Rizin FF results | UFC vet Kyoji Horiguchi scores two beautiful finishes to win bantamweight GP (highlights)

While UFC 219 dominated the MMA spotlight on Saturday night, it was not the only major event going down. Across the Pacific, Rizin Fighting Federation hosted its stacked, year-end card, which was highlighted by the finals of its action-packed bantamweight Grand Prix.

The quarterfinals of this Grand Prix went down two nights ago, when Manel Kape defeated UFC veteran Ian McCall with a bizarre, ring-rope induced stoppage, Takafumi Otsuka tapped formerly undefeated prospect Khalid Taha, Shintaro Ishiwatari brutally KO’d Kevin Petshi, and UFC veteran Kyoji Horiguchi snuffed Gabriel Oliveira. 

Last night, the GP continued, as Horiguchi collided with Kape, and Otsuka battled Ishiwatari in the semifinals.

Horiguchi advanced to the tournament finals by braving an accidental head butt to tap the polarizing Kape via third-round arm-triangle choke. Ishiwatari, meanwhile, defeated Otsuka by unanimous decision to clinch a rematch with his former foil Horiguchi in the finals. 

Accidental headbutt #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/cjdtOdLZrs

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Kyoji Horiguchi submits Manel Kape, advances to the RIZIN BW GP Final pic.twitter.com/xS9h28XEg6

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Shintaro Ishiwatari brought the violence in R3 #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/1fz3MUowbW

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

While Horiguchi and Ishiwatari recovered backstage, resting up for their tournament final showdown in the main event, a host of other notables picked up big wins.

Rising superstar Tenshin Nasukawa added another head to his trophy collection, blasting Yuta Hamamoto with second round knee, earning a spot in the finals of the Kick One-Night Tournament final. 

Tenshin Nasukawa. #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/1vVw6UvFsn

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Rena Kubota mauled Irene Cabello Rivera to a first-round TKO, synching a spot in the card’s one-night super-atomweight tournament final. 

RENA #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/Zm4I1alqwM

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

UFC and PRIDE veteran Takanori Gomi blew an early lead to succumb to a triangle choke from Krazy Bee talent Yusuke Yachi (see what else he’s capable of here).

Brutal body shots by Gomi #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/xLSkc1uDNh

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Former Rizin heavyweight GP winner and all-around MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic also returned to the ring last night, bludgeoning fellow PRIDE veteran Tsuyoshi “TK” Kosaka to a brutal, first-round corner stoppage.

RIZIN Cro Cop is an animal #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/kJmKb27NIY

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

By this point, it was time for the finals of this Rizin card’s three one-night tournaments.

Up first, Tenshin Nasukawa murdered Yamato Fujita with a first-round knee to win his tournament.

This kid is ridiculous #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/k84DOhQ8Hq

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

We are all witnesses. #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/CKMGBNFT9b

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Next up, Kanna Asakura tapped Rena Kubota in a huge upset, winning the one-night super atomweight tournament in the process.

Kanna Asakura upsets RENA #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/Qrj6WVysZW

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

And finally, the fan favorite former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi scored yet another highlight reel KO, removing Shintaro Ishiwatari’s batteries with a first-round bomb.

Kyoji Horiguchi KO’s Shintaro Ishiwatari, takes the RIZIN Bantamweight GP belt. Beautiful slip and counter #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/uzEyPuJGy2

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 31, 2017

Here are the full results of last night’s insane Rizin card, via Peter Carroll of MMAFighting.com.

Kyoji Horiguchi def. Shintaro Ishiwatari via knockout (punch) in R2 (Bantamweight GP final)
Kanna Asakura def. Rena Kubota via submission (rear-naked choke) in R1 (Super-atomweight GP final)
Tenshin Nasukawa def. Yamato Fujita via knockout (knee) in R1 (Kick One Night Tournament final)
Mirko Cro Cop def. Tsuyoshi Kosaka via TKO (corner stoppage) in R1
Shinju Nozawa-Auclair def. Chelsea LaGrasse via submission (armbar) in R1
Yusuke Yachi def. Takanori Gomi via submission (triangle) in R1
Kanna Asakura def. Maria Oliveira via submission (armbar) in R2
Rena Kubota def. Irene Cabello Rivera via TKO (punches) in R1
Yamato Fujita def. Mitsuhisa Sunabe via knockout in R3
Tenshin Nasukawa def. Yuta Hamamoto via knockout (knee) in R2
Shintaro Ishiwatari def. Takafumi Otsuka via unanimous decision
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Manel Kape via submission (arm triangle choke) in R3

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 31/12/2017.