Several stars of this weekend's Rizin show spoke just after weigh-ins. You can see quotes from several of them below:
Kyoji Horiguchi
“I have been keeping my eye out on Ian from my UFC days, since he was a contender and a potential
opponent. The moment I found out he was participating in the GP, I knew that I was going to fight him,
but it didn’t happen due to some bad luck. I can fight him in any part of the fight, but my bread and
butter is striking, so it would be great if I can finish the fight on my feet.” “I am confident that I can beat
Demetrious Johnson if we fought now. I am an absolutely different fighter from when we last fought.
Have finished all opponents since moving back to Bantam weight. I don’t cut too much weight and I feel
strong and healthy.”
Ian McCall
“He’s a really good fighter. I have thought that for sure I was going to fight him in the tournament. That
is actually the only fight I wanted. I’m most dangerous in wrestling and scrambles. But I am going to
bring a fight, I don’t ever want to get near the ropes ever again so we are going to kick box. When I fight,
we get in to a fight.”
Yusaku Nakamura
“He’s an amazing kid. He’s a really phenomenal kickboxer. I don’t even want to imagine what kind of
fighter he will turn out to be in 5 years. But right now I’m just really excited for the fight. ”The key point
for me to win is “distance”. I can’t stick with his kick boxing distance. I need to keep it in MMA or Kempo
distance.” “I hope to pull off the biggest upset in RIZIN with a devastating KO.”
Tenshin Nasukawa
“I’m going to finish the fight from one of the following.
Left high kick / Left cross / Teep to the liver / spinning back kick / jumping knee to the face”
Kanna Asakura
“I know that there is a target on my back now, and since I won the tournament with 2 finishes, I know
that I have to keep finishing my fights.” “My opponent is aggressive and keeps coming forward. So I
would like to keep the fight at my pace, and not let her fight her fight. This fight allows elbows, so I am
eager to be testing them out.” “I would prefer not to fight RENA again, but if I have to I would.”
Melissa Karagianis
“I’ve seen all of her fights last year. She’s a good wrestler but everybody has some flaws in their game so
I’m going to try to expose that.
Diego Nunes
“The fight will be the best fight for this event for sure. We are both explosive and aggressive. I don’t see
the fight going to distance.” “Yachi is a good fighter and very experienced. He has left some great
accomplishments in RIZIN so he is a perfect opponent for my RIZIN debut. I have studied him very well,
and I know his weaknesses. I will be more than ready to show what I can do in front of the Japanese
crowd.” “My wife dreamt about me fighting in Japan a year ago. This is happening for a reason”
Yusuke Yachi
“I actually had an opportunity to go drinking with Gomi after we fought. He’s a crazy drunk. He forced
me to take so many shots, it was a lot of fun.” “I want to fight all the tough guys out there. If there are
tough fighters out there, I want to fight them. I’m still not in the top 100 in the world. I want to test and
prove myself. I believe that I am headed to my prime, so want to challenge myself.” “
Daron Cruickshank
“Lot an options about on the facial, I just finished shaving off all of my hair before I signed the contract,
so I didn’t have enough time to grow the twist” “He’s a weathered fighter, he is the old bull in this fight.
He’s not going to be able to touch me, or take him down, he will try to close distance and try to take me down. I don’t think that he able to do much and will beat the shit out of him. He relies on one shot
knockouts, but it will take more than one shot to finish me”
Koshi Matsumoto
“Trained with Satoru Kitaoka, who beat Daron in RIZIN, and his advice was [Daron’s strikes hurt so be
careful]” “I think is a great kicker. Figuring out the right distance and fighting there will be the key to
victory. He is a great striker, so I feel obligated to strike with him”
Issei Ishii
“I lost my last fight in RIZIN here in Fukuoka, in my back yard. I’m not letting that happen again I have
about 500 people coming to support, and I will not let them down again.” ”I think that kickboxing is
making a comeback as a mainstream sport, and I would like to take this opportunity to boost it even
more.” ”I am the quickest fighter on the card, nobody will move faster than me.”
Daishin Sakai
“My motivation is to be the youngest champion in kick boxing” “In 3 years, I am not looking to make a career
with fighting. I might be studying in US, I may have my own business, I may be a superstar in kick boxing.”
Manel Kape
“At first I thought this matchup is bullshit, I should be fighting Horiguchi for the belt.” “Asakura is a good
fighter and explosive, but I am better at him in every aspect. So I will beat him and send him back to
where he came from.” “In three years I see myself being the RIZIN and UFC champion and a Ferrari
owner”
Kai Asakura
“My motivation for this fight is to win in an impressive way and get on that August card, which will be
held in Nagoya, my home town” “He relies a lot on his natural physical gift, and lacks in technique. I am
only thinking about a KO win and I am determined not to show any stalling. I am not planning to go full
rounds so I’m going to go for the finish from the bell.” “I want to be RIZIN’s poster boy. I want to go after
and beat the current poster boys and take their spot.”
Ayaka Hamasaki
“I want to show the strength of a world champion and dominate my opponent and aggressively go for
the finish.” “Her coach Josh Barnett knows my coach and my team very well so I’m sure they will have a
very good game plan, but I will still dominate”“I don’t have too many fights left in me, so I want to
perform well, leave an impact and hopefully be able to retire in RIZIN”
Alyssa Garcia
“I’m the underdog and people think I’m getting thrown to the wolves. But we have trained well for
Hamasaki and we will be ready for what she has to bring” “On top of my regular coach Josh Barnett, I
have been working with a striking coach so my striking has improved very much.” “I have no problem
being on the ground, but I need to fight smart.”
Ante Delija
“I started training with Mirko about 18 months ago, when he asked me to become his sparring partner
to prepare for the Open weight GP” “I am well rounded but my strong point is grappling and G&P. Prasel
is a good fighter with good submission skills, but I have no problem I will pound him out.”
Ricardo Prasel
“I want to put on a great fight and take home a leg” “I had multiple offers on the table from main stream
promotions, but when I got the call from RIZIN I took it in a heart beat”
Jairzinho Rozenstruik
“I want to share my dream with the underprivileged kids in Suriname. I need to be their role model and
give these kids hope.” “I don’t plan on submitting people, I know how to get out submissions, but I don’t
know how to set up one because I don’t plan to. I’m going to do what I do best.”
Andrey Kovalev
“I want to put on a good performance and be recognized by the world” “I would like to be the one to
retire Mirko”
Kanako Murata
“Last year started with an injury and ended with one” ”I set up a 6 week fight camp at CSA under coach
Kirian Fitzgibbons and learned a lot. I am looking forward to test out what I have worked on in the US”
Lanchana Green
“I had a fight schedule on May 12th cancel on me, so I was ready to fight.” “I know Murata is a strong
wrestler and she will probably want to take me down, but I’m used to that.”
Tomohiro Kitai
“My opponent is a bull fighter who will never stop coming forward unless you knock him unconscious.
That’s my kind of fight. Win or lose I will show my heart and will never back down.”
Darvish Kurogi
“I am all about bringing the fight. You will all see a face to face brawl” “After my last fight in RIZIN, I got
an amazing response from the people around me, so I plan to put on a show and make a bigger name
out of it”
