Hiromasa Ougikubo looks to shine brightly at Rizin Landmark 14 on June 6th when he defends his RFF flyweight championship in a rematch against Makoto Shinryu. Touching on this looming sequel clash in the contest of what he sees as defined differences within his opponent, as compared to what he faced off with in their Super Rizin 3 fight in July 2024, Ougikubo said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So Shinryu is still very young, and it’s already been two years and I think young fighters can develop a lot in two years. He’s been training at ATT, and I’m sure the game of his level has risen for sure. But also for me in the past two years, I’ve also developed a lot of skills, and I think I’ve leveled up to. So I think we’re gonna show a much higher level fight than our first fight.”
Also of note on this card is what looks to be a title eliminator, but that could be outcome-dependent in the eyes of the reigning 125-pound titleholder for Rizin Fighting Federation. When breaking down the Rizin Landmark 14 fight with Tony Laramie clashing with Yuki Motoya, and if the victor could get that next crack at Rizin’s flyweight throne, Hiromasa Ougikubo stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So I think if Tony Laramie wins, if he beats Motoya, and obviously if I defeat Shinryu, I think it would make sense for me to defend my title against Tony Laramie. So I think that’s a no brainer, but if Motoya wins and I defend my title, I’m not sure if that fight will make sense. But obviously it’s going to be up to Rizin.”
Hiromasa Ougikubo calls for huge ending in big Rizin landmark 14 rematch title defense
Offering up an emphatic set of parting thoughts to wrap up his latest BTB appearance, Ougikubo quipped [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“I am going to knock him out in my first title defense. So please tune in and watch me finish this fight.”
