Motoya Turns Shinryu’s Pressure Into a RIZIN Grand Prix
Yuki Motoya beat Makoto Shinryu by unanimous decision at RIZIN.51 on September 28, 2025, in Nagoya, Japan. The flyweight Grand Prix second-round contest went the full three rounds, with all three judges siding with Motoya.
Shinryu attacks, Motoya answers
Shinryu opened aggressively with takedowns and attempts to hold his opponent down. Motoya repeatedly regained his feet, refusing to let those early entries settle the fight. The exchanges remained active rather than becoming a prolonged spell of uncontested control.
In the second round, Motoya countered a takedown attempt with a guillotine choke. Shinryu escaped, but Motoya later worked behind him and threatened from back control. Neither fighter secured a finish.
Submission threats influence the closing stretch
Motoya continued using front-headlock attacks in the third round, threatening with a triangle and guillotine as Shinryu pursued his wrestling. Shinryu kept working until the end, but the judges awarded Motoya the victory. Afterward, Motoya acknowledged the difficulty of the matchup while restating his tournament ambitions.
Motoya had to deal with Shinryu’s wrestling before creating his own submission threats. The guillotine attempt did not finish the fight, but it changed the threat in the second round and led to later back-control work. Their final exchanges stayed competitive; the judges’ unanimous decision settled the bout without a stoppage.
