Rizin 29 Weigh In Results and Pre-Fight Combatant Quotes
Rizin 29 broadcasts via LIVE Now and there is a night of intriguing martial arts contests. The rescheduled Rizin Fighting Federation event is now set to go down this weekend. The card goes down on Sunday, June 27th from Maruzen Intec Arena Osaka in Osaka, Japan.
Below are the respective weights the fighters came in at. Plus, their corresponding thoughts on their respective fights.
Yogibo presents Rizin 29
Yuma Yamahata (62.85kg):
“I want to win this fight in a convincing way and call out KOUZI.”
“My opponent is technical and clever so this fight is going to be very competitive.” “RIZIN is the biggest platform I’ve fought in so I’m grateful to be fighting again. I was overwhelmed with the experience in my first appearance but now I need to 100% focus on the fight itself.”
“Takahashi brothers are famous here in Osaka and in the industry, and I see this opportunity as the gate to take myself to the next level” “I’m always going for a finish, but people won’t go down that easily.”
“My family is not too supportive of me fighting so they never come to my fights. They actually want me to quit.”
Kiyoto Takahashi (62.85kg):
“My brother is in the tournament and has all the attention right now so I plan to kick off the event with a big impression”
“I plan to show the difference in my technique and aim for the KO.”
“I know RIZIN fans want to see MMA but I want to show them the appeal of kickboxing.” “One day it would be nice to have all 3 of us on the same card”
Seiki Ueyama (55.95kg):
“I haven’t fought in a while so I’m super excited to fight again. My condition is great and I’m ready.”
“I haven’t been able to beat the top fighters in the division so I’ve changed my training environment and focused on raising my basic level.”
“I enjoy fighting in RIZIN very much. The operation, the production and the walkouts. I think that’s why I’ve been doing well when I fight in RIZIN.”
“My opponent is sneaky and he’s good at small detailed techniques. I will take that on with big punches. I will finish him in the 2nd round”
Jyosei Izumi (55.75kg):
“I’m very excited about making my RIZIN debut. I can’t wait.”
“I’ve been hoping to get an opportunity to fight for RIZIN and I finally got the offer, I want to show my determination and style to the RIZIN fans.”
“He’s got powerful hands but I hit hard too.”
Nadaka Yoshinari (51.55.kg):
“This is my 3rd fight in RIZIN so I want to start putting myself out there more. I want to continue to put on an impressive performance so people remember my name.”
“I plan to not let my opponent get past the second round.”
“People think I finish people with elbows, but for this fight I would like to show more of my arsenals.”
“I think people want to see dominating performances from me so I would like to meet their expectations.”
“I think it’s crazy that KOUZI got RIZIN to put together a tournament for him. One day I hope to be such an influential icon as him.”
Rizin 29
Chikai (51.90kg):
“I’m confident and nervous at the same time making my RIZIN debut.”
“Yoshinari is the best fighter in my sport. I would like to use this opportunity to take my career to the next level.”
“Yoshinari is very agile but I’ve prepared for him well and I will be ready for his speed.” “I want people to see my aggressive style and my strong heart”
“Win or lose I want to put on a good performance and be brought back to RIZIN again.”
KOUZI (61.00kg):
“I plan to win easily. But no matter what it takes, my plan is to win this tournament.” “I’m excited to be fighting at my own weight class. Weight cut is easy.”
“The belt is bizarre and looks like a superhero belt. But I’m a guy who can wear anything and make it look good. I’m honored that RIZIN made a special belt just for this.”
“I’ve done all the talking to make this happen, so there’s really not much to say about them. I’m not interested in them.”
“My desire to win the tournament is something I found for the first time something money can’t buy. I’m very motivated for this tournament.”
Genji Umeno (60.95kg):
“KOUZI has a strong heart and is extremely durable but lacks technique. I think he’s going to want to charge in with big shots and I will be ready for it.”
“He won’t be able to touch me and will constantly be on his heels.”
“I want to try to finish him in the flow of the fight. I’ve never had a good performance when I tried to finish a fight.”
“The belt is quite unique and will always look good on whoever earns it.”
Taiju Shiratori (60.95kg):
“I’m prepared to fight 2 fights so I will not hold back and go in there trying to finish the fight as quickly as possible.”
“The belt is something I’ve never seen before so I like it. I honestly don’t think anybody but myself will look good in that belt. I mean, imagine Umeno wearing that belt.”
“Takahashi is above average in all aspects but I give more credit to his kicks. As far as punch technique, he’s not at my level at all.”
Rizin FF
Ryo Takahashi (60.90kg):
“When my participation for this tournament was confirmed, I was quite nervous but now I’m very excited for the fight.”
“I know everybody wants KOUZI vs Shiratori for the finals, but I can’t wait to spoil everybody’s plan by knocking Shiratori out and taking it all”
“My goal is to fight on the NYE card, I think winning this tournament will get me that ticket.”
“I usually fight a technical fight because I don’t like to get into brawls, but for this one, I might have to go in there and get into a firefight”
Daichi Kitakata (56.90kg):
Yusaku Nakamura (56.95kg):
“The reason why I felt like retiring was because I’ve had chronic back pain but after a long layoff and finding good treatment, I felt like giving it another shot.”
“I plan on making this fight a one-sided dominant performance.”
