Brutal KO and backflip against the cage! The Russian returned to Rizin after four years with a spectacular highlight, nearly blew his opponent’s head off

The MMA weekend on the domestic scene revolves around Oktagon 42 in Bratislava, however, there are a number of interesting tournaments taking place in the world of mixed martial arts. The Rizin gala in Tokyo kicked off with a great knockout, in which Russian Ali Abdulkhalikov nearly took his Japanese opponent’s head off.

Saturday night belongs to Oktagon 42 in Bratislava’s Ondrej Nepela Winter Stadium, but during the weekend the mixed martial arts world hosts tournaments by the UFC, Cage Warriors and Jiri Prochazka’s former organization Rizin.

The Rizin Landmark Vol. 5 tournament in Tokyo, Japan began this morning CET.

Spectators were treated to a great spectacle in the very first match of only the organization’s second gala of the year.

The card of nine total matches began with 29-year-old Russian Ali Abdulkhalikov, who returned to the organization after four long years.

Although he lost his debut match in Rizin, he made up for it today and provided the highlight of the evening.

Despite changing his opponent at the last minute, he didn’t let it get him down and put in a dominant performance against his Japanese opponent Tatsyu Saik. He finished the fight in the first round with a knockout that nearly blew his opponent’s head off.

After three and a half minutes, a great combination ending with a right hook sent his distracted opponent into dreamland.

He then finished the victory with a stylish back flip against the cage and the crowd went wild. A beautiful start to the MMA weekend.

Source:: Rizin, Twitter – Rizin FF English