Sengoku “No Ran” 1/4/09
This show has two title fights for vacant titles. Takanori Gomi will fight Satoru Kitaoka for the Lightweight Championship and former UFC fighter Jorge Santiago will take on Kazuo Misaki for the vacant Middleweight Title. Also in action are former Elite XC Heavyweights Dave “Pee Wee” Herman and Antonio Silva (who held the Elite XC Heavyweight Title).
Heavyweight Fight- Dave Herman (13-0) vs. Mu Bae Choi (7-3)
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman has been very impressive in his Elite XC fights. The biggest names he has beaten are Ron Waterman and Kerry Schall so he’s relatively untested.
Choi is a Korean fighter who has a victory over Gary Goodridge but has lost to former Pro-Wrestler Sylvester Terkay (known as “The Predator” when he wrestled as a Bruiser Brody knock-off for Zero One in Japan). Choi has fought for K-1, Pancrase and Pride. Choi lost his first Sengoku fight to Marcio Cruz.
R1- Herman hit some good knees to the body early but got taken down after a clinch but got back up after little to no damage. Herman caught his opponent in the corner and peppered him with knees and strikes and took him down but Choi latched onto his leg so that he could survive the onslaught. Herman got taken down toward the end of the round and Choi tried a submission but Herman slipped out. Good first round, Herman won this due to the strikes that he landed but Choi showed a lot of heart.
R2- Slow start to the second round as it looks like Herman is kind of waiting for Choi to make a move and getting some wind back. Choi hits some strikes and Herman takes some punishment and goes down on the ropes and the ref stops the fight. Definitely a shocking loss for Herman. He’s pretty much self-trained, so if he can get in a good camp I think he’s got a ton of promise but he just didn’t look like he came into this fight with a good game plan and made too many rookie mistakes and it looked like he lost his wind.
Winner: Mu Bae Choi by TKO R2 2:22
Lightweight Fight- Sergey Golyaev (12-6) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (14-6-2)
Sergey is a Russian fighter who has fought in M-1 and Shooto and is 1-0 in Sengoku with a Split Decision over Takanori Gomi (who is in the Lightweight Title Fight later on this same show).
Eiji has fought in KOTC, Pride and DEEP and is currently 2-1 in Sengoku. He has career victories over Joachim Hansen, Samy Schiavo, and Gleison Tibau and has lost to John Alessio and Satoru Kitaoka (Satoru is in the title fight later against Gomi).
R1- Eiji gets an early takedown. Sergey has a very active guard. Eiji controlled for the majority of the round and then got an arm bar out of nowhere for the win. Good showing for Eiji.
Winner: Eiji Mitsuoka by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:22
Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Silva (11-1) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (7-1)
Silva is the freakishly large Elite XC Heavyweight Champion who has been suspended in the US for failing a drug test at a previous Elite XC event. Silva has a huge height advantage over his opponent. Silva fights out of American Top Team. Nakao has a win over Don Frye in K-1 in 2004.
R1- Silva is pushing this guy around and he calls a “timeout” due to his knee hurting. I’ve never seen that before. He can’t continue and the ref calls the fight.
Winner: Antonio Silva by TKO (Knee Injury) R1 1:42
Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (2-0) vs. Yukiya Naito (15-4-2)
All of Lawal’s fights have been for Sengoku and so far he is 2-0. Not sure if this was contested under Light Heavyweight or Middleweight class as Lawal is listed at 185 on Sherdog and Naito is listed at 205. This is Naito’s first fight for Sengoku but he has previously fought in DEEP, K-1, and Pancrase. Naito is on a 6 fight win streak and has not lost since 2006. His last 4 fights were all by TKO and he has stopped his opponent before a decision in all 6 fights.
R1- King Mo is basically throwing punches and stalking his opponent. King Mo is definitely a free swinger with some personality. King Mo hit a big punch that hurt Naito and then jumped all over him and the ref stopped the fight. Very impressive performance from King Mo. He’s got my curiosity piqued. I would definitely like to see him again.
Winner: Muhammed Lawal by TKO (strikes)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1) vs. Sanae Kikuta (27-6-3)
Yoshida has wins over Naoya Ogawa, Don Frye, Kiyoshi Tamura, Mark Hunt and Tank Abbott and has lost to Wanderlei Silva (2x), Rulon Garnder, Cro Cop, James Thompson and Josh Barnett. He is 1-1 in Sengoku and has fought mostly in Pride in his career.
Kikuta has wins over Minoru Suzuki, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Alexander Otsuka and has lost to the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Yuki Kondo, Murilo Bustamante, and Renzo Gracie. He is a veteran of Shooto, Pancrease, UFC, and Pride. He is 1-0 in Sengoku. I’m guessing this is a Light Heavyweight Fight as Sherdog has Yoshida listed at 225 and Kikuta 200.
R1- Yoshida went for a kick and Kikuta got a take down a couple of minutes into the fight. Very slow first round. Kikuta controlled the fight so he gets the 10-9 score in round one but he didn’t do any damage.
R2- Yoshida gets on top early in this round. Both guys go for a leg lock but they get tangled up in the ropes so they are broken up. Yoshida lands some stand up and clearly has better stand up. Kikuta pulls guard and goes for a leg lock. They get stood back up and Kikuta pulls guard but Yoshida hits some Ground and Pound before Kikuta goes for another leg lock. Kikuta ended the round on top with some Ground and Pound. This was a good round and very close. I give it to Yoshida because his stand up with superior and all other things were about even. Kikuta tried some leg locks but didn’t seem close to getting a sub. I’ve got it 19-19 after two rounds.
R3- Yoshida lands some shots and then does a judo throw but Kikuta holds on and takes his back. Kikuta controlling this round by mounting Yoshida. Kikuta finishes the round with some Ground and Pound. Kikuta will win this decision 20-18. Not a dominating win but he controlled the first and third rounds. Surprisingly the judges render a split decision.
Winner: Sanae Kikuta by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (20-7) vs. Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2)
I most recently saw Misaki fight for Strikeforce in September when he stopped Joe Riggs with some Ground and Pound in the second round. Misaki is on a 3 fight win streak and has career wins over Denis Kang, Dan Henderson, Phil Baroni, and Ed Herman. In his career he has lost to Chris Lytle, Nate Marquardt (x2), Ricardo Almeida, Frank Trigg, Dan Henderson (although he beat him the next time he fought him), and Paulo Filho. Misaki is a veteran of Pancrase and Pride.
Santiago is on a 8 fight win streak since losing back to back fights to Alan Belcher and Chris Leben. He has also lost to Diego Sanchez, Manny Gamburyan and Joey Villasenor in his career. He has victories over Jeremy Horn, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Sean Salmon. He is 2-0 in Sengoku.
R1- Misaki got the first real advantage of the fight when Santiago hit a punch but Misaki tripped him and then jumped on top into his guard. Santiago caught Misaki in an arm bar but Misaki got out very quickly and retained guard. Very even first round with Misaki getting the edge due to controlling the action.
R2- Very even round with some good stand up exchanges. Santiago won this round with a couple of good strikes (one a over hand right and the other a kick to the side and Santiago definitely looks like he’s in better shape after two rounds. I’ve got it 19-19 after two rounds.
