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๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐ธ๐ฏ๐ต
Bellator MMA and @rizin_PR present the biggest cross-promotion of the summer! ๐ฅ Which fight are you most hyped for? #BellatorxRizin2 | Sun, July 30 | ๐ Saitama Super Arena pic.twitter.com/0y1v3TzUMe
โ Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 27, 2023
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Bellator MMA and Rizin Fighting Federation have worked well together in recent years, and that relationship will continue with a dual-promotion event in Japan on July 30.
Unlike the previous iteration on New Yearโs Eve, the upcoming card will be composed of two separate events, with Bellator bouts taking place in a cage and Rizin fights happening in a ring. Still, itโs rare to see two promotions working in such a collaborative fashion in this day and age. According to Bellator president Scott Coker, itโs something that should revolutionize the sport.
โThis is unbelievable,โ Coker said at a press conference to promote the upcoming event. โLast time I saw [Rizin president] Nobuyuki Sakakibara, we were in Paris together for a fight two weeks ago. We had a press conference in the Eiffel Tower that I thought was unbelievable until I saw the crowd here today. This is truly amazing. When I think of mixed martial arts I always think about Japan. This really was the mecca, when I was growing up as a promoter all the eyes were on Japan, all the best fighters in the world fought here.
โOne day I said, โI am going to go there and weโre going to do some work together when I get into the mixed martial arts business,โ so when Sakakibara came back I was really excited because we can do things like weโre going to do on July 30, something that has never been done before where two organizations are getting together to create one show for the fans that really will be spectacular. I really feel this should be the future of mixed martial arts fighting.โ
The featured bout for the Bellator portion of the card is a lightweight grand prix clash between A.J. McKee and Patricky Freire. Additionally, Kyoji Horiguchi will meet Makoto Takahasi for Bellatorโs inaugural flyweight crown. On the Rizin side, Juan Archuleta will face Kai Asakura for the Japanese organizationโs bantamweight crown.
โWe could have brought this anywhere in the world,โ Coker said of the grand prix matchup. โWe thought about doing this in Los Angeles or doing it in New York but as [Sakakibara] and I continued our dialogue, we thought this was the perfect fight for Japan. A.J. was calling me every week asking โWhen am I fighting,โ but we had to wait a month and it worked out for the better. I think the fans in Japan are going to get a great show on July 30.โ
Coker praised Sakakibara for allowing Bellator to collaborate with Rizin on a double event on its home soil.
โOn July 30 youโll see two leagues, and I want to thank Nobuyuki Sakakibara for allowing us to come here and be part of this,โ Coker said. โHe really doesnโt have to. โHeโs been a great leader โฆ I would arguably say heโll go down as one of the greatest fight promoters of all time.
โHeโs been a great mentor for me, even though he doesnโt know it, so any chance I get to come here to work with him I always say yes. We have been planning this event for the last four months and weโre truly going to deliver something spectacular at Saitama Super Arena on July 30. I look forward to putting a great fight on with my fighters and itโs going to be a fun event to watch.โ
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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