Kleber Koike will join a short list of legends Sunday when he headlines RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri at the Tokyo Dome arena in Japan.
The Tokyo Dome is one of the most iconic and important venues in MMA history as it was the home for 10 PRIDE events between 1997 and 2006. RIZIN will hold its third card in the Japanese venue Sunday, and Koike will be the main event for the second time.
Only five others have headlined PRIDE events more than once at Tokyo Dome, so Koike will be in great company alongside old school legends Rickson Gracie and Nobuhiko Takada and MMA stars Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba and Hidehiko Yoshida.
“Tokyo Dome went almost 15 years with no MMA events there, it was closed for some time, and when re-opened it, that was when [Roberto] Satoshi won the [lightweight] belt and I did the main event with [Mikuru] Asakura,” Koike told MMA Fighting. “It was a show built for them, and I left as the winner. That’s when my life changed completely. Everything changed that night so, to me, fighting one more time in this arena will be very special. It’s going to be so cool. To me, that’s the best stadium in Japan, and fighting there is an honor.”
Koike’s teammate Satoshi claimed lightweight gold that night at RIZIN 28 in June 2021, and Koike put Japanese star Mikuru Asakura to sleep with a triangle choke in the main event. He would only win the featherweight belt three victories later, tapping Juntaro Ushiku in Fukuoka, Japan.
The Brazilian lost the belt on the scale after failing to make weight for his first defense against Chihiro Suzuki, and the quick armbar victory was automatically overturned to no contest per RIZIN rules. Koike beat Suzuki again 18 months later to regain the title.
“I don’t hide the fact that the two times I’ve love the belt was to the scale, so I haven’t defended my title yet,” said Koike, referring to the KSW belt he lost in 2017 after missing weight for his first title defense against Artur Sowiński in Poland. “I’m chasing that now, I want that from myself. I need this for my legacy, for my history. I’m definitely getting it this weekend, another win and another name to my record.”
Koike is confident going into the fight with the 12-0 featherweight Shaydullaev, who scored finishes in all three of his RIZIN appearances in 2024. Koike, however, doesn’t feel he was deserving of the shot yet.
“The only negative thing about RIZIN is that they don’t have a ranking, it’s who they want,” Koike said. “I think there were people more qualified to fight me, but he’s on a winning streak, he’s a foreigner, and they want to promote that. He’s a tough guy, a lot of people ducked him, and I’ve said from the start that I would fight him, no problem.”
“My division is a mess,” he added. “There are a lot of foreigners coming, like Karshyga Dautbek and Vugar Karamov. It’s hard to pick a name [that deserved more], but [Shaydullaev] is in RIZIN for not too long and they already gave him a title shot. It took me more than a year to fight for the belt, so in that sense I think it’s a bit unfair, you know? But I’m the champion, I’m an employee, and I’m ready to fight. I’m the champion and I can’t pick and choose. They sent me him, so he’s the one I’m beating [laughs].”
Koike won’t underestimate Shaydullaev, but sees him a level below when compared to some of the men he has beaten under the RIZIN banner before, such as Juan Archuleta, Yutaka Saito, Ulka Sasaki and Mikuru Asakura. Koike’s pre-RIZIN record also includes veterans like Miguel Torres and Yusuke Yachi.
“He’s a tough guy, a young and hungry kid,” Koike said. “He’s an aggressive wrestler who does well in the grappling department. He does this game well, takedowns and ground and pound, and people get scared and then he goes for the submission. You have to be careful, of course, he’s a dangerous kid and is 12-0 for a reason, but he’s never fought someone with high-level jiu-jitsu. I’ve never seen him fight someone with high-level grappling, and that makes me confident. Even though I know he’s good, I won’t be scared if he exchanges grappling with me.”
“I see this being a long fight, but I see myself submitting him,” he continued. “I see myself taking him down and breaking him mentally, breaking that game of his. We know how Russians are. I’ll slowly break him and make him tired. He hasn’t been through wars and bad situations before. Let’s see how he reacts when he’s in a bad situation. He has good ground and pound, but he does that to people with bad grappling. I want him to see him try that against me.”
RIZIN Otoko Matsuri Returns to the Tokyo Dome – May 4th
On May 4th, RIZIN Otoko Matsuri storms back into the iconic Tokyo Dome, delivering a night of high-stakes showdowns and unforgettable drama. Headlining the event, featherweight champion Kleber Koike puts his belt on the line against undefeated Kyrgyz sensation Razhabali Shaidulloev, a rising powerhouse with fight-ending power.
The co-main event features the electrifying return of Mikuru Asakura, who steps into the ring against former champion Chihiro Suzuki in a battle between two of Japan’s biggest stars. Adding to the spectacle, RIZIN’s first Heavyweight Grand Prix in nearly a decade kicks off, promising chaos, knockouts, and the birth of a new heavyweight king.
Mentioned that win over Miguel Torres during that DARE tournament in China.
Miss Torres.
Kleber is a badass.
Man probably gonna have to catch the replay next weekend. Watching UFC tonight and spending the day with my wife tomorrow. Hopefully I can avoid spoilers until then.
Rizin is the most fun promotion to watch
yea , meant to not apologize for last week , Sorry HH4L but thats what Eye Do , when necessary xxxoo
All good brother sorry if I came off mean at all