RIZIN 47 Preview: 3 Fights to Look Forward To

Rizin decided to take the month of May off, only to return in June with a short, but stacked card. A total of nine MMA fights and one kickboxing fight round out Rizin 47 which will be from the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday, June 9. In a long-awaited rematch, Rizin flyweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi will look to get a win back from former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis. In the co-main event, former Bellator and Rizin bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta will take on former Rizin featherweight champion Kleber Koike. Let’s take a look at some of the fights on the card to look forward to.

Spike Carlyle vs Kyung Pyo Kim

Win or lose, Spike Carlyle (14-6) comes to FIGHT. A former UFC and Bellator fighter, he is full of energetic frenzy the moment he steps into the cage or ring. He has never been finished in a loss and has only once seen the judge’s decision in a win. You can never count him out in a fight as he is able to finish at any point in the fight.

Kyung Pyo Kim (13-4) hails from Korea and will be stepping into his third fight in Rizin. He is looking to continue to be undefeated in the promotion. Kim is a versatile fighter who has good striking but his strength is bringing fights to the ground and finishing them with grappling.

Koji Takeda vs Razhabali Shaydullaev

Koji Takeda will welcome the hot prospect Razhabali Shaydullaev in his first Rizin fight. Photo courtesy of Rizin FF.

Former Deep lightweight champion Koji Takeda (16-6) is making his second fight at featherweight. He had a successful featherweight debut out pointing Kyohei Hagiwara all three rounds. He brings a grappling arsenal that usually involves suplexing his opponent to the ground. Once it gets to the ground, he is usually able to secure a type of armlock to get a win.

Razhabali Shaydullaev (9-0) is making his return to featherweight after a stint at bantamweight. He has finished all of his fights and has yet to see the third round. One of the hottest prospects on the MMA scene, the Kyrgyzstan fighter is going to look for an impressive performance on the biggest stage of his career to date. He won his amateur championship with his grappling and he has continued to dominate all his fights with those weapons.

Kyoji Horiguchi vs Sergio Pettis

A rematch between former champions will main event Rizin 47. Photo courtesy of Rizin FF.

Kyoji Horiguchi (32-5. 1NC) is the best fighter that is not fighting in the UFC. A former Rizin and Bellator bantamweight champion, he is the current Rizin flyweight champion. Age has not caught up to him as he continues to beat such high-level fighters as Makoto Shinryu, Kai Asakura, and Hiromasa Ougikubo. His karate style offense along with grappling pedigree makes him one of the hardest fighters to prepare against.

Sergio Pettis (23-6) is a former Bellator bantamweight champion. He successfully defended the title twice including against Horiguchi. While he was losing the fight, he came back with a one-shot spinning punch KO over Horiguchi. Pettis is a fast, volume heavy striker who is great at weathering the storm and can drag opponents into deep waters.

You can watch Rizin 47 live with English commentary on Rizin.tv. It is available via subscription or a one-time purchase. The show airs Saturday, June 8, 10:30 p.m. PT/Sunday, June 9, 1:30 a.m. ET.

Full Card

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Sergio Pettis (non-title)
Kleber Koike Erbst vs. Juan Archuleta
Mikio Ueda vs. Przemysław Kowalczyk
Koji Takeda vs. Razhabali Shaydullaev
Spike Carlyle vs. Kyung Pyo Kom
Karshyga Dautbek vs. Tetsuya Seki
Johnny Case vs. BeyNoah
Genji Umeno vs. Uoi Fullswing (Kickboxing rules, elbows allowed)
Kazuki Tokudome vs. Sho Patrick Usami