The featherweight championship clash between Yutaka Saito and
Juntaro Ushiku is official for Rizin Fighting Federation 31.
Both the champion and the challenger made weight on Saturday ahead
of their 145-pound title tilt. Saito tipped the scales at 145.3
pounds, while Ushiku checked in at 144.8. Rizin 31 takes place at
Pia Arena in Yokohama, Japan and will also see Kanna Asakura (107.6
pounds) square off against Saori Oshima (105.7) in the co-main
event. The card can be viewed via pay-per-view here.
Saito claimed the featherweight crown with a unanimous decision
triumph over Mikuru Asakura at Rizin 25. He has won three straight
under the Rizin banner, including a split verdict against Vugar
Karamov in a non-title bout at Rizin 28 in his last outing.
Ushiku is the reigning Deep featherweight champion and is coming
off a split-decision win over Daisuke Nakamura in a title bout at
Deep 102 Impact this past July. He has won seven of his last eight
professional appearances.
Rizin 31 Weigh-in Results:
Yutaka Saito (145.3) vs. Juntaro Ushiku (144.8)
Kanna Asakura (107.6) vs. Saori Oshima (105.7)
Tsuyoshi Sudario (254.8) vs. Saint (234.4)
Masanori Kanehara (144.9) vs. Takahiro Ashida (144.9)
Daichi Abe (155.9) vs. Akira (155.3)
Daisuke Nakamura (145.5) vs. Suguru Nii (145)
Rikuto Shirakawa (145.5) vs. Takuya Yamamoto (144.8)
Nadaka Yoshinari (117.7) vs. Naoki Ishikawa (117.9)
Yusaku Nakamura (125.4) vs. Yuki Ito (124.7)
Seiichiro Ito (125.5) vs. Kunta Hashimoto (125.1)
Muay Thai Ryuya Okuwaki (112.4) vs. Ryuto Oinuma
(112.1)