R3- Misaki went for a jumping kick but got caught and knocked down. Very close round as they stood up for the majority of the round and both guys landed some pretty decent shots. This round was a toss up.
R4- Misaki starts the round as the aggressor and is landing some leg kicks. Santiago finally caught one of the them and took Misaki’s guard with about a minute and a half left in the round. Santiago went for an arm bar after some brief Ground and Pound but Misaki rolled out and took Santiago’s guard but didn’t have any time to do anything. Another very close round. Last two rounds could have gone either way.
R5- Misaki has a good mouse over his eye as he comes out to start the round. Both guys cardio looks good. Santiago shot in after some even stand up and took Misaki down. Misaki has a cut over his eye. Misaki gave up his back and Santiago clamped in the Rear Naked and the ref stopped the fight.
Very good fight and a very close fight. Definitely deserving of a re-match down the round.
Winner and new champion: Jorge Santiago by Technical Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R5 3:26
Lightweight Title Fight- Satoru Kitaoka (23-8-9) vs. Takanori Gomi (29-4)
Gomi needs no introduction as he has been one of the best Lightweight fighters in MMA in the last several years. He holds career victories over Dokonjonsuke Mishima, Charles Bennett, Jens Pulver, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Hayato Sakurai, Marcus Aurelio, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Duane Ludwig. He has lost to Sergey Golyaev (who fought early on this show), Marcus Aurelio (although he won the re-match), BJ Penn and Joachim Hansen. In 2008 Gomi was 2-1 and in Sengoku he is also 2-1.
Kitaoka has fought mainly in Pancrase and is 4-0 in Sengoku. He has career wins over Eiji Mitsuoka (fought earlier on this show), Paul Daley, Kurt Pellegrino and Carlos Condit. He is on a 4 fight win streak, all in Sengoku.
R1- Gomi got a take down after Satoru missed a take down and he took Satoru’s back but Satoru quickly rolled through and both guys went for leg holds with Satoru locking one in on Gomi. Very exciting sequence and then Gomi tapped out. Wow, great showing for Kitaoki. Very reminiscent of Aoki/Alvarez.
Winner and new champion: Satoru Kitaoka by Submission (Achilles Lock) R1
I thought this was a pretty decent show. I was impressed by Muhammad Lawal and enjoyed the Santiago/Misaki fight as it was definitely FOTN. The Lightweight fights were both short but I think that with those 4 guys that Sengoku has a fairly competitive Lightweight Division and I would like to see more of Kitaoka as he is now on a 5 fight win streak in Sengoku.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
UFC 93 "Franklin vs Henderson" 1/17/09 Re-Cap
UFC 93: "Franklin vs Henderson"
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (20-5) vs. Chris Lytle (36-16-4)
Looks like we are starting out with the fight on paper that should be FOTN. Davis beat Paul Kelly by submission in his last fight in October at UFC 89 and at the same show Chris Lytle scored a unanimous decision over Paul Taylor. Both guys have professional boxing experience. Lytle is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Marcus Davis comes out the House of Pain's "Jump Around." Both guys have won the majority of their fights by submission. Davis has a 2" reach advantage. Davis is the overwhelming fan favorite in this fight since he is the "Irish Hand Grenade."
"Ole" chant goes out from the crowd as the fight starts.
R1- Lytle attacks early and briefly knocks Davis back against the cage. Lytle is the aggressor but Davis is hitting some counter punches. Davis caught a kick with two minutes left in the fight and threw Lytle to the ground but didn't follow him down. Lytle went down again, on a possible slip or push, and Davis went down and tried some Ground and Pound but Lytle got back up and then ate a knee. Davis has a cut under his left eye. Good first round and really close to score. Lytle was the aggressor but got knocked off his feet twice. Very close fight so far.
R2- Lytle backed Davis up against the cage and threw bombs to open up the fight but Davis survived. Davis caught him with a body shot that knocked Lytle down. Davis hits a body kick and then some knees. This was a close round. Davis seemed like he hit more shots, Lytle seemed like he hit heavy shots. I think we've got a 19-19 fight here but I could honestly see it legitimately being scored 20-18 right now in favor of either fighter. It's a really close fight so far. Davis has a couple of minor cuts.
R3- Lytle throwing and missing with some wild shots this round. He's still pushing forward but looks like he's slowing. With about a minute and a half left they both throw punches against the cage. Lytle got knocked to his knees at the end of the round. Really good fight. I've got Davis 29-28 but I would be surprised if this wasn't a split decision.
The judges score the fight: Davis 29-28, Lytle 29-28 and Davis 29-28
Winner: Marcus Davis by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (12-4) vs. Denis Kang (31-10-1)
This is Kang's UFC debut. Belcher is coming off of a questionable split decision victory over Ed Herman in September and has won 3 of his last 4 fights. The last time I saw Denis Kang he was getting submitted by Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Kang is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Belcher is a Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt.
R1- Kang got an early take down and controlled the action early. Kang got his second take down of the round with two minutes left. Knag went for a kimura but couldn't get it locked in. Really strong round for Kang as he dominated but didn't inflict too much damage on Belcher. 10-9 Kang after one round.
R2- Kang got a take down one and a half minutes into the round. Belcher pulled guard near the end of the round and caught Kang in a guillotine and tapped him. It looked like Kang had run out of gas prior to getting caught. Kang was controlling this fight but not dominating. Very disappointing debut by Kang but I think you could see it coming after he got subbed by Mousasi in very short order last April.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Guillotine) R2 4:36
Post-fight interview Belcher says he thinks he needs one or two more fights before calling out Anderson Silva. No shit sherlock.
Michael Bisping is shown in the crowd and they hype up the fact that he will be one of the coaches on the next installment of TUF.
Middleweight Fight- Jeremy Horn (88-18-5) vs. Rousimar Palhares (17-2)
Palhares is coming off of a decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 88 in a close fight that I scored in favor of Henderson 29-28. Palhares is an aggressive submission fighter and a jiu jitsu black belt. Horn has a 3" reach and 6" height advantage. Horn has over 50 submissions in his MMA career and has fought in over 100 career MMA fights.
R1- Horn pulled guard early but Palhares quickly took his back but Horn survived and was able to roll over. Palhares missed with a leg lock and Horn missed with a triangle. Palhares really controlled and almost dominating first round. This was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Palhares.
R2- Palhares got a big slam and take down about 15 seconds into round two. Palhares has been warned a couple of times about grabbing onto the cage. Horn survived and got a single leg and then mounted Palhares and got him in an arm triangle but couldn't clamp it in right. Horn hit some stand up but then Palhaes got a take down. Very close first round with Palhares controlling the beginning and end and Horn controlling the middle. I've got Palhares 20-17 so far but I could see it as close as 19-19 depending on what the judges favor when they score.
R3- Huge suplex by Palhares to start off the round. Palhares just controls this round as Palhares was winded but Horn couldn't do anything. Palhares is going to take this by unanimous decision.
Judges say: 30-27 for all three judges.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
This is a pre-show fight. Egan got a huge response from the crowd. This is the UFC debut of both guys. Hathaway has more experience.
