Two RISE events were held today, in honor of the promotion's 20th anniversary. RISE 165 was headlined by a top contenders bout between Koki Osaki and Ryoga Terayama, while a RISE NEW WARRIORS Flyweight tournament was held at RISE 166.
HIGHLIGHTS
Tenshi Matsumoto def. Momu Tsukamoto – Matsumoto earned his place in the finals with a late knockdown of Kuryu, which edged the scorecards in his favor, while Tsukamoto earned his place with a dominant decision win over Ryujin Nasukawa, Tenshin Nasukawa's brother. Tsukamoto appeared to carry that momentum to the finals, as he was able to stagger Matsumoto in the opening round. Matsumoto turned the tide in the second round knocking down Tsukamoto twice, before finishing him early in the third. The victory earned Matsumoto the NEXT WARRIORS tournament title, a million yen in prize money and a big fight in his future.
Koki Osaki draw. Ryoga Terayama – A fight between Koki Osaki, who was ranked #2 in the official RISE Bantamweight rankings, and Ryoga Terayama, who was on a six-fight win streak, seemed poised to produce the next title challenger. It was not to be however, as Terayama was made unable to continue competing, after suffering his third low blow of the fight. The fight was ruled a draw by majority technical decision, with two scorecards of 30-30 and one scorecard of 30-29 for Osaki.
Arina Kobayashi def. MISAKI – A close fight for the full nine minutes, aside from a single moment early in the third round, which saw Kobayashi drop her opponent with a left hook. This knockdown proved pivotal, as all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for her. Instead of calling for a fourth fight with the RISE Atomweight champion Koyuki Miyazaki, Kobayashi asked to face a foreign opponent in an open finger glove fight sometime in the near future.
Kaito Sakaguchi def. Taisei Umei – Sakaguchi was able to overcome the former RISE Featherweight champion by a narrow majority decision, with two judges scoring the affair 30-29 in his favor, while the third judge had it an even 29-29 draw. Despite the close scorecards, Umei never at any point seemed to be close to winning the fight, while Sakaguchi improved as the bout went on.
RISE 165 & RISE 166 RESULTS
RISE 165
Koki Osaki draw. Ryoga Terayama – Technical Decision (30-30 x2, 30-29)
Kaito Sakaguchi def. Taisei Umei – Majority Decision (30-29 x2, 29-29)
Riku Kazushima def. Prandam Bravely – KO (Left straight) at 2:49 of R2
Kengo def. Kenshin Yamamoto – Unanimous Decision (30-29, 30-28 x2)
Masashi Nakajima def. Shoma – Majority Decision (29-28 x2, 29-29)
MOMOKA def. Jolyne Matsumoto – Unanimous Decision (30-28 x3)
Kaito Hasegawa def. Naoya Kuroda – KO (Knee) at 2:23 of R2
Kakeru def. Kaito Fujii – Unanimous Decision (30-28 x2, 29-28)
Kaito Suzuki def. Shintaro – KO (Low kick) at 0:56 of R1
Hyuu def. Ryuki Yoshioka - Unanimous Decision (30-29 x2, 30-28)
Syuma def. Ryoma Hirayama – TKO (Three knockdowns) at 2:35 of R1
RISE 166
Tenshi Matsumoto def. Momu Tsukamoto, Tournament Final – KO (Uppercut) at 0:46 of R3
Arina Kobayashi def. MISAKI – Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Shohei Asahara def. Ruka – KO (Left hook) at 3:01 of R1
Yugo Kato def. Yuki Kyotani – KO (Left hook) at 2:59 of R2
Ricardo Bravo def. Sasha Tadayoni – TKO (Three knockdowns) at 1:35 of R2
Ryoya Inai def. Yosuke Aodi – Unanimous Decision (30-29 x3)
Tenshi Matsumoto def. Kuryu, Tournament Semifinal – Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27)
Momu Tsukamoto def. Ryujin Nasukawa Tournament Semifinal – Unanimous Decision (30-29 x3)
Honoka Kobayashi def. Momone Sakajiri – Unanimous Decision (30-28 x3)
Yun Toshima draw. RINA – Unanimous Decision (29-29 x3)
