Another fight has been added to the Rizin Fighting Federation 33
lineup, as former Pride Fighting Championships standout Takanori
Gomi will meet kickboxing star Tenshin
Nasukawa under “special standing bout rules” on New Year’s
Eve.
The Japanese promotion recently announced the pairing, which does
not have a formally announced weight class but will reportedly be a
two-round exhibition under boxing rules. Rizin 33 takes place at
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and features a lightweight
title bout between Roberto de
Souza and Yusuke
Yachi as well as the semifinals and finals of the bantamweight
grand prix. The event is available via pay-per-view
here.
Gomi, 43, last appeared at Rizin 26, where he bested Koji Tanaka
in a special rules bout in December 2020. His most recent MMA
appearance came in July 2018, when he snapped a six-fight losing
streak with a first-round knockout of fellow UFC veteran Melvin
Guillard.
The bout is expected to be Nasukawa’s last under the Rizin banner.
The 23-year-old kickboxer recently announced that he plans to make
a full time transition to boxing. He notably faced Floyd
Mayweather in an exhibition boxing match in 2018 and was
knocked out in the opening stanza.
Additional fight announcement for
RIZIN.33Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Takanori Gomi#RIZIN
#RIZIN33 pic.twitter.com/xiUMSiUCrP— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English)
December 25, 2021