UPDATED Rizin 33 on NYE to Allow Full Capacity, Brings ‘Satoshi’ Souza vs. Yachi Title Fight

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Yogibo presents #RIZIN33
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：12.31(金) 14:00開始(予定)
：さいたまスーパーアリーナ
：https://t.co/ulXsBcdRdO

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チケット一般発売 12.12(日)10:00~

フジテレビ系列全国放送
：12.31(金) 18:00~#大晦日 #フジテレビ pic.twitter.com/cVBWZlFQ4R

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) December 9, 2021

Editor's note: The article has been updated at 9 p.m. ET on Dec. 10 reflect a correction from the organization about international competitors.

The final Rizin Fighting Federation blockbuster show of the year may end up being composed solely of domestic fighters, with international travel restrictions hampering the card until Dec. 30.

Per a press release from the league on Thursday morning, Rizin has made official a number of matches expected to take place on Rizin 33 on Dec. 31. In an announcement press conference helmed by Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, he announced that the Saitama Super Arena will be allowed to fill to full capacity, up from the 50% past Rizin shows had been permitted by the government. Per Rizin officials on Friday night, a mistake was included in the press release document, who corrected the statement to now read that international competitors will not be allowed to enter the country until Dec. 30.

“We have officially been told that international athletes will [NOT] be able to enter the country until December 30th,” Sakakibara explained in the release, “so we have been in the process of making major changes to the card. These [COVID] times have been quite challenging but with the staff and fighters’ support, we have been able to put together some great cards.”

He continued, “We are also happy to announced that we will be allowed to put on an event at 100% capacity for the NYE show, so we expect about 25,000 in attendance. NYE in Japan has always been something special for the fight fans in Japan, and the ‘fight expo’ has always taken a big part of it. We haven’t been able to do our fight expos since the pandemic, but I am happy to announced that we will hold the fight expo during the day time for December 31st.”

Several fights had already been booked or under consideration for this year-end show, and the release made 10 matches official. The promotion will end its bantamweight grand prix with the semifinals, and its finals will serve as the last fight of the night. The other major attraction comes in the form of a lightweight championship affair pitting champ Roberto de Souza (12-1) against Rizin staple Yusuke Yachi (23-11). Whether other belts will be on the line remains to be seen, although there will be a non-title bout featuring one reigning champ earlier on the card. It is undetermined how the organization will build the remainder of its fight card composed almost exclusively of Japanese fighters, unless international fighters are allowed to arrive in Japan on Dec. 30 and compete the next day without being subject to quarantine protocols.

Souza has yet to go the distance as a pro, let alone reach the third frame across 13 fights. The Brazilian out of Japan has not competed beyond the nine-minute mark of a pro MMA bout, with twice as many submissions to his credit as knockouts. Souza claimed the throne by tapping Tofiq Musayev with a triangle choke in June in 72 seconds. His opponent Yachi ended a losing skid this year by winning decisions over Yuki Kawana and Koji Takeda to earn his first crack at Rizin gold.

Rizin 33 Card Lineup:

Semifinalist 1 vs. Semifinalist 2 – bantamweight final
Roberto de Souza vs. Yusuke Yachi – lightweight title
Mikuru Asakura vs. Yutaka Saito – featherweight
Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seika Izawa – 108-pound catchweight
Kyohei Hagiwara vs. Hiroaki Suzuki – featherweight
Koji Takeda vs. Noah Bey – lightweight
Shoma Shibisai vs. Hideki Sekine – heavyweight
Kai Asakura vs. Kenta Takizawa – bantamweight semifinal
Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Naoki Inoue – bantamweight semifinal
Yuki Motoya vs. Yuto Hokamura – bantamweight alternate