We are Rizin

In this HEARTS trifecta interview, Andrew & Christian talk to Hiroto Uesako. Toshiomi Kazama, and Hirotaka Nakada on their upcoming fights at Pancrase 318. At the time of this interview's recording, Uesako had a fight scheduled but it was nixed and he will be fighting against Koshi Matsumoto at Pancrase 319 10/25. Toshiomi Kazama is looking to rebound from his debut loss as he takes on Atsushi Ueda. Hirotaka Nakada will be taking on Yu Karino in the finals of the LW Neo-Blood Tournament. You can watch the show live and free on Pancrase's Youtube channel 9/27. You can follow all the fighters: Uesako on Twitter & Instagram (Hiroto_Uesako) Kazama on Instagram (k.toshiomibjj)& Twitter (toshiOMI_0515) Nakada on Twitter (Hirotaka_MMA) & Instagram (hirotaka_0401)

Andrew & Christian are joined by Bellator & RIZIN fan TeeptotheJunk to talk about the Bellator 245 and Bellator 246 shows. Bellator 245 was an awful show. Bellator 246 was the polar opposite and was an AWESOME show that saw a new BW champion crowned, some awesome finishes. the retirement of Jon Fitch, and a great way to end Bellator's tenure on the Paramount Network.

Andrew and Christian talk to former sumo wrestler, Sudario Tsuyoshi, who will be making his MMA debut at RIZIN 24 against pro wrestler Dylan James. Topics include how Sudario is adapting to MMA training, why doesn't miss chanko nabe, training under Enson Inoue, responding to Dylan James' statements at a recent RIZIN press conference, what his goals are for his MMA career, and how he plans to carve his niche among sumo wrestlers turned MMA fighters. Enson Inoue translates and also talks about his reaction that Sudario would be fighting a pro wrestler, how he thinks Sudario is adapting to the MMA training regime, and what his goals for Sudario are. You can follow either on their respective social medias: Sudario Tsuyoshi: Twitter: @TSUYOSHIKAMIYA3 Instagram: tsuyoshi__13 Enson Inoue: Twitter: @ensoninoue Instagram: ensoninoue Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian with WAR translator LJ talk to "The Underground Emperor" Kyohei Hagiwara about his upcoming fight against Takahiro Ashida at RIZIN 24. Besides the fight, topics include getting the call for RIZIN 22, getting his start in underground fighting, if he's interested in fighting Mikuru, his personal passions which include motorcycles, what his tattoos represent, and the difficulties they cause in his everyday life. Follow Kyohei Hagiwara in the following social medias: Twitter: pax12_k Instagram: k12_smoker Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew and Christian with the help of WAR translator LJ interview Takahiro Ashida who fight Kyohei Hagiwara at RIZIN 24. Topics include how he got his start in MMA, his thoughts on his opponent, what it's like training at the BRAVE Gym, and what he does outside of fighting. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF. Twitter: mmaTakahiro Instagram: ashidatakahiro

Andrew & Chrisitan with WAR translator LJ talk to DEEP and Grachan fighter Lebana Ezekiel who fights out of the BRAVE gym. Topics include when he moved from the Congo to Japan, getting into MMA, his second fight in his pro career at DEEP 96, how he wants to improve as fighter, and his goals as an MMA fighter. Follow him on Instagram at @lebanaezechiel

In this non-combat sports edition of WAR, Andrew talks to one of the hosts of the Youtube horror movie podcast Topkvlt, Kyle Davis. Kyle first reviews the excellent RIZIN 20 show. After Kyle, talks about his podcast and gives his recommendations for horror movies, why political correctness hurts horror, and some awful horror movies you should not watch. Check out his channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgT4_3dK_OomPTKQWUPz-SQ

Andrew & Christian are joined by Bellator expert TeeptotheJunk (TeeptotheJunk on Twitter) to look at the Bellator 245 and Bellator 246 fight cards.

Andrew is joined by Bellator expert TeeptotheJunk to talk about the Bellator 244 results. They go over all the winners, losers, future matchups for Bader and Nemkov. why Roy Nelson should hang em up, why John Salter is better than Yoel Romero, the awesome Outlax/Piccolotti match, the stacked 170 division, and much more.