R1- Hathaway dominated on the ground early. The crowd was really behind Egan. Hathaway finished Egan in the final minute of the round due to ref stoppage. Hathaway looked really good. Egan got in virtually no offense.
Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (strikes) R1 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Mark Coleman (15-8) vs. Shogun Rua (16-3)
This is a re-match from their much talked about Pride fight where Rua broke his arm and then their was a post-fight melee in the ring. Coleman comes out to AC/DCs "Back in Black." This is the "Co-Main Event."
R1- Coleman rushes in early and eats a Shogun knee but got the take down. Rua going for a knee bar but Coleman escaped. Rua with a knee but Coleman took him down. Basically this fight is Coleman trying to Ground and Pound and Shogun trying to go for subs. Shogun is starting to come on at the end of the round with some good leg kicks. Coleman looking tired towards the end of the round. Shogun hit a good knee and Coleman dove at his leg. Big left hand from Rua and Coleman crumbles to the floor but grabs onto Rua's leg. Rua 10-9 in this round as Coleman just ran out of gas.
Phil Baroni is in Coleman's corner and telling Coleman that he's hurt Rua badly and that Rua is looking for a way out as Coleman has trouble finding his corner.
R2- Coleman got a take down after he ate a couple of strikes. Rua hitting more strikes and Coleman is having a difficult time keeping his hands up. Coleman got a take down with about 2 minutes left but couldn't hold him down. Rua peppered Coleman with some shots and Coleman got another take down. Rua got a shoulder lock. Both guys look tired. Coleman survives to fight another round if he can make it back to his corner. Rua is up 20-18 but not looking particularly good so far.
R3- Coleman got a take down and is laying on top of Rua. Rua is going after Coleman's leg and Coleman is continually grabbing the cage to help against the move. Coleman back on top and is on Rua's back and is taking some shots. Rua escaped and hit a knee to Coleman where Coleman's knees were on the ground. The ref separated them but on replay it was to the body which was a legal shot. Both guys are just gassed. Rua hitting Coleman with some shots and knocks him down and the ref stops the fight.
That was hard to watch. Both guys clearly didn't have the stamina needed to be ready for this fight. After Rua's interview with Rogan, Rua and Coleman shake hands and embrace a couple of times to squash their feud.
Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rich Franklin (26-3-1) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
Henderson defeated Rousimar Palhares by decision at UFC 88 and Franklin's last fight was a win at the same show when he finished Matt Hamill. Henderson is a two-time Olympic wrestler and the only fighter to hold two belts at the same time in Pride. Both of these guys have recent losses to Anderson Silva so they are basically the #2 and #3 fighters in the Middleweight Division but are fighting at Light Heavyweight as Silva has basically forced them to move up. The winner is going to coach opposite of Michael Bisping in the next TUF installment.
R1- Henderson got a couple of good strikes in early, slipped but then got on top of Franklin. Franklin took some punishment but made it back to his feet about half way through the round. They exchanged on their feet as both guys got in shots. Henderson hit Franklin with an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut on his forehead. Henderson up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Pretty even round but Henderson got a take down at the two minute mark and controlled for the rest of the fight. Henderson is up 20-18 so far so Franklin needs to finish if he wants to get a win.
R3- They mix it up at the beginning of the round with Franklin avoiding a take down but he couldn't avoid a second. Franklin started to land some good shots toward the end of the fight but then Henderson hit him with an eye poke and they had to take a break in the action. Not much action after the eye poke. Henderson takes this 29-28 in a rather boring fight for a Main Event.
Judges scores are: 29-28 Henderson, 30-27 Franklin and 29-28 Henderson. What's up with the 30-27 Franklin? Not a dominant win for Henderson but based on MMA scoring criteria he won the fight.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Decision (Split)
Not a great show from UFC but about what I was expecting. Davis/Lytle was Fight of the Night. BJ Penn vs Georges St Pierre is just two weeks away!
Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis (20-5) vs. Chris Lytle (36-16-4)
Looks like we are starting out with the fight on paper that should be FOTN. Davis beat Paul Kelly by submission in his last fight in October at UFC 89 and at the same show Chris Lytle scored a unanimous decision over Paul Taylor. Both guys have professional boxing experience. Lytle is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Marcus Davis comes out the House of Pain's "Jump Around." Both guys have won the majority of their fights by submission. Davis has a 2" reach advantage. Davis is the overwhelming fan favorite in this fight since he is the "Irish Hand Grenade."
"Ole" chant goes out from the crowd as the fight starts.
R1- Lytle attacks early and briefly knocks Davis back against the cage. Lytle is the aggressor but Davis is hitting some counter punches. Davis caught a kick with two minutes left in the fight and threw Lytle to the ground but didn't follow him down. Lytle went down again, on a possible slip or push, and Davis went down and tried some Ground and Pound but Lytle got back up and then ate a knee. Davis has a cut under his left eye. Good first round and really close to score. Lytle was the aggressor but got knocked off his feet twice. Very close fight so far.
R2- Lytle backed Davis up against the cage and threw bombs to open up the fight but Davis survived. Davis caught him with a body shot that knocked Lytle down. Davis hits a body kick and then some knees. This was a close round. Davis seemed like he hit more shots, Lytle seemed like he hit heavy shots. I think we've got a 19-19 fight here but I could honestly see it legitimately being scored 20-18 right now in favor of either fighter. It's a really close fight so far. Davis has a couple of minor cuts.
R3- Lytle throwing and missing with some wild shots this round. He's still pushing forward but looks like he's slowing. With about a minute and a half left they both throw punches against the cage. Lytle got knocked to his knees at the end of the round. Really good fight. I've got Davis 29-28 but I would be surprised if this wasn't a split decision.
The judges score the fight: Davis 29-28, Lytle 29-28 and Davis 29-28
Winner: Marcus Davis by Decision (Split)
Middleweight Fight- Alan Belcher (12-4) vs. Denis Kang (31-10-1)
This is Kang's UFC debut. Belcher is coming off of a questionable split decision victory over Ed Herman in September and has won 3 of his last 4 fights. The last time I saw Denis Kang he was getting submitted by Gegard Mousasi in the first round of the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Kang is a Jiu Jitsu Black Belt. Belcher is a Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt.
R1- Kang got an early take down and controlled the action early. Kang got his second take down of the round with two minutes left. Knag went for a kimura but couldn't get it locked in. Really strong round for Kang as he dominated but didn't inflict too much damage on Belcher. 10-9 Kang after one round.
R2- Kang got a take down one and a half minutes into the round. Belcher pulled guard near the end of the round and caught Kang in a guillotine and tapped him. It looked like Kang had run out of gas prior to getting caught. Kang was controlling this fight but not dominating. Very disappointing debut by Kang but I think you could see it coming after he got subbed by Mousasi in very short order last April.
Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Guillotine) R2 4:36
Post-fight interview Belcher says he thinks he needs one or two more fights before calling out Anderson Silva. No shit sherlock.
Michael Bisping is shown in the crowd and they hype up the fact that he will be one of the coaches on the next installment of TUF.
Middleweight Fight- Jeremy Horn (88-18-5) vs. Rousimar Palhares (17-2)
Palhares is coming off of a decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 88 in a close fight that I scored in favor of Henderson 29-28. Palhares is an aggressive submission fighter and a jiu jitsu black belt. Horn has a 3" reach and 6" height advantage. Horn has over 50 submissions in his MMA career and has fought in over 100 career MMA fights.
