Danny Sabatello silences critics with brutal KO at Rizin Landmark 15

Danny Sabatello silenced his doubters at Rizin Fighting Federation: Landmark Vol. 15 in Hiroshima, Japan on Saturday, delivering a knockout performance that proved he is far more than a one-dimensional wrestler. The Rizin bantamweight champion faced challenger Jinnosuke Kashimura in the main event and dominated across both striking and grappling before scoring a devastating knockout in the third round.

Sabatello (19-4-1, 5-0 Rizin) encountered early resistance when Kashimura (12-6, 2-2 Rizin) landed a head kick and left hook to open the fight. However, Sabatello reversed a takedown attempt into top position and worked free from a subsequent inverted triangle choke. Once on the feet, he dropped Kashimura with a right hook and pressed for a finish with additional strikes.

In the third round, Kashimura attempted to draw Sabatello back to the mat, but the champion refused to engage and instead landed what may have been the best punch of his eight-year career—a massive right hand that sent Kashimura unconscious to the canvas at the 40-second mark. Kashimura was removed from the cage on a stretcher. Post-fight, Sabatello announced plans to pursue a fourth Rizin title defense within one calendar year and set his sights on returning at Super Rizin 5 in September.

The co-main event saw featherweight Karshyga Dautbek (19-3, 1 NC; 5-1, 1 NC Rizin) dispatch Kyohei Hagiwara (9-12, 1 NC; 8-10, 1 NC Rizin) in dominant fashion. After a cautious opening four minutes, Dautbek landed a perfectly timed left hook that dropped Hagiwara, and referee stoppage came at 4:08 of Round 1. Dautbek expressed interest in a featherweight title shot; he has not lost in over seven years.

Yrysbek Tilenov (8-1, 1-0 Rizin) made an impressive promotional debut in a bantamweight bout, stopping standout wrestler Shinobu Ota (8-6, 7-6 Rizin) in the second round. Despite early adversity including a mounted position and a guillotine attempt, Tilenov scrambled free and regained the advantage. A spinning back kick and follow-up strikes forced Ota to stumble, and a knee to the head sent Ota to his back; the bout was waved off at 3:04 of Round 2.

Flyweight Erson Yamamoto (7-8, 6-8 Rizin) earned a clean unanimous decision over Hiroya Kondo (10-16-1, 3-6 Rizin) in an entertaining opening main-card clash. Yamamoto controlled the grappling exchanges, landed consistent strikes, and defeated Kondo's attempts to secure his back in the final round.

Lightweight Johnny Case (29-10-1, 1 NC; 5-4, 1 NC Rizin) rebounded from a missed weight in his last outing with a dominant first-round finish against Tenya Yoshimura (5-4, 0-2 Rizin). Case countered leg kicks with lead hands before dropping Yoshimura with an uppercut-hook combination and unleashing a barrage of ground-and-pound that ended the fight at 3:14 of Round 1.

In a super atomweight rematch, Saori Oshima (17-7, 6-1 Rizin) avenged a prior loss to Ye Ji Lee (7-9, 0-1 Rizin) with stunning speed. Oshima caught Lee's arm and secured a kneebar submission in just 1:40 of Round 1—a five-second finishing sequence that saw Lee tap under duress.

Former Rizin title challenger Si Woo Park (14-6, 4-1 Rizin) made a successful return to the promotion, earning a three-round decision victory over Moeri Suda (15-8, 2-1 Rizin) in a super atomweight bout. Park recovered from an early takedown and mounted steady offense across the distance to secure the win.