The mixed martial arts (MMA) gods once again graced us with early Saturday morning action in the form of RIZIN 42 from inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. It featured some of the biggest names on the RIZIN roster and culminated with a massive main event knockout.
After standout performances by the likes of Juan Archuleta and John Dodson, the headlining bout featured a bantamweight matchup between former RIZIN bantamweight champion, Kai Asakura, and streaking veteran, Yuki Motoya. It was Asakura’s first action since losing the Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix finale to Hiromasa Ougikubo back in 2021.
As expected, this fight was an entertaining display of bantamweight talent from the opening bell. Asakura had some lost time to make up for and he certainly didn’t show any signs of ring rust. The former RIZIN champion was able to control most of the action and ended up trapping Motoya in the corner of the ring in the third round. Asakura unloaded a few hard knees to the body before one connected flush and instantly put Motoya out of commission.
Check out the final moments above courtesy of RIZIN.
Asakura, 29, is now 12-3 inside of the RIZIN ring, losing only to Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape, and the aforementioned Ougikubo. He’s easily one of the best fighters competing on the roster today and Saturday’s early morning finish is proof he’s ready to fight for another championship belt very soon.
For complete RIZIN 42 results, coverage, and highlights click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
