The Rizin Fighting Organization hosted its 15th card in the form of RIZIN 13 on September 30 at the Saitama Super Arena located in Saitama, Japan. Twenty-seven thousand specators turned out for the event, which was the most highly anticipated edition held by the RIZIN Fighting Federation.
The event commenced with a tribute to Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto, who had previously passed away from cancer. The tribute moved many of those in the stadium to tears, and the tribute featured his friends, family, and even former opponents.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs Tenshin Nasukawa was one of the most anticipated matches of the year and the main reason 27,000 fans showed up to the arena. This superfight pit the twenty year old Nasukawa (28-0) against first time kickboxer (0-0) Horiguchi who had made a name for himself winning ten consecutive victories. In the end, Nasukawa defeated Horiguchi via unanimous decision.
The co-main event was held between Miyuu Yamamoto (KID’s sister) and Andy Nguyen II, with Miyuu Yamamoto taking the ring only 12 days after her brother’s death. At the age of 44, Miyuu ended up triumphing over Nguyen, winning via unanimous decision.
Bobb Sapp’s versus Kintaro Osunaarashi was certainly a fan favorite judging by the noise. The match was setup as a special three round brawl fest between the two big men. Sapp still matches his nickname of "The Beast" he has taken down some of the top fighters in his long career. His opponent, sumo wrestler Osunaarashi attacked Sapp early and fast in an exciting start. In the end Sapp emerged victorious by decision and in the end both men hugged it out.
One of the best fights of the night was between Kai Asakura (10-1) and Topnoi TigerMuayThai (6-1). Topnoi entered the fight on six straight wins and despite some good striking towards the end of the match, Asakura dominated the early match with his grappling and won by unanimous decision.
Other event highlights include heavyweight Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic winning over Roque Martinez via TKO (doctor stoppage), Daron Cruickshank’s victory over Diego Brandao via KO (flying kick), and Jiri Prochazka’s win over Jake Huen.
The event went on despite the approaching Typhoon Trami. Because of the typhoon, the schedule of fights was adjusted and the main event was moved to an earlier time slot to allow guests who wished to leave the arena early plenty of time to depart.
RIZIN Fighting Federation will return with RIZIN 14, scheduled for New Year's Eve 2018, set to feature an exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather vs Tenshin Nasukawa.
