| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mixed martial artspromotion |
| Founded | 2015; 10 years ago (2015) |
| Founder | Nobuyuki Sakakibara |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Nobuyuki Sakakibara |
| Parent | Dream Factory Worldwide |
| Website | rizin |
Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known asRizin FF) is a Japanesemixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the formerPride Fighting Championships andDream Stage Entertainment presidentNobuyuki Sakakibara.[1][2]
Founded to be thespiritual successor of Pride FC,Hero's andDream, Rizin carries much of the philosophy and ambition of its two predecessors: its events are promoted as larger-than-life events with elaborate opening ceremonies and fighter entrances, its matches are fought in aroped ring and it has a ruleset inherited from Pride and Dream. The organization also promotes "Grand Prix",single-elimination tournaments where fighters have to fight multiple opponents in the same night.[3][4] Rizin is considered Japan's top MMA promotion.[5]
Besides MMA, Rizin events also occasionally contain othercombat sport bouts, the promotion promotedkickboxing — with two "Grand Prix" tournaments in 2017[6] and 2021.[7] —submission grappling,boxing[8] andbare-knuckle boxing matches.[9]
The promotion's name is a combination of "Raijin", the Japanese god of lightning; the word "rising", meaning "to prosper and thrive"; and the letter, 'Z', meaning "ultimate".[10]
In 1997,Pride Fighting Championships was founded in Japan, promoted byDream Stage Entertainment. The organization quickly rose up to become the world's most popularMMA promotion and helped to popularize the sport in Japan and in the world. Pride differentiated itself from theUFC with its focus on spectacle and entertainment, as well a more permissive ruleset.[11] By 2007, a scandal alleging its ties to theyakuza caused a financial decline that led to the promotion folding. Dream Stage Entertainment was bought byZuffa—UFC's holding company—which initially promised to keep the event running. However, Zuffa would lay off most of Pride's staff with several Pride fighters moving to the UFC.[11]
After Pride folded, most of DSE's former staff, fighters and executives joinedFighting and Entertainment Group, the promoters ofK-1, to organize a successor, which became known asDream.[12] However, FEG would have its own financial issues and went bankrupt in 2012. As a result, Dream became defunct.[13]
Three years after Dream folded, rumors began circulating that Pride and Dream founderNobuyuki Sakakibara would return to the industry after an interview withBellator MMA PresidentScott Coker was released.[14] On September 19, 2015, duringBellator MMA & Glory: Dynamite 1, it was announced that Sakakibara had signed formerPride Heavyweight ChampionFedor Emelianenko to headline a New Year's Eve Show inTokyo for his new MMA promotion.[15] Sakakibara held a press conference on October 8, 2015, withNobuhiko Takada and other former Pride FC employees to formally announce the launch of "Rizin Fighting Federation".[16] Initial signees includedKazushi Sakuraba,Shinya Aoki, as well as female competitorsGabi Garcia andRena Kubota.[17]
A Grand Prix tournament was announced (held at 100 kg or roughly 220 lbs), with champions and competitors from Bellator,KSW,Jungle Fight,[18]BAMMA, andKing of Kings. Most notably,King Mo was announced to represent Bellator in the tournament.[19] The 8-man bracket was officially finalized on November 30, 2015, with other bouts also being announced shortly thereafter.[20][21][22][23]Kron Gracie (whose fatherRickson competed at the inaugural PRIDE event) was announced to participate against Asen Yamamoto.[24] Amongst the veterans in the Japanese scene,Tsuyoshi Kosaka would faceJames Thompson,[25] andAkebono Tarō would faceBob Sapp.[26]
Initial plans were to do at least four events per year, as opposed to the more frequent scheduling of other promotions, in order to build up the excitement and anticipation.[27] Rizin's presentation is modeled after major sporting events, such as theUEFA Champions League andFIFA World Cup.[28]
