Luis Gustavo becomes new RIZIN lightweight champion with first-round knockout

At RIZIN 53, Luis Gustavo captured the lightweight championship by knocking out Ilkhom Nazimov in the first round. The card featured numerous finishes across its lineup. Notable results included Ryo Takagi scoring a first-round knockout over Kaiven Lee, and Shinobu Ota submitting Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle in the second round. Ryan Cafaro secured a third-round guillotine victory over Koyomi Matsushima. Several other fights ended in submissions, including triangles, rear-naked chokes, and armbars. The event also included kickboxing matches alongside the MMA bouts.