A 100th career victory for ‘John’ Wayne Parr will have to wait, as the Muay Thai legend came up short in his Rizin debut on Sunday, losing to Danilo Zanolini via split decision.
Contested under Rizin kickboxing rules, Parr started strong, attacking, in particular, his opponent’s legs. A high kick from the Japanese based Brazilian opened up a cut on the top of the Aussie’s head as he finished the round strong.
It was much the same for the next couple rounds with Parr seeming to have the clear advantage in the number of strikes, especially in round two while Zanolini attacked with sporadic power shots and did well in walking through anything Parr did throw, not ever looking in serious danger.
John Wayne Parr’s centennial win must wait, as Danilo Zanolini (42-12) outdoes the legend in each man’s respective RIZIN debut. Relentless aggression and a slew of hard shots nab the Brazilian a split decision. #RIZIN18 #RIZINFF #RIZIN2019 pic.twitter.com/btQ2zcB5Xc
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) August 18, 2019
The first judge awarded the bout to Parr but the next two gave the fight to Zanolini, much to the bitter disappointment of the 43-year-old Parr.
Also on the card, under MMA rules, Australia’s Trent Girdham put on an entertaining battle before he was submitted by Victor Henry in a back-and-forth battle which was interrupted with multiple low-blows from both fighters. Training out of Tiger Muay Thai, 22-year-old Girdham was
Henry, the current Deep bantamweight titleholder, secured the inverted triangle submission in the last round to give the Josh Barnett trained fighter a winning start in his Rizin debut. The 32-year-old moves to 19-4 while Girdham drops to 11-3.
Josh Barnett’s globetrotting, ass-kicking protégé puts on a show in his RIZIN debut, as Victor Henry (19-4) taps Trent Girdham with an amazing reverse triangle choke! The DEEP champ boosts his tear to seven and sets himself up for a shot at Horiguchi. #RIZIN18 #RIZINFF #RIZIN2019 pic.twitter.com/vT6RIYcPgN
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) August 18, 2019
There was a major upset in the main event of the night with Kai Asakura upsetting Bellator and Rizin champion Kyoji Horiguchi. The 25-year-old prospect needed just 68-seconds to tear through Horiguchi. Luckily for the champion, it was previously determined that the bout would be a non-title affair.
Kai Asakura (13-1) shocks the world, lamping the two-division, two-promotion terror himself, Kyoji Horiguchi, in no time flat! A star is born as the former Outsider champ is now 5-0 in RIZIN. He has ended 10, eight apiece in round one or by knockout. #RIZIN18 #RIZINFF #RIZIN2019 pic.twitter.com/cPOjr62vY8
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) August 18, 2019
Expect these two to rematch for the title down the road in what will be a highly anticipated rematch for the promotion.
MMA fights:
- Kai Asakura def. Kyoji Horiguchi via TKO (Strikes), Rd 1
- Ayaka Hamasaki def. Suwanan Boonsorn via Submission (Armbar), Rd 1
- Victor Henry def. Trent Girdham (Australia) via Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke), Rd 3
- Manel Kape def. Takeya Mizugaki via KO (Punch), Rd 2
- Haruo Ochi vs. Jarred Brooks – No Contest
- Hiroto Uesako def. Yves Landu via TKO (Strikes), Rd 2
- Justin Scoggins def. Kazuma Sone via Decision (Unanimous)
- Takaki Soya def. Yutaro Muramoto via TKO (Strikes), Rd 2
- Ai Shimizu def. Tabatha Ann Watkins via Decision (Unanimous)
Kickboxing fights:
- Danilo Zanolini def. John Wayne Parr (Australia) via Decision (Split)
- Kazuki Osaki def. Takiya Shota via Decision (Unanimous)
- Ryuji Horio def. Uchu Sakurai via Decision (Unanimous)
John Wayne Parr on Mundine bout: “This is my Rocky Balboa moment”
