DREAM 13 3/22/10 Re-Cap

DREAM 13
Yokohama Arena
Japan
March 22, 2010

What a busy two weeks for MMA. XFC on HDNet last Friday, UFC on Versus on Sunday night, DREAM on HDNet Monday morning, next Friday HDNet has another King of the Cage show and Showtime counters with a Strikeforce Challengers show and UFC has another PPV next weekend. Wow. That's a huge line-up. This DREAM line-up has Joachim Hansen dropping in weight to challenge Bibiano Fernandes for the Featherweight title in what should be a great fight. We also have the return of KJ Noons and the controversial Josh Barnett on this show. Michael Schiavello and Frank Trigg are the announcers. This is the first DREAM show of 2010.

Open Weight Fight- Minowaman vs. Jimmy Ambriz

Schiavello's man love for Minowaman knows no bounds. I love how enthusiastic Schiavello is when he calls MMA. I had never heard him call anything until last year but he's quickly become my favorite play by play guy. Ambriz comes in at 275 pounds and Minowa is only 196 pounds.

R1- Ambriz controls the first part of the match by smothering Minowa. Ambriz grabs an arm triangle but can't keep it. Ambriz is just controlling Minowa so far. Ambriz gassed and Minowa employed the stick and move for the rest of the round. Not a very compelling fight so far.

R2- Ambriz starts off this round like the last one as he attempts to smother Minowa. Ambriz mounted but Minowa reversed him and then tapped him with a heel hook.

Winner: Minowman by Submission (Heel Hook) R2

We are one hour into the telecast and we are now on Fight #2.

Lightweight Fight- Kuniyoshi Hironaka (16-6) vs. Katsunori Kikuno (12-2-2)

Kikuno comes out to "We Are the World". Only in Japan. Hironaka is a former UFC fighter who went 1-3 while in the UFC. Kikuno holds a win over Nick Diaz. Both fighters are 4-1 in their last 5 fights. This is being promoted as who is the 3rd strongest Japanese lightweight fighter behind Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri.

R1- Kikuno lands some good strikes at the beginning of the round. Kikuno landed a liver kick and then a big time right hand and Hironaka just folded to the mat and this one is all over. Really impressive victory for Katsunori Kikuno. He hit a kick, missed with a strike, hit a good solid left and a big right. Really good combination. This one lasted only a minute and a half.

Winner: Katsunori Kikuno by TKO (Strikes) R1

Featherweight Fight- Cole Escovedo (15-4) vs. Yoshiro Maeda (26-7-2)

Escovedo is a former WEC Featherweight Champion. He has lost fights to Urijah Faber and Jens Pulver in the past. He had to take 3 and a half years off after a really bad staph infection. He is known for his triangle choke. He comes out to some Metallica. 14 of Maeda's wins have come by TKO/KO. Escovedo is 4-1 in his last 5 fights, Maeda is 3-2 in his last 5.

R1- Maeda is the agressor early and is throwing a lot of strikes. Out of nowhere Escovedo landed a left head kick and this one is over. Two great finishes back to back. Maeda was looking really good until he ate that head kick. Big time KO by Escovedo.

Winner: Cole Escovedo by KO (Head Kick) R1

Welterweight Fight- Andrews Nakahara (2-1) vs. Ryo Chonan (16-10)

Nakahara comes out to Eminem. This is his one shot to seize everything. His palms are sweaty..... Chonan is a former Pride and UFC fighter and this is his debut in DREAM. He is only 1-3 in the UFC. Schiavello tells us that Chonan is the betting underdog in this fight.

R1- They exchanged two minutes into the round and Nakahara went down but I don't think he got hit solidly with anything. Chonan took top position but Nakahara did a good job of locking him up from the bottom. Chonan spends the majority of the round in top position. The referee hands out a yellow card to Nakahara for not working enough from the bottom and stands the fight back up. Chonan is definitely the aggressor on their feet after the stand up. Nakahara hit Chonan with a big kick to the balls which puts a stop to Chonan's control of the round. Chonan is well in control of this fight going into the final five minutes.

