PhotoCred: RIZIN FF
RIZIN 29 – Live Results, Recaps, and Fight Highlights
RIZIN 29 will see the opening round of the 16-man bantamweight tournament concluded along with a one-night kickboxing champion crowned.
Two weeks prior, RIZIN 28 saw the first four fighters advancing be decided. Most notably among this event’s mix is perhaps the submission icon, Masakazu Imanari. Standing in his way will be the continually active Kenta Takizawa who looks to get back to his winning ways. Keeping the tournament theme in full effect, Koji “Kouzi” Tanaka returns as part of the one-night RIZIN Kick fatal four-way.
All that and plenty more live from Nagoya inside the Nippon Gaishi Hall.
MyMMANews has you covered with all of the fight summaries, results, and highlights as they happen. The event can be watched live: here.
RIZIN 29 results below:
Kickboxing: Catchweight – 138lbs: Yuma Yamahata vs. Kiyoto Takahashi
Round 1
Yamahata begins the action with a barrage of leg kicks before Takahashi goes to the body and head with his own kicks. Yamahata avoids two head kicks in Matrix-like fashion then rips a hook to the body. Yamahata sneaks a right hand through the guard around the one-minute mark as each continues trading low kicks. Takahashi cracks the cup of his opponent around 25 seconds. Kicks are exchanged in the waning seconds after resuming action.
Round 2
Yamahata’s aggression increased to start the round off, not just with kicks but his punches. Takahashi keeps seeking the head kick to no avail. A clean straight staggers Takahashi. Yamahata starts going for the finish with a flying knee and gets back to kicking low and cocking back his left hand. A clean one-two to the body connects for Yamahata. Takashi delivers one back as the strikes fly in the final seconds.
Round 3
Yamahata again starts off fast but runs into a hook from his adversary that sees him go down, possibly partially as a slip. Every body kick is countered with another kick at this point from either. Takahashi’s right-hand finds a home but Yamahata remained unphased. Takahashi’s pace seemed to overpower Yamahata as the clock dwindled. Strike after strike was delivered, more volume from Takahashi, but better connection from Yamahata.
Result: Yuma Yamahata vs. Kiyoto Takahashi ends in a draw
Kickboxing: Catchweight – 123lbs: Seiki Ueyama vs. Jyosei Izumi
Round 1
Ueyama puts Izumi down early with a nice right hand after the pair traded kicks. Ueyama absorbs a nice head kick before Izumi fires off a punch combo that’s partially blocked. Then another low blow stops the action temporarily. Izumi starts connecting with hooks but Ueyama fires his own back. A sneaky pair of uppercuts from Ueyama land before Izumi gets launched off his feet by a third punch. Izumi likely saved by the bell.
Round 2
Swinging and trading instantly, Izumi gets clanged and dropped again by a flush hook. Missing with a spinning wheel kick, a shot behind the ear puts Izumi down only to jack the jaw with another uppercut for the TKO.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409023880275148800
Result: Seiki Ueyama def. Jyosei Izumi via second-round TKO (uppercut)
Kickboxing: Strawweight – 115lbs: Nodaka Yoshinori vs. Chikai
Round 1
Yoshinori lands a nice overhand left early. A nice left of Chikai’s own is met with a pair of knees to the body. In close, the knees became a main attack for Yoshinori as he started to open up with his punches. Chikai attempts a spinning back fist that misses and puts him on his back. Round ends. After assessing Chikai’s seemingly broken nose, the doctor called off the fight.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409028561076424709
Result: Nodaka Yoshinori def. Chikai via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) at 3:00
Kickboxing: Bantamweight – 135lbs: Kouzi vs. Genji Umeno [One-night tournament opening round]
Round 1
Kouzi comes out guns blazing as he fires off back-to-back hooks. A stiff jab snaps Kouzi’s head back before Umeno takes some body punches. An unintentional head clash hits straight on Umeno’s nose as a clean left hand followed. The doctor stops the action.
Due to Kouzi being physically able to continue, he advances onto the finals. Umeno suffered a broken nose and orbital bone according to RIZIN President Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
https://twitter.com/Beyond_Kick/status/1409031039020904450
Result: Kouzi vs. Genji Umeno ends via no contest (unintentional head clash, doctor stoppage)
Kickboxing: Bantamweight: Taiju Shiratori vs. Ryo Takahashi [One-night tournament opening round]
Round 1
Leg kicks are traded right off the bat. Takahashi rushes in with a punch to the body and then head but gets clipped and put on wobbly legs. Shiratori begins pressing and folds Takahashi with an overhand blow. A clean three-punch combo drops Takahashi shortly after.