R1- Horn pulled guard early but Palhares quickly took his back but Horn survived and was able to roll over. Palhares missed with a leg lock and Horn missed with a triangle. Palhares really controlled and almost dominating first round. This was a borderline 10-8 round in favor of Palhares.
R2- Palhares got a big slam and take down about 15 seconds into round two. Palhares has been warned a couple of times about grabbing onto the cage. Horn survived and got a single leg and then mounted Palhares and got him in an arm triangle but couldn't clamp it in right. Horn hit some stand up but then Palhaes got a take down. Very close first round with Palhares controlling the beginning and end and Horn controlling the middle. I've got Palhares 20-17 so far but I could see it as close as 19-19 depending on what the judges favor when they score.
R3- Huge suplex by Palhares to start off the round. Palhares just controls this round as Palhares was winded but Horn couldn't do anything. Palhares is going to take this by unanimous decision.
Judges say: 30-27 for all three judges.
Winner: Rousimar Palhares by Decision (Unanimous)
Welterweight Fight- Tom Egan vs. John Hathaway
This is a pre-show fight. Egan got a huge response from the crowd. This is the UFC debut of both guys. Hathaway has more experience.
R1- Hathaway dominated on the ground early. The crowd was really behind Egan. Hathaway finished Egan in the final minute of the round due to ref stoppage. Hathaway looked really good. Egan got in virtually no offense.
Winner: John Hathaway by TKO (strikes) R1 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Mark Coleman (15-8) vs. Shogun Rua (16-3)
This is a re-match from their much talked about Pride fight where Rua broke his arm and then their was a post-fight melee in the ring. Coleman comes out to AC/DCs "Back in Black." This is the "Co-Main Event."
R1- Coleman rushes in early and eats a Shogun knee but got the take down. Rua going for a knee bar but Coleman escaped. Rua with a knee but Coleman took him down. Basically this fight is Coleman trying to Ground and Pound and Shogun trying to go for subs. Shogun is starting to come on at the end of the round with some good leg kicks. Coleman looking tired towards the end of the round. Shogun hit a good knee and Coleman dove at his leg. Big left hand from Rua and Coleman crumbles to the floor but grabs onto Rua's leg. Rua 10-9 in this round as Coleman just ran out of gas.
Phil Baroni is in Coleman's corner and telling Coleman that he's hurt Rua badly and that Rua is looking for a way out as Coleman has trouble finding his corner.
R2- Coleman got a take down after he ate a couple of strikes. Rua hitting more strikes and Coleman is having a difficult time keeping his hands up. Coleman got a take down with about 2 minutes left but couldn't hold him down. Rua peppered Coleman with some shots and Coleman got another take down. Rua got a shoulder lock. Both guys look tired. Coleman survives to fight another round if he can make it back to his corner. Rua is up 20-18 but not looking particularly good so far.
R3- Coleman got a take down and is laying on top of Rua. Rua is going after Coleman's leg and Coleman is continually grabbing the cage to help against the move. Coleman back on top and is on Rua's back and is taking some shots. Rua escaped and hit a knee to Coleman where Coleman's knees were on the ground. The ref separated them but on replay it was to the body which was a legal shot. Both guys are just gassed. Rua hitting Coleman with some shots and knocks him down and the ref stops the fight.
That was hard to watch. Both guys clearly didn't have the stamina needed to be ready for this fight. After Rua's interview with Rogan, Rua and Coleman shake hands and embrace a couple of times to squash their feud.
Winner: Shogun Rua by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:36
Light Heavyweight Fight- Rich Franklin (26-3-1) vs. Dan Henderson (23-7)
Henderson defeated Rousimar Palhares by decision at UFC 88 and Franklin's last fight was a win at the same show when he finished Matt Hamill. Henderson is a two-time Olympic wrestler and the only fighter to hold two belts at the same time in Pride. Both of these guys have recent losses to Anderson Silva so they are basically the #2 and #3 fighters in the Middleweight Division but are fighting at Light Heavyweight as Silva has basically forced them to move up. The winner is going to coach opposite of Michael Bisping in the next TUF installment.
R1- Henderson got a couple of good strikes in early, slipped but then got on top of Franklin. Franklin took some punishment but made it back to his feet about half way through the round. They exchanged on their feet as both guys got in shots. Henderson hit Franklin with an accidental headbutt that opened up a cut on his forehead. Henderson up 10-9 after Round One.
R2- Pretty even round but Henderson got a take down at the two minute mark and controlled for the rest of the fight. Henderson is up 20-18 so far so Franklin needs to finish if he wants to get a win.
R3- They mix it up at the beginning of the round with Franklin avoiding a take down but he couldn't avoid a second. Franklin started to land some good shots toward the end of the fight but then Henderson hit him with an eye poke and they had to take a break in the action. Not much action after the eye poke. Henderson takes this 29-28 in a rather boring fight for a Main Event.
Judges scores are: 29-28 Henderson, 30-27 Franklin and 29-28 Henderson. What's up with the 30-27 Franklin? Not a dominant win for Henderson but based on MMA scoring criteria he won the fight.
Winner: Dan Henderson by Decision (Split)
Not a great show from UFC but about what I was expecting. Davis/Lytle was Fight of the Night. BJ Penn vs Georges St Pierre is just two weeks away!
RFC 11- Revenge of the Warriors 2/23/08 Re-Cap
RFC 11 - Revenge of the Warriors
Real Fighting Championships
February 23, 2008
USF Sun Dome,
Tampa, Fla.
Sport South is showing a series called "Fight Zone" and this card was shown in it's entirety. Jay Adams and Alan Berube were the announcers for the fights.
Welterweight Fight- David Silva (2-0) vs. Zack Barros (0-3)
Both of these guys are BJJ fighters.
R1- Silva struck early and then got a take down. The ref paused the fight to check out the cut on Barros. Silva quickly took Barros' back and made him tap. Dominate performance by Silva but I guess that's what you get when you match an undefeated fighter up against one that has never won.
Winner: David Silva by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:21
Welterweight Fight- Corey Swanson (0-0) vs. Joe Robinson (1-0)
Robinson is a Vale Tudo fighter.
R1- Robinson got a quick take down took his back and finished him. Impressive showing for Robinson.
Winner: Joe Robinson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:06
Featherweight Fight- Den Lyn (0-1) vs. Dieulhomme Chera (2-1)
Chera is known as "J Lee". Lyn has tons of tats on his body. J Lee is a Chute Fighter.
R1- Lyn caught J Lee with a wild haymaker as he was getting up after a take down and then the ref stopped the fight. Looked like a questionnable stoppage to me.
Winner: Den Lyn by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:53
Super Heavyweight Fight- Shawn Vaughn (3-0) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (2-0)
Vaughn is a Chute Fighter and Gonzalez a BJJ fighter.
R1- Vaughn is showing some serious plumber crack in this fight and is having trouble keeping his pants up (yes, I just typed those words talking about an MMA fight). This is quite frankly a little bit repulsive. Gonzalez got him down and hit him with some Ground and Pound and Vaughn taped out.
