On the 11th of August, RIZIN returns to the Japanese capital, Tokyo, for what will be their sixth event of 2026. After 5 months spent travelling to various locations outside of the Kanto region, RIZIN now come back to the city they have called home since 2015. RIZIN 54 will be hosted at the Toyota Arena. This venue is the home arena to ‘‘Alvark Tokyo’’ and has been predominantly used for professional basketball since opening in October of 2025. RIZIN's upcoming visit to the Toyota Arena will be the promotion's fifth event of 2026 held in an arena with a maximum capacity of 10,000, a reflection of the momentum RIZIN have built throughout the year since their shift toward a monthly event schedule.
RIZIN 54 will be headlined by a Featherweight Match with title implications between rising Japanese youngster Kyoma Akimoto and multiple time RIZIN Featherweight Champion Kleber Koike.
At 20 years of age, Akimoto rides a consecutive 5 fight win streak, he now looks to defeat a former RIZIN champion in spectacular fashion. Continuing to rise up the ranks and solidify himself as JMMA’s next superstar.
A professional since 2008, Kleber had amassed an MMA record of 21-4-1 by the time Akimoto turned just 10 years old. A former KSW and RIZIN Champion with an 89% finish rate, Kleber looks to spoil the rise of Akimoto and submit him on a pathway to regaining his RIZIN Featherweight Title.
So far this year, RIZIN have held 2 numbered events and 3 Landmark events, with RIZIN 52 being held in March, RIZIN 53 being held in May and Landmark 13, 14 and 15 being held in April, June and July respectively.
RIZIN 54 will have 10 matches in total, all contested under RIZIN MMA Rules. In this guide I will cover every match taking place and give an account of each fight.
At the end of the article, I’ll dedicate a section to my picks.
Please follow along below!
- ARATA MIZUNO VS KAIWEN LI -
The first match of the card will be contested at Featherweight, with the debuting Arata Mizuno facing Kaiwen Li.
(9-1 vs 16-8)
At 23 years of age, Arata Mizuno has long been regarded as one of JMMA’s brightest prospects. He’s an effective striker with great clinch control. He holds a record of 9-1 and currently holds the Interim DEEP Featherweight Title. In high school, Mizuno began attending a nearby dojo after being inspired by Mikuru Asakura's YouTube channel. Aiming to be a professional fighter, he’d eventually make his MMA debut in 2023, where he’d win via submission in the first round. 7 consecutive victories across both Fighting Nexus and DEEP would follow, including a DEEP Featherweight Grand Prix win.
After suffering his first defeat against Jin Aoi, Mizuno bounced back with a decision victory against former RIZIN Featherweight Champion, Juntaro Ushiku, winning the Interim DEEP Featherweight Title. Ahead of his RIZIN debut, Mizuno promises to deliver a performance that exceeds expectations.
China’s Kaiwen Li was dubbed ‘‘China’s Takanori Gomi’’, by Japanese fans due to both his fighting style and his appearance. He’s an action fighter with unrelenting pressure and grit. As a child, Kaiwen’s hometown was unsafe and his family had him practice wrestling from the age of 8 to keep him away from trouble. He won the Hunan freestyle wrestling championship multiple times, before transitioning to MMA at 18 years of age. Kaiwen went 9-3 in ONE Championship, securing five knockouts, one submission and three decision victories.
After his spell in ONE, Kaiwen entered the 2023 Road To UFC tournament and was victorious in his first two outings, however he’d lose in the final via an armbar submission. Kaiwen would enter the 2025 Road To UFC tournament as well, scoring a brutal knockout in the opening round, but suffering a decision loss to Japanese fighter Keiichiro Nakamura in the next round. Kaiwen signed with RIZIN in 2026, debuting against Ryo Takagi, where he’d suffer a knockout loss just 1 minute into the fight. Unwilling to give up, Kaiwen says he will use his explosive striking to secure his first RIZIN victory against Arata Mizuno.
Mizuno is a southpaw striker with an effective jab, in his fight with Kaiwen he should look to command the ring and establish his tools early. As the faster fighter, I’d like to see a consistent jab, splitting the guard of Kaiwen and allowing for a straight shot to land directly on the chin. Mizuno will need to fight a clean fight, chaos will only work in favour of his opponent. Mizuno needs to fight defensively responsible and limit his output to singular strikes at a time, throwing long combinations in range against Kaiwen won’t work in his favour. If Mizuno stuns Kaiwen, he’ll need to rush the finish and pour the pressure on, while Kaiwen is a tough fighter, his recovery has shown to be worsening with each fight. Mizuno needs to keep an appropriate distance throughout this fight and use the double underhook clinch to counter pressure.
Kaiwen is a powerful striker with heavy hands and constant pressure. Kaiwen often starts his attacks with 2 leaping hooks, darting into range and hoping to find the chin of his opponent. Kaiwen will thrive in chaos, but it needs to be controlled to an extent, he’s open to counter strikes and almost all of his KO/TKO losses have come via a counter shot that was thrown in response to Kaiwen’s pressure. In this fight, he cannot afford to keep his hands low. Kicks may be of use as well. He needs to make sure Mizuno feels his power early, breaking any rhythm and refusing to let him establish any of his tools. Kaiwen needs to move forward and corner his opponent, limiting his movement and space to circle, those are the moments he’s most likely to land his powerful fight ending blows.
