What better way to end the year than with three packed events? Watching them with a better sense of what’s going down, that’s what.
So the final fireworks of the year are set to go off, with Bellator and RIZIN setting up their crossover shows and PFL crowning million-dollar winners for each of their weight divisions.
But don’t fret, kids. We’ve got you covered here at Bloody Elbow, with a primer for all three events. Now, not all cards were discussed in their entirety but we managed to dedicate some time to the more relevant matchups that have betting odds as of the time of recording. Remember: Bellator Japan takes place on DAZN this Satuday night at 10:00pm EST, while PFL starts at 6:00pm EST on Tuesday night. RIZIN starts on Tuesday the 31st at 1:00am EST and goes on well into the morning.
Here’s the lineups for…
BELLATOR JAPAN:
MAIN CARD:
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton Jackson – 265 lbs
Michael Chandler vs. Sidney Outlaw – 155 lbs
Lorenz Larkin vs. Keita Nakamura – 170 lbs
Ilara Joanne vs. Kana Watanabe – 125 lbs
Goiti Yamauchi vs. Daron Cruickshank – 155 lbs
Michael Page vs. Shinsho Anzai – 170 lb catchweight
PRELIMS:
Andy Nguyen vs. Ai Shimizu – 115 lbs
Ryuichiro Sumimura vs. Jon Tuck – 155 lbs
Jarred Brooks vs. Haruo Ochi – 125 lbs
Hiroto Uesako vs. Yusuke Yachi – 155 lbs
Kanna Asakura vs. Jayme Hinshaw – 105 lbs
Sergey Shemetov vs. Shoma Shibisai – 265 lbs
Yusaku Nakamura vs. Makoto Takahashi – 128 lbs
Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida – 150 lb kickboxing match
RIZIN 20:
Ayaka Hamasaki (c) vs. Seo Hee Ham – 108 lbs – Super Atomweight championship
Johnny Case vs. Tofiq Musaev – 157 lbs – Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinal
Patricky Pitbull vs. Luiz Gustavo – 157 lbs – Lightweight Grand Prix Semifinal
Yuki Motoya vs. Patchy (Patrick) Mix – 135 lbs
Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira – 146 lbs
Lindsey VanZandt vs. Rena Kubota – 112 lbs
Vitaly Shemetov vs. Simon Biyong – 205 lbs
Jake Heun vs. Satoshi Ishii – 231 lbs
Ji?í Procházka vs. C.B. Dollaway – 205 lbs
Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape – 134 lbs
Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo – 134 lbs
Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Rui Ebata – 123 lbs
Taiju Shiratori vs. Taiga Kawabe – 137 lbs
Miyuu Yamamoto vs. Suwanan Boonsorn – 108lbs
PFL Tournament Championships:
MAIN CARD:
Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – 155 lbs Women’s lightweight tournament final
Ray Cooper III vs. David Michaud – 170 lbs – Welterweight tournament final
Jared Rosholt vs. Ali Isaev – 265 lbs – Heavyweight tournament final
Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov – 155 lbs – Men’s lightweight tournament fina;
Lance Palmer vs. Alex Gilpin – 145 lbs – Featherweight tournament final
Jordan Johnson vs. Emiliano Sordi – 205 lbs – Light heavyweight tournament final
PRELIM:
Brendan Loughnane vs. David Valente – 145lbs – Non-tournament special bout
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