Five More RIZIN FF Tournament Participants Announced
Five More RIZIN FF Tournament Participants Announced
Five more participants for the RIZIN FF Fighting World Grand-Prix 2016 open weight tournament were announced this evening by RIZIN FF CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibar
Five more participants for the RIZIN FF Fighting World Grand-Prix 2016 open weight tournament were announced this evening by RIZIN FF CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Joining the already announced participants Wanderlei Silva, Kaido Hoovelson, Mirko Filipović, and Kazuyuki Fujita, Sakakibara this evening revealed that Jiri Prochazka, Amir Aliakbari, Teodoras Aukstuolis, Karl Albrektsson and Valentine Moldavsky would also be competing.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/nobu_sakakibara/status/763919224565673988" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Jiri Prochazka (17-3) competed in the RIZIN GP 1 in December last year, and was eliminated by Muhammed Lawal. He is a fearsome striker with 14 out of 17 wins via KO/TKO.
Amir Aliakbari (2-0) will be one of the lesser known quantities heading into the Grand Prix this year. Hailing from Iran, his record consists of two victories via TKO. He currently trains at AKA Thailand.
Teodoras Aukstuolis (9-3), a Lithuanian light heavyweight, also competed in the first-ever RIZIN Grand Prix in December 2015. Like Prochazka, Aukstolis was eliminated by Muhammed Lawal after reaching the semifinals.
Karl Albrektsson (5-0), an undefeated light heavyweight who fights outs the Pancrase Gym in Sweden, will also throw down. He has already competed in RIZIN—in April, he defeated Vadim Nemkov via decision in an undercard bout.
Finally, Valentin Moldavsky (3-0) is a Russian light heavyweight who won all three of his previous bouts via submission. He competed in a undercard fight on the RIZIN card on December 29 where he defeated Yuta Uchida via rear-naked choke in the first round.
The event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The opening round fights for the 16-man elimination tournament will take place on Sunday, September 25, and October 2. The final rounds will take place on Thursday, December 29, and Saturday, December 31, respectively.
So far, Kaido Hoovelson vs. Kazuyuki Fujita has been announced for the first round, while Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Filipović have been given a bye for round one and will enter the tournament from the second round.
One non-tournament bout has also been announced for the September 25 card with Daron Cruickshank taking on Andy Souwer in a lightweight matchup. Two undefeated women's talents Gabi Garcia and Kanako Murata will also feature on the card though their opponents are yet to be named.
Joining the already announced participants Wanderlei Silva, Kaido Hoovelson, Mirko Filipović, and Kazuyuki Fujita, Sakakibara this evening revealed that Jiri Prochazka, Amir Aliakbari, Teodoras Aukstuolis, Karl Albrektsson and Valentine Moldavsky would also be competing.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/nobu_sakakibara/status/763919224565673988" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
Who are they?
Jiri Prochazka (17-3) competed in the RIZIN GP 1 in December last year, and was eliminated by Muhammed Lawal. He is a fearsome striker with 14 out of 17 wins via KO/TKO.
Amir Aliakbari (2-0) will be one of the lesser known quantities heading into the Grand Prix this year. Hailing from Iran, his record consists of two victories via TKO. He currently trains at AKA Thailand.
Teodoras Aukstuolis (9-3), a Lithuanian light heavyweight, also competed in the first-ever RIZIN Grand Prix in December 2015. Like Prochazka, Aukstolis was eliminated by Muhammed Lawal after reaching the semifinals.
Karl Albrektsson (5-0), an undefeated light heavyweight who fights outs the Pancrase Gym in Sweden, will also throw down. He has already competed in RIZIN—in April, he defeated Vadim Nemkov via decision in an undercard bout.
Finally, Valentin Moldavsky (3-0) is a Russian light heavyweight who won all three of his previous bouts via submission. He competed in a undercard fight on the RIZIN card on December 29 where he defeated Yuta Uchida via rear-naked choke in the first round.
When does it go down?
The event will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The opening round fights for the 16-man elimination tournament will take place on Sunday, September 25, and October 2. The final rounds will take place on Thursday, December 29, and Saturday, December 31, respectively.
So far, Kaido Hoovelson vs. Kazuyuki Fujita has been announced for the first round, while Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Filipović have been given a bye for round one and will enter the tournament from the second round.
One non-tournament bout has also been announced for the September 25 card with Daron Cruickshank taking on Andy Souwer in a lightweight matchup. Two undefeated women's talents Gabi Garcia and Kanako Murata will also feature on the card though their opponents are yet to be named.