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RIZIN 54 delivered a packed night of action in Tokyo, with Kyoma Akimoto earning the biggest victory of his young career while Patchy Mix suffered another setback and the heavyweight Grand Prix moved closer to its conclusion.
RIZIN 54 delivered a busy night of MMA action at Toyota Arena Tokyo on August 11, with Kyoma Akimoto defeating former featherweight champion Kleber Koike in the main event and Shoko Sato handing former Bellator champion Patchy Mix his fourth consecutive defeat.
The event featured 10 fights, with eight ending before the final bell. Alongside the main and co main events, RIZIN 54 also featured two heavyweight Grand Prix semifinal contests, several international matchups and a number of impressive finishes.
KYOMA AKIMOTO STUNS KLEBER KOIKE
The biggest result of the night came in the main event, where 20 year old Kyoma Akimoto defeated former RIZIN featherweight champion Kleber Koike by unanimous decision.
Akimoto controlled much of the fight from distance and did a good job preventing Koike from taking the contest into his preferred grappling exchanges. The young Japanese fighter stayed composed throughout the bout and consistently found opportunities with his striking.
The judges awarded Akimoto the victory on the scorecards, giving him another important step toward a future featherweight title opportunity.
Akimoto also revealed after the fight that he believed he had injured his left hand. Despite that concern, he immediately looked toward the next major opportunity in the division.
The young contender said he wants to fight the winner of Razhabali Shaidulloev and AJ McKee, who are scheduled to meet for the RIZIN and PFL featherweight championships in September.
PATCHY MIX SUFFERS FOURTH STRAIGHT LOSS
Patchy Mix entered RIZIN 54 looking to revive his career, but the former Bellator bantamweight champion suffered another difficult defeat.
Mix missed the bantamweight limit by approximately 6.3 pounds and was handed a two point penalty before his fight with Shoko Sato. Under the rules, Mix would also have been unable to record an official victory if he had won the contest.
Mix had his strongest moments early in the fight when he threatened Sato with a rear naked choke. Sato survived the submission attempt and gradually took control.
The Japanese veteran eventually earned a unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the contest 28 to 27.
The result extended Mix’s losing streak to four fights following defeats in the UFC and RIZIN. His latest setback also puts further questions around his future at bantamweight.
KING EDOKPOLO ADVANCES IN HEAVYWEIGHT GRAND PRIX
King Edokpolo produced one of the most memorable finishes of the night when he stopped Mikio Ueda with a second round knee.
The victory sent Edokpolo into the final of the RIZIN 2026 Heavyweight Grand Prix and added another impressive finish to his campaign.
Edokpolo also celebrated the knockout with an Alex Pereira inspired pose. Pereira’s coach Plinio Cruz was in his corner, adding another connection between the heavyweight prospect and the former UFC champion.
TSUYOSHI SUDARIO ALSO REACHES THE FINAL
Tsuyoshi Sudario secured the other place in the heavyweight Grand Prix final after stopping Ryo Sakai in the opening round.
Sudario finished the contest with punches and a soccer kick at 4:26 of the first round.
With both semifinal winners now confirmed, the tournament has moved closer to determining its next heavyweight contender.
YUKI ITO STOPS ALIBEK GADZHAmMATOV
Yuki Ito also picked up an important victory on the card, stopping Alibek Gadzhammatov in the second round.
The fight was another difficult one at the scales, with Gadzhammatov also missing weight before the contest and receiving the same two point penalty as Mix.
Despite the disadvantage, Gadzhammatov remained competitive before Ito eventually secured the stoppage at 3:51 of the second round.
KOJI TAKEDA AND JOJI GOTO SECURE SUBMISSIONS
Koji Takeda continued the strong finishing rate at RIZIN 54 by submitting Kazumasa Majima in the opening round.
Takeda finished the contest at 4:56, adding another submission victory to the card.
Joji Goto also secured a first round submission against Azizbek Temirov. Goto finished the fight with a rear naked choke at 3:41 of the opening round.
Both victories came before the fighters had a chance to reach the judges’ scorecards.
JOE HIRAMOTO SCORES ANOTHER FIRST ROUND FINISH
Joe Hiramoto produced another quick finish when he stopped Jolly in just 1:36 of the first round.
Hiramoto won by knockout after landing a series of punches, adding another highlight to a card that produced eight finishes across 10 fights.
NAOKI WINS AFTER DOCTOR STOPPAGE
Naoki Tanaka defeated Issa Hosokawa by doctor stoppage at 3:09 of the second round.
The fight was one of the more competitive matchups on the card before the contest was stopped, giving Tanaka another victory on the RIZIN stage.
LI KAIWEN OPENS THE CARD WITH A QUICK KNOCKOUT
Li Kaiwen closed out the night with one of the fastest finishes on the card.
Kaiwen stopped Arata Mizuno by knockout at 4:27 of the opening round, bringing the total number of finishes at RIZIN 54 to eight.
The high finishing rate helped make RIZIN 54 another action packed event despite the main and co main events going to the judges.
RIZIN 54 Results
Li Kai Wen def. Arata Mizuno by KO via punches, Round 1, 4:27
Kyoma Akimoto def. Kleber Koike by unanimous decision
Shoko Sato def. Patchy Mix by unanimous decision
King Edokpolo def. Miko Ueda by TKO via knee, Round 2, 0:47
Tsuyoshi Sudario def. Ryo Sakai by TKO via punches and soccer kick, Round 1, 4:26
Yuki Ito def. Alibek Gadzhammatov by TKO, Round 2, 3:51
Koji Takeda def. Kazumasa Majima by submission via armbar, Round 1, 4:56
Joji Goto def. Azizbek Temirov by submission via rear naked choke, Round 1, 3:41
Joe Hiramoto def. Jolly by KO via punches, Round 1, 1:36
Naoki def. Issa Hosokawa by TKO via doctor stoppage, Round 2, 3:09
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