RIZIN FF News

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2019

The partnership between RIZIN and Bellator continues to be a fruitful one as RIZIN 15 will provide us with yet another cross-promotional title bout. The two promotions have already had fighters fight between each other in the past, but it wasn’t until RIZIN 14 when things got very interesting.

Drake Riggs - January 30, 2019

With each new year, Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation seems to continually step things up a notch with bigger and better shows. 2018 was no different. RIZIN capped this past year off with the fantastic RIZIN 14 New Year’s Eve show which was headlined by a surprising exhibition boxing match that featured all-time boxing great Floyd Mayweather vs prodigy kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2019

On November 9, UFC veteran Isaac Vallie-Flagg stepped through the ropes of the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation (WBKFF) ring for a gloveless scrap with Corey Simpson. More than two months later, Vallie-Flagg and many other fighters who competed on the inaugural WBKFF card are still awaiting payment. When Vallie-Flagg drew attention to his outstanding WBKFF payment on Twitter last week, he received a response from MMA legend Bas Rutten, who was appointed as WBKFF president ahead of the November card. Rutten assured Vallie-Flagg that his payment is coming soon, allegedly once WBKFF founder Tomasz Stankiewicz receives the pay-per-view revenue for the card.

Drake Riggs - January 10, 2019

“A lot of people think that was a fixed fight,” Joe Rogan said on the Joe Rogan Experience. “I think that was a 120-pound fighter… Fighting the best ever. I mean, it wasn’t a fixed fight. I don’t know why people think it was a fixed fight. That guy fights at 126-pounds I think. I think that’s his weight class. He’s tiny.

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

Speaking on a recent episode of his Below the Belt podcast, former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub shared his belief that the Floyd Mayweather vs. Tenshin Nasukawa exhibition bout that topped the RIZIN 14 card on New Years eve was fixed. “I’ve seen better acting in pornos,” Schaub said bluntly on his show (transcript via BoxingScene.com). “Floyd’s just doing his thing, he’s the aggressor, so it’s not as hard to fake it. But Tenshin needs acting skills. They should have got someone to work with him on falling down, getting hit in the face, and all that.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

On New Years Eve in Tokyo, Japan, in the main event of RIZIN 14, 20-year-old Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa stepped through the ropes for an exhibition boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Because this fight was an exhibition, it would not wind up on either fighters record, no matter the outcome. All the same, Nasukawa hoped to do the unthinkable and knock the Floyd Mayweather out.

Tom Taylor - January 1, 2019

Pretty much everybody has an opinion on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Tenshin Nasukawa bout that topped Monday’s RIZIN 14 card. That includes former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor. McGregor, who previously engaged in his own battle with Mayweather, recently took to Twitter to give his take on the madness. Surprisingly, however, he had little to say about Mayweather’s performance. Instead, he seems more concerned with Mayweather’s rumored $9M payday, and how it will position him on the list of the highest earning athletes in the world.

Jordy McElroy - January 1, 2019

Tenshin Nasukawa showed up for a fight, and Floyd Mayweather showed up for an exhibition match at RIZIN 14. Ironically, they both got exactly what they wanted at the featured special rules boxing match in Japan on New Year’s Eve. Mayweather left without a scratch after a glorified celebrity appearance, and Nasukawa tasted the pain and heartache of defeat after a real fight with the best boxer on the planet.

Tom Taylor - December 31, 2018

On New Years Eve in Tokyo, Japan (Monday morning in North America), Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa stepped through the ropes for an exhibition boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Because this fight was an exhibition, it would not wind up on either fighters record, no matter the outcome. All the same, Nasukawa hoped to do the unthinkable and knock the Floyd Mayweather out.

Tom Taylor - December 31, 2018

On Monday night (Monday morning in North America), undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. stepped into the RIZIN Fighting Federation ring for a strange exhibition bout with 20-year-old kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa. In the weeks leading up to this exhibition bout — and really, until the very point the action began — Floyd Mayweather looked like he was taking it all incredibly lightly. Once the action began, however, the legend of pugilism began pouring on the offense, punishing his much smaller opponent with the kind of winging power shots he has not thrown in years. To him, it seemed, this was indeed a real fight.

Tom Taylor - December 31, 2018

On Monday night (Monday morning in North America), in the main event of the action-packed RIZIN 14 card inside the hallowed Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring for an undeniably bizarre exhibition bout with undefeated kickboxing wunderkind Tenshin Nasukawa. The rules for the bout were as follows:

Drake Riggs - December 31, 2018

It came and went, but as usual, it was a great night of action for the RIZIN Fighting Federation’s big New Year’s Eve show. This year, it was RIZIN 14. Of the multiple UFC veterans competing at the event, Justin Scoggins was one of them as he made his promotional debut against Yuki Motoya in a 132-pound catchweight bout.