A Closer Look at RIZIN’s The Match 2 – Rematch between Ren Hiramoto and Mikuru Asakura in the Tokyo Dome
Ren Hiramoto and Mikuru Asakura are set to rematch in the main event of RIZIN: The Match 2 on May 4th, 2025.
Rizin Fighting Federation has been steadily growing since its inception in 2015. The promotion is a decade old and a true successor to Pride Fighting Championship. It has freakshow matches, allows soccer kicks, and has bred successful MMA stars. Such as Jiri Prochazka, Manel Kape, and even Vadim Nemkov.
However, new homegrown talent has recently taken center stage in Rizin. Former kickboxer Ren Hiramoto and former Rizin featherweight title challenger Mikuru Asakura, who are extremely popular in Japan, are the biggest stars in Rizin today.
Despite being the most prominent stars for the promotion, they share a remarkably heated rivalry. The two fighters have very different personalities and public personas, which have led to them becoming, at least, natural rivals. Mikuru Asakura views Ren Hiramoto as an MMA beginner. Hiramoto had a record of 3-3 when they first faced off and struggled with the grappling department.
However, Hiramoto wasn’t a normal kickboxer, challenging for a K-1 KRUSH belt and K-1 world title against Wei Rui, who lost in a split decision. Despite the defeat, it was still a great show of striking acumen that is remarkably rare in MMA, with only fighters like Israel Adesanya and the great Alex Pereira achieving those feats.
However, Hiramoto would prove his doubters wrong in the main event, as at Super RIZIN 3. Hiramoto would finish Mikuru Asakura in the first round, dropping him and finishing him off with some vicious ground and pound. It was a shocker, as many believed this fight would be a prolonged war between two strikers.
Hiramoto quickly dismissed that idea and proved that his striking, despite its ferocity and violent appearance, is still world-class and a threat to anyone on the feet—even a fighter like Mikuru Asakura, who’s fought for the featherweight world title twice in Rizin.
Ren Hiramoto and Mikuru Asakura’s rematch is a classic Japanese match-making.
As exciting as this matchup may be, it does share a symptom of Japanese matchmaking in MMA. The matchups seldom make sense, but at least this time they are in the same weight class. However, the card and even the subtitle for it being The Match 2 meddles with the card’s validity as fight cards with big stars in the main tend to have weaker undercards. However, that is yet to be seen as the undercard still has not been announced.
The Match subtitle was used by the ultra-high profile Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Takeru Segawa cross-promotional card, where the two generational greats fought to see who was truly the best of this generation in kickboxing. So to see this subtitle be used three times now to hype a rivalry seems to be overplayed.
However, the matchup is still quite exciting. Both fighters are never in a boring fight, have a great rivalry, and are always a striker’s delight. The two have aggressive power and striking styles that make both Hiramoto and Asakura must-see TV. Especially with their reinvigorated rivalry with everyone in Japan and here in the West clamoring for an exciting and dramatic rematch.
Whether warranted or not, whatever is on the line when these two face off again, we are going to see the best of Japanese MMA in skill, production value, and pure entertainment.
