On Saturday, December 31, Bellator MMA vs Rizin will be broadcast live from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The final fight card for 2022 includes the first-ever five-on-five matchup with some of the most notable competitors from each promotion.
Former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee (19-1) faces reigning Rizin lightweight champion, Roberto de Souza, on the main card (14-1). Patricio Pitbull (34-5), a three-time and current Bellator featherweight champion, will also face current Rizin featherweight champion Kleber Koike (31-5-1).
At flyweight, former Bellator and current Rizin bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi (30-5) takes on Hiromasa Ougikubo (25-6-2). In addition, former Bellator bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta (26-4) squares off against Soo Chul Kim (18-6-1). At lightweight, Gadzhi Rabadanov (18-4-2) takes on Koji Takeda (15-3). The complete fight card is available below.
How to watch Bellator MMA vs Rizin Free:
Viewers around the world can watch the action live on the following channels and here for free:
Live Broadcast: Bellator MMA vs Rizin Live (it’s free)
Bellator MMA versus Rizin may be seen on Showtime in the United States. Saturday, December 31 is the date. The show will begin at 8 p.m. ET / PT.
Bellator MMA vs Rizin Preview:
In these final days of 2022, the calendar is fairly empty. However, two promotions have decided to team together to put on one hell of a show before the year comes to a close.
Bellator MMA vs Rizin will take place in Japan in the early morning hours of December 31. If you can’t watch the festivities live, you can catch them later in the day on Showtime.
The event will feature five matches pitting Bellator athletes against RIZIN rivals. The main event has submission aces AJ Mckee and Roberto Satoshi (RIZIN’s lightweight champ) going at it. The Bellator featherweight champion will face RIZIN featherweight champion Kleber Koike Erbst in the co-main event.
Before those bouts, veteran Bellator challenger Juan Archuleta will square off against former ROAD FC bantamweight champion Soo Chul Kim.
RIZIN bantamweight champion and former Bellator and UFC title contender Kyoji Horiguchi will face Hiromasa Ougikubo, and Koji Takeda will face Gadzhi Rabadanov.
RIZIN 40 precedes the event. Fighters in that event should be recognized to UFC fans: John Dodson, Rogerio Bontorin, Noaki Inoue, and Johnny Case.
When the stars of Bellator and RIZIN square off on December 31, the worlds meet.
The collaboration with Bellator and RIZIN continues with some friendly action inside Japan’s Saitama Super Arena. At RIZIN, Bellator champions and top stars will compete against their equivalents. Who will walk away with the ultimate bragging rights?
The Bellator MMA vs Rizin event takes place in conjunction with RIZIN 40. Who are the combatants competing in the main event of BBellator MMA vs Rizin? Here’s all you need to know, including fighter biographies.
In 2004, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire made his professional debut. Since joining Bellator in 2010, “Pitbull” has gone 22-5 in the promotion. Freire, a three-time featherweight and one-time lightweight champion, reclaimed his featherweight belt from A.J. McKee in an April rematch.
Freire’s most recent bout was a victory against Adam Borics in October.
“When I was a kid, I used to watch ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, and Shogun.” I had a fantasy that I would fight in Japan. So it occurred today. I’m overjoyed to be here. “I’ll represent my country, but I adore this country,” Freire said.
Kleber Koike Erbst, who made his pro debut in 2008, is a former KSW featherweight champion. He is 6-0 to be promoted to RIZIN in 2020. Erbst won the RIZIN featherweight title in October by defeating Juntarou Ushiku.
“I am grateful for this opportunity. Thank you BELLATOR for giving me the opportunity to put on such a show. I’m a little nervous right now, but I promise to fight hard and not let you down. I’ll do all in my power to put up a good fight. “Thank you for your support, RIZIN fans,” Erbst remarked.
Bellator MMA vs Rizin fight card
The current Bellator MMA vs Rizin bout card, with the Rizin 40 lineup and intermission, looks like this:
Bellator MMA vs Rizin
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Kleber Koike
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo
- Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim
- Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
Rizin 40
- Seika Izawa vs. Si Woo Park – Rizin Women’s Super Atomweight Grand Prix Finals
- Naoki Inoue vs. Kenta Takizawa
- Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Junior Tafa
- John Dodson vs. Hideo Tokoro
Intermission
- Ren Hiramoto vs. Mystery Fighter – Special Standing Bout Rules
- Yuki Motoya vs. Rogerio Bontorin
- Johnny Case vs. Nobumitsu Osawa
- Chihiro Suzuki vs. Yoshiki Nakahara
- BeyNoah vs. Patrick Sho Usami
- Yushi vs. Tatsuya Nakazawa – Special Rules bout
