RIZIN is not worried at all with ONE Championship returning to Japan. According to company president Nobuyuki Sakakibara (via MMA Fighting), competition in the Japanese MMA market will actually benefit fans, adding that UFC is an ideal addition to the country.
One Championship confirmed that it is coming back to Japan on January 28. The promotion will conduct its ONE 165 event at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, with the company featuring seven Japanese talents in the bouts. Some Japanese fighters joining the event include Takeru Segawa and Shinya Aoki. The event is expected to make a noise in the market, but it is not a concern for RIZIN, which is one of the prominent MMA promotions in the country.
“We don’t look at ONE coming to Japan and doing a show as a threat at all,” Sakakibara said. “We actually think it’s a good thing, you know? As a promoter, we’re actually interested to see what kind of atmosphere, what kind of product they’re gonna bring and cater to the Japanese fans.”
In line with this, the executive believes that more promotions coming to Japan are good for the MMA community, saying the presence of the UFC will also be excellent.
“We actually want the UFC to come and do their thing and just kind of bring their show to Japan, because that only helps the Japanese fans, it only helps grow and educate the Japanese fans with combat sports content. Right now, we’re the only ones doing big events, and there’s nothing to compare it with. We always believe that healthy competition is necessary in every market, so I really do want the Japanese fans to be able to experience different kind of promotions and different kind of productions and atmospheres while staying in Japan. We think it’s a really good thing, actually.”
