The battle for the ultimate bragging rights takes place on New Year's Eve. Bellator and RIZIN collaborate to present Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN.
It is another partnership between the two promotions, with Scott Coker and Nobuyuki Sakakibara once again at the forefront of it all. The event takes place inside Japan's Saitama Super Arena. It will be featured along with RIZIN 40.
“Japan is one of my favorite places to visit. I learned the fight business here for many years,” said Bellator President Scott Coker in a release. “I got to see all the great fights in PRIDE, K-1. I had a chance to work with Sakakibara back then; we were sharing fighters as early as 2006. When we started working together, we did some fighter exchange, but around 2018, I’ll never forget this interview I did with ESPN. They said: ‘What do you think about RIZIN?’ I said look, ‘Give them a couple of years, and they’re going to have some great fighters there.’
“Fast-forward seven years later from the beginning of RIZIN, now they’re ready. Now they’re ready to move forward and be on the worldwide stage. I feel like their fighters have been known in Japan but not outside in the world. We’re going to put on some amazing matchups, matchups that the fans really want to see, and I feel like it’s going to be an All-Star team. It’s the BELLATOR All-Star Team vs. the RIZIN All-Star Team. This is something that the world wants to see.”
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No major titles are on the line. However, fans can expect fireworks outside of celebrating the new year.
Here is all the information you need to know ahead of Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN, including time, channel, odds, card, and more.
When is Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN?
- Date: Saturday, December 31 | January 1
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT | 10 a.m. JST
Bellator and RIZIN will be teaming up on New Year’s Eve. The event begins around 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. GMT | 12 p.m. AEDT | 10 a.m. JST.
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How to watch Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States/Canada | Sat. December 31 | Showtime |
| United Kingdom | Sun. January 1 | BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer, FITE.tv |
| Australia | Sun. January 1 | FITE.tv |
| Japan | Sun. January 1 | RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, SKY PerfecTV! |
Fight fans can watch the event on SHOWTIME.
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 vs. RIZIN?
Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN takes place inside the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The arena can hold up to 36,000+ people.
Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN odds
Per Best Fight Odds (via Bet365):
- Patricio Freire is the -351 favorite over Kleber Koike Erbst, the +265 underdog.
- A.J. McKee is the -190 favorite over Roberto de Souza, the +160 underdog.
- Kyoji Horiguchi is the -500 over Hiromasa Ougikubo, the +360 underdog.
- Juan Archuleta is the -155 favorite over Soo Chul Kim, the +125 underdog.
- Gadzhi Rabadanov is the -250 favorite over Koji Takeda, the +205 underdog.
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Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN fight card
Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Kleber Koike Erbst; Featherweights
- A.J. McKee vs. Roberto de Souza; Lightweights
- Juan Archuleta vs. Soo Chul Kim; Bantamweights
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ougikubo; Flyweights
- Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Koji Takeda; Lightweights
RIZIN 40
- Seika Izawa vs. Si Woo Park
- Naoki Inoue vs. Kenta Takizawa
- Tsuyoshi Sudario vs. Junior Tafa
- Yuki Motoya vs. Rogerio Bontorin
- Johnny Case vs. Luiz Gustavo
- John Dodson vs. Hideo Tokoro
- BeyNoah vs. Sho Patrick Usami
