5/1/24: Chihiro Suzuki Defends RIZIN Featherweight Title With Quick Stoppage
The latest news from all around the MMA world.
Welcome to a Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue includes a quick catch-up on all of the latest MMA headlines. We have three stories for you, plus a lengthy notes section. Let’s begin.
RIZIN Featherweight Champion Chihiro Suzuki Stops Veteran Masanori Kanehara In First Round
Chihiro Suzuki’s sharp striking skills allowed him to pick up a first-round finish win on Monday and defend his RIZIN Featherweight Championship for the first time.
Suzuki overcame veteran talent Masanori Kanehara in the main event of RIZIN 46 from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The card took place on Monday as part of Showa Day festivities, a national holiday in Japan that kicks off Golden Week.
Suzuki brought Kanehara tumbling down to the mat late in the first round, overwhelming him with a flurry of punches. A wobbled Kanehara wasn’t able to do much on the ground, shelling up while on his back. Suzuki continued to swarm him with shots until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight.
Before the finish, Suzuki chipped away at Kanehara with leg kicks. He also stopped takedown attempts from the Kanehara, keeping the fight on the feet where the incumbent champ is especially skilled.
Suzuki has now put together an impressive eight wins since making his RIZIN debut back in 2021. He captured the promotion’s featherweight title last November, heading into Vugar Karamov’s home country of Azerbaijan and dethroning him in 78 seconds due to strikes.
Kanehara, a former UFC fighter and Sengoku champion, was given a title shot against Suzuki after stringing together four RIZIN victories. He most notably overcame former champ Kleber Koike last year, beating him on scorecards at RIZIN 44.
Lower on Monday’s lineup, flyweight contender Makoto Shinryu bounced back from a New Year’s Eve loss with a first-round submission over Lee Jung-hyun. Shinryu lost in the main event of RIZIN’s annual late December card, getting stopped by Kyoji Horiguchi in a bout for their inaugural flyweight title.
Bantamweight talent Kim Soo-chul also had a successful outing in his RIZIN return, stopping Taichi Nakajima in the second round. The Korean talent briefly fought for RIZIN in 2022, scoring a notable victory over Hiromasa Ougikubo. He was coming back to the promotion this weekend after winning an eight-man grand prix in Road FC last year.
Here are the quick results for RIZIN 46:
Main Card (RIZIN.tv)
Bout 10: Chihiro Suzuki def. Masanori Kanehara via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:20) (RIZIN Featherweight Championship)
Bout 9: Shinobu Ota def. Juntarou Ushiku via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 8: Kim Soo-chul def. Taichi Nakajima via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:06)
Bout 7: Makoto Shinryu (17-2-1) vs. Lee Jung-hyun via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 1, 4:29)
Bout 6: Kazuma Kuramoto def. Yang Ji-yong via Decision, Split
Bout 5: BeyNoah def. Yusaku Inoue via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Viktor Kolesnik def. Yoshiki Nakahara via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Tatsuki Shinotsuka def. Justyn Martinez via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:33) (Bare-Knuckle Boxing)
Bout 2: Ilkhom Nazimov def. Sora Yamamoto via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:39)
Bout 1: Ryo Takagi def. Taisei Nishitani via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:04)
Francis Ngannou Mourns Loss Of 18-Month-Old Son Kobe
The MMA world has been in heartbreak for former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou since news broke Monday that his son Kobe, who was just over a year old, passed away.
Cameroonian publication 237online broke the news this week that Kobe passed away due to undisclosed reasons. This news was later confirmed by Aaron Bronsteter of Sportsnet.
Ngannou posted about the passing of his son on Monday, sharing his grief with the world.
“Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone,” Ngannou said. “My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding.”
Marquel Martin, the manager for Ngannou, has asked that the public respect his fighter’s privacy, along with the privacy of his family as well. “I along with others will be praying for their strength,” he wrote.
Fighters from MMA and boxing—two worlds that Ngannou has been heavily involved in over the past few years—have expressed their support for Ngannou and his family this week. Among them is former opponent Anthony Joshua, who told the former champ: “May the memories you shared bring you comfort.”
Clay Collard vs. Mads Burnell To Headline PFL’s June 21st Card
PFL has revealed the full lineup for the second and last regular season event featuring lightweights and light heavyweight talents.
Clay Collard and Mads Burnell will headline PFL’s June 21st event from the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The event will give fighters from the 155 and 205-pound divisions their last chance to score points that can qualify them for the promotion’s four-man single-elimination playoff bracket.
Collard is already one of the top-ranked names in the lightweight division, coming off a second-round win over former Bellator champ Patricky Pitbull from April. He’ll continue his fourth campaign toward a PFL title against Burnell, who is returning after suffering an upset loss to Michael Dufort earlier this year.
2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay will compete in the co-main event against Jakob Nedoh.
