Rizin 2017 GP Final: Horiguchi Wins Title
Rizin’s 2017 year-end show completed the bantamweight grand prix and crowned a women’s super atomweight tournament winner at Saitama Super Arena on December 31. Kyoji Horiguchi and Kanna Asakura each emerged from a demanding bracket with a decisive finish in the finals.
Horiguchi takes the bantamweight tournament
Horiguchi first submitted Manel Kape with an arm-triangle choke in the semifinal. Shintaro Ishiwatari earned his place in the final with a unanimous decision over Takafumi Otsuka. Their title bout ended 14 seconds into Round 2, when Horiguchi landed the punches that secured the knockout and the grand prix title.
Asakura wins the women’s final
Kanna Asakura also fought twice. She submitted Maria Oliveira with an armbar in the semifinal, then defeated Rena Kubota by rear-naked choke in the first round of the final. The two tournament finishes gave the year-end card a pair of clear championship stories.
More than tournament finals
Elsewhere, Mirko Cro Cop stopped Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Yusuke Yachi submitted Takanori Gomi with a triangle choke, and Tenshin Nasukawa won a kickboxing tournament bout. The card included MMA and kickboxing bouts, but Horiguchi’s 14-second knockout of Ishiwatari was the defining finish.
Selected results
- Kyoji Horiguchi def. Shintaro Ishiwatari — KO (punches), Round 2, 0:14; bantamweight grand prix final.
- Kanna Asakura def. Rena Kubota — rear-naked choke, Round 1, 4:34; super atomweight final.
- Kyoji Horiguchi def. Manel Kape — arm-triangle choke, Round 3.
- Yusuke Yachi def. Takanori Gomi — triangle choke, Round 1, 2:36.
Related MMAUSA reading: MMA · Rizin · fighters
Selected Bout Results
- Kyoji Horiguchi defeated Shintaro Ishiwatari by KO (Punches); round 2, 0:14.
- Kanna Asakura defeated Rena Kubota by Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke); round 1, 4:34.
- Mirko Filipovic defeated Tsuyoshi Kosaka by TKO (Corner Stoppage); round 1, 1:02.
- Shinju Nozawa-Auclair defeated Chelsea LaGrasse by Submission (Straight Armbar); round 1, 4:47.
- Yusuke Yachi defeated Takanori Gomi by Submission (Triangle Choke); round 1, 2:36.
- Kanna Asakura defeated Maria Oliveira by Submission (Armbar); round 2, 3:40.
- Rena Kubota defeated Irene Cabello by TKO (Punches); round 1, 4:39.
- Shintaro Ishiwatari defeated Takafumi Otsuka by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
Sources
Article Tags
Rizin Fighting World Grand Prix 2017, MMA History, Mixed Martial Arts, Event Results