R2- Nakahara lands some good shots half way through the round and then both guys throw with Nakahara getting the better of the exchange. Chonan was able to stop Nakahara's onslaught with a take down. Chonan ends the fight on top of Nakahara as they go the distance. I think Chonan is going to win this one. Nakahara had a good onslaught in the 2nd round but it wasn't enough as Chonan controlled the majority of the fight.

Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)

Lightweight Fight- KJ Noons (7-2) vs. Andre Dida (6-3-1)

Andre Dida comes out wearing a Tiger Mask mask. Schiavello tells us that if Noons wins this fight that they will look to set him up against Tatsuya Kawajiri. Schiavello also tells us that Strikeforce big wig Scott Coker is in the house tonight. This is KJ's return to MMA after spending a lot of time boxing (he was 4-1 in his last 5 fights and won his last 3 fights). KJ has a 100% KO ratio in MMA. Dida is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Noons is the favorite in this one.

R1- Dida starts this one out with a low blow. Noons is landing some decent body shots. Both guys landed quality punches at around the four minute mark but both guys absorbed them well. Methodical first round with Noons walking down Dida for the majority of the round and landing more jabs. Noons drew some blood from Dida's nose at the end of the round.

R2- Noons is starting to be more aggressive in this round and going for bigger shots. Dida's nose is really starting to bleed now and Noons looks like he may have a cut on his face as well. Noons is a little frustrated at Dida's continually backing away. Noons is going to take this by decision. Not a great fight by Noons but he was clearly the winner here tonight.

Winner: KJ Noons by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Josh Barnett (24-5) vs. Mighty Mo (3-1)

Barnett is a very controversial figure in the world of MMA. It's no shock that Josh is fighting in Japan after everything that happened to him prior to his Affliction fight with Fedor that never came to be. I would be shocked if Barnett fights in the US again for a major MMA company. Barnett should have an easy time in this fight. Mo took this fight on short notice about 10 days ago. Apparently DREAM had a tough time finding an opponent for Barnett for this fight.

R1- Mo hit a good strike and floored Barnett but he quickly got back to his feet before Mo could capitalize. Barnett landed a kick flush to Mo's "junk" and we are going to be taking a break for a while in this one. This one might be all over as they are taking a look at his package to see if he can continue. Mo is down and in agony and Schiavello and Twinkle Toes are thinking this one might be over. They have spent more than 5 minutes giving Mo time to rest as they really don't want to call this fight. They are giving Mo 3 more minutes. Josh told Mo he can hit him in the balls to even it out if they want. Mo is ready to continue and the ref gives Barnett a yellow card. Barnett got a take down about half way through the round and immediately got a kimura and this one is over.

Winner: Josh Barnett by Submission (Kimura) R1

Featherweight Title Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (c) (7-2) vs. Joachim Hansen (19-8-1)

Hansen was the first DREAM Lightweight Champion as he was a replacement for Eddie Alvarez and defeated Shinya Aoki in the tournament final. Hansen then lost the title to Aoki by submission. Hansen is a former Pride fighter and is the first fighter to defeat Takanori Gomi. Fernandes has only 2 losses in his career and they were to Urijah Faber (2006 by cut) and Kid Yamamoto (2007). This is the first defense of his title by Fernandes. Hansen has gone 3-2 in his last 5 and Fernandes is 5-0 in his last 5. Hansen is the favorite based on what the odds-makers say. Hansen normally fights at Lightweight and this is the first time I've seen him fight at this weight limit. If Hansen had a good cut I definitely can see him taking the title tonight. Even though this is a title fight it's still just a two round fight (the first round 10 minutes and the second round 5 minutes).

R1- Fernandes got a double leg take down 45 seconds into the fight but lets Hansen up. Fernandes hit a good counter right that briefly staggered Hansen but he absorbed it. Hansen really hasn't done much offensively so far after 3 and a half minutes. Fernandes got another take down with four minutes gone from the round but Hansen scrambled back to his feet without taking any damage. Fernandes landed another take down with two and a half minutes left in the first round but Hansen again got up with minimal damage inflicted. After the first round Fernandes is definitely winning the fight but he hasn't inflicted a lot of damage so Hansen could easily come back and win this in the second and final round.