Andrew and TrashyColeFan discuss the awesome RIZIN 23 show. They talk about their experience watching on RIZIN Live, the cost of the PPV, what to do with the winners and losers, how awesome Makoto Shinryu is, what to do about Taiga, and also one of the worst fights of the year. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew and Christian are joined by Bellator expert TeepToTheJunk to talk about the Bellator 244 card which has two former RIZIN fighters booked in the main and co-main. Valentin Moldavsky takes on Roy Nelson and Vadim Nemkox takes on Ryan Bader for the LHW title.

Andrew & Christian are joined by Fight Prose to discuss the RIZIN 22. They go over all the fights, talk about future fights to make, what happens with Yusuke Yachi after this loss, finding new opponents for Nadaka Yoshinari, and who can be the next contender for the bantamweight title. Photo courtesy of Rizin FF.

Andrew and Christian with guest TrashyColeFan talk about the RIZIN 23 card. They go over all the fights, speculate on the international distribution (this was recorded before the announcement of RIZIN Live), talk about how some fights can end in a 2020 way, and answer social media questions. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian are joined by Eric from Fight Prose to talk about RIZIN's return show, RIZIN 22. They talk about all the fights, pick their winners, and talk about the status of the international distribution of the show. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF. Follow Fight Prose at https://twitter.com/FightProse Visit their website at https://fightprose.substack.com/

Andrew & Christian talk to Hirotaka Nakada & Mamoru Uoi "Fullswing." Nakada is fresh off his professional MMA debut winning and advancing in the Pancrase Lightweight Neo-Blood Tournament. We talk about his win, the advice coach Kenji Osawa was giving him in between rounds, what he thinks about his opponent in the finals, and other topics. Fullswing will be taking on Yuki Motoya at RIZIN 23 in a bantamweight match. Topics include how he earned the nickname, changing his camp to the HEARTS gym, what he does outside of fighting, his thoughts on Motoya, starting out as an MMA fighter with 2 draws and a loss, and other topics. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian welcome Daryl Lokoku who competes against shootboxer Kaito in a kickboxing match at RIZIN 23. Topics include his beginnings as an MMA fighter training in the Congo, being a POC in Japan and the difficulties it brings, his RIZIN contract status, thoughts on Kaito, and what he does when he is not training for a fight. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian talk to UWFi wrestler Steve Nelson in this segment looking back at the UWFi. Nelson is a champion in Sambo, pro wrestler, MMA fighter, who comes from a pro wrestling family. Topics include how he got into sambo, getting into pro wrestling, getting into the UWFi, thoughts on pro wrestling then vs now, fighting in MMA when it was a new sport, Evan Tanner, getting offered a UFC fight against a famous Russian wrestler, and so much more! Photo courtesy of Steve Nelson.

Andrew & Christian talk to two pro debuting fighters on Pancrase 316 on 7/24. Hirotaka Nakada makes his debut in the Neo-Blood LW tournament and BJJ purple belt Toshiomi Kazama makes his debut against Hiroyasu Sakurai. Both fighters fight of the HEARTS Dojo.

Break out the White Claws!!! RIZIN is back! Andrew & Christian talk about the return press conferences, what's been announced so far, pros/cons of only Japanese shows, international distribution, Tofiq Musayev, Floyd Mayweather, Tenshin's return match for RISE this weekend, the K-1 Krush main even this weekend, Alesha Zappitella/LVS, Jiri's UFC debut, and the Kyoko Kimura/Fuji TV situation.

In this non-RIZIN edition of WAR, Andrew & Christian are joined by Night of the Comet expert Tom Ryan. Ryan is an actor who is friends with NOTC star Catherine Mary Stewart. The three talk about the movie's production, it's reclusive director, their favorite scenes, how it started it off as a much darker movie, the music, the competition it faced on opening weekend. and much more! To join the NOTC fan page on Facebook, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NightoftheComet/

In this non-MMA edition of We are RIZIN, Andrew & Christian talk to "Night of the Comet" lead actress Catherine Mary Stewart. Topics include the audition process for NOTC, how she is occupying her time in the current COVID pandemic, the NOTC action figures, what she would be doing if she wasn't an actress, and much more!

