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The time has come once again for one of the longest-standing annual traditions in MMA to take place. That’s right, it’s time for a major New Year’s Eve MMA card from Japan. In just hours, RIZIN 45 will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, presenting a lengthy card that includes a wide variety of MMA.
For decades, December 31st has been the biggest day on the MMA calendar in Japan. It isn’t one company that has kept the tradition of New Year’s Eve events alive throughout its history. Instead, it’s been carried on by many companies: This includes Pride FC, K-1, DREAM, and most recently, RIZIN.
Horiguchi vs. Shinryu headlines RIZIN 45
RIZIN 45 on Sunday will mark the ninth consecutive year that RIZIN has put together a New Year’s Eve card. The forthcoming show will feature two title fights, UFC and Bellator veterans, rising prospects, numerous newcomers to MMA, and so much more.
The top attraction of the night will be the inaugural flyweight title bout between Kyoji Horiguchi and Makoto Shinryu. This bout will be a rematch, looking for a winner after their first meeting resulted in a no contest due to an eye poke in the opening minute.
Horiguchi has found success in recent years as a bantamweight, attaining belts in RIZIN and Bellator. However, after going on a stretch of three losses through five appearances, he dropped down to bantamweight in late 2022. On Sunday, he will attempt to become the first-ever fighter to earn a belt in two separate RIZIN divisions (albeit not at the same time).
Shinryu is a 23-year-old flyweight standout who has lost just once since turning pro in 2016. He has picked up four wins in RIZIN, and briefly had a run as flyweight champion in CFFC last year. This weekend will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of his career thus far.
Archuleta looks to stop second Asakura reign at RIZIN 45
Lower on the RIZIN 45 card, former Bellator Juan Archuleta will take on Kai Asakura. This bout was expected to be Archuleta’s first appearance as RIZIN Bantamweight Champion, although a weight miss to the tune of nearly three kilograms (over six pounds) on Saturday caused him to be stripped of the belt.
It was announced at the beginning of the show on Sunday that the bout is expected to proceed at a catchweight of 68 kg (149 lbs), which Archuleta will have the chance to hit an hour before their fight.
As is the case with most RIZIN fights where one talent missed weight, there’s not much in it for one of the two parties. When a fighter misses weight and still competes, any win for them gets ruled as a no-contest. Also, if Archuleta wins, the bantamweight title will remain vacant.
The upsides for Asakura remain in place. A successful performance this weekend can not only count as a win on his record but will become RIZIN Bantamweight Champion for the second time in his career.
Archuleta earned a RIZIN belt over the summer, earning a decision nod over Hiromasa Ougikubo to dethrone the veteran talent. Before then, he beat Naoki Inoue and Kim Soo-chul, a pair of respected names from Japan and Korea respectively.
Asakura will be on the hunt for his second reign as champion. He briefly held the title in 2020, dethroning Ougikubo at RIZIN 23 before getting stopped by Horiguchi just three events later. He’s no stranger to championship bouts even outside of that reign, having fought in four different title bouts in the past.
RIZIN’s biggest card of the year
New Year’s Eve is a competitive market in Japan, as many of the top players in broadcast entertainment provide big shows. RIZIN goes up against programming like “Kohaku,” a giant music festival broadcasted by government-owned channel NHK. Because New Year’s Eve is such a massive TV competition, RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve cards are often crammed full of matchups that are meant to attract a larger than usual audience to the promotion.
With 16 bouts in total, discussing the two title bouts on the card is just scratching the surface of the lineup. The card also includes Miyuu Yamamoto’s retirement bout, the return of John Dodson, five different MMA debuts from kickboxing talents, the RIZIN debut of two-division Shooto Japan champ Jo Arai, and so much more.
RIZIN 45 comes on at a time that isn’t convenient for everyone. It will start at around midnight ET, which is just past 2 p.m. locally. Whether you plan on watching some, none or all of RIZIN 45, we have you covered with results, highlights and other coverage of the event. Keep tabs on the results below to see the latest developments. Plus, if you’re interested in chatting along while watching, join us in the comment section as well.
RIZIN 45: NYE – Live results, fight card and highlights
Main Card (12 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. JST) (FITE)
- Kyoji Horiguchi def. Makoto Shinryu via submission (rear naked choke) in Round 1: RIZIN Flyweight Championship
- Kai Asakura def. Juan Archuleta via TKO (knee and punches) at 3:20 in Round 1: RIZIN Bantamweight Championship
- Kleber Koike def. Yutaka Saito via submission (Darce Choke) at 1:22 in Round 3: Featherweight
- Ren Hiramoto def. YA-MAN via unanimous decision: Featherweight
- Seika Izawa def. Miyuu Yamamoto via Submission (rear naked choke) at 0:37 in Round 2: Super Atomweight
- Mikio Ueda def. Tsuyoshi Sudario via TKO (Head kick and punches) at 0:55 in Round 2: Heavyweight
- Hiromasa Ougikubo def. John Dodson via unanimous decision: Flyweight
- Vince Morales def. Yuki Motoya via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
- Shinobu Ota def. Ryusei Ashizawa via TKO (Punches) at 2:21 in Round 1: Bantamweight
- Kouzi def. Kota Miura via TKO (Strikes) at 0:59 in Round 2: Featherweight
- Igor Tanabe def. Shinsho Anzai via Submission (rear naked choke) at 1:32 in Round 1: Welterweight
- Hiroya def. Jo Arai via TKO (head kick & punches) at 2:53 in Round 2: Flyweight
- Yuta Kubo def. Rukiya Anpo via Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:28 in Round 1: Lightweight
- Suguru Nii def. Satoshi Yamasu via KO (overhand right) at 1:03 in Round 2: Featherweight
- Tatsuki Shinotsuka def. Daichi Tomizawa via unanimous decision: Bantamweight Kickboxing
- Ryujin Nasukawa def. Shin Jung-min via TKO (Punches) at 2:16 in Round 1: Catchweight 119 lbs
- Jo Hiramoto def. Yushi via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
RIZIN 45 NYE: Live stream, how to watch, start time
RIZIN FF 45 goes down on Sun., Dec. 31, live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event starts at 2 p.m. JST, or 12 a.m. ET | 9 p.m. PT.
You can watch RIZIN FF 45 on Triller TV (formerly FITE), which has the pay-per-view priced at $19.99 USD.