Razhabali Shaidulloev Draws Kyoma Akimoto for Fifth RIZIN Title Defense

Kyoma Akimoto asked for Razhabali Shaidulloev. On New Year's Eve, the 20-year-old challenger gets the undefeated champion and the hardest assignment in RIZIN's featherweight division.

RIZIN announced the title fight for Super RIZIN 6 on December 31 at Vantelin Dome Nagoya. It will be Shaidulloev's fifth defense of the featherweight belt and Akimoto's first championship bout.

The numbers make the gap look severe. Shaidulloev is 20-0 with 19 finishes. Akimoto is 13-1 and still two weeks shy of his 21st birthday. The challenger has earned the shot, though, with six straight wins and a 2026 run that included victories over former Bellator champion Patchy Mix and former RIZIN champion Kleber Koike.

Akimoto takes the fastest road to the belt

Akimoto acknowledged at Tuesday's announcement that plenty of people do not think he can win. He said he believes otherwise and wants the fight to match the event's "Gekokujo" theme, a reference to an underdog overthrowing the established order.

That is more than promotional talk after the year he has put together. Akimoto stopped Mix in March, then beat Koike by decision in August despite injuring his left hand. He asked for Shaidulloev after the champion's September win over A.J. McKee and did not have to wait long for an answer.

The matchup also forces Akimoto to solve a problem nobody has solved in 20 professional fights. Shaidulloev has overwhelmed opponents with pressure, takedowns and finishing instincts. Even when McKee became the first man to take him to a decision, Shaidulloev controlled enough of the fight to leave with both the RIZIN and PFL featherweight titles.

Akimoto's speed and footwork give him a real route into the fight. He will need them for every minute he remains standing. One slow exit toward the ropes could give Shaidulloev the grip and top position he has used to flatten almost everyone else.

Shaidulloev's last RIZIN contract fight

Gong Kakutogi reported that the title defense is the final fight on Shaidulloev's current RIZIN contract. MMA Fighting also described it as his final promotional appearance before he joins MVP MMA in 2027. RIZIN's official announcement focused on the title defense and did not address what happens to the belt afterward.

Shaidulloev did not treat the occasion like a farewell at the press conference. He thanked the Japanese crowd and said Akimoto had already produced strong results for such a young fighter, then calmly added that he expects to be the stronger man on December 31.

The champion has been brutal in Japanese rings. He stopped Koike in 62 seconds to win the RIZIN title, then ran through a series of defenses before McKee finally dragged him to the scorecards in September. Akimoto will be the youngest challenger of that run and perhaps the quickest striker Shaidulloev has faced.

Super RIZIN 6 takes shape

RIZIN also booked a lightweight rematch between champion Luiz Gustavo and Mikuru Asakura, although the promotion has not decided whether Gustavo's belt will be at stake. Saori Oshima faces Natasha Kuziutina in a super atomweight title fight, while Chihiro Suzuki meets YA-MAN in a featherweight bout.

CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara called Shaidulloev-Akimoto and Gustavo-Asakura double-main-event caliber matchups. The final bout order has not been set.

The promotion is aiming for 40,000 fans at Vantelin Dome Nagoya. If Akimoto can turn his confidence into an upset, RIZIN will have the kind of New Year's Eve result its "Gekokujo" billing promises. If he cannot, Shaidulloev will close this chapter with a fifth defense and an unbeaten record intact.