RIZIN１０周年「格闘技が大好きだ。」〜We are RIZIN〜

RIZIN１０周年「格闘技が大好きだ。」〜We are RIZIN〜

The year 2015 marked eight years since the end of PRIDE. The major stage has returned to Japan’s martial arts world, which had been in a period of decline. It’s the RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION. It is commonly known as RIZIN. RIZIN (thunder god) appears in Japanese mythology. RISE means that the sun rises. RIZIN represents the idea that the world of Japanese martial arts, which was once on the verge of sinking, will continue to rise forever. It has the meaning that it will continue to shine. And then it’s 2025. It has been 10 years since RIZIN was launched. Many great battles and dramatic events were born. It’s a drama where people’s emotions are laid bare. Let us look at RIZIN’s 10-year history. That was December 29, 2015. RIZIN’s inaugural tournament was held at Saitama Super Arena, a mecca for martial arts. That is SARABA NO UTAGE. It is the culmination of PRIDE’s success that has taken the world by storm. It was a competition with the theme of farewell. Many legendary fighters participated, including KAZUSHI SAKURABA and SHINYA AOKI. He fought in the first bout at the historic launch of RIZIN. TSUYOSHI KOSAKA, who was 45 years old at the time, made his comeback from this tournament. He won by TKO against the powerful British fighter James Thompson. He ignited a fire in the stagnant world of martial arts in Japan. IZA NO MAI was held on New Year’s Eve 2015, two days after SARABA NO UTAGE. This is where RIZIN really began its journey. Women’s martial arts began at IZA NO MAI on December 31st, with many young fighters taking part. Women’s fighting sports, which did not exist during the PRIDE era, began. In addition, young fighters who will lead the new era have been appointed. The RIZIN worldview was established. This was the final of the heavyweight tournament that was the main event at IZA NO MAI. KING MO, who was active in Japan in the past, won a spectacular KO victory over JIRI PROCHAZKA. KING MO won the heavyweight tournament, bringing the RIZIN inaugural tournament to a close. RIZIN’s number series began in April 2016. However, shortly after its launch, RIZIN lacked a fighter to represent it. It seemed like the second season would continue like this. RIZIN has appointed former star fighter MIRKO CRO COP. MIYU YAMAMOTO was the older sister of YAMAMOTO KID NORIFUMI and was known as a wrestling queen. RIZIN employed them and attracted a lot of attention. That year, a young fighter who would overturn the conventional wisdom of Japanese martial arts made his debut at RIZIN. RIZIN 3 took place on December 29, 2016. TENSHIN NASUKAWA, who was known as a child prodigy in the kickboxing world at the time, made his debut at RIZIN. It was his first time fighting under MMA rules. TENSHIN’s potential allowed him to escape from his opponent’s submission locks. He used pound attacks. He won by knockout in 2 minutes and 47 seconds. In the post-match interview, he said something we couldn’t believe. This match ended quickly. Shall we play another match on December 31st? You guys want to see that, right? It’s New Year’s Eve 2016. As declared, TENSHIN took on their second match after a one-day break. He continued his momentum from the previous fight and overwhelmed his opponent with strikes. He applied an arm triangle choke, which is unusual for a kickboxer. He won the IPPON. Thanks to this genius’s success, RIZIN has gained more attention. In 2017, the participation of certain fighters brought a major change to RIZIN. Kyoji Horiguchi, then 26 years old, had risen to third place in the UFC flyweight division. He produced a large number of KOs and IPPONs using the striking techniques he had honed in traditional karate and the advanced techniques he had acquired in America. This was the bantamweight tournament held that year. He won the ALL FINISH. He delivered a spectacular performance. He would later become a star fighter for RIZIN. KAI ASAKURA, from THE OUTSIDER, has joined RIZIN. With their arrival, the spotlight that had previously been on the heavyweights gradually shifted to the lightweights. That year, RIZIN held its first ever women’s super atomweight tournament. KANNA ASAKURA was 20 years old at the time. She won the competition by beating the favorite, REINA. 2018 marks RIZIN’s fourth year. Fighters who would later be called star fighters participated in the tournament. Mikuru Asakura is the older brother of Kai Asakura, who made his debut at RIZIN the previous year. He won by TKO against former UFC fighter HIROKI. He had a brilliant RIZIN debut. That year, he won three straight games. In the women’s martial arts competition, AYAKA HAMASAKI, who has fought at the world’s top level, participated. She played a great match. She defeated KANNA ASAKURA, the previous year’s tournament champion. Just six months after her RIZIN debut, she became the Super Atomweight champion. This season, a series of matches unique to RIZIN were scheduled. KYOJI HORIGUCHI was the winner of last year’s bantamweight tournament. TENSHIN NASUKAWA is a prodigy in the kickboxing world. They fought under kickboxing rules. At the event, the venue, Saitama Super Arena, recorded an attendance of 27,000, the highest since RIZIN launch. This match was a great one for RIZIN. This was New Year’s Eve. The champion of North American MMA organization BELLATOR has arrived. The bantamweight title match was held. KYOJI HORIGUCHI was at a disadvantage. In the third round, he