- NAOKI VS ISSA HOSOKAWA -
The next match is contested at a Catchweight of 69kg, with NAOKI facing Issa Hosokawa.
(3-2 vs 0-0)
Naoki’s first experience in martial arts came at 5 years old, he describes being forced to pursue Goju-ryu karate, which his older brother was practicing at the time. He was a massive fan of PRIDE FC growing up and joined a gym when he was 18 with the intention of becoming a professional MMA fighter. Naoki made his RISE debut in 2015, going on a 6 fight winning streak to begin his kickboxing career. In 2021, Naoki faced Hideki Sasaki for the RISE Lightweight Title, where he’d win via unanimous decision and become Lightweight Champion.
In 2025, Naoki made his MMA debut in DEEP, knocking his opponent out in the first round. His RIZIN debut would follow and he’d lose a decision to 46 fight veteran Takahiro Ashida at Super RIZIN 4. Naoki would have two more fights in DEEP before returning to RIZIN against Kaisei Kuroi, who he’d knock out with brutal knees in the clinch after escaping a deep armbar attempt. Naoki is a member of Fighter’s Flow Gym, a gym that specialises in helping crossover martial artists compete in MMA, Naoki credits his head coach Takao Ueda for allowing him to fully express himself in MMA.
Like his opponent, Hosokawa has a karate base, practicing Kyokushin Karate from the age of 6. In 2023, Hosokawa participated in a tournament featuring 100 street fighters from across the country and emerged victorious, signing a 10 million yen contract with Breaking Down in November 2023. Hosokawa had four fights in Breaking Down, going 3-1.
His RIZIN debut would take place on New Year’s Eve, just 23 days after his decision loss to YURA. Hosokawa faced Sho Patrick Usami in a RIZIN OFG (Open Finger Gloves) Kickboxing rules match. After a difficult fight, Usami landed a brutal combination of body strikes, forcing him to the canvas in the 2nd round.Hosokawa then returned to Breaking Down, fighting six more times, winning three and losing two. In this time, Hosokawa captured the Breaking Down Lightweight Title. In his second RIZIN appearance and his professional MMA debut, Hosokawa plans to finish Naoki and display his strength.
In this match, I believe that Naoki is the much more refined striker and can cause issues for Hosokawa in a pure striking match. Whether he chooses to strike or not, we remain to see. I think that Naoki will be the superior grappler and can take the fight to the mat if necessary. Naoki should look to mix up his targets, firing kicks and punches to the body and head of Hosokawa.
In Hosokawa’s case, he’s simply going to have to look for a knockout shot. In a pure striking match, I think that he’s outmatched and can’t keep up with Naoki. He should look to avoid being tied up in the clinch, as well as look to sprawl and defend potential takedowns. If Hosokawa fears the takedown too much, it will open up big opportunities for his opponent to land. Naoki has had his chin cracked before, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Hosokawa found a similar sort of shot.
- JOE HIRAMOTO VS JOLLY -
A Flyweight match follows, Joe Hiramoto faces Jolly.
(3-2 vs 4-0)
Inspired by his older brother Ren, Joe Hiramoto began training kickboxing at the age of 5. A tough fighter with tons of heart, Joe often digs deep to win fights, displaying his growing strength with each MMA outing. At 20 years of age, Joe made his professional MMA and RIZIN debut on New Year’s Eve of 2023, facing YUSHI and defeating him via unanimous decision. Since his debut, Joe has gone 2-2, competing in both RIZIN and DEEP.
Joe trains alongside his older brother Ren Hiramoto and close friend Tatsuki Shinotsuka at STG (Still The Goat) under the guidance of JMMA veteran Takafumi Otsuka. The alliance between Joe, Ren and Tatsuki is known as ‘BLACK ROSE’. All three members have mocked Jolly’s team Fighter’s Flow for being soft and uncool. In his match against Jolly, Joe wants to prove to everyone that Black Rose is superior to Fighters Flow.
Before MMA, Jolly lived a life of chaos and danger. During high school, he joined a biker gang, got into fights repeatedly, was arrested for assault five times and expelled from high school in his second year. Undefeated in MMA, Jolly is an aggressive grappler who hunts submissions early. Jolly made his professional MMA debut in 2018, knocking his opponent out in just a minute. In 2020, he appeared on Rukiya Anpo’s YouTube project as a brawler, was scouted and became Anpo's apprentice. At this time, Jolly owned multiple hostess clubs, although he would later sell these businesses to concentrate on martial arts. Jolly competed in Breaking Down 3 times, winning twice and losing once.
