Rizin Fighting Federation has added three more bouts to its
annual New Year’s Eve bash.
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Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator
MMA bantamweight Vince
Morales (13-7) will clash against Japanese veteran Yuki Motoya
(34-10). The matchup was made while Morales was in Japan serving as
a sparring partner for Kai
Asakura, who handed Motoya a knockout loss at Rizin 42 in
May.
Motoya has since bounced back with a TKO win over Kosuke
Terashima under the Deep banner
last month. Meanwhile, “Vandetta” has picked up to stoppage wins in
the regional circuit since being released from the UFC on a
two-fight skid last year.
Morales believes his Rizin 45 appearance will be a step towards
bridging the gap between Western and Asian MMA. The 33-year-old
said during a special broadcast on ABEMA last week:
“I’m incredibly grateful to Kai
Asakura, Team Asakura, and Rizin for giving me the opportunity
to fight here. Being able to compete in Japan, on the stage of the
biggest event of the year, New Year’s Eve, which is likely the
biggest event in Japan or even the world, makes me very happy. I
believe that my participation, thanks to the Asakura brothers and
Rizin, can be the first step in bridging American MMA and Japanese
MMA, bringing them closer together, not only for the fighters but
also for the fans.”
Reigning Shooto
strawweight and flyweight champion Jo Arai (13-10)
will meet Hiroya
Kondo (8-12) in a flyweight bout. Arai’s current 11-fight
winning streak in Shooto stands in stark contrast with Kondo, who
is coming off a three-fight skid. Kondo expressed his appreciation
for his spot on the card, considering that slump. The 25-year-old
said:
“Normally, with this ongoing losing streak, getting a card like
this is almost impossible. I truly feel something fateful. New
Year’s Eve is really the dream of my martial arts dream. I never
imagined standing on this stage when I started martial arts. I feel
that I’ve been given a chance like fate, and by winning, I can make
a lot of fans feel frustrated and sad. On New Year’s Eve, I believe
I can explode. I truly believe I’m that kind of man, so I want to
put all my feelings into this fight.”
Ryujin
Nasukawa, younger brother of kickboxing star turned mixed
martial arts fighter Tenshin Nasakuwa is set to follow in his
sibling’s footsteps and will be making his pro debut at Rizin 45.
Nasakuwa earned the opportunity after a kickboxing win at RISE last
week after which he appealed to Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who
was sitting cageside and obliged. Nasakuwa will clash with fellow
MMA debutant and 17-year-old Jong Min
Shin. Nasakuwa said during the Rizin 45 special broadcast:
“Well, I won the last fight, and then, during the mic time
afterward, I told Mr. Sakakibara, ‘Let me fight in Rizin!’ Although
I’ve never done MMA, I’ve got this chance in Rizin’s New Year’s Eve
event, which everyone wants to participate in. So, I think if I’m
going to appear in Rizin, it’s polite to do it in MMA. I feel like
I’m being tested here, and I want to show my seriousness about MMA,
my commitment to it, in these two weeks before the fight.”
Rizin 45 takes place Dec. 31, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan, and will stream in North America via pay-per-view through
Triller/FITE. The card will be headlined by a bantamweight title
meeting between Juan
Archuleta (29-4) and Kai Asakura
(20-4). Meanwhile, the co-main event will feature a flyweight title
fight between Kyoji
Horiguchi (31-5) and Makoto
Takahashi (16-1). The flyweight matchup was rebooked after
their initial meeting in July was ruled a no-contest due to an
accidental eye poke in Round 1.