Luis Gustavo captures RIZIN lightweight title with first-round KO at RIZIN 53

RIZIN 53 featured Luis Gustavo winning the lightweight championship by knocking out Ilkhom Nazimov in the first round. The main card also saw a special rules stand-up bout with no weight limit between Ren Hiramoto and Koji Tanaka end in a draw. Ryo Takagi scored a first-round knockout victory over Kaiven Lee. Other notable finishes included Shinobu Ota submitting Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle in round two, and Ryan Cafaro defeating Koomi Matsushima via guillotine in the third round. The event showcased multiple submission victories across different weight classes, with first-round finishes being particularly common throughout the card.