On New Year’s Eve, Jolly would make his RIZIN debut against Ryusei Ashizawa, submitting him with an armbar 25 seconds into the fight. His next fight would come 5 months later, against former Kickboxer Kodama Kenshin. He submitted Kodama with an armbar a minute into the fight. With a record of 4-0 and a 2 fight armbar streak, Jolly will look to earn another submission victory against Joe Hiramoto.
Joe will be the superior striker in this match, he should look to keep it standing and make it uncomfortable for Jolly. I think that Joe should be active with his kicks in this fight, constant low kicks, stab kicks and high kicks. As his opponent won’t be able to match his pace, it’s very possible that Joe can break Jolly on the feet and force a stoppage. Joe needs to remain aware and conscious of the takedown threat, while he can definitely hold his own in the grappling aspect, I wouldn’t advise him to entertain anything like that, as Jolly’s single hope will be to take Joe to the ground or his guard and work to a submission. Joe needs to defend the takedowns, as well as disengage if Jolly pulls guard. Joe is tough, durable and has better endurance than his opponent, if the fight exits the first round, Jolly’s chances can decrease dramatically so long as the fight stays standing.
Jolly will immediately look for the takedowns and clinch entries, where he’ll promptly fall to his back and invite Joe into his guard. Jolly can’t afford to shoot telegraphed takedowns in this fight, as his opponent has a much better sprawl and more experience with MMA grappling in general. Jolly's best chance will be to engage in a striking battle with Joe, shooting underneath his strikes and timing the shots. I believe that Jolly has less of a chance of taking the fight to the ground in open space. If he’s to work takedowns, it should be against the ropes and corner pads, giving Joe as little space as possible to move and turn, as well as opening up trips and throws for Jolly. If he’s unsuccessful at finding a submission however, Joe will be able to work back to his feet much easier, with the corner pads and ropes acting as leverage. Later in the fight, Joe gets sloppy and makes mistakes more easily, if the fight goes longer than expected, there’s definitely a chance of Jolly submitting a worn down Joe.
-JOJI GOTO VS AZIZBEK TEMIROV -
Joji Goto vs Azizbek Temirov follows, which will be contested in the Bantamweight division.
(20-9-1 vs 6-2)
Joji Goto built a base in Judo and Karate from early childhood. An all rounder with a high level of striking and grappling. At 16 years of age, Goto began his MMA training, debuting professionally in 2016. Goto is a heavy handed striker with substantial power and precision, a boxing style of fighter who has scored 10 knockouts, 4 submissions and 6 decision victories. Goto debuted in RIZIN in 2023, winning via twister submission in the second round. Goto would replicate his debut victory in his very next fight, earning yet another victory via twister submission, becoming the first RIZIN fighter in history to earn back to back twister submission wins.
Goto had a short spell in ONE Championship and DEEP, before returning to RIZIN, where he’d go on a 3 fight winning streak, beating names like Jinnosuke Kashimura, Taichi Nakajima and Shorty Torres. This win streak would earn him a shot at RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Danny Sabatello, where Goto would lose via decision in a frustrating fight. Training under JMMA veteran Ryo Chonan at Tribe Tokyo, Goto has also spent time in camp at Kill Cliff FC in America for his upcoming fight.
Azizbek Temirov, brother of former RIZIN and current UFC Flyweight Ramazan Temirov. Azizbek is a dangerous striker, swinging big with everything he throws. Inspired by his brother's training and discipline, he naturally decided to pursue a career as an MMA fighter, debuting professionally in 2023. Azizbek has a 100% Finish/KO rate, finishing all 6 of his wins before the third round. In 2024, Azizbek moved to the United States and trained with Team Alpha Male, led by Urijah Faber. His LFA debut came the following year, when he’d face off against Daniel Araújo and lose a decision. Azizbek then faced recent RIZIN debutant, Yrysbek Tilenov, losing another decision in a close fight.
In April 2026, his 2 fight losing streak was snapped violently, as he’d knock out Bantamweight contender Ryuya Fukuda in his RIZIN debut with an uppercut, rendering the Japanese fighter unconscious in the second round. Azizbek will look to unleash his powerful right hand again, earning his 2nd RIZIN victory against Joji Goto.
Joji Goto is a clean striker with power behind everything he throws, in this fight against Temirov, he needs to match the presence of his opponent in the ring, Goto throws strikes typically in combination, working the body and finishing with a strike to the head. His calf kicks are strong, his jab is quick and his left hand has the potential to finish a fight every time he throws it. Against a striker with 1 shot knockout power like Temirov, Goto needs to be able to move well and manage his distance excellently while keeping a high guard with his hands up. While he moves and circles quite well, he stands planted when he strikes unless he's countering on the back foot. Goto needs to frustrate Azizbek and blind him with his jab, as seen in his fight with Fukuda, once Azizbek began eating multiple strikes that interrupted his blitz forward, he got desperate and began swinging wild overhands that made his strikes before pale in comparison. Like Fukuda, Goto is a southpaw and exits range with his hands down. Obviously, this is dangerous against an orthodox striker like Azizbek who has a nuclear right hand. While countering knees, elbows and clinches should be encouraged, Goto can’t match Azizbek’s energy and pressure on the backfoot without leaving openings, he needs to let him overextend and miss. Goto has the capability to pick his opponent apart with bodyshots and hooks to the head. If need be, the clinch and grappling opportunities may be there to slow the fight’s pace down.