Winner: Miguel Gonzalez by Submission (Punches) R1 1:04
So far we have 4 squashes and then a special appearance and in-ring interview from HULK HOGAN!
Featherweight Fight- James Austin (3-0) vs. James Wynn (1-4)
Austin is a submission fighter and has a victory over J Lee who also fought on this card.
R1- Wynn landed a quick strike and then got a take down. Austin got a heel hook and near tap from the bottom and then took the top position. Wynn attempted an arm bar, triangle and then another arm bar but Austin got out. Austin got full mount and got a triangle for the submission victory. Good fight.
Winner: James Austin by Submission (Triangle) R1 4:20
Featherweight Fight- Ricky Bennett (1-1) vs. Gilbert Burgos (1-0)
Bennett is a submission fighter and Burgos is a BJJ fighter.
R1- Burgos got an early take down, controlled the fight and got a submission with a Rear Naked Choke.
Winner: Gilbert Burgos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 3:40
RFC Champion Edson Berto (has fought against KJ Noons and Yves Edwards for Elite XC) is back stage and they interview him but he won't be fighting tonight. He's a really fun fighter from what I've seen.
Middleweight Fight- Garreth Joseph (1-0) vs. Danny Babcock (3-1)
Joseph has a win over Zach Barros who fought in the first fight on the show.
R1- Both guys are swinging for the fences early and often. Joseph is connecting with punches and knees and then gets a big KO of Babcock. Good offense by Joseph but neither guy showed any signs of defense. Fun fight.
Winner: Garreth Joseph by KO R1 2:21
Middleweight Fight- Tony Sousa (2-1) vs. Carl Greco (5-3)
Greco is the RFC Middleweight Champion but he won't be defending his title tonight. Sousa trains with American Top Team and is a BJJ Fighter. Greco is a Chute Fighter. Greco had a 1-2 record in Pride and lost to Wanderlei Silva by Decision back in 1999.
R1- Greco controlled early but then Sousa took his back and Greco eventually slipped out. Good first round with Greco controlling and drawing some blood at the end of the round. Greco 10-9.
R2- Greco got him down early in this round and hit some Ground and Pound and got the win.
Winner: Carl Greco by Submission (Strikes) R2 1:06
A lot of mis-matches on the show so it's hard to see who has the ability to become a good fighter but I wouldn't mind seeing David Silva, James Austin and Joe Robinson again.
Real Fighting Championships
February 23, 2008
USF Sun Dome,
Tampa, Fla.
Sport South is showing a series called "Fight Zone" and this card was shown in it's entirety. Jay Adams and Alan Berube were the announcers for the fights.
Welterweight Fight- David Silva (2-0) vs. Zack Barros (0-3)
Both of these guys are BJJ fighters.
R1- Silva struck early and then got a take down. The ref paused the fight to check out the cut on Barros. Silva quickly took Barros' back and made him tap. Dominate performance by Silva but I guess that's what you get when you match an undefeated fighter up against one that has never won.
Winner: David Silva by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 2:21
Welterweight Fight- Corey Swanson (0-0) vs. Joe Robinson (1-0)
Robinson is a Vale Tudo fighter.
R1- Robinson got a quick take down took his back and finished him. Impressive showing for Robinson.
Winner: Joe Robinson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 1:06
Featherweight Fight- Den Lyn (0-1) vs. Dieulhomme Chera (2-1)
Chera is known as "J Lee". Lyn has tons of tats on his body. J Lee is a Chute Fighter.
R1- Lyn caught J Lee with a wild haymaker as he was getting up after a take down and then the ref stopped the fight. Looked like a questionnable stoppage to me.
Winner: Den Lyn by TKO (Strikes) R1 0:53
Super Heavyweight Fight- Shawn Vaughn (3-0) vs. Miguel Gonzalez (2-0)
Vaughn is a Chute Fighter and Gonzalez a BJJ fighter.
R1- Vaughn is showing some serious plumber crack in this fight and is having trouble keeping his pants up (yes, I just typed those words talking about an MMA fight). This is quite frankly a little bit repulsive. Gonzalez got him down and hit him with some Ground and Pound and Vaughn taped out.
Winner: Miguel Gonzalez by Submission (Punches) R1 1:04
So far we have 4 squashes and then a special appearance and in-ring interview from HULK HOGAN!
Featherweight Fight- James Austin (3-0) vs. James Wynn (1-4)
Austin is a submission fighter and has a victory over J Lee who also fought on this card.
R1- Wynn landed a quick strike and then got a take down. Austin got a heel hook and near tap from the bottom and then took the top position. Wynn attempted an arm bar, triangle and then another arm bar but Austin got out. Austin got full mount and got a triangle for the submission victory. Good fight.
Winner: James Austin by Submission (Triangle) R1 4:20
Featherweight Fight- Ricky Bennett (1-1) vs. Gilbert Burgos (1-0)
Bennett is a submission fighter and Burgos is a BJJ fighter.
R1- Burgos got an early take down, controlled the fight and got a submission with a Rear Naked Choke.
Winner: Gilbert Burgos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1 3:40
RFC Champion Edson Berto (has fought against KJ Noons and Yves Edwards for Elite XC) is back stage and they interview him but he won't be fighting tonight. He's a really fun fighter from what I've seen.
Middleweight Fight- Garreth Joseph (1-0) vs. Danny Babcock (3-1)
Joseph has a win over Zach Barros who fought in the first fight on the show.
R1- Both guys are swinging for the fences early and often. Joseph is connecting with punches and knees and then gets a big KO of Babcock. Good offense by Joseph but neither guy showed any signs of defense. Fun fight.
Winner: Garreth Joseph by KO R1 2:21
Middleweight Fight- Tony Sousa (2-1) vs. Carl Greco (5-3)
Greco is the RFC Middleweight Champion but he won't be defending his title tonight. Sousa trains with American Top Team and is a BJJ Fighter. Greco is a Chute Fighter. Greco had a 1-2 record in Pride and lost to Wanderlei Silva by Decision back in 1999.
R1- Greco controlled early but then Sousa took his back and Greco eventually slipped out. Good first round with Greco controlling and drawing some blood at the end of the round. Greco 10-9.
R2- Greco got him down early in this round and hit some Ground and Pound and got the win.
Winner: Carl Greco by Submission (Strikes) R2 1:06
A lot of mis-matches on the show so it's hard to see who has the ability to become a good fighter but I wouldn't mind seeing David Silva, James Austin and Joe Robinson again.
Strikeforce on NBC 1/18/08 Re-Cap
Strikeforce on NBC 1/18/08 Re-Cap
Just one fight on tap for tonight and it's the semi Main-Event from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place back on 10/3/08.
Frank Trigg (17-6) vs. Falaniko Vitale (26-8)
Trigg is a veteran of UFC and Pride. He has victories over Kazuo Misaki, Jason Miller, an d Dennis Hallman. His only losses have come to Hayato Sakurai, Matt Hughes (2x), Georges St Pierre, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Conduit. So he has lost to some pretty good fighters. He is on a 2 fight win streak. Vitale has also been in UFC and holds victories over Matt Lindland (Lindland won the re-match) and Yushin Okami. He has losses to Robbie Lawler (2x), Jason Miller, and Jeremy Horn. Vitale is also on a 2 fight win streak coming into the fight.
