
| Rizin 51 | Sep 28, 2025 | IG Arena, Nagoya | Shaydullaev vs Kolesnik | Shaydullaev |
| Super Rizin 4 | Jul 27, 2025 | Saitama Super Arena, Saitama | M. Asakura vs Koike | M. Asakura |
| Rizin Landmark 11 | Jun 14, 2025 | Makomanai Ice Arena, Sapporo | Karamov vs Kimura | Karamov |
| Rizin World Series in Korea | May 31, 2025 | Paradise City, Incheon | De Souza vs Ki Won-bin | De Souza |
| Rizin: Otoko Matsuri | May 4, 2025 | Tokyo Dome, Tokyo | Koike vs Shaydullaev | Shaydullaev |
| Rizin 50 | Mar 30, 2025 | Anabuki Arena Kagawa, Takamatsu | Inoue vs Motoya | Inoue |
| Rizin 49 | Dec 31, 2024 | Saitama Super Arena, Saitama | Suzuki vs Koike | Koike |
| Rizin Landmark 10 | Nov 17, 2024 | Nagoya International Exhibition Hall, Nagoya | Karamov vs Majima | Karamov |
| Rizin 48 | Sep 29, 2024 | Saitama Super Arena, Saitama | De Souza vs L. Gustavo | De Souza |
| Super Rizin 3 | Jul 28, 2024 | Saitama Super Arena, Saitama | Hiramoto vs M. Asakura | Hiramoto |
| Rizin 47 | Jun 9, 2024 | Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo | Horiguchi vs Pettis | Horiguchi |
Rules and format
- Pride-based rules, fights in a roped ring. The cage was introduced in 2021 with the Rizin Trigger series.
- Three five-minute rounds.
- Soccer kicks and knees to a grounded opponent are legal, as are elbows, including 12-6 elbows. When the weight gap is 15 kg or more, the lighter fighter decides whether ground strikes are allowed.
- Judging on three criteria: damage, aggressiveness and generalship.
- Men's divisions: heavyweight (120 kg), light heavyweight (93), middleweight (85), welterweight (77), lightweight (71), featherweight (66), bantamweight (61), flyweight (57). Women: light flyweight (53), super atomweight (49), atomweight (47).
FAQ
Who founded Rizin?
Rizin Fighting Federation was created in 2015 by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, former president of Pride FC. It is owned by Dream Factory Worldwide and based in Tokyo.
Where can I watch Rizin events?
In Japan, events are sold on pay-per-view through RIZIN 100 CLUB, RIZIN LIVE, ABEMA and SKY PerfecTV!. Outside Japan, they stream on RIZIN.tv.
When is the next Rizin event?
Rizin Landmark 16 takes place on October 3, 2026 at the Happiness Arena in Nagasaki, headlined by Horie vs Usami. Rizin 55 follows on November 8, 2026 at the LaLa Arena Tokyo-Bay in Funabashi, where Makoto Takahashi defends his flyweight title against Tony Laramie.
Which Rizin champions moved to the UFC?
Jiří Procházka and Manel Kape vacated their titles to join the UFC in 2020, Kai Asakura followed in 2024 and Kyoji Horiguchi in 2025.
Page updated on September 28, 2026. Sources: jp.rizinff.com, en.wikipedia.org, sherdog.com, tokyoheadline.com.
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