MMA Series Star Kolesnik Aims to Rebound from Rizin Loss, Mix Set for First Fight After UFC Exit

On March 7, Tokyo’s Ariake Arena will host Rizin 52. The main event will feature Patchy Mix taking on local athlete Kyoma Akimoto. For the American, this bout marks his first appearance since parting ways with the UFC, where he had two fights and suffered defeats in both. Previously, Mix was regarded as one of Bellator’s biggest stars and held the organization’s bantamweight title.

His new opponent, Akimoto, is considered one of Japan’s most promising prospects. At just 19 years old, he has already competed in 12 professional bouts, winning 11 of them.

Another highly anticipated matchup at Rizin 52 will be the fifth promotional appearance for Russia’s Viktor Kolesnik. The former MMA Series fighter made a strong start to his career in Japan, putting together a four-fight winning streak and earning a title shot. However, Kolesnik fell short in his championship bid: his opponent, Radzhabali Shaidullaev, proved too strong and stopped the Russian in just 33 seconds.

Kolesnik’s next opponent in Rizin will be 25-year-old Japanese fighter Kazuki Akimoto. He holds a perfect professional record of nine wins in nine fights. The upcoming bout will mark Akimoto’s promotional debut under the Rizin banner.

Full Rizin 52 card:

• Patchy Mix (20-3, USA) vs. Kyoma Akimoto (11-1, Japan);
• Saori Oshima (15-7, Japan) vs. Kate Oyama (9-7, Japan);
• Luiz Gustavo (14-4, Brazil) vs. Taisei Sakuraba (2-1, Japan);
• Takaki Soya (13-7-1, Japan) vs. Tony Laramie (11-3, Canada);
• Viktor Kolesnik (26-5-1, Russia) vs. Kazuki Akimoto (9-0, Japan);
• Ryo Takagi (9-3, Japan) vs. Shuya Kimura (5-2, Japan);
• Hideo Tokoro (36-33-2, Japan) vs. Jinnosuke Kashimura (10-5, Japan);
• Kyung Pyo Kim (14-5, South Korea) vs. Yusuke Yachi (28-15, Japan);
• Jo Arai (17-12-2, Japan) vs. Yung Hyun Lee (7-3, South Korea);
• Noeru Narita (3-2, Japan) vs. Bo Mi Lee (3-1, South Korea);
• Shoko Sato (37-17-2, Japan) vs. John Sweeney (14-3, USA);
• Yuki Ito (19-7, Japan) vs. Carlos Mota (8-2, Brazil).

Photo: RIZIN social media