Tenshin Nasukawa has a new opponent for his return to the Rizin Fighting Federation ring Sunday in Kobe, Japan.
The kickboxing phenom was slated to take on ISKA featherweight champion Ahmed Ferradji. However, Rizin announced on Monday that Ferradji has withdrawn from the bout “without a valid reason” and the ISKA decided to strip him of the title, announcing Nasukawa versus Martin Blanco instead.
Blanco, 8-1 in kickboxing with three knockout wins, is the ISKA bantamweight champion. The 30-year-old Argentinian will move up to featherweight to face the undefeated Japanese star, who holds a perfect 4-0 record as a MMA fighter and is 31-0 in kickboxing with 24 knockouts.