Azizbek Temirov is an aggressive striker who throws almost every strike with 100%, blasting hooks, overhands, straights to the head and body constantly. While I don’t think this is what will happen, I’d advise Azizbek to be a little more patient in this fight, and wait for appropriate times to swing big, his current style is reckless and against a cleaner striker in Goto, it leaves him open to a lot of counter opportunities. In the Fukuda fight, Temirov would attempt to counter Fukuda’s jab with a check hook, often missing and leaving him in a position to be head-kicked or kneed. Goto stands quite upright, Temirov can look to break his balance with inside calf kicks considering the fight will be in open stance. When Goto disengages, Azizbek needs to be ready to unload with his right hand. It’s very possible that Goto gets caught with a big shot during a combination as well, as long as Temirov lands clean, there’s a whole lot of potential for it to be the last strike thrown of the fight. If Temirov spends multiple minutes swinging big and missing while following his opponent around the ring, he’ll run out of stamina unless he’s aided by mysterious supplements.
- KAZUMASA MAJIMA VS KOJI TAKEDA -
A grappling showdown between two of the most skilled grapplers in the Featherweight division, Kazumasa Majima vs Koji Takeda.
(19-6 vs 19-8)
Labelled as ‘The Strongest Salaryman In History’, Kazumasa Majima is one of Japan’s strongest grapplers and 16 of his 19 victories come via submission. A master of wearing his opponents down and choking them out, Majima put together a 14-1 record in promotions like Pancrase and Shooto before debuting in RIZIN. Majima had a less than ideal beginning in the promotion, losing three consecutive matches.
After returning from injury, Majima would secure his first victory in RIZIN, submitting Takahiro Ashida with a Von Flue Choke. Majima has since gone 4-2, submitting notable names like Suguru Nii, Shuya Kimura and most recently, James Gallagher in April of 2026. In addition to being a professional MMA fighter, Majima works as a maintenance worker and pipefitter full-time, balancing martial arts and his work life. Since his TKO loss to Vugar Karamov in November of 2024, Majima has made more time to study tape, deepening his understanding of techniques. Now facing Koji Takeda, he’ll look to extend his winning streak to 3.
Koji Takeda has a base built in wrestling from early in his life. He began wrestling at the age of six and won five high school wrestling championships. After dropping out of university, Takeda would pursue MMA. Takeda began his MMA career with 8 consecutive victories, becoming DEEP Lightweight Champion in his 8th fight. Takeda would then debut in RIZIN, suffering his first career loss to Damien Brown. Takeda proceeded to go 5-5 in RIZIN at Lightweight, before dropping down to Featherweight and beating Kyohei Hagiwara via decision.
Takeda is known for his gritty fighting style, wrestling his opponents to the canvas and throwing ground and pound. Takeda’s former opponents in RIZIN are amongst the toughest out of any active competitor. In his most recent victory, Takeda filled in for Kazuki Aimoto on just days notice and defeated Viktor Kolesnik via unanimous decision at RIZIN 52, in what was a massive upset. Outside of the cage, Takeda is also known for being a heavy smoker, often smoking cigarettes while cutting weight. Takeda will now look to outwrestle the grappling expert Majima and go on a streak of his own.
Majima is an excellent grappler with unshakable top control. On the feet he’s low output, bouncing and moving around until the takedown comes. While he usually shoots double legs, when in the back clinch position, he uses many trips and throws to take the fight to the mat. Once Majima is on top of you, he’ll drop elbows on you and look to pass your guard. If his opponent rolls over, Majima happily takes the back and begins working toward his signature back choke. He has sensational reversals and sweeps, punishing his opponents grappling mistakes. Against Takeda, I suggest that he pushes the grappling pace and retains top control. Majima has to be the one grappling and not getting grappled. On the ground, Majima is by far the more technical grappler, however, Takeda poses a threat when on top with his constant ground and pound. Takeda’s game can’t function when you take the fight to him, when under pressure on the ground, Takeda can scramble wildly and give up compromising positions.
Takeda is a grinding wrestler who never stops coming forward with activity, he’s much more comfortable than Majima on the feet, possibly something to watch if he looks to strike here. Takeda will push his opponents back to the ropes with a clinch, knee them, strike them and look to throw them down to the mat. When Takeda’s opponents build back up and work their way back to their feet, he slams them again and again and again. With both unrelenting pace and pressure, if Takeda is the one forcing the action, he’s the one winning. Against Majima, Takeda needs to attempt to reverse any takedowns and end up on top. He can’t afford to have Majima control him from the top, as it's almost impossible to get back to your feet without an elite scrambling ability. In this fight, I suggest that Takeda strikes mainly and forces the clinch against the ropes, landing strikes from those positions and avoiding the ground. Later in the fight, Takeda should have the stamina advantage and can pour it on late.
