Kazuki Osaki will have the opportunity to prove he's still among the best in the sport against the next-best fighter in his division.
RISE Super Flyweight champion and the fifth-best pound-for-pound kickboxer in the world, Kazuki Osaki, will attempt his third title defense against Jin Mandokoro on June 15. Prior to his narrow decision loss at the hands of Toki Tamaru, Osaki had been riding an 18-fight win streak that spanned four years and has since bounced back with two consecutive wins.
One of the fighters he was able to overcome during that run was the man who'll be opposite him in the ring in two months. Mandokoro has more than earned the rematch however, with five victories in the past 16 months and with four of those being against opponents who were featured in our rankings at the time he faced them. Considering he was able to take the champion to an extension round in their first meeting, it'll be interesting to see how much Mandokoro has improved in the four years since.
Another RISE champion, Arina Kobayashi, will not be defending her crown. The reigning Mini-Flyweight champion will instead face the former RISE Flyweight champion Manazo Kobayashi in an open-finger glove non-title bout on May 19.
One of the more notable hitters in the women's divisions, Arina Kobayashi has been able to knock out, knock down or otherwise batter every woman she's faced in her professional career, bar fellow pound-for-pound ranked Koyuki Miyazaki. On the other hand, Manako Kobayashi has fared worse in recent times. Since her failed GLORY title challenge against Tiffany van Soest, she's split wins and losses, with most fans of the sport feeling like she's on the dowturn of her career. Although she'll be the naturally larger fighter in this contest, Manazo is likely to play the underdog role against Arina.
