Shinya Aoki to retire against Kazushi Sakuraba's son, 11 years after beating his father
He was Kazushi Sakuraba's last MMA opponent in 2015. Now Aoki ends his own career against Taisei Sakuraba at Super RIZIN 6 in Nagoya on 31 December.
Shinya Aoki will retire from MMA on New Year's Eve, and RIZIN has handed him a final opponent with history attached: Taisei Sakuraba, the son of Kazushi Sakuraba.
RIZIN confirmed the bout on Sunday. It takes place at Super RIZIN 6 at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya on Thursday 31 December, with the show scheduled to start at 1pm local time (4am UK time).
Eleven years ago Aoki was the last opponent of Kazushi Sakuraba's MMA career. He stopped Sakuraba in the first round in the main event of RIZIN's first show, at the Saitama Super Arena on 29 December 2015.
Aoki, 43, goes into his last fight off a knockout loss. Mikuru Asakura knocked him out with punches at 2:39 of the first round at Super RIZIN 5 in Osaka on 10 September, in Aoki's first RIZIN appearance in a decade, leaving his record at 49-13. Asakura is on the New Year's Eve card too, against Luiz Gustavo.
Featherweight champion Razhabali Shaydullaev's farewell RIZIN fight, against Kyoma Akimoto, headlines the show.
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