- TSUYOSHI SUDARIO VS RYO SAKAI -
RIZIN’s Heavyweight Japan Grand Prix officially kicks off as Tsuyoshi Sudario faces Ryo Sakai.
(9-4 vs 15-15)
In the past, Sudario competed in Sumo before retiring in 2019 and pursuing MMA. Heading into the infamous 2025 RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix, Sudario was 9-3 in RIZIN with 8 knockout victories, beating notable names such as Ikuhisa Minowa and Hideki Sekine. In May of 2025, Sudario was matched against Jose Augusto in the first round of the GP, suffering a decision loss to the Brazilian fighter after being knocked down in the first round. Sudario’s fight against Ryo Sakai will be his first fight since his disappointing loss last year.
Brother to Takakenhsin, Sudario’s spot in the 2026 Heavyweight Grand Prix was confirmed after his brother’s fight against Ryo Sakai in June. While Takakenshin knocked Sakai out in the first round, he failed to make weight, forfeiting his place in the Grand Prix to his brother Sudario.
At 39 years of age, Sakai has been fighting professionally in MMA since 2012, amassing a record of 15-15, fighting in Grachan, DEEP and RIZIN. In 2025, Sakai made his RIZIN MMA debut against King Edokpolo, even taking him to the second round, but was ultimately stopped with heavy blows from back mount. Most recently, Sakai suffered a knockout loss against Takakenshin at RIZIN Landmark 14 earlier this year. Sakai is 0-2 in RIZIN and 11-9 in DEEP.
I can’t offer much fight advice for either fighter here, considering it’s a Heavyweight fight between two Japanese fighters. I hope they both have a lot of fun because I certainly won’t be.
- MIKIO UEDA VS KING EDOKPOLO -
The second opening match of the 2026 RIZIN Heavyweight Grand Prix follows, with Mikio Ueda facing King Edokpolo.
(5-3 vs 3-0)
Mikio Ueda’s beginnings in martial arts came when he first began training in Kyokushin Karate at the age of 5. His professional MMA debut came in 2022, losing to JMMA veteran Tsuyoshi Kosaka by TKO. Ueda has since gone 4-2 in RIZIN, finishing Tsuyoshi Sudario and Shoma Shibisai, before most recently losing to Alexander Soldatkin via TKO in the second round of the 2025 Heavyweight Grand Prix. Since this loss, Ueda has spent time in the United States at Kill Cliff FC, training with multiple high level fighters and improving areas of his MMA game.
Born to a Nigerian father and a Korean mother, King Edokpolo stands at 6 feet 8 inches. One of RIZIN’s scariest fighters, King Edokpolo’s height, reach and power spell danger for all those that step in the ring with him. Before MMA, Edokpolo was a successful baseball player in high school. Wanting to test his physique and strength, he began training in MMA in 2022. Edokpolo fought twice for Breaking Down, winning both fights via decision.
In his professional MMA debut, he would win by knockout just 14 seconds into the fight, quickly attracting the attention of RIZIN, who gave him the opportunity to fight on New Year’s Eve in 2024, where Edokpolo would score another first round knockout, this time against Takakenshin. Edokpolo would then fight Ryo Sakai, finishing him in the second round. While securing the victory, he was unsatisfied with his performance, leading him to head overseas and train with Alex Pereira’s head coach Plinio Cruz. Now approaching his third fight in RIZIN, Edokpolo will look to show off his improved skills.
For Ueda, I think that heavy low kicks will work against a taller fighter, but apart from that I don’t have much else to say. Heavyweight is Heavyweight.
Edokpolo doesn’t need much to win this fight,blitzing forward and putting his giant fists on Ueda's chin should earn him an early knockout win.
- YUKI ITO VS ALIBEK GADZHAMMATOV -
Yuki Ito vs Alibek Gadzhammatov, a highly anticipated match between two of the top strikers in the Flyweight division.
(20-7 vs 6-1)
‘‘Please accept my passionate love call, Makoto-Kun ❤︎’’
Since his very first appearance in RIZIN, Yuki Ito has greatly contributed to the excitement surrounding the Flyweight division. In 2025, his participation in the Flyweight Grand Prix was announced and he was scheduled to face Nkazimulo Zulu in the opening round at Super RIZIN 4. Ito went all 15 minutes with Zulu, hurting him badly multiple times, securing a unanimous decision victory. Unfortunately for Ito, he'd be heartbroken when he lost the election to proceed to the next round. In a reserve match, Ito was outwrestled by Erson Yamamoto and lost a unanimous decision. After his less than ideal ending to 2025, Ito returned in March of 2026, facing KNOCKOUT Unlimited Champion Carlos Mota. In an intense striking match, Ito struck first and landed a massive headkick followed by a straight, sending Mota to the canvas, where he would hammerfist his way to victory. During his post fight interview, called for a title match with the Flyweight Champion at the time, Hiromasa Ougikubo.
