Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2017 1st Round Live Play-By-Play & ResultsRizin Fighting Federation came to Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on Sunday for the opening round of the 2017 Rizin FF World Bantamweight Grand Prix. The event was headlined by a bantamweight tournament bout between UFC veteran Kyoji Horiguchi and fan favourite Hideo Tokoro.

Also on the card, Gabi Garcia took on Oksana Gagloeva at heavyweight, and “King” Reina Miura battled Seini “Lei’D Tapa” Draughn in a 194-pound catchweight contest. In bantamweight grand prix bouts, Takafumi Otsuka met Anthony “El Toro” Birchak, and Keita Ishibashi faced Khalid Taha.

 

Bantamweight Grand Prix Opening Round

Kyoji Horiguchi vs Hideo Tokoro

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Yoshinori Umeki. Horiguchi opened the action with leg kicks, but Tokoro caught one and countered with a right cross. More punches were exchanged and Horiguchi floored Tokoro with a massive right hand. Tokoro tried to dive at Horiguchi’s leg, but Horiguchi knocked him out cold with ground and pound.

Winner: Kyoji Horiguchi by KO (Punches) at 1:29 of round one. He improves to 20-2-0 and advances on in the 2017 Rizin FF World Bantamweight Grand Prix.

 

Amir Aliakbari vs Tyler “The Marauder” King

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Ryogaku Wada. Aliakbari backed King up with a head kick and punches in the early goings, which led King to pull guard. Aliakbari stood and motioned for King to follow. He staggered King with uppercuts and dropped him face-first into the ropes with a series of hooks as a dazed King tried to replace his mouthpiece. The fight was waved off, giving Aliakbari a quick win.

Winner: Amir Aliakbari by TKO (Punches) at 1:39 of round one. He improves to 7-1-0.

 

Gabi Garcia vs Oksana Gagloeva

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Minoru Toyonaga. Time was called almost right away when Gagloeva was poked in the eye. Doctors came in to check on Gagloeva, who was visibly angry. It was ultimately determined that she could not continue and the fight was ruled a No Contest after just 16 seconds.

Result: No Contest (Accidental Eye Poke) at 0:16 round one. Garcia moves to 4-0-0, 1 NC, while Gagloeva is now 0-0-0, 1 NC.

 

“King” Reina Miura vs Seini “Lei’D Tapa” Draughn

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Ryogaku Wada. Draughn landed big haymakers and a head kick in an action-packed opening 30 seconds of the fight. Miura missed with most of her counterpunches and circled on the outside. After exchanging punches, Draughn hopped on Miura’s back in search of a rear-naked choke and the fighters fell through the ropes. Back on the feet, Draughn continued to score with huge left hands until Miura took her down. She passed to side control and landed knees to Draughn’s head and body. Miura moved to a high mount and rained down punches. She tried for a keylock and time expired.

Round 2:
Miura struck first with an overhand right in round two and Draughn fired back with a straight left that snapped Miura’s head back. Winging punches were exchanged and Draughn got the better of it by landing punches against the ropes. Miura got Draughn down in spite of Draughn grabbing the ropes and she closed out the round on top.

Round 3:
Draughn swarmed on Miura with punches in the final round and Miura countered by clinching in a corner. The fighters were separated and Draughn landed a nice uppercut as Miura closed the distance. Another clinch followed and Miura tried for a takedown. She landed knees to Draughn’s body and threw her down to the mat. Miura threatened with a keylock and an armbar while mixing in knees to Draughn’s face. She spun into an armbar and went belly-down with the hold, but Draughn was saved by the bell.

Winner: Reina Miura by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. She improves to 5-0-0.

 

Mixed Rules Bout

Tenshin Nasukawa vs Kizaemon Saiga

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Ryogaku Wada. Opening round is contested under kickboxing rules. Nasukawa landed jabs and one-twos early on and he followed with a spinning back kick to the body. A hard left hand landed for Nasukawa and he floored Saiga with a devastating left cross seconds later. Saiga collapsed to the mat, unconscious but with his eyes still open, and the fight was quickly stopped.

Winner: Tenshin Nasukawa by KO (Punch) at 1:36 of round one.

 

Yusuke Yachi vs Satoru Kitaoka

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Minoru Toyonaga. Kitaoka latched on to Yachi’s leg and took him down in the opening seconds. He landed powerful hammerfists from the top and kept Yachi pinned down in the corner until Yachi finally battled back to his feet. Yachi stunned Kitaoka with a left cross and he landed more left hands soon after. Yachi countered a spinning backfist with a lead right hook and he dropped Kitaoka with a punch after catching a body kick. Kitaoka immediately attempted a leglock and the fighters returned to their feet. Yachi continued to score with left hands and he narrowly missed with a head kick. The fighters traded punches until the end of the round.

Round 2:
Yachi opened round two with stiff jabs and both men landing winging right hooks. Kitaoka took Yachi down and tried to move to mount, but Yachi rose to his knees in the corner. The fight returned to the feet and more right hands were exchanged. Yachi fought off a takedown attempt with knees and he continued to pick Kitaoka apart with jabs. He hurt Kitaoka with hard punches and two head kicks, but Kitaoka stayed on his feet. Yachi landed a final barrage of punches and a dazed Kitaoka wilted against the ropes, prompting the referee to call off the fight with mere seconds remaining.

