The year 2015 was the first year in the history of the Rizin Fighting Federation, a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

promotion based in Japan. 2015 started with Rizin World Grand-Prix 2015: Part 1 - Iza and ended with Rizin World Grand-Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba . It started broadcasting through a television agreement with

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

Background

On September 19, 2015 during Bellator 142 Dynamite 1 event, it was announced that

Pride FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts eve ...

co-founder

Nobuyuki Sakakibara is a Japanese businessman and mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter. He is known for his executive role in Dream Stage Entertainment, including its promotions Pride Fighting Championships and Fighting Opera Hustle, and works as the current preside ...

had signed one of the most successful and famous Heavyweight Fighter in history, Former Pride Heavyweight Champion The Last Emperor

Fedor Emelianenko Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko ( rus, Фёдор Влади́мирович Емелья́ненко, r=Fyodor Vladimirovich Yemelyanenko, p=ˈfʲɵdər vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ jɪmʲɪˈlʲjænʲɪnkə, IPA; born ...

to headline his new promotion’s New Year’s Eve Show in Tokyo. On October 8, 2015 The former President of

, Sakakibara held a press conference to announce his return to

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on strike (attack), striking, grappling and ground f ...

with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sakakibara returned to mainstream

, along with

Nobuhiko Takada Nobuhiko Takada ( ja, 高田伸彦, ring name: ) (born April 12, 1962) is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UW ...

and other former

employees. Rizin partnered with Bellator MMA to allow former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal to compete the Rizin's inaugural grand prix. Eventually, King Mo won the 8 man Heavyweight tournament with a prize of $300,000.

List of events

100 Kg Heavyweight Grand-Prix bracket

Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba

'' Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 1 - Saraba '' was an inaugural

event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on December 29, 2015 at the

Saitama Super Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making i ...

in Saitama, Japan.

Results

Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza

'' Rizin World Grand Prix 2015: Part 2 - Iza '' was a

event held by the Rizin Fighting Federation on December 31, 2015 at the

in Saitama, Japan.

Results

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External links

* http://www.rizinff.com/en/ * http://www.tapology.com/search?term=rizin&mainSearchFilter=events Rizin Fighting Federation 2015 in mixed martial arts 2015 in Japanese sport