MMA Fighting · Jun 26, 2019
Lightweight tournament qualifiers announced for Rizin 17
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Japanese legend Tatsuya Kawajiri (right) will face undefeated Ali Abdulkhalikov in July.Rizin Fighting Federation will kick off an eight-man lightweight tournament on Oct. 12, the promotion announced Wednesday, and a few qualifiers were added to Rizin 17 on July 28.
Promotion CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara announced Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Ali Abdulkhalikov and Satoru Kitaoka vs. Johnny Case for Rizin 17 in Tokyo, and the winners will enter the grand prix in October. A previously announced lightweight clash between Roberto Satoshi and Mizuto Hirota will also serve as a qualifier for the tournament.