Combat Japan

Kouzi is coming back to K-1—and going straight into a title fight. Does the name value justify the opportunity?This Combat Japan news roundup covers the November sumo banzuke, Hoshoryu’s recovery and potential Kyushu return, Kouzi’s title challenge against Samuel Nagasawa, and the possibility of Naoya Inoue facing Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.I also look ahead to RIZIN.55, RISE 203 and the November basho, plus K-1 REVENGE II—which I’ll be attending in person at Korakuen Hall!Matchups discussed:• Kouzi (皇治) vs. Samuel Nagasawa (永澤サムエル聖光)• Naoya Inoue (井上尚弥) vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez — under negotiation, not officially confirmed• Makoto Shinryu (神龍誠) vs. Tony Laramie (トニー・ララミー)Does Kouzi deserve an immediate title shot? And which November event are you most looking forward to?Subscribe for Japanese MMA, kickboxing, sumo and boxing coverage.0:00 Intro0:20 November Banzuke: Rankings & Sumo Storylines2:49 Makuuchi Debuts & Tamawashi’s Return3:52 Hoshoryu’s Recovery & Potential Kyushu Return5:42 Kouzi vs. Samuel Nagasawa: Is the Title Shot Deserved?7:01 Naoya Inoue vs. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez Talks8:19 Bringing More Boxing to Combat Japan9:35 RIZIN.55: Makoto Shinryu vs. Tony Laramie9:50 RISE 203 & Kyushu Basho10:16 Attending K-1 REVENGE II in Tokyo10:55 Wrap-Up.

RISE 202 is in the books from Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, and I’m breaking down the entire card fight by fight.Akito Nakashima captured the vacant RISE featherweight championship with a dominant first-round finish over Ryunosuke Omori, while Tessa De Kom successfully defended the RISE QUEEN flyweight title against YAYA Weerasakreck.I also give out the Combat Japan Fight of the Night and check the prediction scorecard from my RISE 202 preview. And somehow…I went 6–0. Every single pick was right.Let me know what you thought of RISE 202 and which fight stood out to you.00:00 RISE 202 Recap00:23 Ryunosuke Omori (大森隆之介) vs. Akito Nakashima (中嶋愛樹斗)02:18 Tessa De Kom (テッサ・デ・コム) vs. YAYA Weerasakreck (YAYAウィラサクレック)04:14 Kakushi Takagi (髙木覚清) vs. Hirokatsu Miyagi (宮城寛克)06:18 Ruka (琉樺) vs. Seiya (惺也)08:16 Musashi Matsushita (松下武蔵) vs. Tomoya Fukui (福井萌矢)10:51 SEIDO vs. Yusuke Iwaki (岩城悠介)12:38 Shuri Sakayori (酒寄珠璃) vs. Shion Masaki (正木翔夢)13:25 Kinchan (金ちゃん) vs. Tesshin Terasaka (寺坂哲伸)14:43 Kairi Yatagai (谷田貝海吏) vs. Bunta Kono (河野文太)15:07 Oki (王希) vs. Ayato (天翔人)15:36 Taisei Kako (加古大晴) vs. Sosuke Kakamu (各務壮祐)16:07 RISE 202 Final Thoughts17:23 🏆 Combat Japan Fight of the Night18:06 Prediction Scorecard — 6–0!

Welcome to Combat Japan. RISE 202 goes down October 17, 2026 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, featuring two championship fights at the top of the card.In this video, I preview and make predictions for the top six fights from RISE 202, including the vacant featherweight title fight between Ryunosuke Omori and Akito Nakashima, plus RISE QUEEN flyweight champion Tessa de Kom defending against YAYA Weerasakreck.RISE 202 airs on ABEMA in Japan. Let me know your picks for the card in the comments.00:00 Intro00:59 RISE 202 Predictions Begin01:08 SEIDO vs. Yusuke Iwaki (岩城悠介)03:51 Musashi Matsushita (松下武蔵) vs. Tomoya Fukui (福井萌矢)06:01 Ruka (琉樺) vs. Seiya (惺也)08:16 Kakushi Takagi (髙木覚清) vs. Hirokatsu Miyagi (宮城寛克)10:56 Tessa de Kom (テッサ・デ・コム) vs. YAYA Weerasakreck (YAYAウィラサクレック)13:16 Ryunosuke Omori (大森隆之介) vs. Akito Nakashima (中嶋愛樹斗)17:25 Final Thoughts