R2- Fernandes got a quick double leg take down right at the beginning of the round and tried to get a leg lock but couldn't. Hansen is starting to find a home for his jab in this round but Fernandes caught a kick and took Hansen down again. Hansen landed some kicks while Fernandes stood above him. Fernandes got a take down in the last minute of the fight but Hansen got back to his feet with half a minute left. Close fight but Fernandes keeps the belt in my book. Two judges gave the fight to Fernandes and one gave it to Hansen so Fernandes keeps the belt. I think Hansen is better served in the Lightweight division as his speed seemed a bit off tonight and it took him a while to find his rhythm.

Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)

K-1 Dynamite 12/31/09 Re-Cap

K-1 - Dynamite!! Power of Courage 2009
December 31, 2009
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan

The announcers for the show are Michael Schiavello, Guy Mezger and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. DREAM and Sengoku will join forces tonight and will pit their fighters against each other in 9 fights! We will also see the long anticipated MMA debut of Judo Olympic Gold Metalist Satoshi Ishii as he takes on Hidehiko Yoshida. Tonight we will see some big MMA names like Shinya Aoki, Alistair Overeem, Kid Yamamoto, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Melvin Manhoef in action. We will also see some K-1 fights tonight on this show!

Under 18 K-1 High School Championship Semi-Final: Hiroya vs. Masaaki Noiri

Hiroya won this title last year and this is his last chance to defend the championship as he turns 18 in January. Hiroya has a K-1 record of 14-1. Noiri has a record of 2-0 in K-1.

R1- Noiri landed some good offense and Hiroya dropped to his knee. Noiri took the first round. Metzger says it should be a 10-8 round.

R2- This round is closer but Noiri still looks really good and Metzger gives him this round as well.

R3- Noiri knocked Hiroya down a to a knee at the beginning of the round but the ref let them continue. Hiroya landed a good right hand that hurt Noiri. Hiroya landed some good shots at the end of the round but missed on some haymakers.

Winner: Masaaki Noiri by Decision

Under 18 K-1 High School Championship Semi-Final: Shota Shimada vs. Katsuki Ishida

Ishida is 60-0 in Amateur kickboxing and 2-0 in K-1. Shimada has a K-1 record of 5-1.

R1- Good first round with Shimada having the advantage.

R2- Closer round this time as Ishida came out quickly and did a better job this round.

R3- Really close round. Good fight.

Winner: Shota Shimada by Decision

DREAM Super Hulk Tournament Final- Sokoudjou vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Minowa beat Bob Sapp and Hong Man Choi to advance to the finals. Sokoudjou beat Bob Sapp (he was filling in for Gegard Mousasi) and Jan Nortje to advance to the finals. If this fight is finished in the first round it should go to Sokoudjou but anything beyond that should be Minowa’s advantage.

R1- Both guys really tentative at the beginning. They went to the ropes and Minowa pulled guard and really worked on getting a leg lock. Sokoudjou took Minowa’s back and tried to get a Rear Naked on a couple of different occasions. Sokoudjou 10-9 in the first round (this fight is 5-minute rounds on a 10-must scoring system which is different then a lot of DREAM’s fights).

R2- Minowa went for a take down and then Sokoudjou took top position and hit some Ground and Pound. Very little action in the second part of this round as both guys seem exhausted. Sokoudjou just lays on Minowa. Minowa grabbed a knee bar in the last 15 seconds of the round and almost got a stoppage. Sokoudjou 20-18 after two rounds but Minowa looks like he did some damage to Sokoudjou’s leg at the end of the round.