R1- Trigg was the aggressor in the first round and pushed the fight throughout the round. At one point he took and landed some nice standing elbows. Trigg took round one 10-9.
R2- Not as much action in this round and the fighters began to tire. Announcers blamed it partially on the altitude (fighting in Colorado). Trigg was throwing much lighter punches in this round. He still landed with quite a few but they were far less effective in this round. That being said, Trigg still won the round and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Trigg started out with a take down but there was really not much action in this round. Vitale hit a big right hand about half way through the round and got a take down but quickly lost his position. Trigg ended the round with a take down. Very close round that I gave to Vitale. So I've got Trigg taking the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Trigg.
Winner: Frank Trigg by Decision (Unanimous)
Just one fight on tap for tonight and it's the semi Main-Event from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place back on 10/3/08.
Frank Trigg (17-6) vs. Falaniko Vitale (26-8)
Trigg is a veteran of UFC and Pride. He has victories over Kazuo Misaki, Jason Miller, an d Dennis Hallman. His only losses have come to Hayato Sakurai, Matt Hughes (2x), Georges St Pierre, Robbie Lawler and Carlos Conduit. So he has lost to some pretty good fighters. He is on a 2 fight win streak. Vitale has also been in UFC and holds victories over Matt Lindland (Lindland won the re-match) and Yushin Okami. He has losses to Robbie Lawler (2x), Jason Miller, and Jeremy Horn. Vitale is also on a 2 fight win streak coming into the fight.
R1- Trigg was the aggressor in the first round and pushed the fight throughout the round. At one point he took and landed some nice standing elbows. Trigg took round one 10-9.
R2- Not as much action in this round and the fighters began to tire. Announcers blamed it partially on the altitude (fighting in Colorado). Trigg was throwing much lighter punches in this round. He still landed with quite a few but they were far less effective in this round. That being said, Trigg still won the round and is up 20-18 on my score card.
R3- Trigg started out with a take down but there was really not much action in this round. Vitale hit a big right hand about half way through the round and got a take down but quickly lost his position. Trigg ended the round with a take down. Very close round that I gave to Vitale. So I've got Trigg taking the fight 29-28.
Judges score cards say: 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 in favor of Trigg.
Winner: Frank Trigg by Decision (Unanimous)
Strikeforce on NBC 1/11/08 Re-Cap
Strikeforce on NBC 1/11/08 Re-Cap
All 3 of these fights were from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place on 10/3/08.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Carlos Zevallos (0-0) vs. Andre Walker (1-3)
This is the MMA debut for Carlos Zevallos. Both guys have backgrounds in Muy Thai.
R1- Walker caught Carlos right out of the gate with a big right hand and then jumped on top of him but could not finish. Walker controlled the early portion of the round. Carlos reversed a take down and took full mount and landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Carlos Zevallos by TKO (punches) R1 4:49
Featherweight Fight- Ricky Johnson (0-1) vs. Tyler Toner (6-1)
R1- Only highlights are shown of Round One and Johnson is busted up and Toner finished the round strong.
R2- Johnson has some facial cuts. Toner got a take down after a knee to the body. Johnson went for a knee bar but instead ate some Ground and Pound. Toner is in full mount and Johnson is getting busted up pretty good until the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Tyler Toner by TKO (punches) R2 3:44
Welterweight Fight- Duane Ludwig (16-8) vs. Sammy Morgan (19-11)
This was the Main Event of the "Payback" show and is also a re-match between these two as Sammy Morgan stopped Duane Ludwig 52 seconds into the first round of their first encounter. Ludwig has wins over Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Thomas Denny, Jens Pulver, Genki Sudo, Jonathan Goulet and Tony Fryklund. He's also lost to BJ Penn, Takanori Gomi, Paul Daley, Josh Thomson, and Tyson Griffin. Sammy Morgan was on the UFC The Ultimate Fighter Season 2.
R1- Morgan got an early take down but Ludwig got up quickly and both guys are swinging for the fences. Ludwig hit a good uppercut that knocked Sammy down and Ludwig got on top and Sammy tapped out.
Winner: Duane Ludwig by TKO (punches) R1 2:01
All 3 of these fights were from the Strikeforce "Payback" show that took place on 10/3/08.
Light Heavyweight Fight- Carlos Zevallos (0-0) vs. Andre Walker (1-3)
This is the MMA debut for Carlos Zevallos. Both guys have backgrounds in Muy Thai.
R1- Walker caught Carlos right out of the gate with a big right hand and then jumped on top of him but could not finish. Walker controlled the early portion of the round. Carlos reversed a take down and took full mount and landed some Ground and Pound and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Carlos Zevallos by TKO (punches) R1 4:49
Featherweight Fight- Ricky Johnson (0-1) vs. Tyler Toner (6-1)
R1- Only highlights are shown of Round One and Johnson is busted up and Toner finished the round strong.
R2- Johnson has some facial cuts. Toner got a take down after a knee to the body. Johnson went for a knee bar but instead ate some Ground and Pound. Toner is in full mount and Johnson is getting busted up pretty good until the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Tyler Toner by TKO (punches) R2 3:44
Welterweight Fight- Duane Ludwig (16-8) vs. Sammy Morgan (19-11)
This was the Main Event of the "Payback" show and is also a re-match between these two as Sammy Morgan stopped Duane Ludwig 52 seconds into the first round of their first encounter. Ludwig has wins over Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, Thomas Denny, Jens Pulver, Genki Sudo, Jonathan Goulet and Tony Fryklund. He's also lost to BJ Penn, Takanori Gomi, Paul Daley, Josh Thomson, and Tyson Griffin. Sammy Morgan was on the UFC The Ultimate Fighter Season 2.
R1- Morgan got an early take down but Ludwig got up quickly and both guys are swinging for the fences. Ludwig hit a good uppercut that knocked Sammy down and Ludwig got on top and Sammy tapped out.
Winner: Duane Ludwig by TKO (punches) R1 2:01
Saturday, January 17, 2009
K-1/DREAM Dynamite 12/31/08 Show Re-Cap
K-1/DREAM Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2008
December 31, 2008
Saitama Super Arena,
Saitama, Japan
DREAM Open-Weight Fight- Ikuhisa Minowa (40-19-8) vs. Errol Zimmerman 0-0)
R1- Minowa pretty much immediately got a take down and submission due to a leg hold.
Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Submission (Toe Hold) R1 1:01
K-1 (156.5 pounds) Fight- Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
This was fought under K-1 rules.
R1- Artur took a slight advantage in this round with a brief knockdown and hit a really nice spinning back fist.
R2- Artur got a kick for a knockdown and then basically got a trip for a second one. Good round.
R3- Artur basically controlled this round and got a take down. This was a good and competitive fight.
Winner: Artur Kyshenko by Majority Decision
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Bob Sapp (9-3-1) vs. Akihito Tanaka (0-0)
Tanaka wore a fish mask to the ring and fought in it. I think this was supposed to be a "comedy" fight but man it was bad.