RIZIN LANDMARK 16 in Nagasaki is in the books, and I’m breaking down and reacting to the full card — including the main event, some surprising upsets, a controversial stoppage, and several performances that did not go the way I expected.In this recap, I break down every fight from the RIZIN.tv portion of the card, including Yoshinori Horie vs. Sho Patrick Usami, Viktor Kolesnik vs. Koyomi Matsushima, Ryan Cafaro vs. Hyuma Yasui, Ryusei Ashizawa vs. Seiya Inoue and more.I’m also introducing two new recurring features for Combat Japan reaction videos:🏆 Combat Japan Fight of the Night 📋 The Combat Japan Prediction Scorecard — where I hold myself accountable to my preview picks.Let me know what you thought of LANDMARK 16 and which fighters impressed you most.Subscribe to Combat Japan for English-language coverage of RIZIN, Japanese MMA, kickboxing, sumo and more.00:00 RIZIN Landmark 16 Recap00:28 Yoshinori Horie (堀江圭功) vs. Sho Patrick Usami (宇佐美正パトリック)03:59 Viktor Kolesnik (ビクター・コレスニック) vs. Koyomi Matsushima (松嶋こよみ)07:42 Ryan Cafaro (ライアン・カファロ) vs. Hyuma Yasui (安井飛馬)10:32 Kate Lotus (ケイト・ロータス) vs. NOEL13:38 RIZIN.55: Naoki Inoue (井上直樹) vs. Yrysbek Tilenov (イリスベク・ティレノフ)14:03 RIZIN.55: Makoto Shinryu (神龍誠) vs. Tony Laramie (トニー・ララミー)14:12 Hinotori (火の鳥) vs. Masatoshi Ueda (上田将年)15:19 Ryusei Ashizawa (芦澤竜誠) vs. Seiya Inoue (井上聖矢)16:26 Hidetaka “Kaiju Killer” Arato (荒東“怪獣キラー”英貴) vs. Ken Hasegawa (長谷川賢)18:37 Alan “Hiro” Yamaniha (アラン“ヒロ”ヤマニハ) vs. Seigo Yamamoto (山本聖悟)20:37 Kohei Sugiyama (杉山廣平) vs. Kaito Oda (小田魁斗)22:34 Mac Papalii (マック・パパリイ) vs. Yukinori Akazawa (赤沢幸典) — Fight Cancelled22:52 🏆 Combat Japan Fight of the Night23:41 Prediction Scorecard25:12 Final Thoughts

RIZIN Landmark 16 heads to Nagasaki, Japan, and I'm breaking down the entire main card with predictions for every fight.00:00 RIZIN Landmark 16 Preview00:40 Kohei Sugiyama (杉山廣平) vs. Kaito Oda (小田魁斗)02:22 Alan “Hiro” Yamaniha (アラン“ヒロ”ヤマニハ) vs. Seigo Yamamoto (山本聖悟)03:54 Hidetaka “Kaiju Killer” Arato (荒東“怪獣キラー”英貴) vs. Ken Hasegawa (長谷川賢)07:44 Ryusei Ashizawa (芦澤竜誠) vs. Seiya Inoue (井上聖矢)10:18 Hinotori (火の鳥) vs. Masatoshi Ueda (上田将年)12:25 Mac Papalii (マック・パパリイ) vs. Yukinori Akazawa (赤沢幸典)14:31 Kate Lotus (ケイト・ロータス) vs. NOEL17:59 Ryan Cafaro (ライアン・カファロ) vs. Hyuma Yasui (安井飛馬)20:15 Viktor Kolesnik (ビクター・コレスニック) vs. Koyomi Matsushima (松嶋こよみ)23:09 Yoshinori Horie (堀江圭功) vs. Sho Patrick Usami (宇佐美正パトリック)26:05 Final Thoughts on RIZIN Landmark 16Plus, I give my thoughts on the criticism surrounding the RIZIN Landmark 16 card and whether the event might be better than people are giving it credit for.Who are you picking at RIZIN Landmark 16?Subscribe to Combat Japan for English-language coverage of RIZIN, Japanese MMA, kickboxing, sumo and more.