Andrew & Christian return to talk about the much-underrated shootfighting promotion UWFi. Without UWFi, there would likely be no Pride, MMA, and Bloodsport. The hosts talk to UWFi English commentator Ted Pelc. Pelc is also responsible for bringing the UWFi overseas to North America and the UK. Topics include how he got involved with UWFi, being a martial arts student under the tough Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask), if a promotion like UWFi could work today, working on the first Pride show, interactions with the UWFi roster, his work with promotion Real Japan Pro Wrestling, and so much more. Check out UWFi under the title "Bushido: Way of the Warrior" on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Bushido-Way-Of-The-Warrior/dp/B07N6MKTNZ/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=bushido&qid=1592861725&s=instant-video&sr=1-4 Real Japan Pro Wrestling returns this weekend on June 26. You can watch the show live on Nico Nico TV.

Andrew & Christian are joined by Bellator expert TeeptotheJunk to discuss the future of the promotion post coronavirus. They look at possible matches to book down the line, where to book the shows, RIZIN/Bellator relationship, why Jiri Prochzaka didn't go to Bellator and go through all the divisions to see what should be done.

In this episode, J. Christian Gary takes the microphone for the most of the episode to talk about the George Floyd protests, his experience with the law as a POC, the rioting, and a little bit about where MMA at the end post-pandemic/George Floyd protests will be. Intro is from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-DqkvSNhjM&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1DfuS-Kr5Ofn8LpgXwz4TK60jvBXuKjm1CkXPghfifYuNH7PG9VATo95Y

Andrew and Christian with special guest Joseph Matos discuss the incredibly deep and fun pro wrestling game Fire Pro Wrestling World for PC and PS4. Matos, who is an expert on the game and runs his own sims, joins to talk about the history of FPW, the user interface, different modes, and why it is is one of the best wrestling games on the market. Check out Joseph Matos' Fire Pro Wrestling World sim channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/JMFactor

Andrew & Christian talk to Invicta's Jillian DeCoursey who has been looking to fight RIZIN's Ai Shimizu. Topics include how she got into MMA, training during COVID, and why she wants to fight Shimizu.

Andrew & Christian review the first MMA show in Guam in many years. Roque Martinez's Brawl is an MMA show where there MUST be a finish in the time allotted. Andrew & Christian review all the fights, talk about who stood out, whether finish fights only work or not, and Jon Tuck's recent arrest. You can watch the show in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COFOr7sefLU&t=12380s

Andrew and Christian talk to Pancrase Neo-Blood competitor Hirotaka Nakada, in his first English language interview, who fights out of the famed Wajutsu Keishukai HEARTS. Nakada's pro debut fight was initially scheduled to happen on May 31 but has been pushed to July 5 for Pancrase 316. This interview was recorded in early April. You can see his fight on UFC Fight Pass. Topics include how Nakada got started in MMA, where he learned English, what it's like to be making his pro debut, what his family thinks of him fighting, what his MMA career aspirations are, and many more topics.

Andrew & Christian w/ guest Daniel Dziubicki (follow on twitter @DDziubicki) review the DEEP 94 Impact show from March. They go over all the fights, look at who might be "Rizin worthy," future opponents for some of the bigger name opponents, JACK, discuss if the hype behind Shinryu is deserved, talk about W/L in MMA, and much more.

Andrew & Christian are joined by WMMANews' MarQ to talk about Deep Jewels 28, as of now the last Deep Jewels event to be put on. They go over all the fights, talk about which fighters could be brought into RIZIN, the microweight division, King Reina's future as an MMA fighter, and potential opponents for Gabi Garcia in RIZIN. Check out Deep Jewels 28 full show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVg1WTIfq9o&t=1718s

Andrew and Christian manage to track down the Bellator Japan Post Lims and review all the fights months after they aired only in Japan.

Andrew Talks with TMDMAT, who runs the Pride Resurrection Youtube Channel. PR posts videos from the obscure JMMA scene of yesterday including PRIDE, Rings, Pancrase, and others. Topics include the origins of the channel, Nobuhiko Takeda hate, why UFC misses the fun of PRIDE, and pro wrestling. Check out the channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP2-xsIhfohVj0kTkF88dLg

In this interview recorded before the RISE 2020 GP was canceled, Andrew talked with Fritz Biagtan about participating in the tournament.

In this breaking news audio, Andrew talks with MMASucka's Joshua Yule about the breaking news that RIZIN Bantamweight champion Manel Kape signed with UFC. In the second segment, Andrew and J. Christian Gary talk about the signing. Topics include speculation to why he signed, what will be done with the RIZIN BW title, and who should Kape fight in his debut. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

In this K-1 edition of WAR, Andrew & Christian & guest Karaev_Fan talk the K'Festa 3. Topics include whether it was smart to hold a public show during the coronavirus pandemic, looking at all the fights, background on the fighters, where the fighters go next, why some kickboxers go back their first name only, Takeru's emotional post-fight speech, and if 2020 is the year for Takeru vs Tenshin.

