At RIZIN 53, Luis Gustavo became the new lightweight champion by defeating Ilkhom Nazimov via first-round knockout. The main event delivered a decisive finish as Gustavo claimed the vacant title. Other notable results included Ryo Takagi knocking out Kaiven Li in the first round, and Shinobu Ota submitting Yuto Hokamura with an arm triangle in the second round. Ryan Cafaro submitted Koyomi Matsushima with a guillotine in the third round. The event featured a special rules standing-only, no weight limit bout between Ren Hiramoto and Koji Tanaka that ended in a draw.
