Rizin and Bellator’s best will go head-to-head on New Year’s Eve.
During a press conference Wednesday in Japan, both promotions announced that Rizin 40 will take place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.
Former Bellator champion A.J. McKee (19-1) will meet Rizin lightweight champion Roberto de Souza (14-1) in the night’s headliner, whereas reigning Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire (34-5) will take on Rizin featherweight champ Kleber Koike (31–5–1).
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝-𝙪𝙥𝙨
On NYE, 5⃣ of the very best from Bellator MMA will collide with 5⃣ of @rizin_PR‘s top stars
Watch #BellatorvsRizin on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/QX0PpW2CwZ
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 26, 2022
Chills!
#BellatorvsRizin | 12/31 | Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/VV2ig0mbvv
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 26, 2022
4⃣ Kyoji Horiguchi
Hiromasa Ougikubo
The 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 comes to Japan on NYE.#BellatorvsRizin | 12/31 | Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/Ce1r6FrDG3
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 26, 2022
2⃣ Patricio Pitbull
It’s 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙓 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣 on NYE!
#BellatorvsRizin | 12/31 | Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/jhioHY2WnH
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 26, 2022
1⃣ AJ McKee
Who wins in this 𝖊𝖕𝖎𝖈 showdown?#BellatorvsRizin | 12/31 | Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/0LLVrEN4xr
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 26, 2022
Also announced for the card is a flyweight matchup between ex-Bellator bantamweight champ Kyoji Horiguchi (30-5) and Hiromasa Ougikubo (25–6–2), which will mark their third fight. Horiguchi defeated Ougikubo twice; once by submission to capture the Shooto bantamweight title in 2013, then a second time by unanimous decision at Rizin 11 in 2018.
The fourth fight announced is a bantamweight fight between former Bellator champ Juan Archuleta (26-4) and South Korea’s Kim Soo Chul (18-6-1).
The current Rizin 40 lineup includes:
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
- Patricio Freire vs. Kleber Koike
- Juan Archuleta vs. Kim Soo Chul
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs Hiromasa Ougikubo
Rizin vs. Bellator New Year’s Eve matchups announced: A.J. McKee headlines over Patricio Freire