Tournament favorite Taiju Shiratori leaves Ryo Takahashi no chance, and flatlines him in the first round. @TaijuS22 | #RIZIN29 pic.twitter.com/HTEJLZUkI5
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) June 27, 2021
Result: Taiju Shiratori def. Ryo Takahashi via first-round TKO (punches)
Featherweight – 145lbs: Rikuto Shirakawa vs. Jin Aoi
Round 1
Aoi starts with a heavy leg kick attack just like the kickboxing matches. Shirakawa sneaks a nice overhand right over Aoi’s guard. Aoi fires one of his own back. Aoi catches a kick and lands a punch to the ear as Shirakawa pulls away with his back turned. Aoi’s leg kicks continued to find their mark. A solid right straight from Shirakawa connects, getting Aoi’s attention. Aoi begins mixing up his kick game by throwing some teeps as Shirakawa throws some of his own.
Round 2
The leg kicks began early once again for Aoi before taking an overhand right from Shirakawa. As Aoi continues kicking, Shirakawa rips to the body and lands. The right hand over the top starts finding consistency for Shirakawa. Shirakawa takes an extended right from Aoi and begins absorbing more and more leg kicks. Each swing wild shots as the round concludes, Aoi’s left hand being the cleanest to land.
Round 3
Shirakawa’s right overhand connects almost instantly before a low blow to Aoi pauses the fight. Shirakawa begins to really pressure and hits with some real hard shots to the body. Aoi teases a takedown but is shucked off. The right hand gets through again and Aoi stumbles. Aoi lands a left hand as he backs up. Shirakawa’s combos start to overwhelm Aoi who covers up. Shirakawa goes body to the head. An eye poke halts the action briefly before Aoi gets to throwing some heaters that don’t land. Aoi throws a hook to the body as Shirakawa comes in with a leg kick. Shirakawa’s speed seemingly started to take over as he evaded and swung heavily. Aoi lands a big right hand but Shirakwa treats it as nothing. Time expires.
Result: Rikuto Shirakawa def. Jin Aoi via unanimous decision
Lightweight – 155lbs: Yusuke Yachi vs. Yuki Kawana
Round 1
Yachi comes out in southpaw and pops out his jab nicely as Kawana shoots in for a takedown. Using the ropes, Yachi works his way to the corner. The referee separates them and Yachi seeks the left straight from southpaw. Pressing forward with a combo, Yachi misses but connects with the final shot. Kawana goes in for another takedown and pins Yachi in the corner again. The referee separates the pair again after so much time. With thirty seconds remaining, Yachi connects with an overhand right in counter of Kawana pressing. Kawana attempts a late takedown directly before the round ends.
Round 2
The left straight lands early for Yachi. A big left head kick from Yachi drops his opponent as he tries to finish with knees but Kawana scrambles. Yachi finds himself on the back of Kawana against the ropes. Slowly migrating to the corner, Kawana works out of the position to get Yachi backed to the corner. The referee quickly breaks them up. Yachi strikes with a knee that hits the body but is caught by Kawana as they end up in the corner again off a takedown attempt. The two trade short elbows before separated again.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409050516890521602
Round 3
Kawana pressures fast and eats a jab before Yachi tries another head kick. Kawana goes for the takedown in the corner and takes a knee for his trouble. Instead, Yachi takes him down but Kawana scrambles to the ropes and into the corner with his opponent holding his back. A quick break brings the action back to the center. Kawana blocks the left head kick. A Kawana takedown attempt brings the fight back into a corner only to be broken up. Kawana lands a clean right hand as Yachi moves in. Yachi rushes into the clinch as they go into the corner again. Kawana quickly reverses to get the advantage. Yachi throws a short knee as Kawana seeks a punch over the top. Yachi attempts another outside trip but it’s defended. Fight ends as Yachi walks Kawana out of the corner.
Result: Yusuke Yachi def. Yuki Kawana via unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Kazuma Kuramoto vs. Alan Yamaniha
Round 1
Yamaniha instantly goes for the flying knee only to get taken down by Kuramoto in the failed attempt. The action quickly gets back to the feet as Kuramoto eats a stiff shot coming in. Kuramoto takes a hard knee and turns it into a quick scramble. Kuramoto runs into a jab before the two clinch on the ropes momentarily. A big overhand right from Kuramoto connects but he finds himself in trouble when going for the finish. A head kick finds the mark on Kuramoto but he uses it to go to the ground. Springing back up, Yamaniha starts landing punches to a clearly compromised Kuramoto. Kuramoto gets a body lock trying to take the fight down only for Yamaniha to counter and land on top and get to Kuramoto’s back. Kuramoto transitions and almost gets caught in a triangle but slams his way out. Kicking at his downed opponent, Yamaniha gets up and Kuramoto scores a quick takedown. The two trade small shots as the round ends.
