Fabio Maldonado makes his Rizin debut at Saturday’s show in Osaka in a catchweight contest with light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka. The Brazilian brawler is excited to compete in Japanese soil for the first time even if the Rizin belt is not on the line, but likes to keep his future open in multiple fronts.
A former Fight Nights Global titleholder, Maldonado has been active in both mixed martial arts and boxing since leaving the UFC in 2015. With bare-knuckle boxing surging as a new player in the market for MMA fighters, Maldonado only has one demand: good money.