In 2018, it was announced that the main event for the traditional New Year's Eve card (Rizin 14) was going to be a boxing match betweenFloyd Mayweather Jr. and undefeated Japanese kickboxerTenshin Nasukawa.[29] The match ended up with Nasukawa knocked out two minutes into the first round.[30]
Rizin Trigger 1st, on November 11, 2021, would be Rizin's first event in which matches would take place inside a cage, instead of the traditional roped ring.[31]
In Summer 2022, Sakakibara would produce theTenshin Nasukawa vs. Takeru PPV broadcast (known as "THE MATCH 2022"), with the broadcast using Rizin's on-air graphics and visual presentation.[32] Mayweather would return to Rizin that September to co-promote (via The Money Team) and headline the inauguralSuper Rizin card.[33][34]
On December 31, 2022, as the traditional New Year's Eve event, Rizin hosted a crossoverBellator vs Rizin card withBellator MMA as part ofRizin 40.[35] The card saw fighters from each promotion fight each other.[36] The card saw Bellator MMA fighters Gadzhi Rabadanov, former championsA.J. McKee,Juan Archuleta andKyoji Horiguchi, and current championPatricio Freire, fighting against Rizin representatives Koji Takeda, Soo Chul Kim,Hiromasa Ougikubo and championsKleber Koike Erbst andRoberto de Souza. All five Bellator representatives would win their matches in a clean sweep.[37] During the event, formerboxing world championManny Pacquiao made a public announcement that he had signed with Rizin for a boxing exhibition match against a yet-unannounced opponent.[38]
During theSuper Rizin 2 card on July 30, 2023, the promotion announced their first international event,Rizin Landmark 7, to take place in Azerbaijan on November 4.[39] It will also be the first major MMA event to take place in the country.[40]
In June 2024, Rizin announced a partnership withBare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), which both companies would allow talent fight in each other's organizations in bareknuckle bouts. AtSuper Rizin 3 on July 28, 2024, Charisa Sigal, Tai Emery, Takaki Soya, andJohn Dodson all fought in bare-knucking bouts on the undercard.[41][9]
Rizin's inaugural event was broadcast in North America onSpike TV.[42] Other broadcasters have includedSKY Perfect JSAT Corporation,Fuji Television,Fox Sports Brazil,Kix andMatch TV.[43] From 2017 to 2020, Rizin events have been streaming onFITE TV in North America and Europe.[44] Rizin 26 to Rizin 37 would stream onLIVENow in Europe and North America.[45]
In 2022, due to several controversies, Rizin would be dropped by Fuji by May of that year.[46][47] Rizin would since begin broadcasting on events via PPV on their streaming service, RIZIN STREAM PASS, and various other streaming platforms in Japan.[48]
Starting withSuper Rizin & Rizin 38 in 2022,[49][50] Integrated Sports would produce English-language PPVs of Rizin events for FITE.[51]
In February 2024, Rizin announced the launch of a new international service,RIZIN.tv. From March, the service will be subscription-based, and will include past events.[52]
| Weight class name | Upper limit | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Atomweight | 47 kg (103.6 lb) | Female |
| Super Atomweight | 49 kg (108.0 lb) | Female |
| Light Flyweight | 53 kg (116.8 lb) | Female |
| Flyweight | 57 kg (125.7 lb) | Male |
| Bantamweight | 61 kg (134.5 lb) | Male |
| Featherweight | 66 kg (145.5 lb) | Male |
| Lightweight | 71 kg (156.5 lb) | Male |
| Welterweight | 77 kg (169.8 lb) | Male |
| Middleweight | 85 kg (187.4 lb) | Male |
| Light Heavyweight | 93 kg (205.0 lb) | Male |
| Heavyweight | 120 kg (264.6 lb) | Male |
| Openweight | No weight restriction | Male / Female |
The rules in Rizin FF have been adopted from Pride FC with some slight modifications over the years. Matches are three rounds in length. Prior to May 2018, the first round of men's matches spanned 10 minutes, while the final two rounds lasted five minutes each. Since then matches have been three rounds of five minutes each. Victory can be attained byknockout,submission,technical knockout byreferee stoppage, or by judges' decision.
