Photo Courtesy: Rizin FF
MMA’s social media community took note of a unique fact on Oct. 27, when Bruno Henrique Cappelozza won the 2021 Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship. Cappelozza had participated in the Rizin Fighting Federation 100-kilogram grand prix in 2015, along with reigning Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov and current Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka.
Since its inception, Rizin has paid more attention to English-speaking fans than Japanese promotions from the past. The YouTube video series “Rizin Confessions” includes English subtitles; Rizin pay-per-view streams have English commentary; and fight stats that have long been popular in North America and other countries around the world are now displayed and discussed at Rizin events.