Seiya Inoue scored a first-round knockout over Ryusei Ashizawa after a chaotic exchange-heavy fight at RIZIN LANDMARK 16 in Nagasaki. Inoue floored Ashizawa with a counter left hook and ended the contest with ground strikes at 4:56 of the opening round.
The 61kg MMA bout was the fourth fight on the October 3 card at Nagasaki Stadium City’s HAPPINESS ARENA, with Inoue representing THE BLACKBELT JAPAN and Ashizawa competing as a free agent. The official result was recorded as a Round 1 KO, with the finishing sequence listed as left hook to pound.
Watch: Seiya Inoue Knocks Out Ryusei Ashizawa after wild Round 1 at RIZIN LANDMARK 16
There was little feeling-out process. Ashizawa came forward using knees and straight punches, while Inoue answered with combinations built around his one-two and hooks. Inoue landed first with a hard sequence that sent Ashizawa down, then followed him to the canvas with punches.
Ashizawa recovered, got back to his feet and returned fire, even dropping Inoue during the same stretch. That reversal changed the tone of the fight. Both men continued throwing in close range rather than trying to reset, trading punches during a round that quickly drew praise online.
One reaction called it a “Round of the year contender from Ryusei Ashizawa and Seiya Inoue,” while another said the matchup was “absolutely wild.” With seconds left in the round, Inoue found the cleanest shot of the night. As the pair exchanged punches, he landed a counter left hook that knocked Ashizawa backward to the mat.
Inoue immediately moved in with right-hand ground strikes, and the referee stepped in after seeing Ashizawa’s condition. The finish gave Inoue his second straight win under the RIZIN banner. The former RUSH ON kickboxing champion from Kumamoto had earned his first MMA win in June at RIZIN Sendai, where he knocked out Koki Akada with a hook. This result showed the same punching power under a far different level of pressure.
Inoue’s post-fight message reflected the physical cost of the bout. He wrote: “Won by a 1st round KO!! But I took quite a bit of damage, so I’ll get back to you once I’ve settled down! Thanks for the support.” Inside the ring, Inoue spoke warmly about Ashizawa despite pre-fight antagonism. He said he had admired Ashizawa for a long time and felt compelled to go all out once the fight was made. He also spoke about his father, who is battling cancer and was able to attend the event, making the victory a personal moment for the 22-year-old.
The victory carried personal weight for Inoue. He revealed that his father had undergone emergency surgery for cancer two weeks earlier and had been in a dangerous condition. Inoue did not know if his father would be able to attend the Nagasaki card, but he was in the arena for the bout. Speaking after the stoppage, Inoue addressed him from the ring: “Dad, when you see a son with this much to look forward to, you can’t die yet. Let’s keep fighting together.”
