Highlights! Former Top 10 UFC Flyweight Slept At Rizin 40

It was a horrible year for Rogerio Bontorin, who ended 2022 last night (Sat., Dec. 31) on the wrong end of a brutal second round Yuki Motoya (33-10) knockout at Rizin 40, which took place inside the famous Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Ahead of the five-on-five “Rizin vs. Bellator MMA” main card, Bontorin — a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contender — ate a knee from Motoya that shut his lights off and left him laying motionless inside the ring for at least one minute.

The Brazilian was ranked as high as No. 7 in UFC’s 125-pound division. In Jan. 2022, he lost his ranking to Brandon Royval, dropping a split decision. Next, he was scheduled to face Manel Kape at UFC 275 in Singapore; however, one day before the event, the fight was canceled because of a botched weight cut that sent him to the hospital.

Two weeks later, he was released from UFC.

Bontorin has lost four of his last five fights with a “No Contest” against Matt Schnell thrown in there, after which he popped for hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) and was suspended for three months.

The knockout loss at Rizin 40 marked the end of Bontorin’s horrible 2022. Bontorin’s Rizin 40 opponent Motoya (33-10), meanwhile, is now riding a five-fight win streak.

---

For complete Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN results and coverage click HERE.