Nobuyuki Sakakibara on ”The Human Drama” of Rizin NYE 2023

Nobuyuki Sakakibara is the former Pride and current Rizin figurehead. Rizin 45 looms ever closer and continues the rich tradition of combat sports transpiring on New Year's Eve in Japan.

Sakakibara appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to touch on several subjects including: -RIZIN Azerbaijan being the company's first international card and Rizin USA being a bucket list idea in the future with some US jurisdictions approving similar rulesets to Rizin

-some of the big narratives heading into Rizin 45 in the context of seeing the New Year's Eve show as something that sees all of the calendar year's big storylines culminating

-the confluence of elements that remind people of Pride but also being forward thinking to carve a distinctly unique Rizin identity

-learning so much from Antonio Inoki and the discourse had with Kota Ibushi having a shoot fight under the Rizin FF banner

-the PFL-Bellator MMA merger, the future of co-promoted shows with Bellator, and if any dialogue has been had with PFL about some inter-promotional collaboration

-what the projected viewership metrics for Rizin 45 are looking like