Danny Sabatello Delivers Brutal Third-Round KO at Rizin Landmark 15

Danny Sabatello has spent his career tagged as a grinder. That label looked outdated Saturday night in Hiroshima.

The Rizin bantamweight champion stopped Jinnosuke Kashimura with a crushing right hand 40 seconds into the third round at Rizin Landmark 15, according to Sherdog. Kashimura crashed to the canvas unconscious and left the cage on a stretcher. Sabatello improved to 19-4-1 overall and 5-0 under the Rizin banner, weathering early strikes and two inverted triangle attempts before finding the finish with what may be the best punch of his eight-year pro run.

Sabatello Outgrapples and Outstikes Kashimura Across Three Rounds

Kashimura landed a head kick and left hook in the opening frame and briefly trapped Sabatello in an inverted triangle, but the American reversed the scramble and dropped his challenger with a right hook late in the round. The second frame saw Kashimura pull guard repeatedly in search of submissions while Sabatello stayed on top and punched the ribs and head. By the third, Kashimura tried to lure the fight back to the mat. Sabatello refused, kept the action standing, and connected flush. The champion leapt in the air as soon as the knockout was confirmed.

After the finish, Sabatello said he wants to become the first fighter to defend a Rizin title four times in one calendar year. He plans to compete again at Super Rizin 5 in September.

In the featherweight co-main, Karshyga Dautbek ended a cautious opening round by flattening Kyohei Hagiwara with a left hook at 4:08. Dautbek has not lost in more than seven years and called for a title shot afterward. Yrysbek Tilenov debuted with a second-round stoppage of wrestler Shinobu Ota, landing a spinning back kick and knees before the bout was waved off at 3:04 of Round 2.

Original reporting:

• sherdog.com — Danny Sabatello silences critics with brutal KO at Rizin Landmark 15