Three Bouts Added to Rizin 45 on New Year’s Eve

Rizin Fighting Federation has added three more bouts to its annual New Year’s Eve bash.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA bantamweight Vince Morales (13-7) will clash against Japanese veteran Yuki Motoya (34-10). The matchup was made while Morales was in Japan serving as a sparring partner for Kai Asakura, who handed Motoya a knockout loss at Rizin 42 in May.

Motoya has since bounced back with a TKO win over Kosuke Terashima under the Deep banner last month. Meanwhile, “Vandetta” has picked up to stoppage wins in the regional circuit since being released from the UFC on a two-fight skid last year.

Morales believes his Rizin 45 appearance will be a step towards bridging the gap between Western and Asian MMA. The 33-year-old said during a special broadcast on ABEMA last week:

“I'm incredibly grateful to Kai Asakura, Team Asakura, and Rizin for giving me the opportunity to fight here. Being able to compete in Japan, on the stage of the biggest event of the year, New Year's Eve, which is likely the biggest event in Japan or even the world, makes me very happy. I believe that my participation, thanks to the Asakura brothers and Rizin, can be the first step in bridging American MMA and Japanese MMA, bringing them closer together, not only for the fighters but also for the fans.”

Reigning Shooto strawweight and flyweight champion Jo Arai (13-10) will meet Hiroya Kondo (8-12) in a flyweight bout. Arai’s current 11-fight winning streak in Shooto stands in stark contrast with Kondo, who is coming off a three-fight skid. Kondo expressed his appreciation for his spot on the card, considering that slump. The 25-year-old said:

“Normally, with this ongoing losing streak, getting a card like this is almost impossible. I truly feel something fateful. New Year's Eve is really the dream of my martial arts dream. I never imagined standing on this stage when I started martial arts. I feel that I've been given a chance like fate, and by winning, I can make a lot of fans feel frustrated and sad. On New Year's Eve, I believe I can explode. I truly believe I'm that kind of man, so I want to put all my feelings into this fight.”

Ryujin Nasukawa, younger brother of kickboxing star turned mixed martial arts fighter Tenshin Nasakuwa is set to follow in his sibling’s footsteps and will be making his pro debut at Rizin 45. Nasakuwa earned the opportunity after a kickboxing win at RISE last week after which he appealed to Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who was sitting cageside and obliged. Nasakuwa will clash with fellow MMA debutant and 17-year-old Jong Min Shin. Nasakuwa said during the Rizin 45 special broadcast:

“Well, I won the last fight, and then, during the mic time afterward, I told Mr. Sakakibara, 'Let me fight in Rizin!' Although I've never done MMA, I've got this chance in Rizin's New Year's Eve event, which everyone wants to participate in. So, I think if I'm going to appear in Rizin, it's polite to do it in MMA. I feel like I'm being tested here, and I want to show my seriousness about MMA, my commitment to it, in these two weeks before the fight.”

Rizin 45 takes place Dec. 31, at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will stream in North America via pay-per-view through Triller/FITE. The card will be headlined by a bantamweight title meeting between Juan Archuleta (29-4) and Kai Asakura (20-4). Meanwhile, the co-main event will feature a flyweight title fight between Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5) and Makoto Takahashi (16-1). The flyweight matchup was rebooked after their initial meeting in July was ruled a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke in Round 1.