Former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull has officially signed with RIZIN and is set to compete on their July 27 event in Saitama, Japan. Pitbull will make his debut as a proper RIZIN roster member when he takes on Shunta Nomura.
Pitbull has a history with the Japanese promotion, representing Bellator in the 2019 lightweight grand prix where he earned knockout victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Luiz Gustavo before falling in the final. He later returned in 2023 to knock out current lightweight titleholder Roberto Satoshi.
His opponent, Shunta Nomura, recently secured a technical decision win against Luiz Gustavo in March, bringing his professional record to 9-2 with four knockouts.
The July 27 card, expected to be RIZIN.4, is scheduled to feature three championship bouts. Bantamweight champion Naoki Inoue will defend his title against Ryuya Fukuda, while super atomweight queen Seika Izawa puts her belt on the line against Yu Jin Shin. Featherweight champion Razhabali Shaydullaev, who recently captured the title, is also anticipated to defend his gold against an opponent yet to be announced.
Adding to the stacked lineup is a highly anticipated rematch between Kleber Koike and Mikuru Asakura. Their first meeting in June 2021 saw Koike win via triangle choke. Asakura recently rebounded with a TKO victory over former champion Chihiro Suzuki.
Additional bouts confirmed for the event include Masanori Kanehara vs. Ya-Man, Karshyga Dautbek vs. Kyoma Akimoto, and Moeri Suda vs. Noel.