Onosato is back on top!Welcome to Combat Japan. The 2026 Aki Basho came down to the final match of Day 15, with Yokozuna Onosato and Ozeki Aonishiki entering the bout tied at 11–3. After looking like he might run away with the tournament, back-to-back losses from Onosato opened the door for a dramatic winner-take-all finish.In this Combat Japan recap, I break down the biggest stories from the September Grand Sumo Tournament, including:• Onosato's first yusho since Aki Basho 2025• Aonishiki's impressive 11–4 performance• Fujinokawa's breakout 11–4 tournament and emerging Ozeki bid• Successful Makuuchi debuts for Asasuiryu and Toshinofuji• Strong tournaments from Churanoumi, Asanoyama, Ura and Wakamotoharu• Disappointing results for Kirishima, Atamifuji and several Sanyaku wrestlers• Hoshoryu's absence and why I'm hoping to see him healthy in November• The fascinating Hoshoryu–Onosato–Aonishiki rivalry developing at the top of sumoAnd for the first time ever, I present the prestigious Combat Japan Wrestler of the Tournament award. 🏆This channel covers Japanese combat sports for an English-speaking audience, including Grand Sumo, RIZIN, K-1, RISE, grappling and more.Subscribe to Combat Japan for more Japanese combat sports coverage.00:00 Aki Basho Comes Down to Day 1503:40 Injuries & Pre-Tournament Storylines09:53 Makuuchi Debuts13:55 Biggest Winners of Aki Basho19:29 Aonishiki & Onosato22:21 Biggest Disappointments26:43 🏆 Combat Japan Wrestler of the Tournament29:49 Closing Thoughts & What’s Next

The K-1 WORLD MAX 2026 opening round is in the books, and eight fighters have punched their tickets to the final eight in December.In this video, I break down all eight World MAX tournament fights. I also break down the final eight bracket and the process the fighters used to select their positions in the bracket.Outside of the World MAX tournament, the card featured five title fights, Mona Kimura Vs Marine Nicol, and Maxim Baklanov Vs Bogdan Stoica.I went 10-2 with my predictions from the World MAX preview!The K-1 WORLD MAX final tournament is set for December 29, where the remaining eight fighters will compete through the quarterfinals, semifinals and final in one night.What did you think of the opening round? And who are you picking to make it through the final eight?00:00 K-1 World MAX 2026 Opening Round Reaction & Recap01:19 Jonas Salchicha vs. Zhora Akopyan03:32 Darryl Verdonk vs. Lorenzo Di Vara06:02 Kacper Muszyński vs. Serhiy Adamchuk09:19 Stoyan Koprivlenski vs. Vladimir Tulaev11:21 Vitor Tofanelli vs. JayJay Morris13:20 Lorn Panha vs. Kazuki Matsumoto16:47 Zack Pankhurst vs. Winner PK Senchai18:44 Alfousseynou Kamara vs. Jonis Coliseu21:03 The Final Eight Bracket23:28 Mona Kimura vs. Marine Nicol27:08 Bogdan Stoica vs. Maxim Baklanov28:47 Tomoya Yokoyama vs. Thun Menghong — Title Fight31:04 Taio Asahisa vs. Alassane Kamara — Title Fight33:55 How I Did on My Predictions34:18 The Other Title Fights35:20 Final Thoughts on K-1 World MAX

Welcome to Combat Japan. Super RIZIN 5 is in the books, and it delivered a historic main event as Razhabali Shaidullaev defeated A.J. McKee by unanimous decision to become the RIZIN & PFL Featherweight Champion.In this full reaction and recap, I break down all eight fights from the massive Kyocera Dome Osaka event, including Shaidullaev vs. McKee, Mikuru Asakura vs. Shinya Aoki, Ren Hiramoto vs. Karshyga Dautbek, and more.I also discuss the controversial Hiramoto decision, Roberto Satoshi Souza's return to the win column, the stretch of decisions that slowed down the card, Natasha Kuziutina's dominant submission win over RENA, and Hide Meison Usami's kickboxing victory over Noah "Black Panther" Bey.Super RIZIN 5 featured nearly 49,000 fans in Osaka and marked the beginning of RIZIN's new cross-promotional relationship with PFL/MVP.What did you think of Super RIZIN 5? Was Ren Hiramoto vs. Karshyga Dautbek scored correctly? And what's next for Shaidullaev?00:00 Super RIZIN 5 Reaction & Recap01:22 Razhabali Shaidullaev（ラジャブアリ・シェイドゥラエフ）vs. A.J. McKee10:55 Mikuru Asakura（朝倉未来）vs. Shinya Aoki（青木真也）18:04 Ren Hiramoto（平本蓮）vs. Karshyga Dautbek（カルシャガ・ダウトベック）26:11 Roberto Satoshi Souza（ホベルト・サトシ・ソウザ）vs. Shunta Nomura（野村駿太）31:16 Yutaka Saito（斎藤裕）vs. YA-MAN35:21 Vugar Karamov（ヴガール・ケラモフ）vs. Ryo Takagi（高木凌）39:02 RENA（RENA）vs. Natasha Kuziutina（ナターシャ・クジュティナ）43:34 Noah "Black Panther" Bey（“ブラックパンサー”ベイノア）vs. Hide Meison Usami（宇佐美秀メイソン）46:57 Final Thoughts on Super RIZIN 5