Ahead of his match with Gadzhammatov, Ito is undefeated against foreign fighters, with his win against Carlos Mota extending the streak to 5-0. Ito is 10-3 in RIZIN, with 5 knockouts and 5 decisions. Outside of the ring, Ito is known to enjoy gambling and playing Pachinko, spending his free time in local Pachinko Parlours. When talking about his unusual love for Pachinko, Ito says that it’s what ignites the fighting spirit inside of him, finishing by saying he aims to be the strongest Pachinko player in the world. It’s very likely that the winner of this fight challenges Makoto Shinryu for the RIZIN Flyweight Title next.
Alibek Gadzhammatov was signed to RIZIN in 2024, debuting at RIZIN Landmark 10 in November of 2024 against Daichi Kitakata. Alibek swarmed his opponent in the clinch, landing heavy knees and strikes against the cage, leading to a TKO finish on the ground. Despite being from Dagestan, Alibek is predominantly a striker, with his background being in Wushu Sanda, where he’d have 120+ fights and become the Russian Champion.
After Alibek’s RIZIN debut, he entered the 2025 Flyweight Grand Prix, facing off against Takaki Soya in the opening round. After a gruelling fight in which both men exchanged heavy blows, Alibek would find his rhythm in the third round, knocking Soya down and finishing the fight. In the election, Alibek was voted to proceed to the next round, scheduled against Hiromasa Ougikubo. During his training camp, Alibek injured his neck and ended up fighting while compromised against Ougikubo, losing a unanimous decision. After time spent recovering, Alibek now returns to RIZIN almost a year later against Yuki Ito in a striker’s showdown at Flyweight.
Against a fellow striker in Alibek, Ito will fight comfortably knowing that it’s unlikely the fight ends up on the ground. Ito has quick hands and excellent boxing combinations. He manages distance perfectly. Against Alibek, Ito should be able to pick him apart in boxing exchanges. Ito should dig his hooks to the body and use his knees to counter Alibek’s forward pressure. I’d advise against throwing a lot of kicks in this fight, as Ito is prone to being countered by a cross over the top. When in the pocket, Ito needs to take advantage of his speed and throw multiple shots, beating Alibek to the punch. Ito moves well, ducking away, turning out and circling. His footwork combined with his boxing has earned him almost every win on his record. When Alibek fought Soya, Soya exposed how reactionary Alibek was. Because of this, Ito should be feinting constantly, drawing out those big reactions from Alibek and keeping him worried about the next strike. Up close, Alibek has a particular weakness against uppercuts. Ito can’t let himself be drawn into the clinch and tied up, Alibek has dangerous knees and elbows from various positions. In this fight, I’ll give Ito the boxing advantage, with Alibek having the kicking advantage.
For Alibek, Ito is a great matchup to showcase his full MMA game. Alibek needs to be the one powering forward, throwing multiple shots at a time and putting Ito on his heels, he can’t afford for it to be a neutral fight where both of them stand in the middle. In the past, Alibek has had trouble moving well and has been pushed back easily by pressure fighters. Alibek has a deep striking toolbag, front kicks, snap kicks, push kicks are strikes that he throws constantly. Alibek should utilise his reach advantage and look to stick a jab in Ito’s face. Up close, Alibek’s guard is quite compact, but later in the fight when he tires, his hands tend to drop more often, leaving him vulnerable. Alibek can fight with the comfort of knowing that he can take Ito down, pretty much at any given time, whereas Ito may worry about the shot. I think that Alibek should kick often here and not let himself be drawn into a scrappy fight, if he’s hurt or can’t handle the oncoming pressure, he should simply tie Ito up in the clinch or look to grapple.
- SHOKO SATO VS PATCHY MIX -
Seasoned veteran Shoko Sato, faces off against Jiu Jitsu specialised grappler Patchy Mix in an exciting Bantamweight matchup.
(38-17-2 vs 20-4)
Shoko Sato is a seasoned veteran, excelling in all areas of MMA. Since debuting in 2007, Sato has fought 57 times across different promotions like Pancrase, Sengoku, ROAD FC and Shooto. With his more memorable stints coming in ONE Championship and, of course, RIZIN. Sato has fought six fights in RIZIN, beating names like Shinobu Ota, Juntaro Ushiku and Soo Chul Kim. More recently, Sato fought Danny Sabatello in September of 2025, losing a decision in a close fight where he was controlled for parts.
In March of 2026, Sato fought former LFA Champion John Sweeney in a fight that Sweeney was heavily favoured to win. Sato took the fight to Sweeney, tripping him against the corner pad and kneeing his face, causing a massive cut to open above Sweeney’s eye. Sato would follow Sweeney into mount, bludgeoning him with sharp elbows from top position. Sato then transitioned into a mounted triangle, turning over and finishing the submission from his guard, marking the first time Sweeney had ever been submitted. Sato now looks to record his biggest win yet against former Bellator Champion, Patchy Mix.
