By:  | September 14, 2023 2:55 pm

Chihiro Suzuki is coming off the biggest win of his entire career. The Japanese featherweight has been handed a featherweight title shot and is set to face Vugar Karamov at Rizin Landmark 7.

The event is set for Baku on November 4th. The featherweight belt now belongs to Kuramov but it was only vacant because Kleber Koike narrowly missed weight ahead of his submission win over Suzuki at Rizin 43.

Suzuki (11-3-0-1) escaped with a no contest that day despite being submitted by Koike. But he went on to knock out Patricio Freire at Super Rizin 2 in a stunning upset.

Karamov (19-4) will be fighting in his homeland for the first time since 2016. He has won four in a row for Rizin and submitted Mikuru Asakura last time out to win the vacant title.

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Emotional homecoming

Former Rizin lightweight Grand Prix winner Tofiq Musayev will also get to make what will surely be an emotional homecoming. He hasn’t fought in the country since 2018, the year that he first started competing in Japan.

Musayev (21-5) has had mixed fortunes since signing for Bellator. He has won one out of his two fights for the American promotion and will be matched with Koji Takeda (15-5) in Baku.

Best of the rest

UFC veteran Justin Scoggins (15-6) returns to Rizin after a four year absence. He has been matched with Mehman Mamedov (6-6-0-1) in a flyweight fight.

There are currently five fights on the card which will be the first Rizin has ever held outside of Japan. In the lightweight division Azerbaijan’s Nariman Abbasov (29-4) takes on Ali Abdulkhalikov (12-2).

The final fight on the card, which is set for the Baku National Gymnastics Arena, is also in the lightweight division. Local favourite Tural Ragimov (21-9) makes his Rizin debut against Korea’s Kim Kyung Pyo (12-4) who is coming off a win at Rizin 41.

Rizin Landmark 7, Baku, November 4th
Vugar Karamov (c) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (For featherweight belt)
Tofiq Musayev vs Koji Takeda (Lightweight)
Mehman Mamedov vs Justin Scoggins (Flyweight)
Nariman Abbasov vs Ali Abdulkhalikov (Lightweight)
Tural Ragimov vs Kim Kyung Pyo (Lightweight)