RIZIN 55: Laramie Takes Flyweight Title In Japan

Canadian Tony Laramie dethroned flyweight champion Makoto Takahashi by split decision at RIZIN 55 on Saturday in Chiba, Japan.

Laramie pulled off the upset in a tight three-rounder at LaLa Arena Tokyo Bay, as MMA Mania reports, with over 10,000 fans watching the title change hands. In the co-main event, Yrysbek Tilenov dominated Naoki Inoue via unanimous decision, positioning himself for a bantamweight title fight against champion Danny Sabatello.

Slam KO and Ezekiel Choke Highlight Undercard

The undercard delivered several standout finishes. Jinnosuke Kashimura submitted Shinobu Ota with an Ezekiel choke from full guard in the third round, while Takumi Hamada stopped Sho Sekihara with a slam knockout late in the final frame. Tsukasa Mizoguchi needed just 22 seconds to lock up a rear-naked choke against Taichi Nakajima in the fastest finish of the night.

Kaleo Meheula knocked out Kazuki Aimoto with ground strikes in the second round, though the bout was ruled a no contest after Meheula missed weight. Nurkhan Zhumagazy stopped Kyung Pyo Kim with first-round punches, and Mac Papalii dropped Yukinori Akazawa with strikes midway through round two.

Tilenov's title shot against Sabatello is expected to be announced for a future RIZIN event.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — RIZIN 55 videos, highlights, results: Ezekiel chokes, slams and more from Chiba, Japan