2nd generation fighter Taisei Sakuraba set
to make his MMA debut in RIZIN, 31 December 2024. He brings a judo
black belt background along with the amateur and catch wrestling
lineage of his father, Kazushi.
#RIZIN @KS_SAKU39
@rizin_PR
pic.twitter.com/vR9ZdXKHfm— Sᴛoo Fᴜʟᴛᴏɴ (@_StewartFulton)
July 29, 2024
A Sakuraba will be competing in MMA again very soon.
In preparation for the Rizin
49 Decade event on Dec. 31, Rizin Fighting Federation sent out a press
release announcing a trio of new matchups for the show at the
Saitama Super Arena. Most notable of the three is the debut of
Taisei
Sakuraba (0-0), son of MMA legend Kazushi
Sakuraba. He will be competing at 155 pounds, and his first
bout in a ring will be against longtime vet Yusuke
Yachi (27-14).
Sakuraba first began training while a teenager, studying judo until
it blossomed into full-bore MMA practice. The youngster made his
way on the scene in 2023, appearing at Quintet 4 and tapping
two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo Masato Uchishiba with a
kneebar in a non-tournament match. He returned to grappling the
following year, leading Team Saku against Team Rizin in team vs.
team competition. His debut in MMA will be against an opponent that
celebrates nearly 40 pro fights, in one of the widest gaps of
experience between combatants.
Rizin staple Yachi has turned things around as of late, winning
four of his last five dating back to late 2022. While Sakuraba has
never fought professionally, Yachi’s 18 outings under the Rizin
banner are among the most of any fighter. When he sets foot in the
ring in Saitama, Japan, on Dec. 31, he will tie the record for the
most Rizin MMA bouts held by Yuki Motoya.
He is one of 10 athletes to amass at least 10 wins as a member of
the Rizin roster.
Additionally, the promotion put forth two more matches that will be
held on New Year’s Eve. At heavyweight, Mikio Ueda
(3-2) will collide with Tae In Kim
(5-0), while Ren
Sugiyama (2-1) throws down with Karshyga
Dautbek (16-3) at 145 pounds. The big man from Japan has earned
all three of his pro wins by knockout, but on the other side of the
equation, both of his defeats have come by stoppage. His foe Kim
has seen all five victories come by strikes. Kickboxer Sugiyama,
also known as “Ya-Man,” stopped kickboxing in Rizin to test himself
in MMA. In his last time out, he rendered Hiroaki
Suzuki unconscious with his fists. Kazakhstan’s Dautbek did the
same as Sugiyama, except that extends to seven straight fights.