Winner: Yusuke Yachi by TKO (Punches) at 4:48 of round two. He improves to 18-6-0.

 

Miyu Yamamoto vs Cassie “The Hulk” Robb

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Minoru Toyonaga. Yamamoto looked to set up a takedown in the corner right away, but Robb countered with a guillotine choke. Yamamoto pulled her head out and peppered Robb with knees to the thigh and body. She whipped Robb down to the mat and Robb quickly countered with an armbar. Yamamoto escaped and she dropped hammerfists and knees to Robb’s face. Robb got back to full guard, but not before eating more punches in the process. Yamamoto escaped from another armbar attempt and unloaded with knees to the kidney and liver of Robb until the bell.

Round 2:
Yamamoto immediately took Robb down in round two and resumed throwing knees to the liver. She mounted Robb and landed some hard punches from the top while preventing Robb from kicking her off. Robb eventually scrambled and got back to full guard, but Yamamoto countered with an arm-triangle choke from the top. Robb broke free and Yamamoto landed punches to the body. Robb stood up and Yamamoto slammed her back down. She finished the round on top while landing punches from Robb’s half-guard.

Round 3:
Robb attempted a flying armbar to begin the final round, but she had zero control over Yamamoto’s arm and fell on her head. Robb stood and Yamamoto took her down after blasting her with punches. Robb worked for submissions from her back, but Yamamoto easily avoided danger and the fighters traded short punches on the ground. Robb got back to her feet with 90 seconds to go and was promptly taken down. The process repeated itself once more in the final minute and Yamamoto finished the fight on top.

Winner: Miyu Yamamoto by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. She improves to 1-2-0.

 

Bantamweight Grand Prix Opening Round

Takafumi Otsuka vs Anthony “El Toro” Birchak

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Yoshinori Umeki. Otsuka caught an early kick and tried for a takedown, but Birchak pulled his leg free and pressed the action with punch-kick combos. He ran forward with a jumping knee and tried to take Otsuka down, but Otsuka used the ropes to maintain his balance. Birchak got him down on his second try and looked to pass to mount, but Otsuka tied him up from the bottom. The fighters were stood up with 15 seconds to go and Otsuka attempted an armbar after dragging Birchak down.

Round 2:
Otsuka pinned Birchak in the corner and took him down in the second round. Birchak stood, but Otsuka wasted no time in scoring another takedown that allowed him to land punches before Birchak scrambled up. Huge punches were exchanged and both men landed. Otsuka backed Birchak into a corner again and tripped him to the mat. He scored one more takedown in the final 30 seconds and threw knees to Birchak’s thighs.

Round 3:
The fighters traded right hands in the opening minute of round three. Otsuka took Birchak’s back and pulled him down to the mat in a corner. Birchak stood and ate a big right hook, but he recovered and clinched against the ropes. Otsuka broke free and he wobbled Birchak with a three-punch combo. Another clinch battle ensued and Otsuka landed knees to the body. He finished the round with punches and a body kick, but Birchak took him down just as the bell sounded.

Winner: Takafumi Otsuka by Split Decision after three rounds. He improves to 23-13-2 and advances on in the 2017 Rizin FF World Bantamweight Grand Prix.

 

Bantamweight Grand Prix Opening Round

Khalid Taha vs Keita Ishibashi

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Yoshinori Umeki. Ishibashi fought through early knees from Taha and took him down near the ropes. He passed to half-guard and looked to set up a keylock, but Taha scrambled up to his feet. Ishibashi secured another takedown and threatened with an arm-triangle choke from mount. Taha defended and Ishibashi punished him with ground and pound. Taha rolled over and Ishibashi worked for a rear-naked choke. Taha avoided danger and Ishibashi switched to an unsuccessful armbar in the final minute. Taha pulled his arm free and blasted a kneeling Ishibashi with huge knees to the face. He finished him off with punches to the face and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Khalid Taha by KO (Knees & Punches) at 4:52 of round one. He improves to 11-0-0 and advances on in the 2017 Rizin FF World Bantamweight Grand Prix.

 

Shinju “Juju” Nozawa-Auclair vs Sheena “Star” Brandenburg

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Minoru Toyonaga. Nozawa-Auclair punched her way into a clinch and took Brandenburg down from back control in the opening seconds. Nozawa-Auclair transitioned to mount and rained down elbows that opened a cut on the side of Brandenburg’s head. She trapped Brandenburg in a mounted gogoplata, then spun into a deep armbar and Brandenburg was forced to submit at the 1:50 mark.

Winner: Shinju Nozawa-Auclair by Submission (Armbar) at 1:50 of round one. She improves to 1-0-0.

 

“King” Karl Albrektsson vs Teodoras Aukštuolis

Round 1:
Referee for this bout is Ryogaku Wada. Albrektsson scored a takedown in the early goings and he threatened with an arm-triangle choke from the top. Aukštuolis battled back to his feet and landed punches that bloodied Albrektsson’s nose, but he was unable to stay up for long and Albrektsson secured another takedown. He first worked for a rear-naked choke against the ropes and then flattened Aukštuolis while landing hard punches to the sides of his head. Aukštuolis rolled in an effort to escape, but Albrektsson used the opportunity to lock on another tight arm-triangle choke and Aukštuolis tapped out at the 8:01 mark.

Winner: Karl Albrektsson by Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 8:01 of round one. He improves to 6-1-0.