All strikes, throws and chokes are permitted, with the exception ofheadbutts and strikes to the back of the head,medulla oblongata, spinal cord or genitals.[53]Soccer kicks,knees andstomps to grounded opponents are also permitted. However, if there is a weight discrepancy of 15 kg (33 lb) or more, the lighter fighter is allowed to choose if such ground attacks are permitted.[53] Unlike Pride, Rizin allows the use ofelbow strikes, including the12–6 elbow.[54]
Fights are judged on the following criteria:[53]
Although not outlined in the Rizin rules, scorecards published on the JMOC website suggest that damage, aggressiveness and generalship are scored 50, 30 and 20 points respectively. Where the fighter has not fulfilled the element, they are given a score of zero - there are no in-betweens.[54]
Rizin kickboxing matches are three rounds of three minutes each. Victory can be attained by knockout, technical knockout by referee stoppage, or by judges' decision. If the match goes the distance, a 10-point system is used to judge.[53] Threeknockdowns in a single round will result in a technical knockout.[53] All forms of elbow strikes are illegal.[53]
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | - | – | |
| Lightweight | Jun 13, 2021 | 5 | |
| Featherweight | May 4, 2025 | 1 | |
| Bantamweight | Sep 29, 2024 | 2 | |
| Flyweight | - | – | |
| Women's Super Atomweight | Apr 17, 2022 | 2 |
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Muhammed Lawal | Rizin 15 Yokohama, Japan | Apr 21, 2019 | 269 days | 1. def.C. B. Dollaway atRizin 20 on Dec 31, 2019 |
| Procházka vacated the title on January 15, 2020 after he signed withUFC.[58] | |||||
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Tofiq Musayev | Rizin 28 Tokyo, Japan | Jun 13, 2021 | 1,622 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Yusuke Yachi atRizin 33 on Dec 31, 2021 |
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Mikuru Asakura | Rizin 25 Osaka, Japan | Nov 21, 2020 | 337 days | |
| 2 | Rizin 31 Yokohama, Japan | Oct 24, 2021 | 364 days | 1. def. Yutaka Saito atRizin 35 on Apr 17, 2022 | |
| 3 | Rizin 39 Fukuoka, Japan | Oct 23, 2022 | 243 days | ||
| Koike was stripped of the title on June 23, 2023 after failing to make weight for his title defense againstChihiro Suzuki atRizin 43.[59] | |||||
| 4 | def.Mikuru Asakura | Super Rizin 2 Saitama, Japan | Jul 30, 2023 | 97 days | |
| 5 | Rizin Landmark 7 Baku, Azerbaijan | Nov 4, 2023 | 423 days | 1. def.Masanori Kanehara atRizin 46 on Apr 29, 2024 | |
| 6 | Rizin 49 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2024 | 124 days (367 days) | ||
| 7 | Rizin: Otoko Matsuri Tokyo, Japan | May 4, 2025 | 201 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Viktor Kolesnik atRizin 51 on Sep 28, 2025 | |
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Darrion Caldwell | Rizin 14 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2018 | 318 days | |
| Horiguchi vacated the title on November 14, 2019 after he was unable to defend the title due to injury.[60] | |||||
| 2 | def.Kai Asakura | Rizin 20 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2019 | 92 days | |
| Kape vacated the title on April 1, 2020 after he signed with theUFC.[61] | |||||
| 3 | def.Hiromasa Ougikubo | Rizin 23 Yokohama, Japan | Aug 10, 2020 | 143 days | |
| 4 | Rizin 26 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2020 | 730 days (1,048 days) | ||
| Horiguchi vacated the title on December 31, 2022 after he moved down toFlyweight. | |||||
| 5 | def.Hiromasa Ougikubo | Super Rizin 2 Saitama, Japan | Jul 30, 2023 | 154 days | |
| Archuleta was stripped of the title on December 31, 2023 after failing to make weight for his title defense againstKai Asakura atRizin 45.[62] | |||||
| 6 | def.Juan Archuleta | Rizin 45 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2023 | 161 days (304 days) | |
| Asakura vacated the title on June 9, 2024, when he signed with theUltimate Fighting Championship.[63] | |||||
| 7 | def. Kim Soo-chul | Rizin 48 Saitama, Japan | Sep 29, 2024 | 418 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Yuki Motoya atRizin 50 on Mar 30, 2025 |
