RIZIN announces eight-man heavyweight Grand Prix, Danny Sabatello promotional debut set for May 4th show
RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri will feature an eight-man heavyweight Grand Prix, and several other big fights in May.
RIZIN is set to return to the beloved Tokyo Dome later this spring. Earlier this week, the promotion held a press conference in Japan, giving details about their planned event on May 4th. There, they revealed plans for a massive eight-man heavyweight tournament, a decade after their inaugural heavyweight Grand Prix. The finals of that 2015 tournament saw King Mo score a knockout win over future UFC champion Jiri Prochazka.
This time around, there won’t be stars as big as the aforementioned Prochazka, but there are still some interesting names. Currently slated for the May tournament are heavyweight fighters Tsuyoshi Sudario (9-3), Shoma Shibasi (10-3), Mikio Ueda (4-2), Jose Augusto (10-4), Aleksandr Soldatkin (14-5), and Marek Samociuk (7-4). The final two athletes and the bracket itself will be revealed at a later date.
However, RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri will also feature the promotional debut of former Bellator bantamweight contender Danny Sabatello. ‘The Italian Gangster’ parted ways with the PFL in late 2024 and quickly signed a deal with the Japanese company. The wrestler will meet Shinobu Ota in May, who has been with RIZIN for years now. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist last appeared in the ring in September, suffering a submission loss to Yuki Motoya.
RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri card revealed featuring returns of Danny Sabatello and John Dodson
RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri will also see the return of former UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson. ‘The Magician’ famously headed to Japan not long after parting ways with Dana White, and he quickly found success. Dodson last appeared in the ring in July, handing Takashi Soya a unanimous decision loss under bare-knuckle boxing rules. In May, the two will run it back under MMA rules.
As of now, RIZIN’s return to the Tokyo Dome in May still lacks a lot of matchups. However, here’s how the card stands as of now:
- Danny Sabatello vs. Shinobu Ota
- John Dodson vs. Takaki Soya
- Erson Yamamoto vs. Daichi Tomizawa
- Joe Hiramoto vs. Toki Tamaru
- Heavyweight Grand Prix: Tsuyoshi Sudario, Shoma Shibasi, Mikio Ueda, Jose Augusto, Aleksandr Soldatkin, Marek Samociuk
What do you make of this RIZIN news? Are you excited to see the returns of Danny Sabatello and John Dodson? Who do you want to see fight in the heavyweight Grand Prix?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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