Two more fight me have been added to the Rizin 43 card. In the featherweight division Yuta Kubo faces Takeaki Kinoshita in Sapporo on June 24th.
Kubo (1-1) was the reigning K-1 welterweight champion when he retired from kickboxing. The 35 year old fought around 50 times before switching to MMA.
He has fought twice for Rizin and has one win and one draw. The kickboxer will be taking on a more experienced opponent at the Sekisui Heim Super Arena.
Kinoshita (6-6-1) is a Shooto veteran who will be making his Rizin debut. He comes from a karate background and appears to be a striking specialist with several KO and TKO wins on his record.
The other fight added to the card today is a kickboxing bout. Veteran Minoru Kimura will be returning to Rizin after a seven year absence and has been matched with Daryl Lokuku in a catchweight contest set for 73kgs.
Yuta Kubo (@K1_Kubo_Yuta) scores the first win of his professional MMA career with a lengthy barrage of elbows ❗️
[Watch #RIZIN_LANDMARK4 ➡️ https://t.co/OChePeO3mr] pic.twitter.com/lWXwU6JINM
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) November 6, 2022
Title fight
As previously announced Kleber Koike Erbst will be putting his featherweight title on the line for the first time at Rizin 43. The newly crowned champion faces Chihiro Suzuki at the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo on June 24th.
Despite being the champion Erbst is coming off a loss. He was last seen in action at Rizin 40 where he lost to Bellator featherweight king Patricio Freire in a non title fight.
That defeat snapped a run of seven straight wins for Erbst and ruined his 100% winning record for Rizin. But the Brazilian remains the champion and will be facing another contender from Japan in June.
Suzuki earned his title shot by winning five fights in a row for Rizin. It has been a remarkable run of results for a fighter who was knocked out in the opening minute when he made his promotional debut.
The 23 year old has beaten the likes of Yoshiki Nakahara, Masakazu Imanari and Ren Hiramoto during this run. He has also continued to compete regularly in kickboxing and currently holds a title with Japanese promotion Knockout.
The 🐐 does it again! @PatricioPitbull defeats Kleber Koike Erbst to send BELLATOR to 4️⃣-0️⃣ against Rizin.
🇺🇸 Full Replay at 8pm ET/PT on @SHOSports#RIZINvsBellator#BellatorvsRIZIN#RIZIN40 pic.twitter.com/if0CEjymqP
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 31, 2022
Previously confirmed
A heavyweight fight is among six more already confirmed for the Rizin 43 card. The event is set for Sapporo on June 24th and will see Hideki Sekine take on Mikio Ueda.
Also on the card is a lightweight fight pitting Yusuke Yachi against Zach Zane. Meanwhile Suguru Nii has been matched with Tateo Lida in an all Japanese featherweight fight.
Rizin 43, Sapporo, June 24th
Kleber Koike Erbst (c) vs. Chihiro Suzuki (For featherweight title)
Kickboxing: Genji Umeno vs. Hiroki Suzuki (Catchweight)
Hideki Sekine vs. Mikio Ueda (Heavyweight)
Yusuke Yachi vs Zach Zane (Lightweight)
Kickboxing: Aito vs Ryuya Koide (Bantamweight)
Kickboxing: Syouki Hoshikubo vs Furukawakun (Catchweight)
Suguru Nii vs. Tateo Lida (Featherweight)
Yuta Kubo vs. Takeaki Kinoshita (Featherweight)
Kickboxing: Minoru Kimura vs. Daryl Lokuku (Catchweight)
