The fifth bout has been made official for Bellator MMA vs Rizin fight card taking place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on New Year’s Eve, Saturday, December 31. The contest pits No. 10-ranked lightweight Gadzhi Rabadanov (18-4-2) and 27-year-old Japanese Koji Takeda (15-3).
Rabadanov versus Takeda rounds up the five-fight Bellator MMA vs Rizin main card featuring current and former champions competing in the four-sided ring under Rizin’s rules. The main event is a battle between Rizin lightweight champion Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza (14-1) and No. 3 Bellator pound-for-pound talent AJ McKee (19-1).
Plus, Bellator and Rizin featherweight champions collide, as Patricio Pitbull (34-5) and Kleber Koike (31-5-1) meet in the co-main event. Also on the card, former Bellator champions Juan “The Spaniard” Archuleta (26-4) and Kyoji Horiguchi (30-5) round out the main card, facing off with Rizin’s Soo Chul Kim (18-6-1) and Hiromasa Ougikubo (25-6-2), respectively.
MMA fans in the US can watch Bellator MMA vs Rizin on December 31 at 8 pm ET/PT on Showtime.
Gadzhi Rabadanov vs Koji Takeda
Gadzhi Rabadanov, 29, signed with Bellator in 2021 after capturing the Eagle FC lightweight title, and has made an immediate impact on the promotion’s remarkably deep lightweight division. He announced his arrival in thunderous fashion at Bellator 263 with an emphatic viral knockout of Daniel Carey, which he followed up with back-to-back dominant unanimous decision victories over Jay Jay Wilson and Bobby King in 2022. The product of the renowned Club Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s School in Dagestan and the prestigious American Kickboxing Academy, Rabadanov’s pedigree is world-class.
On New Year’s Eve, Rabadanov will look to continue building upon his momentum with an impressive performance against Koji Takeda.
“It is a childhood dream come true to fight in Japan at the legendary Saitama Super Arena,” said Rabadanov. “I’m very excited and I know I have a tough opponent, who always leaves everything in the ring. Expect a masterpiece from me, it will be a memorable fight.”
A former DEEP lightweight champion, Japan’s Koji Takeda has been an active fighter since his 2017 professional debut. Takeda boasts a compelling case for inclusion on this historic fight card, winning seven of his last ten and three of his last four outings under the Rizin and DEEP banners. Takeda is also familiar with Bellator foes; he has previously fought Spike Carlyle and submitted Zach Zane by armbar, both of whom fought recently for the Scott Coker-led promotion.
Takeda will look to add a third straight win to his resume against the highly-touted Rabadanov in his hometown of Saitama, Japan, on December 31.
Bellator MMA vs Rizin fight card
The current Bellator MMA vs Rizin fight card looks as the following:
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Kleber Koike
- Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo
- Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda
The post Gadzhi Rabadanov vs Koji Takeda joins Bellator MMA vs Rizin fight card on Dec 31 in Saitama, Japan appeared first on FIGHTMAG.