Fight fans are in for a blast from the past when RIZIN FF takes Saitama, Japan.
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic will meet longtime Bellator fighter Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, while heavyweight Heath Herring will end his 6-plus-year retirement against Amir Aliakbari at the RIZIN FF 3 openweight grand prix quarterfinals on Dec. 29, MMAjunkie's Dann Stupp and Brian Garcia report.
Lawal steps in for Wanderlei Silva, who withdrew from the tournament earlier this month. The 35-year-old gets his second fight in just 13 days, having bested Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision at Bellator 169 this past Friday. King Mo has won eight of his last nine contests, while Filipovic - a former PRIDE superstar - last submitted Hyun Man Myung in the grand prix's opening round this past September.
Herring - one of PRIDE's most adored fighters - hasn't fought since 2008, when he dropped a decision to Brock Lesnar at UFC 87. He gets quite the neophyte in Aliakbari, a greco-roman wrestler who turned pro in 2015 and has won all three of his pro fights by TKO.
The bouts' winners will get a short turnaround, as the RIZIN grand prix's semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 31.