Shinya Aoki Returns to RIZIN to Face Mikuru Asakura at Super RIZIN 5

Submission legend Shinya Aoki is set to step back into the RIZIN cage roughly a decade after he headlined the promotion's very first card, with the veteran grappler booked to face Mikuru Asakura in the co-main event of Super RIZIN 5 in Osaka.

Aoki, 43, carries a career record of 39 wins and 7 losses, a résumé built almost entirely on his ability to drag opponents into the submission game. Fighting out of Paraestra Tokyo as a southpaw standing 180 centimeters tall, he averages an extraordinary four submission attempts per 15 minutes — a rate that speaks to the relentless ground pursuit that made him a defining figure in Japanese MMA during the DREAM era. His takedown output sits at 2.54 per 15 minutes, and he lands strikes at a 58 percent accuracy clip, though it is the mat work that has always defined him.

Aoki himself has been candid about what is driving this return. He has described his motivation as a desire to give Japanese MMA a sense of closure that was never delivered when DREAM dissolved without a proper conclusion — a sentiment that frames this appearance as something closer to a statement than a simple comeback fight.

Mikuru Asakura enters the bout as a fighter with a substantial RIZIN following and a reputation for highlight-reel finishes, though his verified statistics were not available in the current database.

Why it matters

• Aoki's presence at Super RIZIN 5 directly ties the current era of Japanese MMA back to its earlier DREAM and early-RIZIN roots.
• At 43, this outing invites scrutiny of where Aoki fits among active grappling-first competitors in the division.
• The co-main event slot signals RIZIN's confidence that the symbolic weight of the matchup will resonate with the Osaka crowd.