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Bellator x Rizin 2 Crossover Event Confirmed for July, McKee vs. Pitbull

Bellator MMA and Rizin FF are gearing to deliver a second spectacle.

Mathew Riddle

Bellator x Rizin 2 Crossover Event Confirmed for July, McKee vs. Pitbull
Bellator x Rizin 2 Crossover Event Confirmed for July, McKee vs. Pitbull /

Fight fans rejoice, a second Rizin & Bellator MMA crossover event has been announced for July 30 at Tokyo's Saitama Super Arena.

Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee takes on ex-lightweight world champion Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in the headliner.

The main event between McKee and "Pitbull" is the last quarterfinal fight in the Bellator lightweight grand prix.

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In the featured co-main, former Bellator and Rizin world champion Kyoji Horiguchi battles for the Bellator flyweight title against Makato Takahashi.

Also on the card, Bellator's Juan Archuleta faces off against Russian threat Tofiq Musayev, and Bellator standout Kana Watanabe clashes with Rizin's Veta Artaega.

No further bouts have been announced.

Bellator MMA x Rizin 2 Full Announced Card

(Per Bellator MMA)

  • #5 A.J. McKee vs. #2 Patricky Pitbull - Lightweight world grand prix quarterfinals
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makato "Shinryu" - Inaugural flyweight world championship
  • #3 Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Artaega - Women's flyweight bout

How Was Bellator x Rizin 1?

On new-year's eve, 2022, the first Bellator x Rizin crossover event took place. Unfortunately for Rizin, it was a complete shutout, with Bellator fighters going 5-0 against the Japanese promotion.

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It was all jovial, however, and plenty of the Bellator fighters enjoyed the spectacle and ruleset of Japanese MMA. Most notably, A.J. McKee wore a $100,000 samurai outfit in his walkout, and participated in some soccer kicks and stomping to his grounded opponent.

Whilst the Bellator x Rizin 2 main event is less captivating, since it's two Bellator standouts this time, Rizin now has a second chance to turn the tide and show Bellator the legitimacy of Japanese MMA promotions.Β 

Regardless of the outcome, fight fans can be pleased that two of the world's premiere organizations are willing to put on a show.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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