RIZIN 53 took place with Luis Gustavo capturing the lightweight championship by knocking out Ilkhom Nazimov in the first round. In other notable results, Ren Hiramoto and Koji Tanaka fought to a draw in a special rules stand-up only bout with no weight limit. Ryo Takagi scored a first-round knockout victory over Kaiven Li. Shinobu Ota submitted Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle in round two. The card also featured several submission finishes, including Ryan Cafaro defeating Koyomi Matsushima with a guillotine in round three, Daiki Tsubota submitting Genji Umeno with a triangle in round one, and Ryoma Shishimoto finishing Kenshin Kodama with an armbar in round one. Several other fights went the distance or ended in first-round stoppages.
Luis Gustavo claimed the RIZIN lightweight title at RIZIN 53 on May 11, 2026, stopping Ilkhom Nazimov by knockout in the opening round to become the promotion's new champion at 155 pounds.
The main event finish headlined a card filled with stoppage victories across multiple weight classes. Ryo Takagi added to the first-round knockout tally, finishing Kaiven Li inside the opening frame, while Shinobu Ota demonstrated submission grappling in round two, putting away Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle choke.
The submission finishes continued throughout the card. Ryan Cafaro defeated Koyomi Matsushima by guillotine choke in the third round, ending the night on a sour note for the 33-year-old Japanese fighter out of Gaio Gym. Matsushima, who carries a 13-6-0 professional record and stands five-foot-seven with a 66-inch reach, had shown active wrestling tendencies throughout his career, averaging nine takedown attempts per 15 minutes. Cafaro managed to neutralize that threat and secure the finish late in the bout.
Daiki Tsubota and Ryoma Shishimoto also earned first-round submission victories, with Tsubota tapping Genji Umeno via triangle choke and Shishimoto submitting Kenshin Kodama with an armbar.
Not every bout ended in a finish. Ren Hiramoto and Koji Tanaka met under special rules in a stand-up only contest with no weight limit, and the two fighters battled to a draw over the scheduled distance.
Why it matters
- Luis Gustavo's knockout of Nazimov establishes a new champion in RIZIN's lightweight division, reshaping the title picture at 155 pounds.
- The heavyweight-style special rules bout between Hiramoto and Tanaka, ending in a draw, leaves questions unanswered in that cross-weight matchup.
- Cafaro's third-round guillotine over Matsushima marks a significant setback for the Japanese veteran, whose 13-6-0 record now reflects consecutive adversity at the highest level of RIZIN competition.
