RIZIN 27 gets title fight rematch between Ayaka Hamasaki and Kanna Asakura

It’s time to run it back. Ayaka Hamasaki and Kanna Asakura will battle for gold once again — this time in the main event.

Revealed last week that the promotion would be bumping back their big debut in the Tokyo Dome, RIZIN makes its first appearance of 2021 on Mar. 21 in Nagoya’s Gaishi Hall with RIZIN 27.

As is per tradition with RIZIN, they announced the first batch of fight announcements via a press conference. Most notably among the bunch of 10 being the super atomweight title rematch.

To cap off 2018 at RIZIN 14, the legendary Ayaka Hamasaki contested for the inaugural crown opposite the superstar prodigy, Kanna Asakura. In the end, Hamasaki’s experience would be too much for the rising 21-year old as the vet secured a second-round armbar along with the title.

Since the meeting, both have shared similar successes. Asakura has gone 5-1 while Hamasaki is 4-1 losing and reclaimed her title as recently as this past New Year’s Eve at RIZIN 26.

Also on tap for RIZIN 27 will be the duo of BJJ aces Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza and Kleber Koike. For de Souza, his lightweight title shot against Tofiq Musayev will have to wait as UFC and ONE Championship veteran Kazuki Tokudome has arrived. As for the former KSW champ in Koike, he draws one-fight RIZIN competitor Kazumasa Majima.

Continuing to stay active as part of two of the last three RIZIN events, RIZIN 27 will see the return of Sumo standout Tsuyoshi Sudario. At RIZIN 26, Sudario opened the show with a quick and impressive TKO of the iconic “Minowaman,” Ikuhisa Minowa.

All 10 fights announced at Friday’s presser can be seen below.

• Super atomweight – 108lbs: (C)Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Kannna Asakura
• Lightweight – 155lbs: Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza vs. Kazuki Tokudome
• Lightweight: Koji Takeda vs. Takasuke Kume
• Flyweight – 125lbs: Yutaro Muramoto vs. Seigo Yamamoto
• Featherweight – 145lbs: Kleber Koike vs. Kazumasa Majima
• Heavyweight – 207-265lbs: Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Kazushi Miyamoto
• Featherweight: Yoshinori Horie vs. Tetsuya Seki
• Bantamweight – 135lbs: Takumi Tamaru vs. Shooto Watanabe
• Bantamweight: Kazuma Sone vs. Hiroki Yamashita
• Flyweight: Kohei Sugiyama vs. Yuki Ito

Drake Riggs

Drake is an MMA writer based out of Brush Prairie, Washington, USA who specializes in feature pieces, the women's fight scene, lists, news coverage, and rankings. He has been a passionate fan of MMA ever since 2009. Drake has most notably written for BJPenn.com, FanSided, The Body Lock, South China Morning Post, MyMMANews, WhatCulture, Cageside Press, Sherdog, The Scrap, and MMA Today. He has also written for and created video content for RT Sport. As for other sports, Drake is a longtime fan of the NFL's Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @DrakeRiggs_ . Also check out all of his video content on YouTube at YouTube.com/DrakeRiggs where he uploads fighter interviews, podshows, and various other types of content.

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