R3- No action in the first minute of the round. The ref gives both fighters a yellow card (which reduces their pay by 10%) as there has been no action in the first minute and a half of the round. Two minutes gone and neither guy is doing anything. The round is half way over and no action and the ref gives them another yellow card so their pay has now been reduced by 20%. Sokoudjou hit a spinning back kick to the mid-section for the only shot of the round so far. Minowa connected with a punch to Sokoudjou and he drops and the ref steps in and stops the fight. Wow, no action at all in the round and then all of a sudden it’s over. Sokoudjou continues his streak of not being able to compete/win after the first round of a fight. Looked like it might have been an early stoppage as Sokoudjou looked like he was still very aware when he went down.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by TKO (Strikes) R3

K-1 Heavyweight Fight- Ray Sefo vs. Yosuke Nishijima

This is a K-1 contest with “special rules”. Nishijima is not allowed to kick in this fight.

R1- Sefo lands some good shots early. Sefo hit a big left half way through the land that gave Nishijima the “rubber legs”. Sefo took this round.

R2- Sefo landed a spinning back kick to the gut and then landed some punches. Sefo is going to take this round.

R3- They exchanged some strikes and Sefo downed Nishijima with a right hand and Nishijima got a standing 8-count.

Winner: Ray Sefo by Decision

Under 18 K-1 High School Championship Final- Masaaki Noiri vs. Shota Shimada

R1- Good first round that could have gone either way. Noiri was more aggressive but Shimada landed more shots.

R2- Noiri landed some good shots toward the end of the round and the ref gave Shimada a standing 8-count.

R3- Noiri again landed some good shots towards the end of the round and Shimada’s nose started bleeding. Good fight.

Winner and K-1 High School Champion: Masaaki Noiri by Decision

Dynamite Team Fights #1- Katsuyori Shibata (Dream) vs. Hiroshi Izumi (Sengoku) (0-1)

R1- Not a lot of action in the first couple of minutes as Shibata is jabbing but not connecting on anything. Shibata landed some good shots and then a couple of knees. Shibata won this round 10-9.

R2- Izumi hit a good shot early but got caught in a clinch and Izumi brawled his way out of the hold. Izumi got a take down about half way through the round. Izumi took this round to even it up 19-19.

R3- Shibata landed some good shots in the first minute of the round. Izumi landed some big shots half way through the round and then got Shibata down on the mat. I’ve got Izumi 29-28 but I could definitely see Shibata taking the second round so I’m expecting a split decision.

Winner: Hiroshi Izumi by Decision (Unanimous)

Sengoku 1 DREAM 0

Dynamite Team Fights #2- Featherweight Fight- Michihiro Omigawa (Sengoku) (8-8) vs. Hiroyoki Takaya (DREAM)

Omigawa lost in the Featherweight Grand Prix final and is coming off a controversial split decision over top ranked Featherweight fighter Hatsu Hioki. Takaya was a finalist of the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix. So we have a match-up of the runners-up of each company’s Featherweight Grand Prix tournaments.

R1- Omigawa landed some good shots about half way through the first round and dropped Takaya and finished him on the ground. Good showing by Omigawa.

Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by TKO (Strikes) R1

Sengoku 2 DREAM 0

Dynamite Team Fights #3- Welterweight Fight- Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (DREAM) (35-9-2) vs. Akihiro Gono (Sengoku)

R1- Sakurai caught Gono coming in about half way through the round and landed some good strikes. Gono got a strong take down with about one minute left in the round. Close round probably went to Sakurai because the Japanese judges don’t count take downs as much as US judges.

R2- Pretty even first half of the round. Gono caught a kick of Sakurai’s and took him down. Gono grabbed an arm bar and got the submission. Big win for Gono.

Winner: Akihiro Gono by Submission (Arm Bar) R2

Sengoku 3 DREAM 0

Dynamite Team Fights #4- Middleweight Fight- Melvin Manhoef (DREAM) (23-6-1) vs. Kazuo Misaki (Sengoku) (22-9-1)

Miaski has won 4 of his last 5 fights. 22 of Manhoef’s 23 wins have come by TKO/KO.