Round 2
Leg kicks exchange early before Yamaniha tries to land big punches that Kuramoto backs away from. Yamaniha avoids some shots of his own only to taunt Kuramoto. A takedown attempt from Kuramoto gets him caught in a guillotine as he drops to the floor. He escapes and starts taking some elbows before pushing off. A jump in left hook from Kuramoto finds a home. Yamaniha jabs his way in and Kuramoto engages in the clinch again. Breaking away, Yamaniha continues to work the jab as Kuramoto tries some spinning back fists to varied effects. A cut on Yamaniha calls for the doctor to check things out. The fight continues on and each fighter lands a solid blow and Kuramoto gets the body lock against the ropes. Round ends with Yamaniha landing short shots in the pocket.
Round 3
Kuramoto quickly engages in the clinch after missed punches for each, he gives up after it goes nowhere. Kuramoto goes for another spinning back fist after backing Yamaniha into the corner only to miss and take a hard straight that hurts him. Kuramoto starts absorbing a healthy supply of leg kicks as he whiffs on overhands. A counter left makes Kuramoto pay which he follows with a takedown. Not willing to play in guard, Kuramoto goes for ground and pound while standing above his opponent. Yamaniha stands up and lands a punch or two but takes a head kick and Kuramoto backs him into the corner briefly. Swinging and missing, Yamaniha gets double underhooked and ends up on his back near the ropes. Some big stomps from Kuramoto land late as he rains down the punches, bell sounds.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409066617716326400
https://twitter.com/streetfitebncho/status/1409067532858896390
Result: Alan Yamaniha def. Kazuma Kuramoto via unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Kenta Takizawa vs. Masakazu Imanari
Round 1
Imanari instantly takes the center of the ring with Takizawa circling. A straight right from Takizawa lands as Imanari goes down but likely intentionally as he starts scooting toward his adversary. Takizawa throws out a spinning back kick that grazes Imanari’s shoulder. Imanari began walking toward Takizawa with his hands down as the circling continued. The referee paused the action due to inactivity and issued a warning. Takizawa went for the spinning wheel kick again but to no avail. Leg kicks were thrown far and few between from Takizawa. A very solid straight right connects before the bell for Takizawa.
Round 2
The round started almost identically to the last. Imanari tries to grab a leg as a counter to Takizawa’s leg kick and instead takes an eye poke. Chasing Takizawa down, Imanari keeps encouraging the striking with his odd gestures. The first Imanari roll is attempted. Make that two after a bit more circling. An Imanari left hook seems to get through a bit. Takizawa goes for the straight right and Imanari ducks it to try and grab a leg, leading to another inactivity warning for Takizawa. Another straight from Takizawa essentially leads to the same sequence yet it touches Imanari. Takizawa’s spinning wheel kick finds the chest of Imanari. The final ten seconds see Takizawa land a plethora of clean punches.
Round 3
Imanari lands a left hook on the circling Takizawa before another one. Shortly after, he finds the leg and offers up serious danger seeking his heel hook. Takizawa frantically escapes. Takizawa goes for the spinning back kick again but Imanari just gets out of dodge by dropping to his back. Imanari starts throwing leg kicks after some more theatrics chasing down Takizawa. Imanari begins running at his opponent and lands multiple left hooks. Takizawa slips in a right for good measure as Imanari keeps trying to find the grappling engagement. Imanari starts swinging late and connects with a clean left and right amid the final flurry.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409077780122382336
https://twitter.com/streetfitebncho/status/1409076561719013377
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409075237082341376
Result: Kenta Takizawa def. Masakazu Imanari via unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Takafumi Otsuka vs. Shian
Round 1
The first minute of action sees Shian poking out with one-twos and leg kicks. A left hook connects for Shian. Ripping to the body coming in hot, Shian gives Otsuka a grappling opportunity as he grabs ahold of his opponent. Otsuka pulls Shian down from his backside. Rather than seek out a rear-naked choke, Otsuka dropped some punches as he took elbows to the thigh. The referee stops the action due to back of the head strikes as Otsuka was pouring it on. Thus removing the position. Shian starts exploding in the final 10 seconds and gets through with a shot or two.
