John Dodson sure made a good first impression with the Japanese fan base.
Two-time UFC title challenger Dodson scored a vicious knockout in his Rizin FF debut at Saturday’s Rizin FF vs. Bellator event in Japan. Dodson (23-13) put the lights out on veteran Hideo Tokoro (35-32-1) in their flyweight bout on the preliminary card of the event. The official stoppage came at the 1:43 minute mark of Round 1.
The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 8 p.m. ET.
You can watch Dodson’s KO win in the video below:
— @jakeshreds420 (@shredsclips) December 31, 2022
This was Dodson’s second MMA fight and second MMA win of 2022. The 38-year-old was coming off a unanimous decision win over Francisco Rivera back in April at XMMA 4: Black Magic. Dodson also competed in bareknuckle boxing this year, knocking out Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28 in August.
Dodson is currently 2-1 in MMA since his departure from the UFC in 2020.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.