A random draw has set the opening round for the 2019 Rizin lightweight tournament, with all four bouts taking place at Rizin 19 in October.
The first matchup will be between Bellator MMA great Patricky Freire (21-8) and Dream and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri (37-13-2). Unbeaten grappling ace Roberto de Souza (9-0) will clash with another former UFC fighter in Johnny Case (26-6-1). Brazilian phenom Luiz Gustavo Felix dos Santos (9-1) will face off against Japan's Hiroto Uesako (18-7), and rounding out the bracket is ex-UFC competitor Damien Brown (19-12) taking on the surging Tofiq Musayev (15-3).