Fight Facts: Bellator x Rizin 2 & Super Rizin 2

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR FIGHTS: 3,345
TOTAL NUMBER OF BELLATOR EVENTS: 300

Bellator MMA came back from a fairly lengthy layoff to cross the world and host an event in Japan. This truncated event, co-promoted with Rizin Fighting Federation, largely brought Bellator fighters facing off against one another instead of a true company vs. company billing. Bellator x Rizin 2 featured a new lightweight semifinalist in a very non-lightweight setting, a whiff for a new title and the best Magomed Magomedov in the sport excelling once more.

These 300 Bellators Gave Their Last Breath to Defend It: In a short five-bout affair, Bellator staged its 300th event, not counting its Monster Energy Fight Series. It took the organization 14 years and nearly four months to amass this many fight cards.

More Like Ecks vs. Sever: Although billed as the second Bellator vs. Rizin event, the only matchup between clear representatives from each company came in its main attraction. Patricky Freire knocked out Roberto Satoshi de Souza to get Bellator the win over the other promotion.

Fudging the Numbers: De Souza entered into the Bellator lightweight quarterfinals to replace A.J. McKee. Facing Freire, the two competed at 73kg or 161 pounds – the Pride Fighting Championships lightweight limit – not the standard 155 pounds. Freire advanced in the tourney by stopping de Souza in the third round.

Pitbull Chopper: Freire put de Souza down with a leg kick, earning the 10th finish of its type in company history. His is just the fifth above the lightweight category.

That’s So Bellator: The promotion was set to crown its very first men’s flyweight champion in Saitama, Japan, between two Japanese competitors. It was not meant to be, as the belt remains vacant thanks to a no contest from an eye poke. It marks just the third no contest in Bellator championship history.

Kount with Kana: Via contentious decision, Kana Watanabe prevailed on home soil against Veta Arteaga. The Japanese woman now sports five wins on the scorecards, four by submission and three more from strikes. On the other side of the equation, the 34-year-old has lost twice, while sporting a single draw on her resume.

Vanquished Veta: All six of Arteaga’s career losses have come under the Bellator banner. This ties her with Alejandra Lara and Arlene Blencowe for the most defeats of any female fighter in company history.

The Power of the 79175: Magomed Magomedov throttled Danny Sabatello with a guillotine choke in Round 1 to earn his third submission victory on the Bellator roster. “Tiger” is now just two shy of the divisional leader, Patrick Mix.

Avenging Andrey: Andrey Koreshkov avenged a close 2019 loss to Lorenz Larkin by claiming a close 2023 win over Larkin. The Russian now holds victories over two of the three men to ever beat him, while never getting the chance to rematch Ben Askren.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF RIZIN FIGHTS: 515
TOTAL NUMBER OF RIZIN EVENTS: 55

Rizin stuck the landing at the conclusion of back-to-back events, where it and Bellator teamed up to put on 13 fights across two rulesets and both in a cage and ring. While no belt was awarded for Bellator, three in Rizin ended in victors’ hands at night’s end. Super Rizin 2 featured a pound-for-pound talent dominating as usual, a Bellator vet that prefers to fight overseas and the crushing loss for one of Bellator’s greatest fighters.

No Longer Just Japan: To pick up the vacant featherweight belt that a heavy Kleber Koike Erbst surrendered a month ago, Vugar Karamov made short work of Mikuru Asakura. He is the first featherweight kingpin in Rizin history to come from a nation outside of Japan, as Erbst, Juntaro Ushiku and Yutaka Saito all rep the Land of the Rising Sun.

Azerbaijan Jitz: Since joining Rizin in 2020, Karamov has landed three submissions. Only three Rizin combatants have hit more subs: de Souza (four), Ayaka Hamasaki (five) and Erbst (six). The Azerbaijan native also boosted his overall finish rate to at least 81% as a pro.

The Other Other Asakura: Albeit in an unsuccessful jaunt for the title, Mikuru Asakura appeared for the 14th time on the Rizin roster. Just four athletes have fought more times for the organization than he has, as both Kanna Asakura and Yuki Motoya share the top spot with 17 fights apiece.

That Hat: After three controlling rounds, Juan Archuleta defeated Hiromasa Ougikubo to claim the vacant 135-pound strap. He is the fourth man to hold that title, making that division and the aforementioned featherweight category tied for the most champions in a single Rizin weight class.

The Hiro We Don’t Deserve: In each of his last eight outings, and 10 of his last 11, Ougikubo has heard the final bell. A whole 24 of his 35 pro fights have gone to decision.

Some Call Her the New Kayla Harrison: Defending her atomweight crown by running roughshod over Claire Lopez, Seika Izawa remained unbeaten at 11-0. She and Hamasaki are the only women to ever successfully defend their thrones in Rizin history.

Easier and Easier Work: The three submissions Izawa has landed in Rizin puts her in a second-place tie with Gabi Garcia and Kanako Murata among all female fighters to compete for the promotion. Hamasaki’s five stand above the pack.

108-Pound Ninja: At the 64-second mark, Izawa forced Lopez to tap out and then go to sleep via ninja choke. Her modified power guillotine is the first of its type in organizational history.

Pitbullied: Chihiro Suzuki annihilated Patricio Freire with one punch shortly after the midpoint of the first round. The Japanese kickboxer becomes the first fighter to ever stop Freire with strikes, as Freire’s previous knockout loss came from a leg injury.

Not Some Foregone Conclusion: As a +375 underdog, Suzuki’s win over Freire (-600) clocked in as the second-largest betting upset in organizational history. The greatest took place back in 2021, when +1275 Si Woo Park topped Rena Kubota (-2475).

Going to Baku: In Round 2, Tofiq Musayev clobbered Akira Okada to get the stoppage. The Baku, Azerbaijan, native celebrates 90% of his pro victories by finish.

Once a Year Submitter: Igor Tanabe pulled off a submission of Daichi Abe in the opening round to lift his young record to 3-0. All three of his wins have come by first-round tapout.

Big Boned Ninja: With the tap coming at 4:34, “Fatninja” officially landed the first heel hook in Rizin history. Tanabe’s was a rare inverted variation, while none have been performed by traditional means in the company before.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into Bellator x Rizin 2 or Super Rizin 2, Sabatello had never been submitted (16 fights), Patricio Freire had never dropped consecutive bouts (41 fights) and Tanabe had never competed beyond 1:58 of a pro fight.