MMA Fighting · Nov 29, 2015
Rizin signs Sapp vs. Akebono rematch for its debut
It was anything but a classic fight, but on Dec. 31, 2003, Bob Sapp and Akebono put on a spectacle that nothing since has ever come close to equaling in Japanese culture. On Friday, a rematch was announced for a show exactly a dozen years later.
The two giants fought under kickboxing rules as part of what turned out to be the biggest New Year's Eve fight night during the period it became a television tradition in Japan, battling before 30,000 fans at the Nagoya Dome. The Sapp vs. Akebono fight won the night for K-1, when three different networks were airing live fights, with shows that combined MMA, kickboxing, weird mixed rules fights and even pro wrestling all on the same stage.