Kyung Pyo Kim “Red Horse” looks for his third straight victory as he meets 11-1 Kazakh prospect Nurkhan Zhumagazy on November 8 in Chiba.
South Korean lightweight Kyung Pyo Kim is officially set for his next appearance in Japan.
The 34-year-old, known as “Red Horse,” will face Kazakhstan’s Nurkhan Zhumagazy in a lightweight bout at RIZIN 55 on November 8 at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. RIZIN lists the event for a 2:00 p.m. JST start, with doors scheduled to open at noon.
For Kim, the matchup represents an opportunity to continue building momentum during what has become a successful run under the RIZIN banner.
Kim enters the fight with a 15-5 professional record and has gone 4-1 since joining RIZIN. He will also arrive in Chiba riding a two-fight winning streak.
His most recent performance came at RIZIN 52 in March, where Kim defeated longtime Japanese lightweight Yusuke Yachi by second-round doctor stoppage.
Kim opened a cut with an elbow during the first round before hurting Yachi with a knee and continuing his attack on the ground. He targeted the accumulated damage again in the second round, and the bout was eventually stopped at 4:25 after the ringside doctor determined that Yachi could not safely continue.
The victory pushed Kim’s RIZIN record to 4-1 and improved his overall professional record to 15-5.
A Dangerous Opponent on a Six-Fight Winning Streak
Kim will not be getting an easy assignment in his attempt to make it three straight.
Zhumagazy enters RIZIN 55 with an 11-1 professional record and a six-fight winning streak dating back to September 2024. The 25-year-old has also won both of his appearances in RIZIN.
The Kazakh lightweight made an immediate impression in his promotional debut at RIZIN LANDMARK 12 in November 2025, submitting Tatsuya Saika with a D’Arce choke just one minute into the opening round. He followed that performance with a unanimous-decision victory over Tenya Yoshimura at RIZIN LANDMARK 13 in April.
Zhumagazy has also demonstrated considerable finishing ability throughout his young career. Nine of his 11 professional victories have come inside the distance, including six by knockout or TKO and three by submission.
That makes RIZIN 55 an intriguing clash between two lightweights carrying significant momentum.
Kim brings considerably more professional experience and has already established himself against recognizable opposition in Japan. Zhumagazy, meanwhile, enters with just one defeat in 12 professional fights and has quickly moved to 2-0 since arriving in RIZIN.
Another Opportunity for “Red Horse”
Kim’s success in RIZIN has quietly developed into one of the stronger current runs by a Korean fighter in the promotion.
After five appearances, the South Korean has accumulated four victories, and his latest performance against Yachi demonstrated the aggressive striking and finishing instincts that have defined much of his career. Nine of Kim’s 15 professional victories have come by knockout or TKO, with another four coming by submission.
Zhumagazy presents a different challenge.
At 5-foot-11, the Kazakh fighter will hold a slight height advantage over the 5-foot-10 Kim, while his combination of finishing ability and grappling gives him multiple ways to threaten the Korean veteran.
But Kim has shown that he can impose a physical, damaging style against experienced opponents, and another victory would extend his streak to three while giving him a fifth win in six RIZIN appearances.
With both men entering the contest on winning streaks, something will have to give in Chiba.
Two Koreans Set for RIZIN 55
Kim’s addition also gives South Korea another representative on the November card.
Soo Chul Kim is scheduled to compete at RIZIN 55 as well, facing Ryuya Fukuda in a bantamweight bout. The two Kims will therefore give Korean MMA fan
s multiple fights to follow when RIZIN returns to Chiba on November 8.
For Kyung Pyo Kim, however, the assignment carries particular significance.
“Red Horse” has already established that he belongs in RIZIN’s lightweight division. Against Zhumagazy, he now faces a younger opponent who has yet to lose inside the promotion and arrives with six consecutive victories.
A third straight win would add another major result to Kim’s RIZIN résumé — but to get it, he will have to stop one of the hottest streaks in the division.
RIZIN 55 takes place Sunday, November 8, 2026, at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan.
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