R1- Manhoef charged in about two minutes into the round and moved forward throwing strikes. Melvin knocked Misaki down and the ref quickly stopped the fight. Melvin landed 4 good strikes on the feet but the ref definitely stopped the fight early.

Winner: Melvin Manhoef by TKO (Strikes) R1

Sengoku 3 DREAM 1

Dynamite Team Fights #5- Featherweight Fight- Hideo Tokoro (DREAM) (22-15-1) vs. Jong Man Kim (Sengoku) (21-10-3)

Kim is a last minute replacement for Marlon Sandro and has taken this fight on only a few days notice. Kim is 1-6-3 in his last 10 fights.

R1- Tokoro hit a good knee during an exchange in the first minute of the fight. Tokoro hit another good knee with two minutes left in the round. Tokoro pulled guard into a flying triangle and then moved into an arm bar submission. Kim put his legs around Tokoro’s neck so he could not straighten out and get the maximum effect of the submission. Tokoro finally got free and tried to straighten out the arm bar again but couldn’t. Kim’s nose got bloodied up during the exchange. Really good end to the first round. Tokoro 10-9.

R2- Not as much action this round but I’ve got Tokoro taking it to lead 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- Tokoro hit a nice jumping knee in the first minute of the final round. Kim landed a good combo and floored Tokoro. Kim jumped on top and went for a Rear Naked Choke but Tokoro fought him off. Tikoro comes back at the end of the round and nails some good strikes including two knees. Tokoro is really swinging for the fences at the end of the fight going for the knockout and Kim ends up getting taken down. Good round and I’ve got Tokoro taking this one. Kim showed a lot of heart in taking this fight on short notice and never giving up.

Winner: Hideo Tokoro by Decision (Unanimous)

Sengoku 3 DREAM 2

Dynamite Team Fights #6- Lightweight Fight- Tatsuya Kawajiri (DREAM) (25-5-2) vs. Kazunori Yokota (Sengoku)

Kawajiri has won 8 of his last 10 and 4 of his last 5. Kawajiri is sporting a sweet mullet for this fight.

R1- Kawajiri got a quick take down in the first 20 seconds of the fight. Kawajiri got another take down about half way through the round. Kawajiri got the mount with two minutes left in the round. Kawajiri easily took this round.

R2- Yokota landed some strikes at the beginning of the round but Kawajiri got a take down. Kawajiri clamped in an arm triangle with about a minute and a half left in the round. but Yokota slipped out. Kawajiri took the mount position and landed some Ground and Pound. Kawajiri has taken the first two rounds so far in this fight.

R3- Kawajiri got an early take down despite Yokota doing his best to hold onto the ropes. Kawajiri mounted Yokota with three minutes left in the round. Kawajiri grabbed an arm bar near the end of the round and his arm bent in a weird way but he survived until the bell rang to end the round. Kawajiri takes this fight via unanimous decision.

Winner: Tatsuya Kawajiri by Decision (Unanimous)

Sengoku 3 DREAM 3

Dynamite Team Fights #7- Kid Yamamoto (DREAM) vs. Masanori Kanehara (Sengoku)

Kanehara is the Sengoku Featherweight Champion. He lost to Hatsu Hioki in the semi-finals but Hioki could not continue so Kanehara took his place in the finals and won the fight.

R1- Both guys came out quickly. Kid hit a good shot that briefly brought Kanehara to his knees but it could have been a slip as he bounced right back up. Kid hit another jab that sent Kanehara back against the ropes. Kanehara has a large height advantage. Kanehara hit a left hand and Kid briefly went down. Kanehara got a take down with about a minute and a half left in the round. Pretty good first round and close to call. Metzger calls it an even round and says that they can score even rounds in Japan.

R2- Kid ducked down and got tagged by a right hand and went down. Kanehara jumped on top but Kid wrapped him up to try and give himself time to recover. Kanehara didn’t really do anything after that punch but he’s going to take this round.

R3- Close round and Kid hit a left hand that took Kanehara down and then he clinched him and kneed him in the head a few times until they fell through the ropes. Kid hit another good left hand. Kid took this round. This one is a toss up with each guy taking one round a piece and the first round up for grabs.

