Kleber Koike is no longer the RIZIN featherweight champion after weighing in less than a pound over the limit, and his upcoming fight against Chihiro Suzuki will determine if the title remains vacant or goes to Suzuki.
Kleber Koike is no longer the RIZIN featherweight champion following his weigh-in on Friday in Sapporo, Japan, where he came in less than a pound over the limit. Despite the setback, Koike is set to headline the card against Chihiro Suzuki at the Makomanai Sekisui Heim Arena. Since Suzuki made weight for the contest, if he wins on Saturday, he will be crowned the new 145-pound titleholder.
RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara addressed the situation on social media, stating, “Kleber missed weight by 400g (0.88 pounds) and tomorrow’s championship bout has become quite chaotic. If Chihiro wins, he will be crowned as the rightful champion, if Kleber wins, the featherweight championship will be vacant.” The dramatic turn of events adds intrigue to the upcoming bout between Koike and Suzuki.
Koike (31-6-1) is making his return to action first time since December’s non-title bout loss to Patricio Pitbull. The Brazilian fighter was once the KSW featherweight champion, but he lost that title due to a similar weigh-in failure in 2017. On the other hand, Suzuki (10-3) has the opportunity to claim the gold after achieving five consecutive victories under the RIZIN banner.