In December, MMA fans saw a unique collaboration featuring the best of Bellator MMA and RIZIN. Now both promotions are ready to produce another big event featuring former champions and title fights.
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 takes place on July 29 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The event will air on Showtime in the U.S.
The main event will see A.J. McKee continue his rivalry with the “Pitbull” brothers when he faces Patrick Freire in a quarter-final bout of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix.
The son of fighter Antonio McKee, A.J. is a homegrown Bellator star. Making his pro debut in 2015, McKee is 20-1 with the promotion. He beat Patricky's brother, Patricio, in 2022 in the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix finals to win the Bellator featherweight title.
After losing to Freire in the rematch, McKee moved to the lightweight division. In October 2022, he beat Spike Carlyle via unanimous decision. His last bout was a unanimous decision win against RIZIN's Roberto de Souza in December.
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The older brother of Patricio, Patricky turned pro in 2005. Joining Bellator in 2011, he has gone 17-10 with the promotion. Patricky is 1-3 in his last four, beating Peter Queally in 2021 for the Bellator lightweight title but losing it in his last fight in November 2022 against Usman Nurmagomedov.
Freire fought in RIZIN in 2019, competing in its Lightweight Grand Prix.
The co-main event will be Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu for the vacant Bellator flyweight title, which has just been introduced by the promotion. Horiguchi made his pro debut in 2010 and is a former Shooto bantamweight champion. The former UFC contender lost to Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title in 2015. Following that setback, he went on a 13-fight win streak, claiming the 2017 RIZIN Bantamweight Grand Prix and becoming the first RIZIN bantamweight champion in 2018 by defeating Darrion Caldwell.
He is 3-3 in his last six fights. On a two-fight win streak, his last bout was a unanimous decision win against Hiromasa Ougikubo at the first Bellator vs. RIZIN event.
Born in 2000, Shinryu turned pro in 2016. Fighting for Deep, he competed in Bellator in 2019 and has fought thrice inside a RIZN ring. On a 10-fight win streak, his last bout was a submission win over Daichi Kitakata in April.
Here is all the information you need to know ahead of Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2, including time, channel, odds, card, and more.
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When is Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire
In the U.S., Bellator x RIZIN 2 starts with the main card at 11 p.m. ET. McKee and Freire should make their way to the octagon around 2:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
| Region | Date | Prelims Start Time | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Saturday, July 29 | TBA | 11 p.m. ET | 2:15 a.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Saturday, July 29 | TBA | 8 p.m. PT | 11:15 p.m. PT |
| UK and Ireland | Sun. July 30 | TBA | 4 a.m. BST | 7:15 a.m. BST |
| Australia | Sun. July 30 | TBA | 1 p.m. AEST | 4:15 p.m. AEST |
| Japan | Sun. July 30 | TBA | 12 p.m. JST | 3:15 p.m. JST |
How to watch Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire
| Country | Date | Channel + Live Stream (main card) |
| United States/Canada | Saturday, July 29 | Showtime, YouTube, Fubo |
| United Kingdom | Sun. July 30 | BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer |
| Australia | Sun. July 30 | 10 Play |
| Japan | Sun. July 30 | RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, SKY PerfecTV! |
Fight fans can watch the event on SHOWTIME. It is also available to stream on Fubo, which includes a free trial.
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Viewers can stream Showtime via Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox ONE, a laptop, or any mobile or tablet device.
In Japan, the fight card will be available on RIZIN STREAM PASS, ABEMA, U-NEXT, and SKY PerfecTV!
Where is Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2: A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire?
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 takes place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The arena can hold up to 36,000+ people.
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 odds
Betting odds are currently unavailable for this event.
A.J. McKee record, bio
- Nationality: American
- Born: April 7, 1995
- Height: 5-10
- Reach: 73.5 inches
- Total fights: 21
- Record: 20-1 with 6 wins via knockout
Patricky Freire record, bio
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Born: January 21, 1986
- Height: 5-7
- Reach: 71 inches
- Total fights: 35
- Record: 24-11 with 16 wins via knockout
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Kyoji Horiguchi record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: October 12, 1990
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: 66 inches
- Total fights: 36
- Record: 31-5 with 15 wins via knockout
Makoto Shinryu record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: July 5, 2000
- Height: 5-4
- Reach: N/A
- Total fights: 18
- Record: 16-1-1 with four wins via submission
Bellator MMA x RIZIN 2 fight card
Main card
- A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Pitbull in a Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix Quarter-Final bout
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu for the Bellator flyweight title
- Danny Sabatello vs. Magomed Magomedov; Bantamweights
- Kana Watanabe vs. Veta Arteaga; Flyweights
- Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin; Welterweights
Super Rizin 2
- Kai Asakura vs. Juan Archuleta for the RIZIN bantamweight title
- Seika Izawa (c) vs. Claire Lopez for the RIZIN super atomweight title
- Mikuru Asakura vs. Vugar Karamov; Featherweights
- Daichi Abe vs. Igor Tanabe; Middleweights
- Kenta Takizawa vs. Shinobu Ota; Bantamweights