Gustavo defeats Nazimov via R1 KO to claim RIZIN lightweight title

Luis Gustavo captured the RIZIN lightweight championship by knocking out Ilkhom Nazimov in the first round at RIZIN 53. The card featured multiple finishes, including Rye Takagi's first-round knockout of Kaiven Lee and Shinobu Ota's second-round arm triangle victory over Yuto Hokamura. Other notable results included Keito Oyama's unanimous decision win over Katie Perez, and Ryan Cafaro submitting Koyomi Matsushima with a guillotine in round three. The event also featured several kickboxing bouts alongside the MMA contests.