used a front choke that allowed him to reverse the fight in one go. He won the IPPON match to become the first bantamweight champion. He had an eight-fight winning streak in RIZIN. This was the match that ended the year. It was RIZIN’s first exhibition match under boxing rules. FLOYD MAYWEATHER, who has won world titles in five weight classes in professional boxing, will be participating. He defeated TENSHIN NASUKAWA in 2 minutes and 19 seconds of the first round. He showed off his world-class boxing skills. In 2019, RIZIN began to gain popularity. The lightweight division was on fire. RIZIN has created a new light heavyweight belt. JIRI PROCHAZKA got revenge on KING MO, who he lost to four years ago. He became the first light heavyweight champion. That is August 18, 2019. The biggest upset in RIZIN history has occurred. RIZIN18 was held in NAGOYA. They were the main players. That person was KYOJI HORIGUCHI, who won championships in two organizations at the time, RIZIN and BELLATOR. This is KAI ASAKURA, which has grown significantly. KAI ASAKURA did not back down a single step against the absolute champion HORIGUCHI. In response to his opponent’s diving attack, he landed a successful right counter punch. As a result, KAI ASAKURA won by KO in 68 seconds of the first round. KAI ASAKURA defied the expectations of many martial arts fans. He has rewritten the landscape of power in the RIZIN bantamweight division. This became a focus for RIZIN this year. It will be the first lightweight tournament since RIZIN was launched. Some of BELLATOR’s best fighters also participated. TOFIQ MUSAYEV, who had been competing in RIZIN since the previous year, won the tournament. The event was broadcast live on national television in his native Azerbaijan. This attracted a lot of attention from abroad. In 2020, COVID-19 hit the entire world. As a result of this, RIZIN was unable to hold tournaments for some time. There was no end in sight to the spread of COVID-19. The very existence of RIZIN was in jeopardy. In order to break through this situation, CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara decided to implement crowdfunding. We need your support. RIZIN was held over two days, August 9th and 10th. The tournament was given subtitles: STARTING OVER, Starting anew, CALLING OVER, and Gathering. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, foreign fighters were not allowed to enter Japan. Domestic featherweight fighters have emerged. YUTAKA SAITO is the Middle East Champion. KLEBER is the KSW champion. KYOHEI HAGIWARA comes from underground fighting. Ren Hiramoto switched from kickboxing. From then on, RIZIN’s featherweight division entered a period of chaos. On November 21st, a new belt was created in the popular featherweight division. The first featherweight title match has been entrusted to Mikuru Asakura and YUTAKA SAITO. After a fierce battle, SAITO won by full-mark decision. He won the inaugural featherweight championship. The year 2020 was closed out by KAI ASAKURA, who was the bantamweight champion at the time. That was Kyoji Horiguchi, who had returned from a serious injury to his right knee. HORIGUCHI landed one calf kick after another. He defeated Kai Asakusa in 2 minutes and 48 seconds of the first round. He made a dramatic comeback and returned to the RIZIN bantamweight championship. The year 2021 saw the continued impact of COVID-19. RIZIN will fight. That is to hold the tournament at TOKYO DOME. Given the restrictions on admission due to COVID-19, it was a reckless decision. When asked about the event, CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said: If we don’t play, we can’t move forward. I will hold this tournament even without spectators. He said firmly. In a world that has been dark due to the effects of COVID-19, he wanted to bring a bit of light to the situation through martial arts. We will have a RIZIN lightweight title match. At RIZIN 28, held at the Tokyo Dome, a new lightweight belt was created. ROBERTO SATOSHI SOUZA defeated the lightweight tournament winner MUSAYEV to win the title. SATOSHI has held the belt for the past four years. The RIZIN tournament will be held at the TOKYO DOME. From now on, RIZIN will launch new projects. It is Studio Match’s LAND MARK SERIES, which specializes in pay-per-view distribution. It is the TRIGGER SERIES that uses a cage. That year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, RIZIN successfully held nine tournaments, including the NUMBER SERIES. 2021 was also the year that RIZIN said goodbye to fighters who could be considered allies. SHINTARO ISHIWATARI, who led the RIZIN golden bantamweight division together with KYOJI HORIGUCHI, has retired. That’s what I want to convey most. This is for the people who have supported me and cheered me on until now. Thank you very much. Prodigy TENSHIN NASUKAWA has left RIZIN to move into the boxing world. I love RIZIN! Thank you for supporting me like this. This is the most anticipated match of the year. It’s the JAPAN GRAND PRIX in the bantamweight class. Sixteen entrants entered the tournament, the most in the history of RIZIN tournaments. Veteran fighter HIROMASA OGIKUBO won against KAI ASAKURA in the finals. In 2022, RIZIN held 10 tournaments, the most ever. Among them, some heavyweight contributors retired. TSUYOSHI KOSAKA! Tsuyoshi Kosaka, who was 52 years old at the time, fought in the first bout at RIZIN inaugural tournament. For 28 years, he has been a pillar of Japan’s heavyweight division. In his retirement