VIDEO: Pitbull Stops De Souza At Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 In Japan

Following the success of their first co-promoted event that took place on New Year’s Eve, Bellator and RIZIN teamed up again for Bellator vs. RIZIN 2 on Saturday, July 29 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

The night’s main event was originally supposed to feature Bellator's former featherweight king AJ McKee taking on Patricky “Pitbull” Freire in the final quarterfinal bout of Bellator’s lightweight tournament. A medical issue unfortunately forced McKee out of that fight, and instead "Pitbull" took on RIZIN Lightweight Champion Roberto de Souza and stopped him with leg kicks in the third round.

The co-main event saw former Bellator and RIZIN bantamweight titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi square off with Makoto Shinryu to crown Bellator's inaugural flyweight champion. The bout was paused after just 25 seconds due to an accidental eye poke from Horiguchi, and after considerable deliberation the fight was unfortunately declared a No Contest.

The rest of the Bellator vs. RIZIN 2 main card also included Kana Watanabe winning a decision over Veta Arteaga, as well as Magomed Magomedov catching Danny Sabatello with a guillotine choke in the first round. The night opened with a welterweight rematch between Andrey Koreshkov and Lorenz Larkin that saw Koreshkov flip the script and take a split decision after Larkin won in the same fashion in 2019.

You can find highlights from the event below, as well as the full results for every fight.

Magomed Magomedov def. Danny Sabatello

🔥 𝗧𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲!

@magomedovtiger1 submits @ShockThisWorld, proclaiming himself "The Dagestan Gangster" 👊#BellatorXRizin is LIVE
@SHOsports 🇺🇸 / @UNEXT_fight 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/5nYsr4Z0IW
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu

Tough start to this fight for @makoto0705mma after an accidental eye poke from @kyoji1012.#BellatorXRizin is LIVE
@SHOsports 🇺🇸 / @UNEXT_fight 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/MJYkgagqQJ
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Official Ruling

A No Contest here at the Saitama Super Arena after an accidental eye poke from @kyoji1012 to @makoto0705mma. #BellatorXRizin is LIVE
@SHOsports 🇺🇸 / @UNEXT_fight 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/kpxAkM0Fen
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Patricky Freire def. Robert De Souza

Deadly leg kick! 🦵💥

The finish from @PatrickyPitbull in slow motion 👀

Can he go all the way in the #BellatorLWGP? #BellatorXRizin pic.twitter.com/rCRgEII479
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) July 30, 2023

Main Card (Showtime, 11:00 p.m ET)

• Main Event: Patricky Freire def. Robert De Souza via TKO: R3, 0:49 - Bellator Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal Bout

• Co-Main Event: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu Ends in a No Contest (Accidental Eye Poke): R1, 0:25 - For the Vacant Bellator Men's Flyweight Title

• Kana Watanabe def. Veta Arteaga via Unanimous Decision (29-28x3)

• Magomed Magomedov def. Danny Sabatello via Submission (Guillotine Choke): R1, 3:55

• Andrey Koreshkov def. Lorenz Larkin via Split Decision (29-28x2, 28-29)

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