In a rematch nearly two years in the making, Makoto
Takahashi avenged a past loss and defeated mentor-turned-rival
Hiromasa
Ougikubo Saturday at
Rizin Fighting Federation: “Landmark
Vol. 14.” Competing in front of his hometown fans in Sendai,
Japan, Takahashi took a well-deserved unanimous decision victory
over Ougikubo in the main event to become the new Rizin flyweight
champion.

Takahashi (23-5-1, 1 NC; 9-4 Rizin) ducked under a wild left hand
and took Ougikubo (30-9-2, 12-6 Rizin) down into back control
during the opening minute of the fight. He kneeled against the cage
and punched the side of Ougikubo’s head while also elbowing his
ribs. Ougikubo scrambled up to his feet as the round entered its
final minute and he knocked ‘Shinryu’ off-balance with a calf kick.
Ougikubo got past Takahashi’s jab and landed a nice combination in
the second frame, but he soon found himself on the ground again
after a Takahashi trip takedown. Ougikubo stood up and he landed a
series of left hooks to Takahashi’s face and liver. Takahashi kneed
Ougikubo’s midsection, but Ougikubo did not slow down at all and he
continued to pressure the challenger with punches and clinches
against the fence.

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Takahashi landed knees to Ougikubo’s body in the final stanza and
Ougikubo responded with flurries to the body and head. A slashing
elbow from Takahashi opened a deep gash on the top of Ougikubo’s
head and time was called to stop the bleeding. The bout resumed and
Takahashi countered Ougikubo’s forward pressure by taking his back
and pulling him down to the mat. When Ougikubo rolled over to take
top position, Takahashi held him in a guillotine choke. Ougikubo
escaped to his feet and the title fight came to an end. The judges
were united and all three scored the fight for Takahashi, who at
last realized his dream of becoming a Rizin champion.

Post-fight, Takahashi and Ougikubo spoke to each other in the cage
and buried the hatchet after engaging in a heated rivalry that
dated back to before their first fight in July 2024, which Ougikubo
won. The defeat snapped a five-fight winning streak for the
39-year-old, while Takahashi has now won five of his past six
contests and stands tall atop the highly competitive Rizin
flyweight division.

In the 130-pound co-main event, Tony
Laramie (13-3, 4-1 Rizin) made his case for a future flyweight
title shot by posting a unanimous decision victory over former
two-division Rizin title challenger Yuki Motoya
(39-14, 1 NC; 14-10, 1 NC Rizin). Both men landed jabs and leg
kicks until Laramie knocked Motoya down with a lead left hook. He
rushed in with more punches and then trapped Motoya in a shoulder
choke on the ground, but the veteran quickly escaped. Soon after,
Laramie reversed a Motoya takedown into mount and he dropped
punches to Motoya’s face. Motoya was unable to get the fight to the
ground in the second round and Laramie landed jabs and quick
combinations to Motoya’s head and body. Motoya had moments of
success with his boxing, but Laramie countered effectively with
more left hooks and body kicks. In the final period, Laramie
attacked Motoya’s liver with two left hooks. Both men finished
their punching combinations with leg kicks and Laramie tripped
Motoya momentarily. Laramie rolled his ankle in the final minute,
but it did not slow down his offense until the final bell when he
was clearly in pain. All three judges scored the bout for Laramie,
who issued a challenge to the main event winner.

The main card opened with a bout between Satoshi
Kamiyama (4-4, 4-4 Rizin) and Ryo Sakai
(15-15, 0-2 Rizin) that was changed to a 267-pound catchweight due
to Kamiyama’s failure to make weight. Sakai backed Kamiyama up
against the cage with punches in the opening minute, but a
well-timed counter left hook from “Takakenshin” dropped Sakai to a
knee. The former Deep champion
rose to his feet and continued to throw punches, but Kamiyama
dropped him with a right hand as Sakai charged forward. Kamiyama
immediately landed more punches on the ground that shut Sakai’s
lights off and ended the fight in just 76 seconds.