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Makoto Takahashi | Rizin 45 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2023 | 455 days | 1. def. Nkazimulo Zulu atRizin 49 on Dec 31, 2024 |
| Horiguchi vacated the title on March 30, 2025, when he re-signed with theUltimate Fighting Championship.[64] | |||||
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Reign (total) | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | def.Kanna Asakura | Rizin 14 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2018 | 365 days | 1. def.Jinh Yu Frey atRizin 16 on Jun 2, 2019 |
| 2 | Rizin 20 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2019 | 293 days | ||
| On October 19, Seo Hee Ham vacated her title after being unable to agree on her next fight with the organization and signed withONE Championship.[65] | |||||
| 3 | def.Miyuu Yamamoto | Rizin 26 Saitama, Japan | Dec 31, 2020 | 1,786 days (1,957 days) | 1. def.Kanna Asakura atRizin 27 on Mar 21, 2021 |
| 4 | Rizin 35 Chōfu, Japan | Apr 17, 2022 | 1,314 days (incumbent) | 1. def. Claire Lopez atSuper Rizin 2 on Jul 30, 2023 | |
| Event | Date | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza | Dec 31, 2015 | 100 kg | ||
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2016: Final Round | Dec 31, 2016 | Openweight | ||
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round | Dec 31, 2017 | Bantamweight | ||
| Women's Super Atomweight | ||||
| Rizin 20 | Dec 31, 2019 | Lightweight | ||
| Rizin 33 | Dec 31, 2021 | Japan Bantamweight | ||
| Rizin 40 | Dec 31, 2022 | Women's Super Atomweight | ||
| Rizin 51 | Sep 28, 2025 | Heavyweight |
| Event | Date | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round | Dec 31, 2017 | Flyweight | ||
| Rizin 29 | Jun 27, 2021 | Bantamweight |
| Title wins | Champion | Division | W | D | NC | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Lightweight | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Super Atomweight | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Bantamweight Flyweight | 2 2 | 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | ||
| 3 | Bantamweigh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | Bantamweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Super Atomweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Featherweight | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenses | Champion | Division | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Lightweight | June 13, 2021 –present | |
| 2 | Bantamweight | Sep 29, 2024 –present | |
| 1 | Women's Super Atomweight | December 31, 2018 – December 31, 2019 | |
| Light Heavyweight | April 21, 2019 – January 15, 2020 | ||
| Women's Super Atomweight | December 31, 2020 – April 17, 2022 | ||
| Featherweight | October 24, 2021 – October 23, 2022 | ||
| Women's Super Atomweight | April 17, 2022 –present | ||
| Featherweight | Nov 4, 2023 – Dec 31, 2024 | ||
| Flyweight | Dec 31, 2023 – Mar 30, 2025 | ||
| Featherweight | May 4, 2025 –present |
| Interim title |
| No. | Champion | Division | Won | Lost | Defenses | Reign | Total Reign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bantamweight | Dec 31, 2018 (Rizin 14) | Nov 14, 2019 (vacated) | 0 | 318 days | 1739 days | |
| Dec 31, 2020 (Rizin 26) | Dec 31, 2022 (vacated) | 0 | 730 days | ||||
| Flyweight | Dec 31, 2023 (Rizin 45) | Mar 30, 2025 (vacated) | 1 | 455 days |
The division champions include only linear and true champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions. Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will also be counted once. Runners-up are not included in tournaments champions.
| Country | Division champions | Interim champions | Tournaments champions | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | - | 4 | 13 | |
| 2 | - | - | 2 | |
United States | 1 | - | 1 | 2 |
| 1 | - | 1 | 2 | |
| 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| 1 | - | - | 1 | |
| - | - | 1 | 1 |
Rizin FF is affiliated with the following organizations:[66]