In December 2022, Bellator and RIZIN teamed up for the ultimate MMA event. Following a few hiccups, the promotion's latest collaboration will look to entertain fans the world over on July 29.
The Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 event takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and will air on Showtime in the U.S. The show follows Super RIZIN 2.
The main event will be Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza in a Bellator lightweight Grand Prix quarter-final bout. A.J. McKee was supposed to fight Freire, but the former had to back out due to injury.
The older brother of Patricio Freire (who was added to the event on four days' notice), Patricky turned pro in 2005. Joining Bellator in 2011, he has gone 17-10 with the promotion. Patricky is 1-3 in his last four, beating Peter Queally in 2021 for the Bellator lightweight title before losing it to Usman Nurmagomedov in November 2022.
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Roberto de Souza made his pro debut in 2013. Joining RIZIN in 2019, he was on a five-fight win streak before losing to McKee at the first Bellator x RIZIN event in December. He rebounded in May, beating Spike Carlyle via unanimous decision at RIZIN 42. The 33-year-old won the RIZIN lightweight title in 2021 by defeating Tofiq Musayev via submission.
The co-main event will be Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu for the vacant Bellator flyweight title, which is new to the promotion.
Making his pro debut in 2010, Horiguchi, a former UFC contender, lost to Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title in 2015. Following that setback, he went on a 13-fight win streak, claiming the 2017 RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix and becoming the first RIZIN bantamweight champion in 2018 by defeating Darrion Caldwell. He is 3-3 in his last six fights. On a two-fight win streak, Horiguchi's last bout was a unanimous decision win over Hiromasa Ougikubo at the first Bellator vs. RIZIN event.
Born in 2000, Shinryu turned pro in 2016. Fighting for Deep, he competed in Bellator in 2019 and has fought three times in a RIZN ring. On a 10-fight win streak, his last bout was a submission win over Daichi Kitakata in April.
Here is all the information you need to know ahead of Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2, including time, channel, odds, card, and more.
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When is Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza
In the U.S., Bellator x RIZIN 2 starts with the main card at 11 p.m. ET. Freire and de Souza should make their way to the octagon around 2:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
| Region | Date | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Sat. July 29 | 11 p.m. ET | 2:15 a.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Sat. July 29 | 8 p.m. PT | 11:15 p.m. PT |
| UK and Ireland | Sun. July 30 | 4 a.m. BST | 7:15 a.m. BST |
| Australia | Sun. July 30 | 1 p.m. AEST | 4:15 p.m. AEST |
| Japan | Sun. July 30 | 12 p.m. JST | 3:15 p.m. JST |
How to watch Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States/Canada | Saturday, July 29 | Showtime, YouTube, Fubo |
| United Kingdom | Sun. July 30 | BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | Sun. July 30 | 10 Play |
| Japan | Sun. July 30 | RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, SKY PerfecTV! |
Fight fans can watch the event on SHOWTIME. It is also available to stream on Fubo, which includes a free trial.
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Viewers can stream Showtime via Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox ONE, a laptop, or any mobile or tablet device.
In Japan, the fight card will be available on RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, and SKY PerfecTV!
Where is Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza?
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The arena can hold up to 36,000+ people.
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 odds
Per Bet Online:
- Roberto de Souza is the -240 favorite, while Patricky Freire is the +190 underdog
- Kyoji Horiguchi is the -370 favorite, while Makoto Shinryu is the +295 underdog
- Kana Watanabe is the -350 favorite, while Veta Arteaga is the +275 underdog
- Danny Sabatello is the -160 favorite, while Magomed Magomedov is the +140 underdog
- Andrey Koreshkov is the -130 favorite, while Lorenz Larkin is the +110 underdog
Patricky Freire record, bio
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Born: January 21, 1986
- Height: 5-7
- Reach: 71 inches
- Total fights: 35
- Record: 24-11 with 16 wins via knockout
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Roberto de Souza record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: September 19, 1989
- Height: 5-11
- Reach: 73 inches
- Total fights: 17
- Record: 15-2 with four wins via knockout
Kyoji Horiguchi record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: October 12, 1990
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: 66 inches
- Total fights: 36
- Record: 31-5 with 15 wins via knockout
Makoto Shinryu record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: July 5, 2000
- Height: 5-4
- Reach: N/A
- Total fights: 18
- Record: 16-1-1 with four wins via submission
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 fight card
Main card
- Patricky Pitbull vs. Roberto de Souza in a Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final bout
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu for the Bellator flyweight title
- Danny Sabatello vs. Magomed Magomedov; Bantamweights
- Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Arteaga; Flyweights
- Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin; Welterweights
Super Rizin 2
- Hiromasa Ougikubo vs. Juan Archuleta for the RIZIN bantamweight title
- Seika Izawa (c) vs. Claire Lopez for the RIZIN super atomweight title
- Patricio Freire vs. Chihiro Suzuki; Catchweight
- Mikuru Asakura vs. Vugar Karamov; Featherweights
- Daichi Abe vs. Igor Tanabe; Middleweights
- Kenta Takizawa vs. Shinobu Ota; Bantamweights