On his path to becoming the Bellator Bantamweight Champion, Patchy Mix defeated James Gallagher, Kyoji Horiguchi and Magomed Magomedov, before knocking Raufeon Stots unconscious with a brutal knee to win the title. A Brazillian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Patchy is a master on the ground, submitting 13 of his 20 wins, 11 with chokes, Mix’s specialty. After defending his Bantamweight Title twice, against Sergio Pettis and Magomed Magomedov, Mix signed with the UFC and debuted against the #10 ranked Mario Bautista. After a very underwhelming performance that saw Mix struggle with his footwork and head movement, Bautista won by unanimous decision. 4 months later, Mix returned to face Polish fighter Jakub Wikłacz. Mix had a much closer fight against Wikłacz, but failed to establish his grappling dominance and would lose via split decision.
On the 29th of January 2026, in a shock announcement, Patchy Mix was revealed to have been released from the UFC, signing with RIZIN to face rising star Kyoma Akimoto at Featherweight. Patchy was unable to deal with the speed and timing of Akimoto and was dropped by a combination to the body and head at the end of round 1. In the second round, the same would happen again and Patchy was dropped with a straight shot followed by brutal soccer kicks to the head. Prior to this fight, Mix had never been finished. After an unsuccessful outing at Featherweight, Patchy now drops down to his natural weight class of Bantamweight to face Shoko Sato, aiming to snap his 3 fight losing streak.
On the feet, Sato is quicker and more technical than Mix. Sato should look to mix the targets and exploit Mix’s lack of head movement. Jabs to the body and head should land consistently and can be followed up with straight shots. Sato can’t afford to back straight up, as this can play into Mix’s takedown game. In the striking exchanges, Sato can catch Mix out of position and land with big strikes. Mix bombs forward to close the distance, and if he fails to grab a clinch or the hips for a takedown, he’s wide open for counter shots. If backed up to the ropes, Sato needs to intelligently defend Mix’s takedown attempts, if the fight hits the mat and Mix is in top control, Sato can absolutely not afford to give up any compromising positions that Mix can use to attempt chokes. While a great scrambler, when working up to his feet, Sato often gives his back up, against Mix, this will obviously pose incredible danger. I don’t want to see Sato attempting guillotines to defend against takedowns.
In this fight, Patchy needs to go all out for the takedown, he’s shown a clear weakness and an almost complete inability to defend strikes on the feet and shouldn’t even entertain a striking match against Sato. Patchy will look to stay on the offensive and push Sato back, shooting takedowns and aiming to bring the fight to the mat and work from where he’s most comfortable. Mix has a wide array of submissions on the ground, if he can pass Sato’s guard it opens up opportunities for arm triangles and potential armlocks. If Sato presents Mix with the opportunity to take his back, Mix will gladly sink in both hooks and wrap up a body triangle, squeezing Sato and working toward a rear naked choke. If Sato can successfully work back to his feet, Mix shouldn’t be discouraged, sticking to his game plan and shooting more and more takedowns.
- KLEBER KOIKE VS KYOMA AKIMOTO -
Former Champion Kleber Koike faces rising Japanese star Kyoma Akimoto on his quest to reclaim his Featherweight Title. The matchup will be a classic grappling vs striking contest.
(36-9-1 vs 12-1)
Other than his Bonsai Jiu Jitsu senior Roberto Satoshi Souza, Kleber Koike is arguably the most prolific and accomplished Jiu Jitsu practitioner RIZIN has ever seen. After becoming KSW’s Featherweight Champion in 2017, Kleber debuted in RIZIN on New Year’s Eve in 2020, submitting Kyle Aguon with a d’arce choke in the first round. On his road to becoming RIZIN Featherweight Champion for the first time, Kleber submitted five consecutive opponents, extending his streak to 6 when he submitted Juntaro Ushiku with a triangle choke to become champion.
In Kleber’s first defence of the belt against Chihiro Suzuki, he’d miss weight by 0.88 lbs, thus leaving the Featherweight Title vacant and making him ineligible to win the belt. Amid all the chaos, Koike submitted Suzuki with an armbar in the first round. To get another title opportunity, Kleber was forced to build himself back up, submitting former Featherweight Champion, Yutaka Saito via d’arce choke and submitting former Bantamweight Champion Juan Archuleta via heel hook. After these two performances, Kleber got another opportunity at the title, facing Chihiro Suzuki on New Year’s Eve of 2024. Kleber won by decision, reclaiming his belt.
More recently, Koike fought three times in 2025, being defeated by Razhabali Shaydullaev and Mikuru Asakura in the summer months, before defeating former Featherweight Champion Vugar Karamov by decision on New Year’s Eve. The fight against Akimoto will be just Kleber’s second fight in seven matches against an opponent who does not hold the title of Champion or Former Champion.
Japan’s rising star, Kyoma Akimoto. At just 20 years of age, Akimoto has quickly risen to the top of RIZIN’s Featherweight Division Debuting in 2024 with unprecedented activity, Akimoto scored a vicious knockout against Kintaro, landing an accurate straight left hand, dropping Kintaro and following up with grounded knees to earn a TKO victory. 2 months later, Akimoto fought seasoned veteran, Hiroaki Suzuki, winning a unanimous decision. A month later, Akimoto was scheduled to fight Bantamweight Title contender, Yuki Motoya on New Year’s Eve. In a tough fight, Motoya dominated the ground exchanges, controlling Akimoto for large portions of the fight.