R1- The first 4 minutes were controlled by the guy in the fish mask. He got Sapp down and Sapp was like a turtle on his back. Sapp finally got back to his feet and finished the guy off. Embarrassing fight.
Winner: Bob Sapp by TKO (punches) R1 5:22
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Semmy Schilt (25-14-1) vs. Siala Siliga (3-0)
R1- Siliga controlled most of the fight keeping Schilt on his back but Schilt was able to get a triangle from his back to get the win.
Winner: Semmy Schilt by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 5:31
DREAM (176.4 pounds) Fight- Hayato Sakurai (33-8-2) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (2-5-1)
Shibata is a former New Japan Pro Wrestler who has more heart than brains. Coming into this fight he is 2-5-1 and regularly takes on fights that he is almost no chance of winning (he has already fought Ralek Gracie, Kazushi Sakuraba, Jason Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama in his young career). Sakurai is highly favored to win this fight. Shibata has a height advantage going for him.
R1- Shibata runs straight for him at the beginning and it almost looks like Sakurai tries to hit him with a leg lariot as they collide in mid-air. They go toe to toe right after each other from the opening bell. Hayato gets on top with some Ground and Pound but also gets bloodied up around his eyes. Hayato finally finished off the tough Shibata with a TKO at the 7 minute mark. Decent fight- a lot better than the first 3 DREAM fights.
Winner: Hayato Sakurai by TKO (Punches) R1 7:01
K-1 (154.3 pounds) Fight- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
This was fought under K-1 rules.
R1- Kawajiri quickly got a knock down and Takeda got a standing 10 count. Kawajiri was just all over him hitting huge uppercuts. Takeda's nose was busted open really badly. Kawajiri got a jumping knee knockdown and Takeda again took a standing 10 count but Kawajiri quickly finished him off. Kawajiri looked AWSOME in this fight.
Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO R1
K-1 Heavyweight Fight- Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari
R1- Overeem hit a giant knee early in round 1 and then got a left handed KO. Domination.
Winner: Alistair Overeen by TKO R1
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) vs. Hong Man Choi (1-1)
Cro Cop got destroyed in his last fight against Alistair Overeem but was able to get a "no decision" out of it when he took a low blow and could not continue. Overeem wanted a re-match on this show but Cro Cop wanted no part of that. Instead Cro Cop takes on a 7'2" 352 lb giant who has little to no mobility. All Cro Cop needs to do here is stay out of his reach for the first couple of minutes until he tires out.This guy lost to Fedor last year in under two minutes.
R1- Hong Man is winning the fight early. Cro Cop nails Hong Man with a low blow. Hong Man gets up from the low blow and then Cro Cop destroys his leg with one kick to the knee. Cro Cop looked bored.
Winner: Cro Cop TKO (Low Kick) R1 6:32
K-1 Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Mousasi is a Top 10 (maybe Top 5) Middleweight MMA fighter with superior submissions. He's had a great year.
R1- Mousasi shows great stand up in this fight and gets a quick knock down. He gets another knock down by basically pushing Musashi down. He gets a third knock down of the fight and gets a standing 10 count. Mousasi finally finishes him off. He just basically ate his lunch in this fight. Fantastic showing by Mousasi.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by TKO R1
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Melvin Manhoef (22-5-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-4)
Manhoef destroyed Sakuraba (who is in the Main Event tonight) last year before losing to Gegard Mousasi in the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix. Hunt has lost his last 3 matches. He has lost to Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, and Josh Barnett (all Top 10 Heavyweights). Manhoef has a weight disadvantage in this fight. Hunt holds victories over Wanderlei Silva and Cro Cop in a past life.
R1- Hunt charged right in and ate a big right hook and then Manhoef reigned down shots on him until the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Melvin Manhoef by KO (punches) R1 0:18
WAMMA Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Eddie Alvarez (15-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (18-3)
Both of these guys are legit Top 5 Lightweights. Alvarez is a Fighter of the Year Candidate and has had two of the most exciting fights in all of MMA this year (Hansen and Kawajiri). Aoki is a jiu jitsu beast who has beaten JZ Cavalcante (had a very controversial no contest and then just rode JZ to a lay and pray victory in the re-match), Katsuhiko Nagata, Todd Moore and Caol Uno in 2008. His only loss in 2008 was to Joachim Hansen in the finals of the Dream Lightweight tournament in which both guys fought twice that night and Hansen was filling in for an injured Alvarez.
This is defnitely the most anticipated fight of the show. Alvarez comes out to "The Champ is Here." Aoki is wearing his trade mark HIDEOUSLY UGLY tights. For this fight they are pink and yellow.
R1- Aoki grabbed an Alvarez kick shortly into the fight and took him down. Aoki grabbed a heel hook. Alvarez tried to counter but Aoki just had to good of a grip and Alvarez tapped. Very impressive showing for Aoki. He's one of the top jiu jitsu guys going in MMA and his jiu jitsu trumped Alvarez's stand up before Alvarez could even get going tonight.
Winner and new WAMMA Lightweight Champion: Shinya Aoki by Submission (Heel Hook) R1 1:32
DREAM Fight- Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-3) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1)
I'm not going to lie. This fight put me to sleep. From what I can remember Tamura controlled and got some good Ground and Pound in during the first round. Sakuraba basically just fought to stay in the fight and tried to grab submissions where possible.
Winner: Kiyoshi Tamura by Decision (Unanimous)
This was not a good show. Aoki, Kawajiri and Mousasi were really impressive in their victories. Joachim Hansen vs JZ was unfortunately cancelled but I don't think that could have saved this wreck.
December 31, 2008
Saitama Super Arena,
Saitama, Japan
DREAM Open-Weight Fight- Ikuhisa Minowa (40-19-8) vs. Errol Zimmerman 0-0)
R1- Minowa pretty much immediately got a take down and submission due to a leg hold.
Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Submission (Toe Hold) R1 1:01
K-1 (156.5 pounds) Fight- Yoshihiro Sato vs. Artur Kyshenko
This was fought under K-1 rules.
R1- Artur took a slight advantage in this round with a brief knockdown and hit a really nice spinning back fist.
R2- Artur got a kick for a knockdown and then basically got a trip for a second one. Good round.
R3- Artur basically controlled this round and got a take down. This was a good and competitive fight.
Winner: Artur Kyshenko by Majority Decision
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Bob Sapp (9-3-1) vs. Akihito Tanaka (0-0)
Tanaka wore a fish mask to the ring and fought in it. I think this was supposed to be a "comedy" fight but man it was bad.
R1- The first 4 minutes were controlled by the guy in the fish mask. He got Sapp down and Sapp was like a turtle on his back. Sapp finally got back to his feet and finished the guy off. Embarrassing fight.
Winner: Bob Sapp by TKO (punches) R1 5:22
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Semmy Schilt (25-14-1) vs. Siala Siliga (3-0)
R1- Siliga controlled most of the fight keeping Schilt on his back but Schilt was able to get a triangle from his back to get the win.
Winner: Semmy Schilt by Submission (Arm Triangle) R1 5:31
DREAM (176.4 pounds) Fight- Hayato Sakurai (33-8-2) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (2-5-1)
Shibata is a former New Japan Pro Wrestler who has more heart than brains. Coming into this fight he is 2-5-1 and regularly takes on fights that he is almost no chance of winning (he has already fought Ralek Gracie, Kazushi Sakuraba, Jason Miller and Yoshihiro Akiyama in his young career). Sakurai is highly favored to win this fight. Shibata has a height advantage going for him.
