Rizin Fighting Federation Announces ‘World Series in Korea’ Event for May 31

Okay, so let me just spill this out. Picture this: a collision of two countries, Japan and Korea, in the ring. And not like one of those “meh” events; no, this is full-blown chaos and punches. Rizin Fighting Federation is going all out next month in South Korea. They kinda blurted out the deets at this press doohickey. Paradise City — yep, that’s in Incheon, South Korea, mark your calendars for May 31st. Side note: Paradise City sounds like a place with lots of neon lights and overpriced cocktails. Probably wrong though — gotta Google that later.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, right, so they’ve got this fancy name for it: “World Series in Korea.” I mean, it sounds more like baseball, but who’s naming these things? Okay, little confession — not every fight takes this ‘country vs. country’ vibe. The main event’s this epic lightweight showdown between Rizin’s own champ, Roberto Satoshi de Souza, and Gladiator king Won Bin Ki. Now, throw in some other fighters too because why not. It’s mostly a Japan-Korea face-off, but they tossed a few others in there for… flavor?

Let me try to remember some matchups without getting brain fog, alright? Soo Chul Kim’s gonna spar with Shoko Sato — both are bantamweight guys. Lightweight’s gonna see Juri Ohara take on Johnny Case. Might tune in for that one. Featherweights? That’s Hyuk Min Ji versus Koji Takeda. Got Ji Yong Yang and Yuto Hokamura clashing at bantamweight too. And I think there’s more, like, Young Jae Song versus Yoshiki Nakahara featherweight duel. Plus, Yu Ri Shim will face Keito Oyama in super atomweight, which honestly sounds like a superhero category. There’s still Si Won Kim against Sho Patrick Usami, smacking it out at lightweight. Oh, and there’s a catchweight bout between Yong Cheol Kwon and Kota Miura — they’re going at 139 pounds. Still with me?

Almost forgot the kickboxing part. Sang Hae Jo versus Hide Meison Usami, and then Beom Jun Kang against Seiya Inoue. That’s your kickboxing fix right there.

Quick tidbit on de Souza — the Brazilian dude’s on a roll. Dude’s on a winning spree at Rizin. Finished his last three opponents in, like, the first round each? He’s 35 and most recently choked out Vugar Karamov on a night when folks typically just drink champagne. December 31st, in case you were wondering.

Now about Ki, the Korean gladiator guy. He was on the Road to UFC journey. Earned a TKO over Tatsuya Saika, second round, just last May. Feels like a lifetime ago. Right, that’s it. I’m chomping on popcorn when this event drops.