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Rizin FF 15 results: Prochazka stops 'King Mo' to claim belt, Horiguchi wins again

More than three years after their first meeting, Jiri Prochazka (24-3-1) extracted a measure of revenge against Muhammed Lawal (21-9) and claimed Rizin FF’s inaugural light heavyweight title in the process.

The matchup served as the headlining bout of Sunday’s Rizin FF 15 event, which took place at Yokohama Arena in Japan.

Lawal struck a low stance to open the contest, kicking at the leg as the taller Prochazka looked to work from range. It was Lawal who started pressing with punches first, leaping from range and then slipping back to distance, even if the strikes largely missed. Prochazka was patient for the most part, moving well but declining to really commit to an attack. In the final minute of the frame, a Lawal low kick nearly swept his opponent to the floor, but Prochazka recovered quickly and finally started to let his hands go a bit.

Lawal was quicker to attack in the second, first firing out punches from range and then shooting forward for a takedown that didn’t materialize. Prochazka seemed energized by the defense, picking up his pace with strikes immediately after. Light on his feet, Prochazka moved well around the ring and peppered Lawal with jabs before adding right hands behind them. Lawal replied with single right hands, but they were effective, cutting Prochazka over his left eye and sending blood streaming down his face. Perhaps concerned with what the cut could mean, Prochazka was even busier in the latter stages of the frame, adding in a few clean uppercuts and an ambitious leaping knee.

Lawal turned immediately to the takedown in the final round but again came up short. He continued to change levels as the round unfolded, but he was visibly tiring and was unable to get inside. Meanwhile, Prochazka stayed incredibly busy, dancing around and rifling out punches. The strikes began to take their toll, more through volume that sheer power, and Lawal was on wobbly logs. The continued punches eventually sent Lawal to the canvas, and the fight was waved off as he crashed to the floor, giving Prochazka the inaugural belt.

In the night’s kickboxing co-main event, striking sensation Tenshin Nasukawa picked up a third-round TKO win over Filipino muay Thai stylist Fritz Biagtan, a fighter hand-picked by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who was in attendance for the contest.

Horiguchi gets 12th straight, heading to U.S.

In the night’s MMA co-feature, Rizin FF bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi (27-2) scored a thrilling first-round stoppage of UFC veteran Ben Nguyen (17-9).

Nguyen came out aggressively at the start of the contest, looking to pressure Horiguchi from the opening bell. The strategy nearly paid dividends, as Nguyen slipped around to his opponent’s back in the opening minute and threatened to lock in a rear-naked choke. However, Nguyen couldn’t hold the position, and once Horiguchi slipped free, he started matching his opponent’s quick rhythm, retreating and firing punches.

As he settled in, Horiguchi’s jab started landing clean, popping his opponent’s head back. Nguyen continued to press, but the damage started adding up as Horiguchi began to add a right hand behind the crisp left. Sensing an opportunity, Horiguchi unleashed a barrage of punches that found their mark. Nguyen hit the deck twice, and though he scrambled up each time, it was a non-stop attack from Horiguchi, and referee Jason Herzog called a stop to the action at the 2:53 mark of the opening round.

With the result, Horiguchi now boasts a 12-fight winning streak.

Rizin FF president Nobuyuki Sakakibara entered the ring at the conclusion of the fight and said the promotion will try to book the rematch between Horiguchi and Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell at June’s Bellator 222 event in New York. Horiguchi won the first meeting between the two this past December, claiming the Rizin FF bantamweight title in the process.

De Souza stays perfect in most unexpected way

In a battle of top-level grapplers, multiple-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Roberto de Souza (8-0) was forced to turn to his striking to earn a victory over wily veteran Satoru Kitaoka (42-19-9).

Both men had moments of dominance in the grappling department, with Kitaoka passing his opponent’s guard with relative ease on a handful of takedown attempts. It was de Souza, though, who seemed closest to ending the fight on the floor, working to the back and threatening first with a rear-naked choke before switching to an armbar that ultimately missed.

Both men also had to deal with some physical adversity, as well, with each suffering a cu over their left eye that had to be inspected by the ringside physician – de Souza in the first round and Kitaoka in the second. But as it became clear that neither man had a decided advantage on the ground, the lanky de Souza rattled off a series of punches on the feet that buckled his opponent’s knees before eventually sending him crashing to the canvas and earning the Brazilian a surprising TKO win at the 3:57 mark of the second round.

Rizin FF 15’s MMA results include:

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