Rizin 20: The Crowning of a New Bantamweight Champion

Rizin 20 closed 2019 at Saitama Super Arena on December 31 with three championship bouts and the final of the lightweight grand prix. Manel Kape claimed the vacant bantamweight title by stopping Kai Asakura in the second round, delivering the night’s headline finish.

Kape becomes bantamweight champion

Asakura and Kape traded sharply before Kape found the opening to finish with punches at 38 seconds of Round 2. The vacant title was on the line after Kyoji Horiguchi had relinquished it because of injury. Kape’s win made him the new champion and ended Asakura’s run at the top of the division.

More titles and a tournament final

Seo Hee Ham won the women’s super atomweight title with a split decision over Ayaka Hamasaki. In the lightweight grand prix final, Tofiq Musayev defeated Patricky Freire by unanimous decision. Together with Kape’s knockout, these results gave the New Year’s Eve card three clear championship outcomes.

A dramatic end to the year

Rizin 20 put several divisions at a turning point. Kape’s finish crowned a new bantamweight champion, Ham captured a belt in a close fight, and Musayev completed a tournament run with a decision over a decorated Bellator veteran. It was a fittingly busy finale for the promotion’s 2019 schedule.

Selected results

• Manel Kape def. Kai Asakura — TKO (punches), Round 2, 0:38; vacant bantamweight title.
• Seo Hee Ham def. Ayaka Hamasaki — split decision; super atomweight title.
• Tofiq Musayev def. Patricky Freire — unanimous decision; lightweight grand prix final.
• Mikuru Asakura def. John Teixeira — unanimous decision.

Related MMAUSA reading: Rizin · fighters

Selected Bout Results

• Manel Kape defeated Kai Asakura by TKO (Punches); round 2, 0:38.
• Seo Hee Ham defeated Ayaka Hamasaki by Decision (Split); round 3, 5:00.
• Mikuru Asakura defeated John Teixeira by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
• Rena Kubota defeated Lindsey VanZandt by TKO (Corner Stoppage); round 3, 4:42.
• Tofiq Musayev defeated Patricky Freire by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
• Jiri Prochazka defeated C.B. Dollaway by KO (Punches); round 1, 1:55.
• Simon Biyong defeated Vitaly Shemetov by TKO (Submission to Punches); round 2, 0:58.
• Hiromasa Ougikubo defeated Shintaro Ishiwatari by Decision (Split); round 3, 5:00.

Sources

Sherdog: Rizin 20 card and results; Sherdog: Kape wins vacant bantamweight title.

Article Tags

Rizin 20, Rizin, Mixed Martial Arts, Event Results