Join us tonight on Bloody Elbow for a live stream, results, discussion, round scoring and play-by-play as Rizin 4: Openweight Grand Prix Final Round goes down in the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The card will feature the semi-finals and finals of the Openweight Grand Prix, along with many other recognizable names competing in non-tournament matches. The co-main event of the night will see Tatsuya Kawajiri make his first post-UFC appearance against Kron Gracie.
Live results and play-by-play will kick off at 1am ET/10pm PT for the 11-fight card. Join us here to watch and discuss the show, and become a new card-carrying member of the Bloody Elbow Night Crew. Again. Two nights later.
They have added Tenshin Nakugawa to the card as expected. He’ll fight in the opener.
Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Kawika Oligo
Round 1 – Low kick from Nasugawa. Left connects. He gets a takedown and just missed with a left. Oligo trying the rubber guard. Oligo uses his legs well to get up. Low kick and a conbo from Tenshin. Another takedown. Oligo handfighting. Right and Oligo gets up. Just missed with a soccer kick. Yet another takedown, but this time it’s Oligos. Nasukawa’s round.
Round 2 – Nasukawa with a big punch quickly, and it makes Oligo shoot. Guillotine by Nasukawa, and Oligo taps! Two wins in 48 hours!
Tenshin Nasukawa defeated Kawika Oligo by submission (guillotine choke), round 2
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Baruto (Openweight GP Semi-Final)
Round 1 – Baruto charges at Cro Cop and catches him with a punch. He’s squashing him in the corner. Cro Cop with a knee. And another. Another knee hurts Baruto! He turns around and staggers towards the other corner! It’s OVER!
Mirko Cro Cop defeated Baruto by TKO (knee to the body), round 1
Amir Aliakbari vs. Valentin Moldavsky (Openweight GP Semi-Final)
Round 1 – Aliakbari with a left and he charges in. He clinches but can’t hold him in place. They’re circling. Aliakbari looks for another takedown and gets Moldavsky down to his butt. Moldavsky just holding on to him. Aliakbari finally flattened him out. Moldavsky gets up but Aliakbari has a body lock still. They clinch and Aliakbari pushes him his opponent to the other side of the ring. A couple of knees land. They move all the way to the other side now. They’re hugging all over the ring. Aliakbari is tired. Moldavsky with a left and there’s some blood coming out of Aliakbari’s nose. Tough to score.
Round 2 – Moldavsky with a right hook. Aliakbari responds. Moldavsky is pressuring. Inside leg kick. Aliakbari couldn’t get a takedown. They traded right hands. Moldavsky lands two more rights. Aliakbari gets the takedown, but Moldavsky is up quick. Aliakbari still has a body lock and he drags him back to the floor. Back up. Clinching in the corner. They separate with 2:15 to go. Moldavsky lands a shot. He scores with a right but Aliakbari lands his own and clinches up again. Big knee to the body and a left hook from Aliakbari. Right hook from Moldavsky, and a jab. He gets backed up in the clinch again though. He scoops an single and works from the top. Aliakbari landed an elbow, which is illegal in the tournament. The ref stands them up. Moldavsky digs to the body and lands a right hook. Same combo twice more. Aliakbari fires back with a winging right. Moldavsky chases him to the horn. Close again.
Amir Aliakbari defeated Valentin Moldavsky by split decision
Hayato Sakurai vs. Wataru Sakata
Round 1 – Sakurai just standing flat-footed. Sakata clinched and got footswept right onto his back. Nothing happening. Sakurai with a couple of punches. Sakata is just stalling. They’re finally stood up after three minutes. Sakurai with a right. Sakata backed him into the ropes. Sakurai with a knee and Sakata goes down. Sakurai jumps on top and opens up with the left. He moves to mount against the ropes. Mach postures up for a few punches. He moves Sakata way from the ropes, but gives up mount. Sakurai moves to side, and now to mount with 3:15 to go. A few punches but he’s still not doing a lot. Still grinding. This certainly isn’t the Mach of old. Round’s over.
Round 2 – Sakata presses forward. A big knee from Sakurai drops Sakata! Now it’s knees to the head from the front headlock position. Big punches. Now he’s chillin’ in side control. He could have won that fight easily, but he didn’t. He goes to mount again. Lands a few punches. He’s setting up an armbar. Or not. Sakurai finally turns it up and stops the bout.
Hayato Sakurai defeated Wataru Sakta by TKO (strikes), round 2
Gabi Garcia vs. Yumiko Hotta
Round 1 – Hotta bounces off three ropes like a pro wrestler before Garcia grabbed her and clubbed her. Big knee up the middle. Another knee. Garcia with more punches. This isn’t even a fight. It’s over.
Gabi Garcia defeated Yumiko Hotta by TKO (strikes), round 1
They do some pro wrestling garbage where “Jazzy the Alpha Female” comes out to challenge Gabi and they attempt to have a pull-apart brawl. Cris Cyborg is there too. Pro wrestling is great, but this sucked.
