Last week we saw multiple fights announced for RIZIN 12 in August. This included bouts featuring Kanako Murata and Yuki Motoya, but neither was given an opponent.
Well, two days ago Murata received her opponent, and now, Motoya finally gets his.
Yuki Motoya will face Shooto Pacific Rim bantamweight title-holder, Kazuma Sone.
Yuki Motoya vs. Kazuma Sone
Yuki Motoya (19-5, 1NC) has long been considered one of the very best fighters in the lighter weight divisions of Japan.
He has been victorious in 12 of his last 14 fights, this includes wins over Allan Nascimento, Daiki Hata, Tatsumitsu Wada, and Masakazu Imanari. Motoya made his RIZIN debut on the promotion’s first show ever in December of 2015, entering as a former DEEP Flyweight Champion. He was knocked out by Felipe Efrain, but due to Efrain missing weight, the fight was turned into a no contest.
After this, Motoya has had multiple fights in DEEP and RIZIN. This includes a win in DEEP just this morning at DEEP 84 where he defeated Je Hoon Moon via TKO whilst locking the South Korean in a mounted triangle. This was his second win straight following an early 2017 loss to Kyoji Horiguchi under the RIZIN banner.
Fighting out of Shimura Dojo in Japan, Kazuma Sone (23-15-1) enters RIZIN 12 with three-straight wins and a Shooto Pacific Rim Championship.
After back-to-back losses to close out 2016 and begin 2017 – this includes losing a HEAT title opportunity – Sone won three-straight in a seven-month span, with his most recent bout taking place in January.
This run includes him adding another title to his mantle in the form of the Tenkaichi Fight 135-lb strap.
RIZIN 12 goes down on August 12, live from the Aichi Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.
Yusuke Yachi vs. Bruno Carvalho
Hatsu Hioki vs. Mikuru Asakura
Roque Martinez vs. Kiyoshi Kuwabura
King Reina v. Kaitlin Young
Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Ryuichiro Sumimura
Kanaka Murata vs. Angela Magana
