Three new bouts added to Rizin 17

MMAfighting.com

Former UFC flyweight contender Ulka Sasaki has his next Rizin fight booked.

The Japanese fighter is set to face former Pancrase champion Shintaro Ishiwatari in a bantamweight fight at Rizin 17. The event is set to go down at the Saitama Super Arena on July 28. The news was announced by the promotion on Sunday morning.

Sasaki made his Rizin debut in December where he outpointed Manel Kape in a unanimous decision. With the victory over Kape, Sasaki bounced back from his November loss to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Argentina. Sasaki is 22-6-2 in his professional MMA career.

Meanwhile, Ishiwatari, 34, hasn’t fought since December 2017 where he lost to Kyoji Horiguchi via second-round knockout. Ishiwatari is 25–7–4 in MMA.

Additionally, the promotion announced two other bouts for the card:

Kai Asakura, a 25-year-old prospect, will be looking to extend his current win streak to five in a row by taking on Yusuke Yachi in a lightweight fight that will potentially serve as a qualifying bout for the Rizin Lightweight Grand Prix, which is rumored to take place later this year.

Former DEEP champion Yuki Motoya is set to clash with former TUF 24 runner-up and current Shooto champion Hiromasa Ogikubo.