Round 2
Otsuka finds two strong leg kicks that lead to Shian coming back with some distanced punches. Shian attempts a takedown but Otsuka easily reverses and gets into north-south before working to the back again. A rear-naked choke attempt from Otsuka gave Shian the escape off a quick spin out. Shian lands a nice left hook to the body. A failed spinning back fist from Shian gave Otsuka an easy takedown followed by knees to the head.
Round 3
Otsuka finds his leg kicks early but soon after gets a nice single leg takedown right into half guard. Again, Otsuka finds the back and begins to work with punches. Shian finds a rollout but Otsuka gets ahold of him again only to see another rollout. Shian lands a clean punch that backs up Otsuka. Another connects on Otsuka mid takedown attempt. Relentless, Otsuka gets the next and returns to the back of Shian. Managing to get up and away, Shian starts throwing and Otsuka fires back with both connecting big. Time expires, unfortunately.
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409085879663173635
https://twitter.com/MikeLovesTacosX/status/1409085879663173635
Result: Takafumi Otsuka def. Shian via unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Kintaro vs. Kuya Ito
Round 1
Kintaro lands a sneaky left hook in tight early followed by a knee to the body. Ito attacks inward misses, and Kintaro connects. A strong body kick gets through and Kintaro starts throwing wild haymakers and runs into one that sits him down quickly. A spinning takedown attempt from Kintaro gets the action down after decent defense from Ito. Kintaro keeps his opponent down in side control to finish the opening frame.
Round 2
Ito starts with fast leg kicks. A left to the body and right to the head hit hard for Kintaro before he goes in for and gets the takedown. Ito turns and gives up his back and Kintaro seemingly just lets him up. Big bombs land for Kintaro as they trade. A head kick gets through for Kintaro. Ito starts to seek out his own takedown to no avail. Kintaro locks on to a kimura lock in defense with Ito on his back in the corner. Bursting and escaping, he reverses position. Referee breaks them up. Kintaro catches Ito with a big right hand coming in. Ito backs Kintaro into the corner clinching briefly.
Round 3
Kintaro attacks with the looping right and connects. Ito’s counters started coming in flurries. A low blow stopped the fight momentarily only for them to get back to work exchanging big knees. Ito advances looking to land against the ropes. Multi punch combos start seeing at least a shot or two get in. Kintaro works the body then goes high. Ito knocks Kintaro off balance with a well-timed leg kick that preceded a blasting takedown through the ropes. A late trading of shots sees Kintaro end up on top after a takedown but gives Ito the opportunity for a big finishing slam.
Result: Kintaro def. Kuya Ito via unanimous decision
Kickboxing: Bantamweight: Taiju Shiratori vs. Kouzi [One-night tournament finals]
Round 1
Kouzi explodes early and lands some right hands as Shiratori walks back. A head clash pauses the action momentarily and restarts with Shiratori unleashing some big shots with a knee up the middle. A right hook behind the ear scores a knockdown for Shiratori. A left hook for Kouzi lands then he eats a front kick. Ripping the body, Kouzi goes high and connects. A hard leg kick takes Kouzi off his feet. Shiratori takes a gnarly nut shot at the ten-second mark.
Round 2
Kouzi starts aggressively once again seeking hooks. Shiratori picked his shots nicely whether with straight lefts or high kicks. Shiratori’s inside leg kick and hooks landed at will. Kouzi ate a strong body shot before an uppercut. A punch combo ended with a front kick from Shiratori. Kouzi kept walking forward only to absorb more shots. Shiratori got backed to the ropes and found himself receiving some body shots but when separated landed around Kouzi’s defense with punches.
Round 3
Kouzi attacked again to start and found success but left himself open to a clean three-punch combination. He started taking multiple to give a couple. Hook after hook for Shiratori ended with a leg kick. The two just started swinging wildly. Kouzi primarily throwing punches while Shiratori provided diversity with knees and kick, dipping in and around his opponent. A back of the headshot from Kouzi pauses the action. Fight resumes and Kouzi gets back to coming forward. Kouzi goes up high and lands before ripping the body and Shiratori rattles off a combo ended with a high kick at the bell.
榊原社長ニコニコでベルト白鳥選手につけてた😂 pic.twitter.com/PMJsMv03Xb
— 朝倉未来の大ファン (@mma_bigfan) June 27, 2021
Result: Taiju Shiratori def. Kouzi via unanimous decision
