Luis Gustavo became the new RIZIN lightweight champion by knocking out Ilhom Nazimov in the first round at RIZIN 53. The event featured multiple finishes, including first-round knockouts by Ryo Takagi over Caiven Lee and Sho Patrick Usami over Tatsuya Spike. Shinobu Ota submitted Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle in the second round, while Ryan Cafaro secured a guillotine victory over Koyomi Matsushima in the third. Several other bouts ended via submission or decision across the card.
