John Dodson Added to RIZIN 40 New Year’s Eve
John Dodson versus Hideo Tokoro has been added to the RIZIN 40 card on New Year’s Eve.
As if the card was not already stacked enough, John Dodson versus Hideo Tokoro has been added to the RIZIN 40 card on New Year’s Eve.
The card is already “must-see” for hardcore MMA fans as it includes all the match-ups for Bellator’s co-promotion with the company. Dodson, one of the UFC’s best-known flyweights who challenged Demetrious Johnson when he was the UFC flyweight champion faces the seasoned Tokoro at RIZIN 40.
At RIZIN’s press conference, Dodson said. “It’s going to be awesome to get an opportunity to fight back in Japan. RIZIN is an amazing promotion. Hideo Tokoro is a legend in the sport and it’s only right that I get a legend to showcase my skills. He has some great grappling. I’m going to stop it with my wrestling and striking. I just want to show the Japanese fans my fighting style, and this amazing smile of mine.”
Tokoro also expressed his excitement to return to the RIZIN ring on New Years’ Eve in Japan against a former UFC fighter. Tokoro is coming off a loss from RIZIN 37 last July against Makoto Takahashi. It was his return to flyweight but the bout at RIZIN 40 is going to be contested in the bantamweight class.
Tokoro has fought for DREAM and Bellator MMA before so this addition with Dodson only adds to the true mix of martial arts competition that Bellator President, Scott Coker and RIZIN Fighting Federation President Nobuyuki Sakakibara have been trying to present to today’s MMA fanbase.
See the entire list of confirmed bouts for RIZIN 40 below:
RIZIN 40 – Saitama Super Arena, December 31st
Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. AJ McKee
Kleber Koike vs. Patricio Pitbull
Soo Chul Kim vs. Juan Archuleta
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Koji Takeda vs. Gadzi Rabadanov
Seika Izawa vs. Si Woo Park
Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Junior Tafa
Naoki Inoue vs. Kenta Takizawa
Yuki Motoya vs. Rogerio Bontorin
Hideo Tokoro vs. John Dodson
