A young champion and an experienced veteran are both eager to put their names forward as the next ace of RISE.
The brightest hope of RISE and its most enduring name are set to clash on December 14 in the main event of RISE 194.
The reigning super flyweight champion Ryu Hanaoka has—barring a pair of hiccups against Tsubasa and Jin Mandokoro—quickly established himself as the pre-eminent name in the lower weight classes of the Japanese kickboxing scene. While many have anticipated a clash between him and world super flyweight champion Kazuki Osaki, it has yet to come to fruition, and the young fighter has instead opted to move up to bantamweight to test another veteran.
Masahiko Suzuki, the former bantamweight champion, appeared to be on the downturn of his career until recently, having suffered losses to several top names at his weight—Akihiro Kaneko, Shiro, and Koki Osaki. The past-his-prime veteran, however, has proven he is still a class above most bantamweight fighters, earning three wins in his past four bouts, and he may yet pose problems for the young champion.