Winner: Masanori Kanehara by Decision (Unanimous)

Sengoku 4 DREAM 3

Dynamite Team Fights #8- Heavyweight Fight- Alistair Overeem (DREAM) vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (Sengoku) (15-8)

Fujita has only fought once this year and he lost by split decision. Alistair has a huge size advantage.

Mayhem Miller on Alistair Overeem: “He looks like a freakin’ super hero”

R1- Alistair hit a knee in the clinch to start things off. Alistair hit a big left knee and this one is over before it started. Wow. Alistair really needs to come over to Strikeforce.

Winner: Alistair Overeem by TKO (Knee) R1

Sengoku 4 DREAM 4

Gegard Mousasi vs. Gary Goodridge (23-19-1)

Goodridge comes out to “We Will Rock You”. He hasn’t won a fight since 2007 and is 0-4 since then so I’m not sure why he picked that music.

R1- Mousasi hit some quick light strikes and then got a take down in the first twenty seconds of the round. Mousasi lands some Ground and Pound. Mousasi with some hammer fists and the ref stops the fight. Goodridge protests the stoppage but he was taking hard shots and not improving his position.

Winner: Gegard Mousasi by TKO (Strikes) R1

Dynamite Team Fights #9- Shinya Aoki (DREAM) (22-4) vs. Mizuto Hirota (Sengoku) (12-3-1)

Hirota is the Sengoku Lightweight Champion. Aoki is the DREAM Lightweight Champion having defeated Joachim Hansen at DREAM 11. This is the final fight of the Dynamite Team Fights.

R1- Aoki shot in quickly and got a take down in the first minute of the fight. Aoki stuck Hirota’s arm behind his back and mounted him and landed some punches to the face. Aoki got on top of Hirota and got him in a body triangle and cranked back on the hammer lock and broke Hirota’s arm. Aoki then got in Hirota’s face and shot him with bird after he won the fight.

Winner: Shinya Aoki by Submission (Kimura)

DREAM defeated Sengoku 5 fights to 4

Heavyweight Fight- Hidehiko Yoshida (8-7-1) vs. Satoshi Ishii (0-0)

This is Ishii’s much awaited MMA debut. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo. Yoshida was also an Olympic Gold Medalist in Judo back in the 90s. All of Yoshida’s victories have come by submission.

R1- Ishii looks a little uncomfortable in the first couple of minutes as they stand up and feel each other out. Yoshida landed a big time right hand that almost sent Ishii to the mat. Yoshida then landed several shots in the clinch but Ishii stays on his feet. Yoshida is just having his way with Ishii and Ishii has a bloody nose. Yoshida landed another good right hand. Ishii is really going for the fakes. Yoshida definitely took this round.

R2- Ishii starts off the round by landing some strikes in the clinch. Ishii was trying to get a take down but Yoshida just grabbed the ropes and avoided it and got admonished by the ref. Ishii landed some more good strikes. Ishii hit a low blow and got a point deducted. Ishii got a take down and took side control right at the bell. Ishii took this round but with the point deduction it’s a 9-9 round so we are looking at 19-18 or 19-17 in favor of Yoshida going into the final round.

R3- Not a ton of action in this round as both guys are pretty worn out but Ishii is landing more strikes. Yoshida went for a take down in the last minute and Ishii sprawl to avoid it. Ishii took this round so he will take two rounds but will lose the fight. Guy Metzger calls this one a draw and so does Mayhem Miller as they are thinking 28-28. I’m thinking there is a judge or two out there that scored the fight 10-8 in the first round and thus making Yoshida the winner 28-27.

