The RIZIN schedule for March has filled out as the promotion announced the fight card for RIZIN Landmark 9 on March 23rd.
The March 23rd date was originally announced as the date for RIZIN 46, and while the location remains the same for that date, March 23rd is now the date for a Landmark show, while RIZIN 46 will take place on April 29th.
Roberto “Satoshi” de Souza (15-3) returns from his defeat at the latest Bellator X RIZIN card to fight UFC veteran Keito “K-Taro) Nakamura at lightweight. De Souza, a former lightweight champion with RIZIN, had won five in a row with RIZIN before dropping two of his last three.
Nakamura (36-11-2) is 2-0 with RIZIN. After a four-year hiatus, he mounted a successful return to the promotion in April of 2023, taking out fellow UFC veteran Kiichi Kunimoto with punches in the second round.
Speaking Kunimoto, “Strasser” will fight rising Brazilian prospect Igor Tanabe (5-0) in a welterweight fight. “Fatninja” has submitted all five of his opponents. Kunimoto (20-11-2), on the other hand, is looking to break a two-fight losing streak.
Also announced for the RIZIN Landmark 9 card were fresh matchups for Japanese prospects Ryo Takagi, Taisei Nishitani, and ONE veteran Ryogo Takahashi.
The full line-up is below:
Roberto Satoshi Souza vs. Keito Nakamura
Igor Tanabe vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
Erson Yamamoto vs. Yuya Shibata
Yuto Kubo vs. Ryogo Takahashi
Kintaro vs. Daiki Lightyear
Takakenshin vs. Cody Jerabek
Yusaku Nakamura vs. Arman Ashimov
Ryo Takagi vs. Taisei Nishitani
Naoki Inoue vs. Shoko Sato
Rena Kubota vs. Shim Yu Ri
Koji Takeda vs. Kyohei Hagiwara
Kickboxing: Yuya vs. Masaya Jaki
Kickboxing: Shun Matsuyama vs. Shin Sakurai
Kickboxing: Aoi Noda vs. Yuto Uemura
Kickboxing: Daichi Akahira vs. Yuki Yoshioka
RIZIN Landmark 9 takes place on March 23rd at the Kobe World Hall in Kobe, Japan.