RIZIN 12 next month will need a new headliner as one half of the night’s main event will no longer make it to Nagoya, Japan due to injury. Spoiler alert; it’s not Yusuke Yachi.
Heavy-handed Brazilian lightweight Bruno Carvalho was gearing up to make his promotional debut against Japanese standout Yusuke Yachi. Unfortunately, an injury has forced him out of the contest. Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting was first to report the news.
With exactly one month remaining til show time, expect RIZIN Fighting Federation to find a suitable replacement for Yachi.
Yusuke Yachi (20-6) is red-hot at the moment. Winning his last six fights, all via incredible knockout, stunning submission, or on points following absolute wars. This streak includes very impressive stoppage wins against the likes of Satoru Kitaoka, Takanori Gomi, and Daron Cruickshank.
At RIZIN 10 in May, we saw Yachi take on Diego Nunes – a teammate of Bruno Carvalho. The Japanese fighter came out victorious in a wild back-and-forth brawl that tore the house down.
Unfortunate news for Carvalho ahead of the biggest opportunity of his career. Just last month he made some bold predictions regarding the fight, vowing to “rip Yachi’s head off” and bring it back to Brazil.
However, RIZIN 12 will continue. And a new headliner featuring Yachi should be announced very soon. The card will also feature the likes of Yuki Motoya, Kanako Murata, Hatsu Hioki, King Reina, Kaitlin Young, Angela Magana, and Kiichi Kunimoto, among others.
It all goes down on August 12, live from the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.