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Hideo Tokoro has been with Rizin from the very beginning and that tradition continues this weekend. 'Little Volk' competed at the inaugural Rizin Fighting Federation card on Dec. 29, 2015, and he submitted Kizaemon Saiga with a first-round armbar in the process.
Hiroya Kondo will be the next to challenge Tokoro in a bout that transpires on July 28 in the year 2024 as part of the latest stacked RFF event.
Super Rizin 3 transpires at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and Kondo appears to be the kind of opponent to engage in a similar fan-friendly style to Tokoro. Kondo is a DEEP veteran and has a high finishing rate while also not typically getting finished in his losses. When discussing this contest which he sees as being a guaranteed fantastic fight, Tokoro said to me:
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"I think he's got a very good heart. He fights with good spirit, he's very aggressive. He's got tons of stamina and he's a crowd pleaser. He's that type of fighter where I was watching him fight and by the time I realize it, I'm cheering for him. So I think he's true professional in a fact where he delivers and he's a crowd pleaser. The fans get behind him."
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Check out the referenced Hideo Tokoro interview pre-Super Rizin 3 below:
Hideo Tokoro's storied career may end this weekend
Hideo Tokoro has been competing in the sport since the year 2000 and the 2011 DREAM bantamweight grand prix champion may hang up the gloves here. That is in the event he does not earn the win in this next outing. This is something he mentioned in the referenced interview heading into the Kondo contest.
The 46-year-old has had seventy professional mixed martial arts bouts and is in rarefied air having fought across an incredible seven weight categories. Tokoro has fought in MMA from flyweight to heavyweight against some of the most notable names in the sport over close to a quarter of a century spent competing.
The native of Gifu, Japan has competed against names like Royce Gracie, Masakazu Imanari, Kyoji Horiguchi, Victor Henry, Kron Gracie, and Joachim Hansen just to name a few.
Tokoro also referenced how this was the first time in his lengthy career he was not able to procure any tickets for his family and friends to attend. On a night that features Manny Pacquiao boxing, a pair of incredible BKFC bouts, and the best Japanese MMA has to offer, this does make a degree of sense but it is still impressive all the same.
