Asakura fights champion but turns down title shot

Rematch with Gustavo comes 7 years, 8 months after first bout

Unbeaten Sheidulaev defends against 20-year-old Japanese prospect

Japanese MMA icon Mikuru Asakura. [Getty Images]

Mikuru Asakura, Japan's biggest MMA star, is set to face a reigning champion while voluntarily passing on a title shot.

Japanese MMA promotion Rizin held a press conference Tuesday and announced additional bouts for Super Rizin 6, scheduled for Dec. 31 at Vantelin Dome Nagoya in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Asakura will face Rizin lightweight champion Luis Gustavo, 30, of Brazil in a three-round non-title bout at a contracted weight of 71 kilograms.

The two last met at Rizin 15 in April 2019 — 7 years and 8 months ago — when Asakura handed Gustavo the first loss of his professional career with a unanimous decision after a fierce striking exchange. Gustavo has since built his record consistently, claiming the lightweight title in May with a first-round TKO of Ihomu Nozimov. Asakura, meanwhile, competed primarily at featherweight before recently moving up to lightweight.

It was Gustavo who pushed for the rematch, expressing his desire to fight the man who handed him his first defeat — and offering to put the championship belt on the line.

Rizin lightweight champion Luis Gustavo, who will face Mikuru Asakura in a rematch 7 years and 8 months in the making. [Personal SNS]

Rizin also wanted a title fight, but Asakura disagreed, saying it would not be fair for someone who had only just begun competing at lightweight to jump ahead of other contenders for a title shot.

Asakura said beating a champion, even without a belt at stake, would be enough to prove his worth. He most recently won at lightweight in September, stopping Japanese MMA veteran Shinya Aoki by TKO in the first round.

However, the possibility of the bout being upgraded to a title fight has not been ruled out entirely. Rizin left the door open to that change when announcing the matchup.

Also on the card is featherweight champion Razalbek Sheidulaev, 26, of Kyrgyzstan — the fighter who handed Asakura a painful defeat — who will defend his title against 20-year-old Japanese prospect Kyoma Akimoto.

The unbeaten Sheidulaev stopped Asakura by TKO in the first round last December. In September, he also defeated former Bellator champion AJ McKee, who competed under the PFL banner, to hold titles from both organizations.

yjc@heraldcorp.com