Rizin Landmark 7 in Azerbaijan on Nov. 4 to Serve as First Rizin Card Outside of Japan

💥💥NEW CARD💥💥#RIZIN_LANDMARK7 in AZE🇦🇿

👑Featherweight title match👑
RIZIN MMA rules 66.0kg

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🟥Vugar Keramov
Current RIZIN Featherweight Champion
ーー🆚ーーー
🟦Chihiro Suzuki
First KNOCK OUT-BLACK Champion

📅11/4(Sat)🏟National Gymnastics Arenahttps://t.co/h8XymWK5Oq pic.twitter.com/Oz5jknVbbX

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) September 14, 2023

Rizin Fighting Federation is going international in the most unexpected of ways.

The Japan-based promotion had hinted that a trip to Azerbaijan would be in the cards in the future, due to a number of talented competitors on its roster from the region. All past Rizin events, from Saraba no Utake in December 2015, to its secret Landmark events held in undisclosed locations, to its blockbuster shows at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, have taken place in Japan. According to a press conference on Thursday, the organization is officially going to Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 4, for Rizin Landmark Vol. 7, which will take place at the country’s National Gymnastics Arena.

The historic event – as no major MMA promotion has ever staged an event in this country – will receive a headliner that is title fight including one of Azerbaijan’s top fighters. Vugar Karamov (19-4) conquered the Rizin featherweight throne in July, when he tapped out company staple Mikuru Asakura in under three minutes. He is scheduled to make his first defense against surging talent Chihiro Suzuki (11-3, 1 NC), who sparked Patricio Freire at the end of July in a late-notice lightweight matchup.

All five of the pairings released by Rizin including Karamov-Suzuki include one combatant from Azerbaijan, and two of those five will be making their organizational debuts. The likely co-main attraction will see the most active Azerbaijani fighter under Rizin’s banner in 2019 tourney champ Tofiq Musayev (21-5) come to blows at 155 pounds with longtime Rizin vet Koji Takeda (15-5), with the latter one of 14 fighters to make at least 10 appearances with Rizin.

Looking to keep rebounding from a 2022 loss on Dana White's Contender Series, Ramana native Nariman Abbasov (28-4) will be stepping into the Rizin cage – as the Landmark shows use cages instead of rings – against Russian striker Ali Abdulkhalikov (12-2) at lightweight. Practically alternating wins and losses throughout his entire career, Mehman Mamedov (6-6, 1 NC) will look to put his first-ever win streak together when he collides with well-traveled flyweight Justin Scoggins (15-6). Finally, ACA mainstay Tural Ragimov (21-9) will be competing outside of that organization for the first time since 2015 when he faces South Korean finisher Kyung Pyo Kim (12-4) in a lightweight clash.

Rizin Landmark 7 Lineup:

Vugar Karamov vs. Chihiro Suzuki – featherweight championship
Tofiq Musayev vs. Koji Takeda – lightweight
Nariman Abbasov vs. Ali Abdulkhalikov – lightweight
Mehman Mamedov vs. Justin Scoggins – flyweight
Tural Ragimov vs. Kyung Pyo Kim - lightweight