Featherweight champion Chihiro
Suzuki will defend his title in a rematch against ex-title
holder Kleber
Koike Erbst in the main event of
Rizin Fighting Federation’s New Year’s Eve card.
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The Japanese promotion announced the bout during a press conference
on Tuesday. The event, entitled
Rizin 49 “Decade”,” takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super
Arena in Saitama, Japan, and is available via pay-per-view. No
other fights were announced for the card.
Erbst was the reigning 145-pound champion for the first matchup
with Suzuki in June 2023. However, the Brazilian lost the title on
the scale when he missed weight one day prior to their meeting at
Rizin 43. As a result, the belt remained vacant following Erbst’s
first-round submission victory, which was declared a no contest due
to Rizin rules.
Suzuki has won three straight contests since that defeat, beginning
with a first-round knockout of Bellator champ Patricio
Freire in a lightweight affair. He then captured the
featherweight crown with a first-round KO of Vugar
Karamov before defending the strap with an opening-round
stoppage of Masanori
Kanehara at Rizin 46 this past April.
Erbst has also fought three times since facing Suzuki. After
dropping a unanimous verdict to Kanehara at Rizin 44, the
35-year-old rebounded to post back-to-back submission triumphs
against Yutaka
Saito and Juan
Archuleta.