A random drawing was held Friday in Japan to determine the match-ups for the opening round of the Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight grand prix, set for Oct. 12 in Osaka, Japan.
Bellator fighter Patricky Freire, who is one of the biggest names of the tournament, will take on Japanese veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri. The other bouts are Tofiq Musaev vs. Damien Brown, Johnny Case vs. Roberto Satoshi and Luiz Gustavo vs. Hiroto Uesako.
According to the promotion, another draw will determine the semifinals before the New Year’s Eve card.
“Pitbull” Freire (21-8) is coming off five straight wins under the Bellator banner, including names like Ben Henderson and Josh Thomson, while Kawajiri (37-13-2) secured a spot in the tournament with a win over Ali Abdulkhalikov in July.