RIZIN 21 Preview & Predictions
February 22nd, from the Hamamatsu Arena in Hamamatsu, Japan, Rizin FF is back following what I would consider a break out event in Rizin 20. This event will be headlined by Mikuru Asakura taking on Daniel Salas.
Mikuru Asakura Vs. Daniel Salas
Mikuru Asakura, is coming into this event riding the momentum of a seven fight win streak. The most notable of which being his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over highly regarded Bellator veteran John Teixeira. During this time, he also holds a tko victory over Hatsu Hioki at Rizin 12, which was his promotional debut. He and his brother, Kai Asakura, have become staples of Rizin during their respective runs with the promotion.
Daniel Salas, will look to play spoiler as he makes his promotional debut against one of Rizin's golden boys. The native of Iztapalapa, Mexico has competed for years mainly in his homeland, and for a variety of promotions. It was through that experience he earned a spot of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. Unfortunately he would lose his fight by split decision.
Prediction: All the hype is real, Mikuru Asakura made a big statement in his last fight and I expect the momentum to carry over in this fight. His fight with John Teixeira showcased his striking against a world class competitor and it held up just fine. He was able to land shots and remain just out of range. When his opponent did land a few big shots and hurt him he remained composed and didn't lose focus. I don't think Salas has fought the level of competition Asakura has and I believe it will show. Despite Asakura having gone to decision in three straight fights I think he finds the chin and knocks Salas out in round 2 or 3.
Daniel Salas, will look to play spoiler as he makes his promotional debut against one of Rizin's golden boys. The native of Iztapalapa, Mexico has competed for years mainly in his homeland, and for a variety of promotions. It was through that experience he earned a spot of the second season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. Unfortunately he would lose his fight by split decision.
Prediction: All the hype is real, Mikuru Asakura made a big statement in his last fight and I expect the momentum to carry over in this fight. His fight with John Teixeira showcased his striking against a world class competitor and it held up just fine. He was able to land shots and remain just out of range. When his opponent did land a few big shots and hurt him he remained composed and didn't lose focus. I don't think Salas has fought the level of competition Asakura has and I believe it will show. Despite Asakura having gone to decision in three straight fights I think he finds the chin and knocks Salas out in round 2 or 3.
Victor Henry Vs. Masanori Kanehara
Victor Henry, will make his second appearance for Rizin at this event. His first being a submission victory over Trent Girdham in the third round of their Rizin 18 fight. That wasn't his first trip to Japan, however, as the grappling specialist made a name for himself competing in Japan numerous times for promotions such as Deep and Pancrase. He is currently on a seven fight win streak.
Masanori Kanehara, is a seasoned mma veteran having competed all over the world for promotions such as Pancrase, K-1, Deep and even the UFC. It was there he defeated Alex Cacares, before dropping a split decision to Rani Yahya and a submission by rear-naked choke to Michael McDonald ending his run with the company. Kanehara also has noteworthy victories over the likes of Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Michihiro Omigawa and "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung to name a few.
Prediction: While experience can certainly be a huge asset, Kanehara is 37 and has been in some wars. His opponent is definitely no rookie either having fought in 23 fights himself. I just think Victor Henry is primed for a huge win and this could be his break out moment. With both guys being good on the ground, I see a good portion of this fight taking place there. Henry however, has never been submitted or stopped at all for that matter. It's for that reason I think he gets it done by submission late in the fight.
Masanori Kanehara, is a seasoned mma veteran having competed all over the world for promotions such as Pancrase, K-1, Deep and even the UFC. It was there he defeated Alex Cacares, before dropping a split decision to Rani Yahya and a submission by rear-naked choke to Michael McDonald ending his run with the company. Kanehara also has noteworthy victories over the likes of Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Michihiro Omigawa and "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung to name a few.
Prediction: While experience can certainly be a huge asset, Kanehara is 37 and has been in some wars. His opponent is definitely no rookie either having fought in 23 fights himself. I just think Victor Henry is primed for a huge win and this could be his break out moment. With both guys being good on the ground, I see a good portion of this fight taking place there. Henry however, has never been submitted or stopped at all for that matter. It's for that reason I think he gets it done by submission late in the fight.
Roque Martinez Vs. Hideki Sekine
Roque Martinez, will make his return to Rizin in this fight after defeating Siego Mizuguchi at Deep 93 Impact on December 15. Prior to that he had a five fight stint with Rizin which included wins in his first two outings with the promotion. The first of which being a first round submission against Jerome Le Banner in his debut and the other, a win against Kiyoshi Kuwabara by tko, also in the first round. After that he would alternate wins and losses, including losses to Mirko Cro Cop and Jake Huen.
