A.J. McKee Upends Roberto Satoshi, Patricio Freire Bests Kleber Koike Erbst at Rizin 40

The cross-promotional event between Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation ended with a complete victory for Bellator fighters, who went 5-0 at the end of the evening.

A wild ending to round 1!

This is why JMMA rules, rule!

[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/ilQwCWxI7h

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

The Rizin 40 headliner featured a clash between current Rizin 155-pound titleholder Roberto Satoshi de Souza and former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee. The pair went back-and-forth for three rounds, where McKee (20-1, 1-0 Rizin) showed he had the advantage over his foe with his striking, while de Souza (14-2, 7-2 Rizin) attempted to force the action to the canvas. Overall, “Mercenary” was the better man in the ring, showcasing versatility in landing soccer kicks whenever he found the opportunity. De Souza attacked with different submission attempts during the bout, but McKee defended well. The Brazilian attempted a last foray in the waning seconds of the third frame, capturing McKee’s back and going for a rear-naked choke, but he ran short of time to defeat the American. Ultimately, McKee punctuated his performance with a unanimous-decision victory, the seventh in his 21-bout career.

Kleber pulls guard!

[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/m7sbyHQ6XB

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

In the co-main event, Bellator 145-pound kingpin Patricio Freire (35-5, 1-0 Rizin) dominated Rizin featherweight champion Kleber Koike Erbst (31-6-1, 6-1 Rizin) en route to a unanimous decision in their non-title encounter. “Pitbull” adapted quickly to the squared circle and the peculiar Rizin rules, implementing a safe yet effective strategy. While Freire was shorter than his foe, he was quicker with his punches and kicks and moved in and out of Erbst’s reach. Freire also proved physically stronger than Erbst, throwing his opponent on the mat on different occasions. Throughout the fight, Freire played smart and risked almost nothing. The one-sided performance was unanimously rewarded by the ringside judges. In addition to taking home the win, Freire also snapped Erbst’s seven-bout winning streak.

𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 🩸

[ #RIZIN40 | #RIZINvsBellator ] pic.twitter.com/RnRcKfx22Z

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

Elsewhere, Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5, 12-1 Rizin) continued to have Hiromasa Ougikubo’s (25-7-2, 7-4 Rizin) number, as he overcame his long-time rival for the third time in their respective careers by outclassing Ougikubo en route to a unanimous decision. Meanwhile, former Bellator 135-pound titleholder Juan Archuleta (27-4, 1-0 Rizin) did just enough earn a split decision against Soo Chul Kim (18-7-1, 2-1 Rizin), and Gadzhi Rabadanov (19-4-1, 1-0 Rizin) defeated Koji Takeda (15-4, 5-4 Rizin) via unanimous decision at the end of a hard-fought lightweight battle.

Maybe the World Cup isn't over quite yet ⚽️

[ #RIZIN40 | @FiteTV PPV link in bio ] pic.twitter.com/JDNot5DKEv

— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2022

On the preliminary card, Seika Izawa (9-0, 5-0 Rizin) eked out a narrow split decision over long-time rival Si Woo Park (9-5, 3-1 Rizin) in the super atomweight grand prix final; 135-pound talent Naoki Inoue (16-3, 6-1 Rizin) forced Kenta Takizawa (13-9, 3-5 Rizin) to tap due to a modified keylock at 3:53 of Round 2; Junior Tafa (4-0, 1-0 Rizin) battered fellow heavyweight prospect Tsuyoshi Kamiyama (6-2, 6-2 Rizin) with punches at 1:38 of the opening frame; former UFC flyweight title challenger John Dodson (23-13, 1-0 Rizin) finished Hideo Tokoro (35-32-1, 3-4 Rizin) with punches at the 1:43 mark of Round 1; the custom-rules boxing clash between Ren Hiramoto and Genji Umeno ended in a draw even though Hiramoto knocked his opponent out in the last second of the second frame; Yuki Motoya (33-9, 1 NC; 10-5, 1 NC Rizin) crushed former UFC 135-pounder Rogerio Bontorin (16-5, 2 NC; 0-1 Rizin) with a knee 2:56 into the second stanza; UFC alum Johnny Case (28-9-1, 4-3 Rizin) wobbled and finsihed last-minute replacement Nobumitsu Osawa (14-7, 0-2 Rizin) 36 seconds into their lightweight tilt; rising featherweight star Chihiro Suzuki (10-3, 5-1 Rizin) demolished Yoshiki Nakahara (17-6, 2-1 Rizin) with punches at the 4:44 mark of Round 1; 155-pounder Sho Patrick Usami (6-1, 2-0 Rizin) flattened former Rise kickboxing welterweight titleholder Noah Bey (1-3, 1-3 Rizin) 45 seconds out of the gate and Yushi Sakura (3-1, 3-1 Rizin) outgrappled Tatsuya Nakazawa (1-1, 0-1 Rizin) en route to a unanimous decision victory in a 137-pound catchweight affair.