Rizin 33 confirmed for Japan’s Saitama Arena on New Year’s Eve despite Omicron fears

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jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,781
134,158
1638899509992.png

Despite mounting concerns from the Japanese government over a new Covid-19 Omicron variant, Rizin Fighting Federation will return to the Saitama Super Arena, the mecca of combat sports in Japan, for its annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza.
A handful of the promotion’s top fighters have been announced for Rizin 33, including a tantalising match up between former champion Kai Asakura and Kenta Takizawa in a bantamweight grand prix semi-final.
Former UFC contender Naoki Inoue (15-2) will square off against The Ultimate Fighter Season 24 runner-up Hiromasa Ougikubo (23-5) in the other half of the bracket.
The winners will then lock horns later that same evening.



View: https://twitter.com/rizin_English/status/1465842520655552512




Asakuraz (18-3) will come in as a red-hot favourite, with 10 of his 18 wins having come inside the Rizin ring. His opponent, however, is no slouch.


Takizawa (13-7) secured the biggest win of his career at Rizin 30 in September, stopping Japanese veteran Yuki Motoya little more than two minutes into their opening round with a flurry of punches that sent him through the ropes and forced the referee to step in.

The stylistic match-up should be one of the more intriguing bouts across all 14 in the grand prix.

“I got the easiest opponent for the semi-finals,” Asakura said during a Rizin 33 press conference in Tokyo. “Winning this tournament is the bare minimum for me. I will show why I am the favourite of this tournament and the difference between the other three fighters.”

For Rizin, the path to its December 31 card – traditionally its biggest of the year – has proved difficult, with international competitors unable to travel because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Earlier this week, the Japanese government announced it would shut borders for the next 30 days to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.

Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said the promotion was now looking at ways to deliver fight fans the same entertainment that a Rizin NYE card usually brings.

“We have had a rough year with Covid, and although we are grateful to have been able to make it with Japanese fighters, we were very much looking forward to bringing in international fighters for New Year’s Eve,” he said.

“We have still not been told that we are prohibited from bringing in international fighters, so at the moment I will say that we will continue to do our best. But if that doesn’t work out we will have some ideas to change up the current fight ideas we have.”
Also announced for Rizin 33 is a grand prix reserve bout between Yuki Motoya and Yuto Hokamura. Rizin lightweight champion Roberto de Souza will defend his crown, but an opponent has yet to be revealed.




View: https://twitter.com/rizin_English/status/1465842399083646977


 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,781
134,158
RIZIN 33
Saitama, Japan

Main Card – iPPV – 11:30pm ET / 8:30pm PT
TBD vs. TBD – Bantamweight GP Final
Yutaka Saito vs. Mikuru Asakura
Roberto de Souza vs. Yusuke Yachi
Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seika Izawa
Rena Kubota vs. Si Woo Park
Kyohei Hagiwara vs. Hiroaki Suzuki
Koji Takeda vs. BeyNoah
Koji Tanaka vs. YA-MAN
Shoma Shibisai vs. Hideki Sekine
Yuki Motoya vs. Yuto Hokamura
Kazuma Sone vs. Shinobu Ota
Shibatar vs. Yuta Kubo
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Naoki Inoue – GP Semifinal 2
Kai Asakura vs. Kenta Takizawa – GP Semifinal 1
Kota Miura vs. Yushi
 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,781
134,158
looks like sakikabara is sacrificing takanori gomi to tenshin in a special rules stand up fight
 

kaladin stormblessed

Nala fanboy
Apr 24, 2017
17,627
20,132
La Paix @Nuk Soo Kow wouldnt turn a thread i made "live" since my first post wasnt good enough. i wasnt even watching the event. i had just made it so that someone like jason73 @jason73 who watches crazy shit was reminded of that event

so now im waiting to see if the Canadian gets the same type of treatment that i got, or if birdwatcher is prejudiced against muricans as most of us in the group chat were talking about yesterday

 

La Paix

Fuck this place
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
38,273
64,597
La Paix @Nuk Soo Kow wouldnt turn a thread i made "live" since my first post wasnt good enough. i wasnt even watching the event. i had just made it so that someone like jason73 @jason73 who watches crazy shit was reminded of that event

so now im waiting to see if the Canadian gets the same type of treatment that i got, or if birdwatcher is prejudiced against muricans as most of us in the group chat were talking about yesterday

Change your tone, or else

 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,781
134,158
La Paix @Nuk Soo Kow wouldnt turn a thread i made "live" since my first post wasnt good enough. i wasnt even watching the event. i had just made it so that someone like jason73 @jason73 who watches crazy shit was reminded of that event

so now im waiting to see if the Canadian gets the same type of treatment that i got, or if birdwatcher is prejudiced against muricans as most of us in the group chat were talking about yesterday

you can turn your own thread live
FireShot Capture 006 - Rizin 33 confirmed for Japan’s Saitama Arena on New Year’s Eve despit_ ...png
 

kaladin stormblessed

Nala fanboy
Apr 24, 2017
17,627
20,132
RIZIN 33
Saitama, Japan

Main Card – iPPV – 11:30pm ET / 8:30pm PT
TBD vs. TBD – Bantamweight GP Final
Yutaka Saito vs. Mikuru Asakura
Roberto de Souza vs. Yusuke Yachi
Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seika Izawa
Rena Kubota vs. Si Woo Park
Kyohei Hagiwara vs. Hiroaki Suzuki
Koji Takeda vs. BeyNoah
Koji Tanaka vs. YA-MAN
Shoma Shibisai vs. Hideki Sekine
Yuki Motoya vs. Yuto Hokamura
Kazuma Sone vs. Shinobu Ota
Shibatar vs. Yuta Kubo
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Naoki Inoue – GP Semifinal 2
Kai Asakura vs. Kenta Takizawa – GP Semifinal 1
Kota Miura vs. Yushi
11:30 PM EST tomorrow?
 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,781
134,158
oh shit. 11:30 is so close to 12, and 12pm is such a tricky PM since its late morning, that i tricked myself into thinking 11:30pm was 11:30 in the morning

im clearly an idiot.

thats like rounding 5.47 up to 5.5 and then rounding it up again to 6 lol
JMMA gets everybody . the NYE show is on the 30th because of the time zone. the prelims kick off at 130 friday afternoon local time or 830 p 1130 e tonight for us