Hideki Sekine, is looking to get back on track in this fight following a three fight losing streak. All three of the losses came while competing in One FC, including a 2016 tko loss at the hands of UFC veteran Brandon Vera in his One debut. Before his time with One, he picked up a win in RFC but he was primarily known for his time competing in Japanese promotion Deep. It was there, he started his career and went 6-0 during his run.
Prediction: Heavyweights tend to peak later than fighters in lower weight classes. That being said, Hideki Sekine is 46 and on a three fight skid. I feel that Martinez probably has more left in the tank. He also has experience against higher caliber talent. I feel like he should be able to get it done and I think he makes fairly quick work of his opponent, ending it by tko or ko in the first round.
Hideki Sekine, is looking to get back on track in this fight following a three fight losing streak. All three of the losses came while competing in One FC, including a 2016 tko loss at the hands of UFC veteran Brandon Vera in his One debut. Before his time with One, he picked up a win in RFC but he was primarily known for his time competing in Japanese promotion Deep. It was there, he started his career and went 6-0 during his run.
Prediction: Heavyweights tend to peak later than fighters in lower weight classes. That being said, Hideki Sekine is 46 and on a three fight skid. I feel that Martinez probably has more left in the tank. He also has experience against higher caliber talent. I feel like he should be able to get it done and I think he makes fairly quick work of his opponent, ending it by tko or ko in the first round.
Marcos Yoshio Souza Vs. Falco Neto
Marcos Yoshio Souza, is known primarily for his submission prowess having recorded six of his eight victories by tapout. He started his mma career in 2012 and won his first 7 fights. He has since alternated wins and loses including a losing effort in his Rizin debut last October against Keita Nakamura at Rizin 19. Hoping to find some consistency, he will now have a second chance with the Japanese promotion.
Falco Neto, is a very physically strong fighter. He has decent wrestling and a lot of experience. Neto comes into this fight on the heels of a loss to Bellator contender Fabian Edwards. In that fight, he was on the receiving end of a highlight reel upkick. He was having a good showing up to that point against one of mma's top prospects. He will undoubtedly be looking for a better result here as he makes his Rizin debut.
Prediction: Given that the majority of Souza's wins are by submission and the majority of Neto's loses are also by submission, it should come as no surprise that my pick is Souza by submission. I also think it will come, like his other submissions, in the first round.
Falco Neto, is a very physically strong fighter. He has decent wrestling and a lot of experience. Neto comes into this fight on the heels of a loss to Bellator contender Fabian Edwards. In that fight, he was on the receiving end of a highlight reel upkick. He was having a good showing up to that point against one of mma's top prospects. He will undoubtedly be looking for a better result here as he makes his Rizin debut.
Prediction: Given that the majority of Souza's wins are by submission and the majority of Neto's loses are also by submission, it should come as no surprise that my pick is Souza by submission. I also think it will come, like his other submissions, in the first round.
Kintaro Vs. Kenji Kato
Yuto "Kintaro" Hokamura, will make his Rizin debut here following what he would likely consider a disappointing outing in his last fight, a second round submission loss to Raphael Silva for the Pancrase bantamweight title. He has competed for years primarily for the Pancrase, Deep and Rings organizations. "Kintaro" is known mainly for his striking prowess having scored 11 of his 14 wins by way of ko or tko.
Kenji Kato, has spent his whole career, thus far, in Japan coming for Shooto and Deep. That won't change here as he makes his Rizin debut. He found the most success between September 2016 and July 2018, when he went on 6 fight win streak. He has since lost two in a row and looks to snap that streak in his Rizin debut.
Prediction: This fight could end up being a slugfest as both fighters tend to enjoy success on their feet. Kato has never secured a submission, so no surprise he will be looking to throw hands. Of 14 wins, his opponent has only one submission himself, so the likelihood of a knockout is fairly high here. I gotta give the edge to "Kintaro" but I see him taking this fight by decision.
Kenji Kato, has spent his whole career, thus far, in Japan coming for Shooto and Deep. That won't change here as he makes his Rizin debut. He found the most success between September 2016 and July 2018, when he went on 6 fight win streak. He has since lost two in a row and looks to snap that streak in his Rizin debut.
Prediction: This fight could end up being a slugfest as both fighters tend to enjoy success on their feet. Kato has never secured a submission, so no surprise he will be looking to throw hands. Of 14 wins, his opponent has only one submission himself, so the likelihood of a knockout is fairly high here. I gotta give the edge to "Kintaro" but I see him taking this fight by decision.