Kasanganay was one of the five light heavyweights who scored a first-round finish win in April. He stopped Alex Polizzi in the first round, putting the defending champ back into the win column after losing to Johnny Eblen in February.
Nedoh is getting a quick turnaround after suffering a stoppage loss to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in the first round. Before this season, Nedoh won a light heavyweight title in PFL’s offshoot European promotion.
Here is the full lineup for PFL’s June 21st show. A rundown of the 10 other bouts on the card can be seen in the notes section.
Bout 13: Clay Collard (25-12) vs. Mads Burnell (18-6) (Lightweight)
Bout 12: Impa Kasanganay (16-4) vs. Jakob Nedoh (8-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 11: Patricky Pitbull (25-13) vs. Bruno Miranda (16-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Rob Wilkinson (18-2) vs. Josh Silveira (13-2) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (22-7-1) vs. Simon Biyong (9-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Antonio Carlos Junior (16-5) vs. Alex Polizzi (10-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Brent Primus (13-3) vs. Solomon Renfro (11-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Sadibou Sy (16-8-2) vs. Tom Breese (18-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Gadzhi Rabadanov (21-4-2) vs. Elvin Espinoza (10-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Michael Dufort (13-4) vs. Adam Piccolotti (14-6) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Anthony Romero (12-2) vs. Sergio Cossio (26-9-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Laurynas Urbonavicius (14-1) vs. Karl Albrektsson (14-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Brahyan Zurcher (8-0) vs. TBA (Featherweight)
Notes On: UFC, PFL, Bellator, KSW, Cage Warriors, OKTAGON & ONE Championship
UFC
Anthony Hernandez (12-2) has withdrawn from his UFC 302 bout against Roman Dolize (12-3) after suffering an injury, per a recent social media post. “Due to a torn ligament in my hand, I will no longer be able to fight on June 1,” he wrote on Instagram. “This was not an injury I could push through. I hope for a quick return and be back in the cage before summer ends.”
Just days removed from his main event victory over Matheus Nicolau, Alex Perez (25-8) is lined up to face Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2) on June 15th, per Marcel Dorff. The win on Saturday earned Perez his first victory since 2020, ending a skid against high-level flyweights. Ulanbekov has attained four wins through five UFC appearances, including recent finishes over Cody Durden and Nate Maness.
PFL
Here are the details on the 10 other matchups announced for PFL’s June 21st event.
Patricky Pitbull (25-13) and Bruno Miranda (16-5) will both try to come back from losses when they meet up. Both fighters were stopped in their first regular season event in the second round.
After they each had incredibly quick performances in April 2022 champ Rob Wilkinson (18-2) and Josh Silveira (13-2) will face off. Wilkinson stopped Tom Breese in 70 seconds with strikes. A thumb injury forced Sadibou Sy out of his fight against Silveira in 74 seconds.
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (22-7-1) has been paired against fellow Bellator alum Simon Biyong (9-4). Yagshimuradov put away Jakob Nedoh in the first round to start his season, building on three wins from the end of his Bellator run. Biyong lost his PFL debut to Antonio Carlos Junior, getting finished in the first round due to a rear naked choke.
Antonio Carlos Junior (16-5) will try to follow up on his first-round submission victory over Simon Biyong with a fight against Alex Polizzi (10-4). Carlos Junior is currently on a five-fight winning streak, and Polizzi has lost his past three appearances. His first PFL regular season bout ended via first-round stoppage to Impa Kasanganay.
Brent Primus (13-3) is expected to meet Solomon Renfro (11-5) at lightweight. Primus secured a second-round submission victory over Bruno Miranda in April. Renfro got his season off to a rough start, dropping a decision to Gadzhi Rabadanov.
On the same card that Rob Wilkinson and Josh Silveira will face each other, the opponents they last fought, Sadibou Sy (16-8-2) and Tom Breese (18-5), will compete against each other. They are both coming back after losing their bouts in just over a minute.
Undefeated Elvin Espinoza (10-0) will take on Gadzhi Rabadanov (21-4-2). Espinoza is coming off a flying knee finish over Adam Piccolotti, marking his fifth win since joining the PFL. Rabadanov overcame Solomon Renfro on scorecards in April, moving his winning streak to an impressive seven straight.
Hot off a successful first-ever PFL regular season appearance, Michael Dufort (13-4) will meet Adam Piccolotti (14-6). Dufort submitted Mads Burnell in the second round to earn five points in April. Piccolotti was on the receiving end of a flying knee stoppage from Elvin Espinoza last month.
A pair of matchups will feature talents who didn’t appear in the April card with lightweights and light heavyweights. It’s unclear whether the matchups are part of the regular season or if they are alternate bouts, which PFL booked during their April events. At lightweight, 2023 PFL regular season fighter Anthony Romero (12-2) will return against former LUX Fight League Lightweight Champion Sergio Cossio (26-9-1). And in the light heavyweight division, Swedish stand-out Karl Albrektsson (14-5) will fight Lithuania’s Laurynas Urbonavicius (14-1).
