Former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull has officially signed with RIZIN and is already scheduled to compete on July 27 in Saitama, Japan.
Pitbull previously participated in a RIZIN lightweight tournament back in 2019 as a Bellator representative. His upcoming bout against Shunta Nomura will mark his debut as a contracted RIZIN fighter.
During the 2019 grand prix, the Brazilian fighter secured knockout victories over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Luiz Gustavo before being defeated by Tofiq Musayev in the final. He returned to Japan in 2023 and delivered another knockout performance against the reigning lightweight champion, Roberto Satoshi.
Shunta Nomura made his RIZIN debut this past March, earning a technical decision win against Luiz Gustavo. This victory improved his professional record to 9-2, including four knockout finishes.
Title Fights Highlight the Card
The upcoming event, RIZIN.4, is confirmed to feature key title defenses. Bantamweight champion Naoki Inoue is set to defend his belt against Ryuya Fukuda, while super atomweight queen Seika Izawa will face Yu Jin Shin.
Featherweight champion Razhabali Shaydullaev, who recently claimed the title with a knockout victory over Kleber Koike, is also expected to be part of the event. His opponent for this card has not yet been announced.
Other Anticipated Bouts
Kleber Koike is scheduled for a rematch against Mikuru Asakura on the lineup. Their initial encounter occurred in June 2021, with Koike securing a win via triangle choke submission. Asakura recently returned to the win column with a TKO victory over former champion Chihiro Suzuki.
Additional fights planned for the card include a bout between Masanori Kanehara and Ya-Man, Karshyga Dautbek competing against Kyoma Akimoto, and Moeri Suda facing Noel.
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely