April Fools is a day for laughs but Rizin kickboxer Kouzi was not laughing after his loss at Rizin 41. The former K-1 kickboxer lost a split decision to Ryusei Ashizawa (25-13-1) in his hometown of Osaka in a kickboxing match. Kouzi retires with a kickboxing record of 31-18-2, 1 NC, and 10 knockouts.
The Fight
In the first round, Ashizawa spent a lot of time backstepping and circling the ring. He used kicks and teeps to keep Kouzi from getting in close. Perhaps the most impactful part of the round, Ashizawa parried some offense from Kouzi and was able to deliver a flurry of offense in return.