Sabatello Defended His RIZIN Bantamweight Belt Against Goto
Danny Sabatello defeated Joji Goto by unanimous decision at RIZIN Landmark 13 on April 12, 2026, retaining the bantamweight championship. The title bout went three rounds at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.
A title defense decided by the judges
Goto challenged for the belt after building momentum in RIZIN, while Sabatello entered as champion after winning the title from Naoki Inoue at the end of 2025.
The contest featured repeated grappling exchanges and positional scrambles. Goto worked to reverse control, but Sabatello stayed active with takedown attempts and submission threats across the scheduled rounds.
All three judges selected Sabatello, making the official result a unanimous decision. The title remained with the American challenger-turned-champion after fifteen minutes of action.
The result extended the reign
The defense was the first successful one for Sabatello after his split-decision title win over Inoue at RIZIN’s 2025 year-end event. Goto did not take the belt, but completed the full championship contest.
RIZIN’s official results page lists the title bout and its 3–0 decision. The event took place in Fukuoka and also featured a featherweight title finish for Razhabali Shaidulloev, the promotion’s current champion.
The verdict should not be confused with the split decision Sabatello won over Inoue months earlier. Against Goto, the official result was unanimous.
