The quarterfinal-round matchups are set for Rizin FF’s bantamweight tournament.
Officials announced the four pairings on Sunday.
The quarterfinals of the yearlong tournament take place at Rizin FF 8. The event, which streams as an online pay-per-view in North America, takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The semifinals and tournament conclusion take place two days later at Rizin FF 9, which is slated for the same venue.
On one side of the bracket, former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi (20-2), who recently knocked out Hideo Tokoro, meets undefeated Gabriel Oliveira (10-0), who’s fresh off a highlight-reel knockout of Tatsuya Kawajiri. Additionally, UFC vet Ian McCall (13-5-1), who fights for the first time since a six-bout UFC run, meets Portugal’s Manel Kape (7-1) in the other bout.
The other side of the bracket features DEEP bantamweight champ Takafumi Otsuka (23-12-1) vs. undefeated German Khalid Taha (11-0) and King of Pancrase Shintaro Ishiwatari (23-6-4) vs. Frenchman Kevin Petshi (13-3).
The tourney-reserve bout, which features Anthony Birchak (13-5) vs. Jae Hoon Moon (9-10), is slated for Rizin FF 8. Light heavyweights Karl Albrektsson (6-1) vs. Jiri Prochazka (18-3-1) are also slated to fight, likely at Rizin FF 8.
The latest Rizin FF 8 card includes:
For more on Rizin FF 8 and Rizin FF 9, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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