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Rizin FF

Mark it down as one final victory for Scott Coker and Bellator MMA in 2022. The promotion sent out five of its best fighters -- including a current champion -- to compete against the best that Rizin had to offer on Saturday and came away passing the test with flying colors.

Bellator MMA vs. Rizin kicked off New Year's Eve in Japan with an incredible event taking place inside a ring under Rizin rules. The main event saw former featherweight champion AJ McKee battle Roberto Satoshi Souza to a unanimous decision victory in some good back-and-forth action between the grappling aces. 

"I'm just trying to embrace it all. Being here in Japan and fighting in front of all the fans, it's an experience," McKee said after his win. "It's an honor to be here and an honor to put on a great show. I'm a warrior, and I've returned from battle. What better way to represent this culture. I would've gone out like a warrior. If he had caught me in a triangle, I would've gone to sleep. That's just the kind of warrior I am."

Current Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull also secured a unanimous decision victory by dominating Kleber Koike, who holds the Rizin featherweight championship. Pitbull did not allow Koike an avenue to find success in the fight as he dictated every part of the action in the ring. 

Other results included former bantamweight king Juan Archlueta taking a split decision from Soo Chul Kim, Kyoji Horiguchi demolishing Hiromasa Ougikubo in a flyweight contest and Gadzhi Rabadanov taking down Koji Takeda at lightweight.

The real highlights of the night, however, came from the walkouts as each fighter took on their own interpretation of the warrior. Archuleta called back to his heritage with his Aztec warrior headdress and weanopry.

"I am 'The Spaniard'; my fight name is 'The Spaniard.' My father's side comes from Spain, but on my mom's side, my family comes from Mexico, from Native Meso-Americans. [My walkout costume paid tribute to] those warriors that represent what the emperor selected; real, true warriors hand-selected by the emperor," Archuleta said. "Here in RIZIN, I was able to represent the other side of my culture. It's not only the samurai, it means something to me: the jaguar warrior. I wanted to bring that to your eyes, to show you that there are other warriors. Just like the bushido code in Japan. That was honor, and that was real respect. To pay homage to that was to pay tribute to my Aztec family, and that was the 'jaguar warrior.'"

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