K-1 WORLD MAX 2026 is almost here, and the opening round of the tournament is packed with some of the best kickboxers in the world.In this preview, I break down the biggest fights I'm most interested in on the September 12 card, including the opening round of the K-1 WORLD MAX -70kg World Championship Tournament and some major title fights.I'll give my thoughts and predictions for the matchups, including Jonas Salsicha vs. Zhora Akopyan, Darryl Verdonk vs. Jones Coliseu, Kacper Muszynski vs. Serhiy Adamchuk, Stoyan Koprivlenski vs. Vladimir Tulaev, and more.00:00 K-1 World MAX 2026 — Tournament Format & Preview02:51 Breaking Down the K-1 World MAX Field06:31 Jones Coliseu vs. Alfousseynou Kamara09:02 Zack Pankhurst vs. Winner PK Saenchai11:13 Lorn Panha vs. Kazuki Matsumoto15:10 Vitor Tofanelli vs. JayJay Morris17:29 Mona Kimura vs. Marine Nicol22:06 Bogdan Stoica vs. Maxim Baklanov23:53 Tomoya Yokoyama vs. Thun Menghong — Super Featherweight Title26:58 Taio Asahisa vs. Alassane Kamara — Super Lightweight Title30:04 Stoyan Koprivlenski vs. Vladimir Tulaev33:02 Kacper Muszyński vs. Serhiy Adamchuk36:37 Darryl Verdonk vs. Lorenzo Di Vara — Co-Main Event41:09 Jonas Salsicha vs. Zhora Akopyan — Main Event49:12 Final Thoughts, Picks & How to WatchK-1 WORLD MAX 2026 takes place September 12, 2026, at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo.Who are you picking to advance? Let me know in the comments.

Welcome to Combat Japan. SUPER RIZIN 5 is here, and we're breaking down the entire card!For this episode, I was joined by Jay Wolf, host of The Rizin Report, for a deep-dive preview of one of the biggest RIZIN events of the year, covering every fight on the SUPER RIZIN 5 lineup, the major storylines surrounding the event, recent news, matchups, fighters, and everything you need to know heading into fight night.If you're looking for a complete SUPER RIZIN 5 preview, this is the one.Let us know in the comments: which fight are you most looking forward to?Be sure to check out the Rizin Report hosted by Jay Wolf here: https://www.youtube.com/@TODDATKINSNETWORK00:00 Intro — SUPER RIZIN 5 with Jay Wolf05:02 RIZIN’s International Push & Growing the Western Audience09:02 SUPER RIZIN 5 — Date, Time & How to Watch15:50 RIZIN.tv, ABEMA & Japan’s Combat Sports Streaming Landscape21:20 The Future of RIZIN & Japanese Combat Sports27:05 Sumo, SUPER RIZIN & the Bigger Japanese Combat Sports Scene29:19 What Makes SUPER RIZIN Different?34:08 The Pride FC Influence & SUPER RIZIN 5 Presentation38:36 SUPER RIZIN 5 Full Fight Card Breakdown39:07 Bey Noah vs. Hide Meison Usami49:34 Rena vs. Natasha Kuziutina1:01:50 Vugar Karamov vs. Ryo Takagi1:06:59 Ya-Man vs. Yutaka Saito1:17:38 Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza vs. Shunta Namura1:36:04 Karshyga Dautbek vs. Ren Hiramoto1:50:20 Mikuru Asakura vs. Shinya Aoki2:03:00 Razhabali Shaydulloev vs. AJ McKee — Featherweight Title Fight2:22:45 SUPER RIZIN 5 Picks, Betting & What Happens Next2:28:21 Combat Japan collab with The Rizin Report2:30:03 Why Combat Japan Exists2:33:27 Jay Wolf’s MMA Journey & His Father’s Influence2:37:34 RIZIN Rumors, Insiders & Future Matchups2:39:52 Final Thoughts & Where to Follow Jay WolfSubscribe to Combat Japan for coverage of RIZIN, K-1, RISE, Japanese MMA, kickboxing, and combat sports.