Joji Goto
Bantamweight (61kg) · Japan · RIZIN
Karate and judo base with a deep submission arsenal — including the rare twister — alongside knockout power; 9 KO and 4 submissions among 19 wins.
A twister submission of Trent Girdham in his June 2023 RIZIN debut at RIZIN.43, followed by another twister of Junya Hibino in his next fight.
Record & stats
| Division | Bantamweight (61kg) |
|---|---|
| Categories | MMA |
| Promotion | RIZIN |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Born | Sapporo, Hokkaido |
| Team | TRIBE TOKYO MMA |
| Height | 172cm5′8″ |
| Age | 30 |
| KO rate | 70% |
| Status | Active |
How the wins come
70% Finish rate- 9 KO/TKO · 45%
- 5 Submission · 25%
- 6 Decision · 30%
Recent results
- Wvs Azizbek TemirovJoji Goto wins by rear-naked choke, R1 3:41
Auto-linked from KIAI's event coverage — updated as fights are decided.
Biography
Joji Goto is a bantamweight with a record of 19-9 (as of August 11, 2026, before RIZIN.54). He challenged for the RIZIN bantamweight title in April 2026, and his RIZIN.54 bout against Azizbek Temirov is his first fight since that loss.
Born March 9, 1996 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the 30-year-old is a graduate of Hokkaido University's economics faculty and fights out of TRIBE TOKYO MMA. He stands 172cm. Note: some databases list him at 20-9-1 due to differing classification of early-career bouts; this page uses the figure on which Wikipedia and Sherdog agree.
Fighting style
With karate and judo as his base, Goto finishes fights at a high rate: his 19 wins break down as 9 KO, 4 submissions and 6 decisions. He announced himself in RIZIN with back-to-back twister submissions — a rare finish — and can also end fights with strikes.
Career
Goto built his career in Shooto, submitting Kazuma Sone with a guillotine choke in April 2020. He made his RIZIN debut at RIZIN.43 in June 2023 and beat Trent Girdham and Junya Hibino with consecutive twisters. In 2024 he lost to Ilias Eziev by rear-naked choke in ONE Friday Fights, but rebounded in 2025 with a decision over Jinnosuke Kashimura, a first-round TKO of Daiki Goshima at Pancrase 352 (4:12), a first-round KO of Taichi Nakajima, and a split decision over Jose Torres on New Year's Eve. On April 12, 2026 at RIZIN LANDMARK 13 he challenged champion Danny Sabatello for the RIZIN bantamweight title and lost a unanimous decision (0-3). His RIZIN record before RIZIN.54 is 5-1 in six fights.
RIZIN.54
Goto faces Azizbek Temirov in bout 4 of RIZIN.54 (bantamweight, 61.0kg contract / RIZIN MMA rules, 5 min x 3 rounds) on August 11, 2026 at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO.
Main sources: Wikipedia, Pancrase official site, Sherdog, Tapology, BoutReview, MMAPlanet. Figures as of August 11, 2026 (before RIZIN.54).
--- RIZIN.54 result (updated 2026-08-11): He beat Azizbek Temirov — rear-naked choke (W SUB R1 3:41 (RNC)). Full card results: RIZIN 54 results.
Fight history
- WAzizbek TemirovW SUB R1 3:41 (RNC)
- LDanny SabatelloL Decision (0-3)
- WJose TorresW Decision (split)
- WTaichi NakajimaW KO R1
- WDaiki GoshimaW TKO R1
- LIlias EzievL SUB R3
- WKazuma SoneW SUB R1
FAQ
- What is Joji Goto's record?
- 19-9 (9 KO, 4 submissions, 6 decisions) as of August 11, 2026, before RIZIN.54. Some databases list 20-9-1 due to early-career classification differences.
- How tall is Joji Goto?
- 172cm. Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido; he fights out of TRIBE TOKYO MMA at bantamweight.
- When is Joji Goto's next fight?
- No next fight announced as of August 11, 2026. He most recently won against Azizbek Temirov at RIZIN.54 on August 11, 2026.
- What is Joji Goto's record in RIZIN?
- 5-1 in six fights since debuting at RIZIN.43 in June 2023 (as of August 11, 2026, before RIZIN.54). The loss was a unanimous decision to champion Danny Sabatello in the April 12, 2026 bantamweight title fight.