Hoping to shed his past reputation for being involved in boring
fights, Noah Bey (6-4,
4-4 Rizin) scored a highlight-reel knockout victory tonight against
Grachan champ Bilal Kai
Haga (7-6, 0-2 Rizin) in a bout that was changed to a 157-pound
catchweight when Haga weighed in over the lightweight limit. Bey
almost finished Haga in the opening seconds with a head kick and
punches that had Haga clinging to consciousness. He recovered
impressively and walked forward with jabs and right hands. Haga
eventually dropped Bey to a knee with a lead left hook and Bey
fired back with body kicks during the final minute of the excellent
round. Shortly after the second frame began, Bey landed a vicious
head kick that sent an unconscious Haga crashing to the mat. The
official time of the knockout came at the 10-second mark of Round
2.

One-time Rizin title challenger Yusuke
Yachi (29-16, 13-9 Rizin) spoiled the Rizin debut of former
Pancrase
champion Isao
Kobayashi (27-9-2, 0-1 Rizin) in a clash between lightweight
veterans. Yachi battled back to his feet after he was taken down,
and time was called when Kobayashi was kneed in the groin. After
the restart, Kobayashi took Yachi down again and he landed punches
and elbows from Yachi’s guard. Both men landed leg kicks in the
second round and Kobayashi briefly got the fight to the ground.
After a lengthy clinch, Yachi reversed a takedown into Kobayashi’s
guard, where he postured up with punches in an effort to solidify
the round on the scorecards. The fighters battled back and forth in
clinches during the final round and Kobayashi tripped Yachi twice,
but Yachi took Kobayashi’s back at one point and he stayed active
with knee strikes. All three judges scored the close fight in favor
of Yachi for a unanimous decision win.

In flyweight action, Daichi
Tomizawa (3-2, 3-2 Rizin) weathered an early storm of takedowns
from Rui
Kato (5-8, 0-1 Rizin) and finished the Rizin newcomer with
first-round knees and elbows. Kato pursued takedowns in the opening
period and he got Tomizawa down into back control twice. Tomizawa
shook him off and he controlled the striking exchanges with jabs
and front kicks. Kato took Tomizawa down once more and Tomizawa
badly hurt him with an upkick. As Kato tried to regain his senses,
Tomizawa pounced on him with knees to his head and elbow strikes
until the fight was stopped at the 4:37 mark of Round 1.

Naoki
Tanaka (3-2, 1-1 Rizin) overcame a rough start to his
featherweight bout against Kaisei
Kuroi (8-5, 0-1 Rizin) and scored a sensational comeback TKO.
Kuroi controlled the first half of the opening round from top
position in Tanaka’s half-guard, where Kuroi landed punches and
transitioned to an armbar. Tanaka stood up and freed his arm, then
wobbled Kuroi with punches and knees. He landed two more knees that
dropped Kuroi and then finished him off with punches at the 3:37
mark of the opening frame.

After two clinch-heavy rounds of limited action, Seiya Inoue
(1-1, 1-1 Rizin) brutally knocked out Koki Akada
(0-4, 0-4 Rizin) just 28 seconds into the third stanza of their
bantamweight clash. The pace finally picked up a bit late in the
second round when both men landed powerful punches before the bell.
Inoue stuffed a takedown to begin the final round and he landed two
strong knees. Soon after, Inoue unleashed a five-punch combination
that ended with a left hook, which sent “Playboi” crashing to the
mat.

On the preliminary card, Hayato
Kikuchi (1-1, 1-0 Rizin) narrowly edged out Taylan
Yuasa (2-5, 0-1 Rizin) via split decision in a two-round
flyweight MMA bout; Koya Saito demolished Kazuki Yamagishi with
three knockdowns in just 85 seconds in a 149-pound kickboxing
match; Sho Uchida won his flyweight kickboxing bout against Daichi
Akahira via unanimous decision; and Yusuke Iwaki opened up the card
by knocking out Sho Nakaizumi with a flying knee at the 45-second
mark of Round 3 in 137-pound kickboxing action.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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