A showcase bout featuring featherweight Brahyan Zurcher (8-0) will also take place in the prelims, although his opponent has not been announced. Zurcher earned a win on a LUX Fight League card on Friday, beating Angel Rodriguez via stoppage.
Bellator
Three fights have joined Bellator’s June 22nd lineup in Dublin, Ireland, including a notable debut for the promotion:
Former Cage Warriors Champion Paul Hughes (11-1) will make his Bellator debut in front of home country supporters, taking on Bobby King (12-6). Hughes made waves online in April when he signed a Bellator/PFL contract, with some considering him a fighter who could have gone to any of the major MMA promotions. He enters Bellator on a five-fight winning streak, including an armbar win last month at Cage Warriors 170. King, a six-fight Bellator vet, will be trying to snap a two-fight skid.
Undefeated featherweight Sara Collins (5-0) will take on Olena Kolesnyk (9-6). Collins has earned five wins since her 2019 debut, with two recent victories in Bellator. Kolesnik is moving over to Bellator after competing in three different PFL seasons, starting as a lightweight before moving down to the 145-pound division last year.
PFL Europe 2023 finalist Simeon Powell (9-1) will meet Badellah Er-Ramy (7-1). Powell’s hype as a rising PFL star was slowed last year when he took his first loss in the European light heavyweight finals, getting stopped in the second round by Jakob Nedoh. Er-Ramy has won six straight fights, including a PFL Europe first-round finish win last year.
KSW
Borys Szikowski (3-1) has the chance to bounce back from his first loss when he fights Krystian Bielski (9-6) at KSW 95 on June 7th in Poland. Szikowski had his three-fight undefeated run—including a pair of KSW outings—put to an end last summer with a decision loss to Damian Mieczkowski. Bielski has struggled in recent years, having been stopped in his past two KSW appearances.
Cage Warriors
Two more fights have been booked for Cage Warriors 172, which will take place in Newcastle, England on May 25th.
Both trying to end losing streaks, Bailey Gilbert (8-6) and Marko Sarasjarvi (3-2) will collide. Gilbert has lost both of his Cage Warriors appearances, and Sarasjarvi is similarly on a two-fight losing streak.
Jackson Clarke (0-0) will make his pro debut against Faudel Bentayeb (4-4). Clarke fought as an amateur from late 2021 to 2023, earning three wins along the way.
Cage Warriors are beginning to fill up their California card on June 7th, as three more fights have been announced recently:
Veteran talent Wilson Reis (28-13) will face fellow UFC alum Bruno Souza (11-3) at featherweight. Souza has mainly competed in Karate Combat since departing the UFC roster in 2022, with his most recent appearance taking place just last month. Reis earned a quick win in his last Cage Warriors fight, submitting Toby Misech in the first round.
Russian prospect Magomed Bayduev (5-1) will make his promotional debut against James Settle (5-5). Bayduev has fought since 2018 in Russia, finishing three of his five wins. Settle ended a two-fight skid late last year by stopping Johnny Gill on a Cage Warriors card.
Both fighting to even their pro records, Chace Eskam (1-2-1) and Ilias Faquiri (0-1) will meet at a catchweight of 195 pounds.
OKTAGON
In a last-minute addition to Saturday’s OKAGON 57 card, Matous Kohout (9-7) will take on Islam Khapilaev (9-4) at welterweight. Khaiplaev is a German talent making his OKTAGON debut after earning a trio of finish wins since 2020. Kohout, an 11-fight OKTAGON vet, is getting back to action after a submission loss in March against Mateusz Legierski.
A pair of bouts have joined the OKTAGON 58 lineup for June 8th in Prague, Czech Republic:
UFC alum David Zawada (19-9) will look for his third OKTAGON win when he faces Marek Mazuch (8-2). Zawada last appeared on a card in February, submitting Hojat Khajevand with a rare heel hook. Mazuch is returning after a successful 2023, earning a pair of finish wins due to strikes.
Looking for a win after his flawless run as a pro was put to an end, Deniz Ilbay (5-1) will meet Denis Tripsansky (5-3-1). Ilbay had his five-fight undefeated run put to an end late last year by Corey Fry, who caught him in the first round with an armbar. Tripsansky is heading back to OKTAGON after a pair of wins in Slovakia-based regional promotion East Pro Fight.
ONE Championship
Kirill Grishenko (5-2) will make his return at ONE Fight Night 23 on July 5th against Kang Ji Won (7-2). Grishenko suffered back-to-back finish losses in 2022, losing to Anatoly Malykhin and Marcus Buchecha. He’s now set to come back against against Kang, who earned a finish win early this year against Mikhail Jamal Abdul-Latif.