Kizaemon Saiga vs. Dillin West
Round 1 – Saiga with an inside leg kick as West stepped in. Fast jab from the Japanese fight. West with a right over the top. Saiga backed him up with a knee and got a takedown. Saiga with a jab. West with a shot. Saiga all over him in the corner with huge shots. West is turtling. More lefts. Two knees to the body. A left hook and a soccer kick stopped it.
Kizaemon Saiga defeated Dillin West by TKO (strikes), round 1
Andy Nguyen vs. Miyu Yamamoto
Round 1 – Leg kick from both ladies. Straight left from Nguyen. Big double leg takedown from Yamamoto. Nothing happened there so the ref stood them up. Yamamoto with a right. Combo from Nguyen. Nice inside leg kick too. Another right from Yamamoto. They trade right crosses at the same time. Another huge double leg from Yamamoto. Nguyen slaps on an armbar from the bottom and Yamamoto is forcced to verbally submit! Wow.
Andy Nguyen defeated Miyu Yamamoto by submission (armbar), round 1
Rena vs. Hanna Tyson
Round 1 – Rena looking good early. Tyson landing some kicks though. Nice knee, but she ate a body shot from Tyson. Overhand right and a high kick from Rena. Straight left too. Body kick from Rena. Nice combo from Tyson. Superman (superwoman?) punch from Rena. Front kick from Tyson. They trade inside leg kicks. Nice wide left hook from Tyson. They clinch up. Rena with the Thai clinch and throws her to the ground. Rena works from side at the horn. Rena round.
Round 2 – Rena with a high kick. And to the body. Tyson fired back with a left hook and a low kick. Very fast. Same combo. Rena shoots in but gets stuffed. She still hits a head-and-arm throw. Tyson rolls through though. Nice scramble. Knees in the clinch. Rena shoots in again but Tyson threatens with a guillotine. Rena still on top though. Tyson sweeps her. Nice! She backed out of her guard when she got the chance though. Left hook low kick combo. They clinch up and throw knees. Huge throw! But Tyson reversed again! Left hook and nice combo by Rena back on the feet. Very good round, tough to call.
Round 3 – They touch gloves, then Tyson attempts a low kick. They’re tradin early. Nice body kick from Tyson. Nice knee in the clinch from Rena, and another. Rena connects and Tyson fires back. She circles out but Rena is all over her. Clinch knees. Tyson with a left hook on the exit. Front kick from Rena. Hard body kick from Rena, and four knees in the clinch. Wow. She dropped her, and nearly decapitated her with a head kick coming up but Tyson blocked it. Both of these ladies are tough. More knees to the gut from Rena. Tyson is starting to back off. Two-punch combo from Rena. A body kick dropped Tyson! No followup needed! She’s still down. Rena wins a great fight.
Rena defeated Hanna Tyson via TKO (body kick), round 3
Hideo Tokoro vs. Erson Yamamoto
Round 1 – A bunch of kicks from both men to start. Yamamoto drops Tokoro with a straight right! But Tokoro locked up an armbar as soon as Yamamoto jumped in! ERSON TAPPED! That was crazy! I think he caught him with an upkick before the armbar, but that was amazing.
Hideo Tokoro defeated Erson Yamamoto by submission (armbar), round 1
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kron Gracie
Round 1 – Crusher looking for inside leg kicks early. Straight right hook cracks him. He looked to clinch but Kawajiri landed three shots to the ribs. Kawajiri looking for a lead uppercut. Battling in the clinch. Crusher really working the body. Gracie is firing back, but this isn’t his wheelhouse in terms of striking. They separate. Kron did draw some blood from Kawajiri’s nose. Uppercut from Crusher. Tons of body shots. Crusher with some knees. Kron pulled guard. Heel kicks from Kron. He’s looking to secure a limb but Crusher’s having none of it. Crusher backed out and jumped in with a face stomp! Gracie looked for a leg, but they returned to their feet. He landed a couple of shots and pulled guard again. Kron trying to sneak around to the back. When Crusher moved, he moved his legs to secure…something. Baby hammerfists to the side of Crusher’s head. He has secured an armbar! He’s hanging out of the ring! Crusher escapes and went for a kneebar. Mistake! Gracie takes his back and is looking for a choke. Crusher survives, but that’s Kron’s round.
Round 2 – Crusher back on top. He jumps out and tries some funky jumping kicks, but gets dragged back in and Kron has his back. He works for it, and eventually secures the choke. Crusher is forced to tap. That was absolutely sick. This Gracie is for real.
Kron Gracie defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri by submission (rear naked choke), round 2
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Amir Aliakbari (Openweight GP Final)
Round 1 – Mirko with a jab. Amir misses bad with a right. Aliakbari backs Cro Cop into the corner. Nice knee from Mirko, and Amir separates because it may have been low. Mirko touches up. Cro Cop jab. Mirko drops him with a left! Amir up but goes down again! Some GnP and it’s over! Mirko Cro Cop is the 2016 Openweight GP champ!
Mirko Cro Cop defeated Amir Aliakbari by TKO (strikes), round 1
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