MMA enthusiasts worldwide are in for an action-packed weekend.
After UFC 304 wraps up in Manchester, England on Saturday night, Super RIZIN 3 keeps the action going on Sunday (July 28, 2024) with a plethora of exciting matchups across MMA and boxing — with and without gloves. Atop the big event in Saitama, Japan will be the promotion’s version of a BMF title fight as featherweight superstars Mikuru Asakura and Ren Hiramoto collide.
The bout will be a new exploration for RIZIN in multiple ways, as the pair fight over the new Last Man Standing title. RIZIN Founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara felt this matchup was the perfect opportunity to introduce a special one-off crown.
（再送）RIZIN 7.28 さいたまスーパーアリーナ：朝倉未来×平本蓮は5R制・ラウンドマスト採点の「Last Man Standing（LMS）タイトルマッチ」に。未来「無制限でもなんでもいい」、平本「5Rのほうが得意」｜試合順も発表 https://t.co/iSHLTADWsv pic.twitter.com/73IBtwjjvH
— BOUTREVIEW/バウトレビュー (@boutreview) July 21, 2024
“This is not a fight that determines the best of any division or weight class,” Sakakibara told MMA Mania on BROADENED HORIZIN. “This exceeds the sport. It’s not for a title, but these are, without a doubt, two icons of RIZIN, of our brand. When these two icons are fighting each other, and this is not for the division belt, like, it exceeds the sport. So, from my point of view, the meaning of this fight is much heavier than any title fight. That’s how I feel.”
Super RIZIN 3’s main event, Asakura vs. Hiramoto, will feature more than just a new title. Unlike traditional RIZIN fights, this contest will be judged round-by-round using the unified scoring system. Typically, RIZIN scores fights as a whole, evaluating damage (50 points), aggression (30 points), and control (20 points) to determine the winner. However, for this particular fight, they will be using the 10-9 scoring system, similar to how fights are judged in the United States and most jurisdictions worldwide.
According to Sakakibara, this particular change was more of a compromise rather than fulfilling the original hope.
“In an ideal world, I didn’t want this fight to have any judges. I wanted the fighters to determine the outcome so that there’s absolutely no controversy,” Sakakibara said. “We want to make sure that there’s a clear winner and there’s a clear loser. So, my honest opinion was that we didn’t want any judges. The ideal ruleset was like the [Kazushi] Sakurba vs. Royce Gracie [fight]. Endless rules until someone gives up. Hence ‘last man standing,’ right?
Our objective is to identify the fighter who will emerge as the ultimate victor. This was the overarching approach and concept we aimed to incorporate into this fight. However, we have conversed with both fighters, and they are in agreement. They recognize that they do not want the fight’s outcome to rely on the judgment of others. They are aware that they must unequivocally prove their superiority in order to secure victory.
The referenced Sakuraba vs. Gracie 1 bout was a classic moment in PRIDE FC history from May 2000. Gracie famously suffered his first career loss to “The Gracie Hunter” after 90 minutes of competition when his corner threw in the towel. Considering the incredible grappling talents of each legend, it’s highly unlikely a fight like that would have been replicated by Asakura and Hiramoto, but the birth of the concept is fun in theory.
Sakakibara explained that it was not practically feasible to extend the event window indefinitely due to the current time of the year and other related factors. However, the featherweights will still have additional time to resolve their conflicts, which is all fans could hope for.
“That wasn’t quite realistic. We had to face the reality and acknowledge that while everyone understands the concept, we believed that we might need more than three rounds. Therefore, we have decided to have five rounds instead. However, we also recognized that it would be extremely challenging for the judges to accurately assess the fight using a total-must judging system for five rounds. It would simply be too much to cover, making it an unrealistic approach. As a solution, we have implemented rulesets where each round will be judged independently, ensuring that if the fight goes to a decision, there will be a clear winner.”
The rulesets were specifically enforced for this singular occasion, for this particular night, and for this fight. This is precisely how everything fell into place, and the conclusion is that this ruleset is exclusively intended for one night.
Watch the full episode in the video embedded above, or listen to it on Spotify.