With Andrew and Christian under quarantine, the two decide to shoot the shit on a variety of topics. The two talk about Mania and it's two day empty arena booking, Gal Gadot's dumb "Imagine" video, and UFC releases and where the fighters might wind up in the current coronavirus pandemic.

Before Coronavirus canceled Bloodsport and all the other Mania weekeend shows, Andrew & Christian talked to Thomas Santell who was supposed to take on Hideki Suzuki at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport 3. Topics included his time in WWE, wrestling in AJPW, his post WWE career, and thoughts on his opponent.

Andrew, Christian and Combat Republic's Mike review the great RIZIN 21 show. Topics include the pre show drama between RIZIN and Fite, the pitiful promotion of this show internationally, picking future fights for the winners and losers, RIZIN in the Tokyo Dome, and other topics. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

In a rare interview, Andrew and Christian talk to Daniel Salas, who takes on Mikuru Asakura in the main event of RIZIN 21. Topics include, how he got into MMA, what he would do if he wasn't an MMA fighter, thoughts on his opponent and other topics. NOTE: Apologies for the audio quality. It was partially recorded in a cafe.

Andrew & Chrisitan preview RIZIN's first show of 2020, RIZIN 21 from the Hamamatsu Arena. Before discussing all the fights, the two discuss the future of RIZIN and FITE and what other avenues RIZIN could stream their shows internationally.

Returning guest Victor Henry talks about his upcoming fight against Masanori Kanehara at RIZIN 21. Topics include facing Kanehara this time in an MMA match, doing stunts in film, his worst MMA performance, being recognized in public, and a host of other topics.

In this double edition of Spike 22 interviews, Andrew talks to Roque Martinez and Kyle Aguon in two separate interviews. Both fighters talk about their respective fights coming up at RIZIN 21, their opponents, training with one another and other topics.

Andrew & Christian give their annual Soccer Kick Awards to the best and worst of RIZIN 2019. Also discussed is the state of the podcast, plans going forward, changes to the format, and also RIZIN Resolutions for 2020. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

In this Bellator edition of We are RIZIN, Andrew and TeeptotheJunk do a fast-paced look at the Bellator 238 card. They look at the winners who stood out, seeing Cyborg in RIZIN, Julia Budd vs Gabi Garcia, Jiri, and Aaron Pico.

Andrew (with a cold) & Chrisitan talk to Damien "Beatdown" Brown. Brown is looking to return to a RIZIN ring for a fight and makes the case why he should be on the RIZIN 21 card coming. He talks about potential opponents like Mikuru Asakura, free agency, fighting in Japan and the Australia bush fires.

Andrew, Christian (by text message) and TeeptotheJunk review the AWESOME Rizin 20 show. They cover all the fights, pick their favorite finishes, talk about who the winners/losers should fight next, talk about the great attendance figure vs the bad TV ratings, and ask if this is the best RIZIN show ever. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian are joined by wrestling announcer and Twitch streamer Johan Yusof to talk about the RIZIN 20 card live from the famous Saitama Super Arena New Year's Eve. They go over all the fights, pick their winners, if Tenshin is moving on from RIZIN next year, title contenders and more

Andrew & Christian are joined by TeeptotheJunk to preview all of the matches on the main card of Bellator Japan. They look at all the fights, debate whether MVP has made a career fighting cans and if this match will sway any such opinions, and preview the grand main event of Fedor's last match in Japan Fedor vs Rampage. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew & Christian are joined by Bellator expert TeeptotheJunk to talk about the Bellator Japan Post lim matches (which may or may not be available outside Japan at this time). They look at all the fights, breakdown the winners and losers, fantasy book some future Bellator matches, and lament the negatives of streaming services. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.

Andrew and Christian talk to former King of Pancrase BW champion and RIZIN BW GP Finalist Shintaro Ishiwatari. Topics include how he got into MMA, why he vacated the Pancrase title, his thoughts on who wins Kape/Asakura, Kyoji Horiguchi, and other topics. Photo courtesy of RIZIN FF.