In 2025, Akimoto fought and stopped all three opponents he faced. He submitted Koki Akada and knocked out Kyohei Hagiwara before knocking out Suguru Nii on New Year’s Eve. When Akimoto was just 14, he discovered the Asakura brothers on television, who were active in RIZIN at the time. Akimoto credits both Mikuru and Kai Asakura for directly inspiring him to pursue martial arts. In March 2024, Akimoto transferred to Japan Top Team and continues to train there alongside the Asakura brothers to this day. Akimoto is a quick and precise striker with incredible timing and accuracy, he has a 57% KO rate and a 17% submission rate, combining for a 74% finish rate. In March 2026, on Akimoto’s last day as a teenager, he recorded his biggest win to date, defeating and knocking out former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Patchy Mix in a major upset. During his post fight interview, he announced that he will be the one to carry RIZIN into the future.
With a 7-1 record in RIZIN at just 20 years of age, alongside connections to the ultra popular Mikuru and Kai Asakura, Akimoto has quickly become one of RIZIN’s biggest stars. Now headlining his 3rd event against a former champion, Akimoto aims for a knockout that puts him into the title conversation.
On the feet, Kleber is almost exclusively on the back foot, waiting for his opponent to close the distance so he can grab a hold of them and look for trips or drag them down into his guard. Kleber waits by the ropes and invites pressure, shielding his face with a high guard and keeping his legs active, kicking and teeping. In open space, Kleber stands upright and typically ducks under strikes, grabbing the hips and moving his opponent closer to the corner and then looking to trip them down. In Kleber’s guard, he’ll threaten triangles, armbars and sweeps. Kleber truly believes in his style, he won’t abandon it at all, regardless of how effective it is in the given fight. When desperate, Kleber can move forward quite recklessly, throwing kicks from both sides, leaving his chin exposed and arms flapping around, this was most noticeable in the Mikuru Asakura fight, where Mikuru would disengage and stand up from Kleber’s guard. Against Akimoto, Kleber can’t afford to just invite Akimoto’s offence on, as seen in the Shaydullaev fight, a fighter with significant power will simply knock him out if he presents his chin. Kleber needs to hold his high guard and enter clinch positions when Akimoto closes the distance, he can’t afford for the fight to be contested in open space for very long, as Akimoto will almost certainly find his range and open up with powerful strikes. Kleber needs to latch onto Akimoto and drag or trip him to the mat, attempting submissions from everywhere, forcing him to make a mistake or work back to his feet desperately, which can lead to more opportunities for Kleber to find a submission.
Akimoto is a phenomenal striker with quick, precise and powerful strikes, he finds the chin of his opponents consistently. Akimoto has great timing and understanding of range, he knows when to counter and knows when to move. Akimoto utilises a constant jab, following it up with his signature cross, throwing at different targets and mixing shots to the head and body. Akimoto works the body in various ways, he has great body hooks and step in knees. Against Kleber, Akimoto will need to manage his range as usual, entering and exiting range in a measured way. Against the ropes, Akimoto needs to find the right time to fire strikes at Kleber and avoid being dragged and tied up in a clinch. With the opportunities Kleber presents him, I believe that Akimoto will have more than enough chances to find the chin and hurt Kleber, something similar to the Shaydullaev finish. I don’t expect Akimoto to have any interest in playing in Kleber’s guard. He should immediately disengage and allow Kleber back to his feet. The left straight will be all Akimoto needs.
That’s the preview! If you made it to the end, thank you for your attention and time.
With all the research, translation and writing in length, these articles take me quite a while to put together, but I hope that they are informative and enjoyable to read before each RIZIN event. If you enjoy them, liking, commenting and resharing the posts means a lot to me.
The closing part of this article will now feature information on how to watch RIZIN 54 LIVE + My final picks.
Akimoto - KO/TKO R2
Sato - Decision
Alibek - Decision
King Edokpolo - KO/TKO R1
Sudario - KO/TKO R1
Majima - Decision
Goto - Decision
Joe Hiramoto - Decision
Naoki - KO/TKO R1
Mizuno - Decision
You have the option of either purchasing the PPV for 19.99 (prices will vary), or purchasing a month of RIZIN’s premium pass for 16.99 (prices will vary) which will give you the following: Access to RIZIN’s entire catalogue of events, fights and access to all RIZIN PPV events that air live while your membership is active.
For international viewers, RIZIN 54 will begin on 1:00 AM ET on August 11th, 10:00 PM PT on August 10th, 6:00AM on August 11th BST.
THE EVENT IS AVAILABLE TO WATCH WORLDWIDE ON RIZIN.TV!
END OF ARTICLE.
These have become a tradition for me since the last one. As someone who's only gotten into the company this year (in what I've seen people say is a slump year for RIZIN), I've been enjoying it quite a bit, and post like these and your Twitter has helped quite a bit jn the knowledge that Schiavello doesn't rattle off during events