bout, he won by TKO against promising young heavyweight fighter Mikio Ueda. He finished the match in spectacular fashion. TSUYOSHI KOSAKA! Some people leave, some people come. She appeared like a comet on the RIZIN women’s fighting scene. She is SEIKA IZAWA, the interim champion of DEEP JEWELS. It was her RIZIN debut. A non-title fight has been scheduled against super atomweight champion AYAKA HAMASAKI. She overpowered HAMAASAKI and won by TKO. She then went on to win the RIZIN title, remaining undefeated throughout her career. She still holds that belt to this day. The previous year, RIZIN launched LAND MARK and TRIGGER SERIES. This year, RIZIN launched a new series. It’s SUPER RIZIN. It is positioned as RIZIN’s largest-scale tournament. The first tournament saw Floyd Mayweather fight against Mikuru Asakura. An exhibition match between them was held under boxing rules. An attendance of 23,000 was recorded. RIZIN is now in its eighth year since its launch. As RIZIN becomes more popular, the skills of its fighters are also improving. RIZIN will compete against other organizations. This is New Year’s Eve 2022. RIZIN held an all-out match against BELLATOR, a North American MMA organization. Champion classes from both camps participated. It was a five-on-five match. This was the highest level fight since the launch of RIZIN. As a result, RIZIN suffered a complete defeat. It was a moment when they became painfully aware of the thick walls of the world. In 2023, RIZIN kicked off with those brothers at its core. This will be the first time that the event has been held two weeks in a row since RIZIN was launched. They were the main hosts in both tournaments. They were the ASAKURA brothers, who also had great influence as influencers. When their participation was announced, tickets sold out immediately. As the fighters have grown, RIZIN has been attracting more and more attention each year. This year, one young fighter took RIZIN by storm. His name is Chihiro Suzuki. He was 24 years old at the time. At SUPER RIZIN 2 held in July, there were many absences. He accepted the offer just one week before the event. It was a sudden offer to take part. Chihiro Suzuki’s opponent was the number one ranked fighter in BELLATOR’s Pound for Pound at the time. It was PATRICIO PIT-BULL FREIRE. Everyone expected PATRICIO to win. Chihiro Suzuki won by KO at 2 minutes and 32 seconds into the first round. He has established himself as one of the top featherweight contenders. It came three months after the biggest upset in RIZIN history. With that momentum, Chihiro Suzuki traveled to Azerbaijan, where RIZIN was held overseas for the first time. He fought against KERAMOV, the featherweight champion from Azerbaijan. For Chihiro Suzuki, it was a completely unfamiliar situation. From a disadvantageous position on the ground, he drove his heel into his opponent’s jaw. He won by a stunning knockout. He is the youngest champion in RIZIN history. While the featherweight division is gaining momentum, that man put on a spectacular performance in his new home. Following Kyoji Horiguchi’s move to a new weight class, RIZIN has created a new flyweight belt. HORIGUCHI was the main event on New Year’s Eve. He won against MAKOTO SHINRYU, a talented young fighter. He won the inaugural flyweight championship. He became the first fighter in RIZIN history to win two weight classes. The countdown to our 10th anniversary in 2024 has begun. RIZIN was about to enter a new era. KAI ASAKURA, who has been involved in many main events, has left the event. Young fighters have emerged. There has been an increase in the participation of foreign fighters. The balance of power among the various classes changed dramatically. RIZIN held a tournament that symbolized the dawn of a new era. That’s July 28th. At SUPER RIZIN 3, the fateful match between Mikuru Asakura and Ren Hiramoto took place. It was the first time in about 15 years that such an event had taken place in a martial arts event. It was held at the stadium version of Saitama Super Arena. The event drew a record attendance of 48,000, the highest in RIZIN history. In the semi-finals, MANNY PACQUIAO, who has won world boxing titles in six weight classes, competed. Next up is the main match. This is a special tournament with five rounds of five minutes each, with the newly established LAST MAN STANDING BELT at stake. It’s a fight between Mikuru Asakura and Ren Hiramoto. It happened with the audience holding their breath. Ren Hiramoto hit Mikuru Asakura in the face with a left hook punch. He went on a pound attack. He won by TKO at 2 minutes and 18 seconds into the first round. Ren Hiramoto won his first title, the LAST MAN STANDING BELT. RIZIN celebrated its 10th New Year’s Eve. The main match of the tournament was entrusted to Chihiro Suzuki and Kleber Koike. They continued to fight with all their might. It was a fierce battle. As a result, Kleber Koike won by full-point decision. After about a year and a half, he returned to the featherweight division as champion. The 10th New Year’s Eve tournament has come to an end. This is to keep the passion for martial arts alive. They laughed. They cried. This is the decade they have been through. The RIZIN story continues into the next decade.

▼NEXT EVENT
「RIZIN男祭り」
in 東京ドーム
2025年5月4日（日）11：00開場／13：00開始
https://jp.rizinff.com/_ct/17751941

「RIZIN in KOREA」
in PARADISE CITY（韓国・仁川）
2025年5月31日（土）※開場開始時間未定
https://jp.rizinff.com/_ct/17750553

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