RIZIN 26’s New Year’s Eve card now includes a total of 12 matchups with the addition of four fights officially announced by the company Thursday, including the return of Mikuru Asakura and the debut of former KSW titleholder Kleber Koike. The event goes down Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Asakura (13-2, 1 NC)—the older brother of RIZIN 26 headliner and bantamweight champion Kai Asakura—makes a quick turnaround five weeks after a decision defeat to now-champion Yutaka Saito, facing former DEEP featherweight beltholder Satoshi Yamasu (11-5). Both fighters were on eight-fight winning streaks prior to their recent setbacks.