Cross-Promotional Featherweight Clash Set for Super RIZIN 5
The main event at Kyosera Dome Osaka on 10 September will see McKee and Shaidulloev compete under RIZIN rules, with both the vacant PFL belt and Shaidulloev’s RIZIN championship on the line.
A.J. McKee is set to challenge RIZIN featherweight champion Razhabali Shaidulloev in a cross-promotional bout that will determine the holder of two major titles. The contest is scheduled for 10 September as the main event of Super RIZIN 5, taking place at the Kyosera Dome Osaka in Japan. The winner will claim both the vacant PFL featherweight championship and Shaidulloev’s current RIZIN featherweight title.
The bout will be conducted under RIZIN MMA rules, which permit techniques such as stomps, soccer kicks, and grounded knees to the head. The fight is structured with three five-minute rounds, marking a significant regulatory divergence from standard international mixed martial arts competitions. This arrangement creates a rare double championship matchup between the two organisations.
McKee, 31, enters the contest with a professional record of 25-2. The son of former MMA fighter Antonio McKee, he previously held the Bellator featherweight title before joining the PFL following the dissolution of Bellator in late 2023. Since moving back down to the 145-pound division after a three-year stint at lightweight, McKee has maintained a perfect 3-0 record, securing victories over Akhmed Magomedov, Adam Borics, and Salamat Isbulaev.
Shaidulloev, 25, arrives with an undefeated professional record of 19-0. A native of Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan, he has won seven consecutive fights under the RIZIN banner, including four consecutive championship bouts against Kleber Koike Erbst, Viktor Kolesnik, Mikuru Asakura, and Yuta Kubo. All of these victories were achieved via first-round knockouts, establishing him as a prominent talent outside the UFC ecosystem.
The evening’s co-main event features MMA legend Shinya Aoki, who holds a record of 49-12 with one no contest. Aoki seeks his 50th professional victory against longtime RIZIN veteran Mikuru Asakura, who holds a record of 19-6 with one no contest. The event underscores the growing operational integration between major promotional bodies in the global mixed martial arts landscape.
