Suzuki won one for Japan in the inter-promotional battle between RIZIN FF and Bellator FC, knocking out Bellator’s featherweight champ in the first round.
RIZIN FF hasn’t had the best of luck in their cross-promotional bouts against Bellator fighters. But all that changed during the SUPER RIZIN 2 card on Sunday afternoon in Tokyo, Japan when Chihiro Suzuki knocked out Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull in the first round.
Suzuki vs. Pitbull was a last-minute match up thrown together after A.J. McKee was forced out of the Bellator X RIZIN 2 main event. RIZIN put up their lightweight champion Roberto de Souza to fill in for McKee against Patricky Pitbull, and in exchange Bellator put Patricio Pitbull in against Suzuki for SUPER RIZIN 2.
Suzuki made the best of his opportunity, chasing Patricio down and blitzing him with punches until a big straight right connected, KOing the younger Pitbull brother. Watch the finish below:
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??????????????KO???#?RIZIN2 #RIZIN #???? #????? pic.twitter.com/1Uxdpg2XF7— ?? (@LevelSonicyouth) July 30, 2023
THE BIGGEST UPSET IN RIZIN HISTORY!!!
Chihiro Suzuki STOPS Patricio Pitbull in round 1!#SuperRIZIN2 | PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/1adzXnRwCW
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 30, 2023
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?????WIN? @Chihiro__05141R 2?32?
TKO (#???????)???????https://t.co/i0QwWuB0wW pic.twitter.com/4YtpwO7TtB
— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) July 30, 2023
In other SUPER RIZIN 2 highlights, Vugar Karamov tapped Mikuru Asakura with a RNC in the first round to win the RIZIN featherweight title.
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— ?? (@b0HYj0s) July 30, 2023
VUGAR TAPS ASAKURA IN THE VERY FIRST ROUND!
He is the new Featherweight Champion!#SuperRIZIN2 | PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/MTeaTZ9mNy
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 30, 2023
The Champion gets his belt!#SuperRIZIN2 | PPV link in bio pic.twitter.com/WDIzXagnE5
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) July 30, 2023
And Seika Izawa choked Claire Lopez out in the first round, dropping her unconscious body to the canvas.
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(#?????? #????????)https://t.co/vvuJrXmKTt pic.twitter.com/JfsA7DUgVC— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) July 30, 2023
What a great shot. ( Hisao Yamaguchi) #SuperRIZIN2 pic.twitter.com/V3FxzO1trj
— (@justin_golight) July 30, 2023
Here are the full results from SUPER RIZIN 2:
145 lbs.: Mikuru Asakura vs. Vugar Karamov for vacant Featherweight title – Kramov via first-round submission rear-naked choke
135 lbs.: Juan Archuleta vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo for RIZIN Bantamweight title – Archuleta via unanimous decision
154 lbs.: Patricio Pitbull vs. Chihiro Suzuki – Suzuki via first-round KO
105 lbs.: Atomweight champion Seika Izawa vs. Claire Lopez – Izawa via first-round submission (ninja choke)
155 lbs.: Tofiq Musayev vs. Akira Okada – Musayev via second-round KO
185 lbs.: Daichi Abe vs. Igor Tanabe – Tanabe via first-round submission (heel hook)
135 lbs.: Kenta Takizawa vs. Shinobu Ota – Ota via first-round TKO
125 lbs.: Yuki Ito vs. Hiroya Kondo – Ito via split decision
For our breakddown, highlights, and results from the Bellator X RIZIN 2 portion of the card, click here.