RIZIN has announced the 2026 Japan Heavyweight Grand Prix, an all-Japanese tournament set to run through the second half of the year. Three participants have been confirmed: Mikio Ueda, Tsuyoshi Sudario, and King Edokpolo, with a fourth entrant still to be named.
The semifinals are scheduled for RIZIN 54 in August, with the two winners advancing to a final in November. From there, the tournament winner earns a shot at Alexander Soldatkin on New Year's Eve with the inaugural RIZIN Heavyweight Championship on the line.
Edokpolo is the obvious wildcard entering the bracket. The unbeaten 6'8" prospect has been training under Plinio Cruz, who also serves as the head coach of former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Still early in his MMA career, Edokpolo arrives in the tournament with significant physical tools and rapidly developing skills.
Sudario, the former sumo wrestler who competed in the 2025 Grand Prix, gets another shot at a heavyweight title run. His twin brother Takakenshin will fight Ryo Sakai in a qualifying bout at RIZIN Landmark 14 in Sendai on June 6, setting up the possibility of both brothers competing in the same tournament down the line.
Ueda rounds out the confirmed trio. He and Sudario have history inside the RIZIN ring, adding an existing rivalry thread to the bracket before it officially tips off.
RIZIN Landmark 14 takes place June 6 in Sendai, with Takakenshin vs. Sakai kicking off the Grand Prix storyline.
