Roberto Satoshi, John Dodson, Juan Archuleta Set to Compete at Rizin 42

Rizin Fighting Federation 42 will feature some of the promotion’s top stars as well as some familiar faces from other organizations.

The Japanese promotion recently announced the lineup for the May 6 card, which will take place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo and is headlined by a bantamweight clash between Kai Asakura and Yuki Motoya.

In other featured bouts, two-time UFC veteran Naoki Inoue will face former Bellator bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta; reigning Rizin lightweight kingpin Roberto Satoshi de Souza will square off against former UFC and Bellator competitor Spike Carlyle; Rizin super atomweight champ Seika Izawa will meet Miyuu Yamamoto and ex-UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson will lock horns with Tatsuki Saomoto.

As it currently stands, no titles will be on the line at Rizin 42.

Asakura, a former Rizin 135-pound champ, is coming off a loss to Hiromasa Ougikubo in the promotion’s one-night bantamweight tournament in December. Motoya, meanwhile, has won five straight under the Rizin banner — including a second-round KO of UFC vet Rogerio Bontorin on New Year’s Eve.

Inoue has won seven of his last eight professional appearances, including a second-round submission of Kenta Takizawa in his last outing at the Rizin vs. Bellator event. Archuleta represented Bellator at the cross-promotional event, where he took a split decision triumph over Soo Chul Kim.

Satoshi had a five-bout winning streak snapped at Bellator vs. Rizin, as he dropped a unanimous verdict to former Bellator featherweight champ A.J. McKee. Carlyle saw a five-bout winning streak come to an end in his last outing at Bellator 286, where he also fell to McKee via unanimous decision.

Izawa is undefeated in nine professional outings and last appeared at Bellator vs. Rizin, where she edge Si Woo Park via split decision. The 48-year-old Yamamoto has lost four of her last five fights with Rizin.

Dodson has been alternating appearances between Rizin and BKFC, most recently stopping Jarod Grant in the first round of their encounter at Knuckle Mania. Saomoto, meanwhile, has won 14 consecutive fights, a streak that dates back to 2016.

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