FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett Returns for Rizin FF Bout this September

Rizin Fighting Federation's September 25 show continues to get stranger, as the organization has added struggling veteran Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett to the bill.

Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, one of the wackiest characters in MMA history, is poised for a return to the big stage. According to a Twitter post from Rizin Fighting Federation, Krazy Horse will be taking on Brazilian kickboxing export Minoru Kimura when the upstart organization returns to the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on September 25.

A veteran of Pride, WEC, and King of the Cage, Krazy Horse is perhaps best known for his troubles outside of the ring.

Advertisement

In 2005, for example, he was involved in an backstage scuffle with Chute Box member Cristiano Marcello, and was ultimately put to sleep by a triangle choke—though he claims to have knocked out Wanderlei Silva during the fracas. And then, of course, there were his 14 arrests between the year 1999 and 2009, which saw him detained for everything from dealing cocaine to burglary, and a 2011 incident when he attacked a teammate with a piece of steel.

Over the last few years, a calmer Krazy Horse has spent his time slogging away on the regional circuit, amassing a tough 4-6 record in his last 10 fights, and a more worrying 6-14 record in his last 20. His overall record now sits below the .500 mark, at 29-30-2.

Given the veteran's recent struggles, his being picked up by a major organization like Rizin is initially a bit of a head-scratcher. Then again, Rizin's entire business model seems to hinge on the recycling of down-and-out stars from the Pride days, so, really, their signing Krazy Horse isn't much of a surprise.

It's also worth mentioning that Krazy Horse will be returning to Japan for a very winnable fight. In Kimura, he'll be fighting a complete newbie—the owner of a 0-0 record in MMA competition. And though Kimura's kickboxing arsenal could certainly pose problems, Bennett has been knocked out just twice in his 61-fight career, losing far more frequently by submission. So long as his chin holds up, he should walk away with the W in Japan—which would bring his record back up to the .500 mark at 30-30-2.

Rizin's September 25 card will mark the opening round of their 2016 Openweight Grand Prix—a tournament Bennett thankfully won't be competing in. The card will be headlined by a tournament bout between Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and a yet-to-be-named opponent, while names like Wanderlei Silva, Kazuyuki Fujita, "Baruto" Kaido Hoovelson, and Jiri Prochazka will also appear in tournament fights. Finally, the card will also feature the return of BJJ specialists Gabi Garcia and Kron Gracie, the sophomore effort of Kid Yamamoto disciple Asen Yamamoto, and a lightweight bout pairing UFC vet Daron Cruickshank with kickboxer Andy Souwer.

Needless to say, it's a strange card, and with the addition of Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett's big-stage return, it's getting stranger still. Of course, there's something inherently watchable about strange, so we'll probably all be tuning in when the madness goes down this September 25.