Rizin FF crowned two new champions at the Saitama Super Arena as Azerbaijan’s Vugar Karamov and America’s Juan Archuleta captured the promotion’s vacant championships at featherweight and bantamweight, respectively, at Super Rizin 2.
The event, which dovetailed with the Bellator vs. Rizin 2 card held on the same night in the same venue, saw two of Rizin’s fan-favorite fighters lose out in their respective title challenges as overseas fighters captured the vacant belts in the top two fights of the evening.
In the main event, Karamov finished Mikuru Asakura in just over half a round with a rear-naked choke to claim the featherweight crown, while former Bellator champion Archuleta outworked Rizin veteran Hiromasa Ougikubo to become the first American fighter to win a Rizin FF championship.
The other championship bout of the night saw women’s atomweight champion Seika Izakawa finish French challenger Claire Lopez via first-round ninja choke.
There was also a huge shock earlier in the card, as Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull was knocked out in the first round by Japanese Rizin featherweight contender Chihiro Suzuki.
Super Rizin 2: Official results
- Vugar Karamov def. Mikuru Asakura via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:41 – for vacant featherweight title
- Juan Archuleta def. Hiromasa Ougikubo via unanimous decision – for vacant bantamweight title
- Seika Izakawa def. Claire Lopez via submission (ninja choke) – Round 1, 1:04 – for women’s atomweight title
- Chihiro Suzuki def. Patricio Pitbull via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:32
- Tofiq Musayev def. Akira Okada via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 1:11
- Shinobu Ota def. Kenta Takizawa via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 1, 4:54
- Igor Tanabe def. Daichi Abe via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 4:34
- Yuki Ito def. Hiroya Kondo via split decision