We’ll soon find out what Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett has in store for an encore.
Last month at Rizin Fighting Federation 2, Krazy Horse drew the attention of the MMA world with a seven-second knockout win and a thorough stoking of his fiery and long-running rivalry with Wanderlei Silva.
At Rizin World Grand-Prix 2016: Final Round on December 31, Bennett (30-30-2) will hold a rematch of that bout when he takes on Minoru Kimura, now an 0-1 pro lightweight and still a Silva protege.
That’s perhaps the event’s most headline-grabbing bout for hardcore MMA fans, but it’s far from the only one, according to a Monday evening report from MMAjunkie.
Kron Gracie, the jiu-jitsu master with the famous last name, will try to go 4-for-4 in his young pro MMA career when he faces UFC and Pride veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri. Kawajiri, who reportedly asked for and received his release from the UFC earlier in October, dropped two straight in the Octagon but still could be a very viable talent at featherweight.
These two bouts come on the heels of Rizin announcing a similarly star-studded (or at least interest-studded) card on December 29. That event will be headlined by a bout between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and the aforementioned Silva, plus the pro MMA return of former UFC heavyweight contender Shane Carwin, who returns to competition after a five-plus-year retirement.
Since its debut late last year, Rizin has garnered attention in part for its connection to the venerated Pride promotion—Pride chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara also helms Rizin—and in part for its willingness and ability to bring legendary names back into the limelight.
In addition to Cro Cop, Silva and Carwin, Rizin has also signed heavyweight GOAT Fedor Emelianenko and 47-year-old middleweight great Kazushi Sakuraba. Bellator mainstays like Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and Brennan Ward also have been a constant presence on Rizin FF cards.
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