Landmark 4: Reaction ＆Results -

This Sunday, Landmark 4 went down in Nagoya where Ren Hiramoto smashed Dominator, Chihiro Suzuki picked up his 4th win in a row, Motoya and Kuramoto battled for 3 rounds, and kickboxer turned MMA fighter Yuta Kubo landed some brutal ground and pound to finish Keisuke Okuda. Elsewhere on the card, in the sole women’s bout, Satomi Takano picked up her first promotional win. All-in-all, the event feels like a win for Rizin. Despite a lack of finishes on the main card, the early portion of the card delivered 5 finishes in a row, Motoya managed to put on an exciting fight, Suzuki has emerged as a prospect, having now won 5 in a row, and perhaps most importantly, Ren Hiramoto brutalized Dominator, making fans forget about the lackluster fights that plagued the beginning of his MMA career.

Landmark changes format

Fights aside, one of the key features of Landmark 4 was the apparent change in format. As a result of the Potential Scandal, the Trigger series has been canceled, and this has led to Landmark, which was always the more experimental of the three models (numbered, Trigger, Landmark), being converted into what Trigger was. While Landmark was more of a VIP experience with limited seating that focused on PPV sales and took place in a ring, Landmark now takes place in a cage in front of large audiences at disclosed locations. In many ways, Landmark was perfect during the pandemic, as seating restrictions meant the promotion needed to focus more on PPV buys, but now that those restrictions have been lifted, Rizin is focusing more on ticket sales.

Ren’s popularity continues to grow

If he can continue to put on performances like this, Hiramoto has the potential to become a star. While he received some criticism for the weight change right before the fight, like Tenshin and Mikuru, Ren might be able to capture the young fans outside of Rizin’s normal viewership. He’s loud, covered in tattoos, speaks his mind, and talks trash. In other words, he’s the opposite of the stereotypical Japanese MMA fighter, but this is probably what makes him popular with younger people and also helps set him apart. If he wasn’t busy exchanging taunts with Mikuru, he seems like a perfect fit for Mikuru’s Breaking Down Show, with the likes of Ya-Man and Panchan Rina. As of writing this, his most recent fight is trending at #12 on Youtube, and has nearly 800,000 more views than the next most watched fight. However, much like the popular Hagiwara, Ren needs to continue to work on his skills and develop as a complete MMA fighter.

A quick look at social media and Google trends can help establish how popular Ren is, at least in Japan. It is worth noting beforehand, that social media is not as popular in Japan, as most people do not trust it, so while these numbers can help establish popularity, they are not the be-all do-all.