Kyoma Akimoto vs Shaydullaev

As a conclusion, at this point in time Shaydullaev is considerably favored, I think. If it were me, I'd see it at about Shaydullaev 70–75%, Kyoma Akimoto 25–30%. However, among RIZIN's Japanese featherweights, Akimoto is on the side that matches up quite well.

Moreover, this is not a hypothetical card—it's actually scheduled for RIZIN.56 on December 31, 2026. Shaydullaev is currently 20-0, and Akimoto is 13-1. Shaydullaev also recently won a decision over AJ McKee, keeping his undefeated record intact.:chatgpt-content-reference{index="0"}

The biggest factor is the pressure of the clinch

Shaydullaev's strength is not simply that "his wrestling is strong."

Clinch up → push to the cage → takedown → don't let go even in scrambles → ground-and-pound or take the back

This entire sequence is extremely strong.

Of his 20 wins, on Sherdog 12 are by submission and 7 by KO/TKO, with only 1 decision. In other words, he is not just a point fighter who lays on opponents—his ability to finish the fight after getting it to the ground is abnormally high.:chatgpt-content-reference{index="1"}

He has beaten Koji Takeda by RNC, Archuleta by armbar, and Kleber Koike and Yuta Kubo by ground punches.:chatgpt-content-reference{index="2"}

This is the biggest problem for Akimoto.

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On the other hand, I don't think Akimoto would just be crushed one-sidedly.

Rather, looking at recent Akimoto,

"If you had to pick one Japanese fighter with a chance of solving Shaydullaev"

he would be quite high on the list.

Especially important is the Kleber fight. In August 2026, Akimoto beat Kleber by a 3-0 decision after 3 rounds.:chatgpt-content-reference{index="3"}

Being able to beat Kleber is evidence that:

• He doesn't freeze up in striking out of fear of the ground game
• His scrambling ability is high
• His positional awareness is quite mature
• He is unlikely to be physically overpowered even at featherweight

Moreover, Akimoto is 177 cm and Shaydullaev is 170 cm, so Akimoto is 7 cm taller.:chatgpt-content-reference{index="4"}

If Akimoto wins, the path is fairly clear.

Keep distance → counter Shaydullaev's takedown entries with strikes → if clinched, break immediately → return to the center again.

Repeat this for 3 rounds.

In the AJ McKee fight too, Shaydullaev was put in dangerous spots by strikes early on. In the end he completely dominated with grappling, but he is not "a fighter with absolutely no holes on the feet.":chatgpt-content-reference{index="5"}

However, Akimoto's win over Kleber should not be overrated

This is the key point.

Kleber and Shaydullaev are completely different, even though both are grapplers.

Kleber is a jiu-jitsu fighter, so he can fight with the idea:

"Even if I'm on bottom, I can just submit him."

Shaydullaev is more wrestling-based:

Get on top → don't let the opponent stand up → maintain top position even in scrambles

That is his type.

So it does not follow that:

"He survived Kleber's ground game → he can also survive Shaydullaev's clinch game."

Rather, in MMA, I think Shaydullaev is the tougher matchup for Akimoto.

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To make my prediction concrete,

Scenario	Probability feel
Shaydullaev submission/TKO	45%
Shaydullaev decision	27%
Akimoto KO/TKO	18%
Akimoto decision	10%

About that.

Shaydullaev 72 : 28 Akimoto.

That said, I think this fight is quite interesting.

Compared to if Mikuru Asakura or Yuta Kubo were to face Shaydullaev, you can picture an upset more with Akimoto.

In particular, Akimoto is still only 20 years old. Shaydullaev is also 25, so he is still developing, but Akimoto's rate of growth is even steeper. If he drills takedown defense thoroughly by December 31, there is every chance this becomes "the fight where Shaydullaev clearly struggles for the first time."

On the other hand, if predicting normally, the most likely outcome is still around round 2, Shaydullaev gets a takedown → takes the back → RNC or ground-and-pound TKO.