RIZIN Keeping With Champ vs. Champ Matches at RIZIN 16
RIZIN Fighting Federation is keeping with the cross-promotional championship bouts by having Invicta FC atom weight champion Jinh Yu Frey face RIZIN atom weight champion, Ayaka Hamasaki. The fight would be a rematch between Frey and Hamasaki since Frey faced her for the Invicta title back in 2016 and Frey took the loss due to a doctor stoppage. It has been two and a half years since then and both women are champions that have evolved a lot since their last fight.
In a press release provided by RIZIN the two champions look to have, a definitive ending to this second bout so there is no question about who is the better fighter. Hamasaki said of their last fight, “I fought Frey 2 1/2 years ago, and I know it’s going to be a tough fight.” She also said, “I won by a cut, but she had me in some dangerous situations in the first round. This time I would like to dominate her in every aspect, and make her not ever want to fight me again.”
In mixed martial arts, if a fight has a chance to avenge a loss on their record they usually jump at it and Frey is no different. “I have waited 2 1/2 years for this opportunity,” Frey said and added, “It’s time to settle the score.”
“It’s time to settle the score.” Invicta FC Atom weight Champ Jinh Yu Frey
RIZIN 16 is scheduled for June 2 at the Kobe World Memorial Hall in Japan.
Before this, Bellator bantamweight champion faced Kyoji Horiguchi for the RIZIN bantamweight title at RIZIN 14 where he lost by being submitted in the third round. While Caldwell’s title was not, on the line, Horiguchi has been adamant about fighting him for Caldwell’s Bellator title and that fight has been booked for Bellator 222 in Madison Square Garden on June 14.
With the current landscape of mixed martial arts on the rise, RIZIN seems to be leading the way for champion versus champion fights the way longtime fans of the sport have been hypothesizing about since the sport became regulated under unified rules.