R1- Shibata runs straight for him at the beginning and it almost looks like Sakurai tries to hit him with a leg lariot as they collide in mid-air. They go toe to toe right after each other from the opening bell. Hayato gets on top with some Ground and Pound but also gets bloodied up around his eyes. Hayato finally finished off the tough Shibata with a TKO at the 7 minute mark. Decent fight- a lot better than the first 3 DREAM fights.
Winner: Hayato Sakurai by TKO (Punches) R1 7:01
K-1 (154.3 pounds) Fight- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
This was fought under K-1 rules.
R1- Kawajiri quickly got a knock down and Takeda got a standing 10 count. Kawajiri was just all over him hitting huge uppercuts. Takeda's nose was busted open really badly. Kawajiri got a jumping knee knockdown and Takeda again took a standing 10 count but Kawajiri quickly finished him off. Kawajiri looked AWSOME in this fight.
Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO R1
K-1 Heavyweight Fight- Alistair Overeem vs. Badr Hari
R1- Overeem hit a giant knee early in round 1 and then got a left handed KO. Domination.
Winner: Alistair Overeen by TKO R1
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) vs. Hong Man Choi (1-1)
Cro Cop got destroyed in his last fight against Alistair Overeem but was able to get a "no decision" out of it when he took a low blow and could not continue. Overeem wanted a re-match on this show but Cro Cop wanted no part of that. Instead Cro Cop takes on a 7'2" 352 lb giant who has little to no mobility. All Cro Cop needs to do here is stay out of his reach for the first couple of minutes until he tires out.This guy lost to Fedor last year in under two minutes.
R1- Hong Man is winning the fight early. Cro Cop nails Hong Man with a low blow. Hong Man gets up from the low blow and then Cro Cop destroys his leg with one kick to the knee. Cro Cop looked bored.
Winner: Cro Cop TKO (Low Kick) R1 6:32
K-1 Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Mousasi is a Top 10 (maybe Top 5) Middleweight MMA fighter with superior submissions. He's had a great year.
R1- Mousasi shows great stand up in this fight and gets a quick knock down. He gets another knock down by basically pushing Musashi down. He gets a third knock down of the fight and gets a standing 10 count. Mousasi finally finishes him off. He just basically ate his lunch in this fight. Fantastic showing by Mousasi.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi by TKO R1
DREAM Heavyweight Fight- Melvin Manhoef (22-5-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-4)
Manhoef destroyed Sakuraba (who is in the Main Event tonight) last year before losing to Gegard Mousasi in the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix. Hunt has lost his last 3 matches. He has lost to Alistair Overeem, Fedor Emelianenko, and Josh Barnett (all Top 10 Heavyweights). Manhoef has a weight disadvantage in this fight. Hunt holds victories over Wanderlei Silva and Cro Cop in a past life.
R1- Hunt charged right in and ate a big right hook and then Manhoef reigned down shots on him until the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Melvin Manhoef by KO (punches) R1 0:18
WAMMA Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Eddie Alvarez (15-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (18-3)
Both of these guys are legit Top 5 Lightweights. Alvarez is a Fighter of the Year Candidate and has had two of the most exciting fights in all of MMA this year (Hansen and Kawajiri). Aoki is a jiu jitsu beast who has beaten JZ Cavalcante (had a very controversial no contest and then just rode JZ to a lay and pray victory in the re-match), Katsuhiko Nagata, Todd Moore and Caol Uno in 2008. His only loss in 2008 was to Joachim Hansen in the finals of the Dream Lightweight tournament in which both guys fought twice that night and Hansen was filling in for an injured Alvarez.
This is defnitely the most anticipated fight of the show. Alvarez comes out to "The Champ is Here." Aoki is wearing his trade mark HIDEOUSLY UGLY tights. For this fight they are pink and yellow.
R1- Aoki grabbed an Alvarez kick shortly into the fight and took him down. Aoki grabbed a heel hook. Alvarez tried to counter but Aoki just had to good of a grip and Alvarez tapped. Very impressive showing for Aoki. He's one of the top jiu jitsu guys going in MMA and his jiu jitsu trumped Alvarez's stand up before Alvarez could even get going tonight.
Winner and new WAMMA Lightweight Champion: Shinya Aoki by Submission (Heel Hook) R1 1:32
DREAM Fight- Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-3) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1)
I'm not going to lie. This fight put me to sleep. From what I can remember Tamura controlled and got some good Ground and Pound in during the first round. Sakuraba basically just fought to stay in the fight and tried to grab submissions where possible.
Winner: Kiyoshi Tamura by Decision (Unanimous)
This was not a good show. Aoki, Kawajiri and Mousasi were really impressive in their victories. Joachim Hansen vs JZ was unfortunately cancelled but I don't think that could have saved this wreck.
Strikeforce on NBC 12/28 Show Re-Cap
Strikeforce 12/28 Show Re-Cap
This one had been sitting on TV for a while.
Welterweight Fight- Brandon Thatch (3-0) vs. Brandon Magana (5-1) Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08
This fight has 3 3-minute rounds.
R1- Magana controlled with a takedown and keep the fight on the ground but didn't do much damage.
R2- Magana got another take down and controlled the round. Thatch landed more strikes in the round but Magana got another take down at the end of the round.
R3- Magana with another take down, got a full mount and took Thatch's back but didn't get anything from either position. Magana ended the fight with another take down.
This was an example of Magana winning the fight due to being a superior wrestler. Very reminiscent of some of Josh Koscheck's fights from the Ultimate Fighter 1 show before Koscheck advanced his game.
Winner: Brandon Magana by Decision (Split)
Luke Stewart (5-1) vs. Jesse Juarez (6-4)- Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08
This is a standard 3 5-minute round fight.
R1- Pretty even round to start with. Stewart started to control the fight once he got it to the ground and ended up submitting Juarez at the end of the first round.
Winner: Luke Stewart by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:55
This one had been sitting on TV for a while.
Welterweight Fight- Brandon Thatch (3-0) vs. Brandon Magana (5-1) Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08
This fight has 3 3-minute rounds.
R1- Magana controlled with a takedown and keep the fight on the ground but didn't do much damage.
R2- Magana got another take down and controlled the round. Thatch landed more strikes in the round but Magana got another take down at the end of the round.
R3- Magana with another take down, got a full mount and took Thatch's back but didn't get anything from either position. Magana ended the fight with another take down.
This was an example of Magana winning the fight due to being a superior wrestler. Very reminiscent of some of Josh Koscheck's fights from the Ultimate Fighter 1 show before Koscheck advanced his game.
Winner: Brandon Magana by Decision (Split)
Luke Stewart (5-1) vs. Jesse Juarez (6-4)- Playboy Mansion II- 9/20/08
This is a standard 3 5-minute round fight.
R1- Pretty even round to start with. Stewart started to control the fight once he got it to the ground and ended up submitting Juarez at the end of the first round.
Winner: Luke Stewart by Submission (Arm Bar) R1 4:55
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