Second-generation fighter Taisei Sakuraba is scheduled to make his mixed martial arts debut at RIZIN on December 31, 2024. In addition to his background as a black belt in judo, he brings with him a pedigree of amateur and catch wrestling from his father, Kazushi.
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July 29, 2024
Sakuraba plans to compete in MMA again soon.
In preparation for the Rizin 49 Decade event on December 31st, Rizin Fighting Federation has issued a press release announcing three new matchups for the show at Saitama Super Arena. The most noteworthy of the three is the debut match (0 wins, 0 losses) of Taisei Sakuraba, the son of mixed martial arts legend Kazushi Sakuraba. He will fight at 155 pounds and his first match in the ring will be against longtime veteran Yusuke Taniuchi (27-14).
Sakuraba began training as a teenager and studied judo until it blossomed into full-fledged mixed martial arts practice. The youngster burst onto the scene in 2023, starring in Quintet 4, where he knocked out two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Masato Uchishiba with a kneebar in a non-tournament match. The following year, he returned to grappling and led Team Saku vs. Team RIZIN in team vs. team competition. His MMA debut will be against an opponent he has fought nearly 40 times professionally, one of the biggest differences in experience among the fighters.
Rizin mainstay Yachi has turned things around recently, winning four of his past five fights dating back to late 2022. Although Sakuraba has never fought professionally, Yachi’s 18 appearances under the Rizin banner are the most of any fighter. When he steps into the ring in Saitama on December 31st, he will tie Yuki Motoya’s record for most RIZIN MMA fights. He is one of 10 athletes to win at least 10 games as a member of Rizin.
Additionally, the promotion will feature two more matches on New Year’s Eve. In the heavyweight division, Mikio Ueda (3-2) will clash with Kim Tae-in (5-0), while Ren Sugiyama (2-1) will take on Karsuga Doubtbek (16-3) at 145 pounds. The Japanese big man’s three professional wins have all come by knockout, but all of his losses have come by stoppage. His opponent, Kim, had all five of his victories come by striking. Kickboxer Sugiyama, also known as “Yaman,” quit kickboxing at RIZIN to try himself in MMA. In his last outing, he knocked Hiroaki Suzuki unconscious with his fist. Dautbek of Kazakhstan had the same results as Sugiyama, except that he played seven consecutive matches.
