C.B. Dollaway will be making his RIZIN debut on New Year’s Eve with a title shot against their light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka. On Tuesday, the promotion made the announcement alerting fight fans of where Dollaway will move forward with his MMA career and be able to realize a dream he had about fighting in Japan when he began his mixed martial arts career.
According to a press release from RIZIN after announcing the bout on social media, Dollaway said, “My dream ever since I got into mixed martial arts was to fight in Japan and to become a champion in a major organization.” Dollaway’s last fight was in September of 2018 when he lost by TKO against Khalid Murtazaliev. With his RIZIN debut being a title fight, Dollaway added, “I am living my dream right now and I won’t be denied come New Year’s Eve.”
For fans unaware, Prochazka has been with RIZIN since the promotion launched in 2015 and has gone 11-1 with the promotion. Fighting someone coming out of the UFC always comes with its own fanfare and Prochazka is looking forward to it. “I’m really looking forward to this fight because I want to defend my title,” Prochazka said and added, “CB is very a good technical opponent, and this will be a challenge for me.” However he expects to win, “clearly and uncompromising.”
Will Dollaway enter 2020 as their new champion?
RIZIN 20 will air on December 31 from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is the second of a two-part event that is preceded by Bellator’s first event in Japan continuing their co-promotion ventures with RIZIN.
See the full RIZIN 20 bout list below:
- Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape [Title fight]
- Jiri Prochazka vs. C.B. Dollaway [Title fight]
- Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham [Title fight]
- Johnny Case vs. Tofiq Musaev [GP semifinals]
- Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Luiz Gustavo [GP semifinals]
- Yuki Motoya vs. Patrick Mix [Bellator vs. RIZIN]
- Mikuru Asakura vs. John Macapa [Bellator vs. RIZIN]
- Vitaly Shemetov vs. Simon Biyong
- Jake Heun vs. Satoshi Ishii
- Lindsey Vanzandt vs. Rena Kubota
- Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo
- Winner of Case x Musaev vs. Winner of Pitbull x Gustavo [Lightweight GP final]