“Wasn’t able to land my Tsutenkaku (TV tower which stands 103m) uppercut in my last fight. I think the tower was too high and I biffed it. Now I have Tenpozan uppercut ready for this one. Tenpozan is the lowest mountain (highest point 4.5m) in Osaka. So I plan to land a low uppercut.”
“This is the first time I wasn’t able to train Traditional Kempo due to the lockdown in Osaka.”
“My teeth that Topnoi broke are not doing well, so I hope my opponent won’t aim for my teeth. I want him to aim for my chin instead of my teeth.”
Rikuto Shirakawa (65.75kg):
“My opponent is very well rounded but I know my striking is much better than his. I plan to take advantage of that.”
“RIZIN’s featherweight division is getting stacked but I’m still outside of all the action. I plan to win this fight with a good performance and force myself into the mix.”
Jin Aoi (65.85kg):
“I think RIZIN’s featherweight division is getting deeper with tough fighters so I look forward in facing them in the future.” “All the fights from the Tokyo Dome inspired me to train harder and get better. I want to jump in there and position myself where I can compete with them.”
“Seeing Naoki Inoue fight like that gives me good motivation because we are the same age.”
“The fight will be a striking war and I know if I land something he will go down.”
Rizin Fighting Federation
Yusuke Yachi (70.75kg):
“I’m very excited to see what I can do after changing my environment.”
“This fight is about enforcing our strong points and whoever gets that done will have the advantage,”
“I used to fight with straight instinct and looking back it really blows me away that I was actually fighting without a strategy.” “Now I know exactly what to do during the fight and each situation. So I will be much calmer and much more observant during the fight.”
Yuki Kawana (70.80kg):
“Yachi is at rock bottom and he’s looking to crawl back up but I’ll be there to shove him back even deeper. But I think he’s got a better team and camp so I’m excited to see what he’s going to bring.”
“I think the key to this fight is the early part of round 1. Whoever gets to dictate the pace will have the advantage throughout the entire fight.”
“I haven’t won a fight in RIZIN yet so I need to have a few convincing performances for me to start talking about a title fight.”
“Up until fighting in PFL I would force my style on my opponent but it wasn’t enough. So after coming back to Japan I’ve learned how to fight using my head.”
Kazuma Kuramoto (60.70kg):
“This will be my 2nd fight in RIZIN and is the first fight in the GP. I plan on winning this fight so I would like to win in a dominating fashion.” “My opponent is from Bonsai, who’s known for their ground, but my opponent comes in with heavy hands.”
“I’m used to tournaments in wrestling so this is more like a single match for me. I won’t even know my next opponent after I win this fight.”
“The Jiu-Jitsu from Bonsai is a threat, but my wrestling and physical strength will be too much for him.”
“I’m a white belt in Jiu-Jitsu but I know I can hold my own against my opponent”
Alan Hiro Yamaniha (60.80kg):
”I was shocked to see Inoue beat Ishiwatari in such fashion.”
“I want to show my overall skills and show that I’m not a one-dimensional fighter.”
“I’ve been preparing for my opponent but if he wants to take me down, that’s where I’m comfortable.”
“I got great positive energy from Satoshi and Kleber 2 weeks ago and I plan to ride the momentum.”
Kenta Takizawa (60.95kg):
“I think the outcome for this fight is quite simple. I win by not letting him do anything or I lose not letting him do anything”
“I’ve been working every day with Japan’s top Jiu-Jitsu practitioner so I will be ready for whatever Imanari plans to bring.”
Masakazu Imanari (60.70kg):
“I’m going to submit him… No wait, I’m going to knock him out.”
“I train twice a day, but three sessions a day would be too hard on my old body.” “I’ve been working on new things which I can’t reveal”
“I want the new fans to sense that I’m a weird fighter and not like the new kids they’re used to seeing.”
Takafumi Otsuka (61.00kg):
“The fight will go wherever the fight goes, and I will be able to capitalize on him in every aspect of the fight.”
I had a lot to learn from my last participation in the GP but there’s nothing to incorporate to this GP. It’s a totally different situation.” I had some mixed feelings watching Ishiwatari get KO’d in the fight. If I get the opportunity to pick Inoue in the quarter-finals, I will choose him to avenge Ishiwatari.”
Shian (60.85kg):
“My opponent is a very well rounded fighter so I’m very excited to be able to test myself against such a tough fighter”
“I expect a tough fight but I plan to come out victorious with a knockout.”
“Didn’t watch the fights from the Tokyo Dome fights but just know the results. I didn’t want to get distracted with my upcoming fight.”
“By beating Otsuka I feel that I can show all the fighters that as long as you are exciting enough everybody has a chance to make it to the big stage. You don’t need to be from Shooto, DEEP, Pancrase.”
“Look out for the second round. That should be the highlight of this fight”
Kintaro (60.85kg):
“I’m going in there with a game plan but I’m not sure if it will pan out like I want it to be. I will most likely have to adjust as the fight goes.”
“I don’t think I will have to wear a rash guard this time”
“I’ve been working on becoming more technical in all areas.”
Kuya Ito (60.85kg):
“My opponent is aggressive, fun to watch and is very tough. I can’t wait to fight him.” “The Tokyo Dome results were full of surprises and that’s the appeal of our sport. Anything can happen, even in my fight.” “I used to work in a factory but thought this wouldn’t get me anywhere. I moved over to BRAVE gym in 2019 to commit to this sport.” “I want to prove that JMMA is not just Shooto, Pancrase and DEEP.
Which contest are you most excited about on Rizin 29?