Trent Girdham Vs. Naoki Inoue
Trent Girdham, is a promising young fighter who, despite being only 22 years old, has already participated in 15 professional bouts. This fight will mark his second trip to the Rizin ring. He will aim to earn his first victory with the Japanese promotion after falling short in his debut against Victor Henry. That fight, which took place August 18th at Rizin 18, ended via 3rd round submission.
Naoki Inoue, is another 22 year old fighter who, much like his opponent, has experience beyond his years, having fought professionally 14 times. Unlike his opponent however, Inoue, has had the privilege of competing for industry leader the UFC. During his time there, he went 1-1 having scored a decision victory over Carls John De Tomas and losing a split decision to Matt Schnel. It was then, Inoue lost a decision to Sean Santella in CFFC and returned to the company in which he had made a name for himself, Deep. There, he returned to the win column by defeating Kanji Yamanaka via rear-naked choke in round 1. He will now make his Rizin debut.
Prediction: This is an interesting match up with two young fighters with a world of potential. I give the edge on the ground to Inoue, having eight submissions to his credit. Inoue has also never been stopped by knockout or submission. Girdham meanwhile, has only ever lost by submission. I think we will see Inoue look to exploit that and take this fight to the ground. I'm picking Naoki Inoue by submission in round 1.
Naoki Inoue, is another 22 year old fighter who, much like his opponent, has experience beyond his years, having fought professionally 14 times. Unlike his opponent however, Inoue, has had the privilege of competing for industry leader the UFC. During his time there, he went 1-1 having scored a decision victory over Carls John De Tomas and losing a split decision to Matt Schnel. It was then, Inoue lost a decision to Sean Santella in CFFC and returned to the company in which he had made a name for himself, Deep. There, he returned to the win column by defeating Kanji Yamanaka via rear-naked choke in round 1. He will now make his Rizin debut.
Prediction: This is an interesting match up with two young fighters with a world of potential. I give the edge on the ground to Inoue, having eight submissions to his credit. Inoue has also never been stopped by knockout or submission. Girdham meanwhile, has only ever lost by submission. I think we will see Inoue look to exploit that and take this fight to the ground. I'm picking Naoki Inoue by submission in round 1.
Vugar Kyaramov Vs. Kyle Aguon
Vugar Kyaramov, will enter this fight on the strength of a ten fight winning streak. That streak includes his last fight, which was a first round knockout at Bellator 234 in Israel last November against Gustavo Wurlitzer. With nine stoppages during his current streak, Vugar will surely be looking for a quick win in this, his Rizin debut.
Kyaramov is also a teammate of current Rizin lightweight champion Tofiq Musayev.
Kyle Aguon, will also be making his Rizin debut here after spending the entirety of his career fighting for the Pancrase and PXC promotions. It was in PXC where he picked up his biggest win to date, name wise at least, which was a split decision win against current UFC fighter Russell Doane. His last fight was a split decision victory against Hiroshige Tanaka at Pancrase 300.
Prediction: I feel like Vugar definitely has more potential to finish this fight as he has only seen the judges scorecard once in his mma career. But if Aguon can remain patient and carry this fight into the second and third round that could potentially give him a much needed edge. I do think we will see this fight go to the judges decision, however, I think it will be a decision that goes to Vugar Kyaramov.
Kyaramov is also a teammate of current Rizin lightweight champion Tofiq Musayev.
Kyle Aguon, will also be making his Rizin debut here after spending the entirety of his career fighting for the Pancrase and PXC promotions. It was in PXC where he picked up his biggest win to date, name wise at least, which was a split decision win against current UFC fighter Russell Doane. His last fight was a split decision victory against Hiroshige Tanaka at Pancrase 300.
Prediction: I feel like Vugar definitely has more potential to finish this fight as he has only seen the judges scorecard once in his mma career. But if Aguon can remain patient and carry this fight into the second and third round that could potentially give him a much needed edge. I do think we will see this fight go to the judges decision, however, I think it will be a decision that goes to Vugar Kyaramov.
Jiu-Jitsu Exhibition
Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. Team Nakai
Kickboxing
Kosuke Jitsukata vs Ryo Sakai
Kenichi Takeuchi vs Naoya
Henry Cejas vs Seido
Yuya Shibata vs Kouki
Masaji Tozuka vs Masahiro Ozawa
Kenichi Takeuchi vs Naoya
Henry Cejas vs Seido
Yuya Shibata vs Kouki
Masaji Tozuka vs Masahiro Ozawa