Winner: Hidehiko Yoshida by Decision

K-1: Masato vs. Andy Souwer

Souwer is 21-4 in K-1 with 7 KOs but has an overall record 134-8-1 with 84 KOs. Masato is the only Japanese fighter to ever win a K-1 World Grand Prix Title. He was the K-1 Max 2003 and 2008. Masato has lost only 2 fights in the last 4 years and both of those fights were against Andy Souwer (by TKO and 2007 and by Decision in 2006). Masato has a K-1 record of 35-4-1 with 10 KOs and has a career record 54-6-2 with 24 KOs. This is a 5-round fight. Ray Sefo joins the announce team for this fight.

R1- Masato looked really good and took the first round. Two judges gave the first round to Masato and one judge gave the first round a draw.

R2- They start to open things up a bit at the beginning of this round and are throwing strikes more freely. Souwer landed a really good right hand half way through the round. Souwer really started to come on at the end of the round. I’ve got Souwer taking that round even through it looked like Masato hit more strikes. All judges gave this round a draw.

R3- And my DVR cut off during this fight after taping the live HDNet feed for 7 and a half hours.

Winner: Masato by Decision (Unanimous)

DREAM 11 10/5/09 Re-Cap

HEIWA DREAM.11 Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Final Round (10/5/09) – Yokohama Arena

Michael Schiavello and Guy Mezger are the announcers for the show. Tonight we will see the Semi-Finals and Finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix, Joachim Hansen will defend against Shinya Aoki and the Super Hulk Tournament continues!

Featherweight Grand Prix Reserve Fight- Daiki Hata (5-3) vs. Kazuyuki Miyata (7-7)

Miyata comes out to Bon Jovi. Hata beat semi-finalist Hideo Tokoro by Unanimous Decision in the first round of the Featherweight Grand Prix but could not continue to the next round due to injury. Now he is better so he gets a spot in the reserve match. Michael Schiavello is in lust with Miyata’s body and has dubbed him “Sexy Miyata”.

R1- Miyata quickly takes Hata’s back and controlled him for a couple of minutes but couldn’t deliver any damage and the ref calls for a stand up with 6:30 left in the first round and delivers a yellow card to Hata. Miyata got a double leg take down with about 4 minutes left in the round. Miyata is able to take mount position with about 45 seconds left in the round and lands some Ground and Pound. Miyata is really controlling this fight so far but in DREAM the fight is judged on an overall basis and not by round.

R2- Miyata got a quick take down in the first half minute of the final round. Hata got up but Miyata slammed him back down with 3 minutes left in the round. Hata got back up and hit a couple of leg kicks and then Miyata went to take him down and Hata grabbed a guillotine choke and tried hard for the submission but Miyata hung in there and slipped out. Miyata got another take down in the final minute of the fight. Miyata controlled this fight for almost all of the fight but Hata came closer to finishing the fight. I’ve got Miyata taking this one.

Winner: Kazuyuki Miyata by Decision (Unanimous)

Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Final Fight- Hideo Tokoro (22-16-1) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (11-6-1)

Tokoro has reached the semi-finals by beating Abel Cullum via Rear Naked Choke in the second round. In the first round Tokoro actually lost to Daiki Hata by Unanimous Decision but Hata was injured so Tokoro took his place in the 2nd round. Takaya has advanced to the semi-finals by beating Jong Won-Kim by 2nd round TKO and by defeating Yoshiro Maeda by TKO in the second round. Takaya likes to “smack people in the face.”

R1- Takaya landed a couple of strikes at the two and a half minute mark of the fight. Tokoro tried a jumping high kick but missed and Takaya gave him a nice strike for his troubles but let him back up. Tokoro went for a take down but got stuffed and ate some kicks to his legs. Takaya is really controlling this fight and caught Tokoro with a combo but Tokoro clinched and pulled guard. Tokoro tried a knee and then hit a good right hand that buckled Takaya’s legs. Tokoro hit another strike and tried to pull guard on a triangle but Tokoro took his guard. Takaya wakes up and delivers some great Ground and Pound shots and it looked like the ref stopped the fight right after the bell but I think he was just calling for the end of the round. Takaya was dangerously close to finishing the fight. Really good first round.

R2- Takaya got Tokoro down and quickly finished him with some Ground and Pound. Looks like Takaya really hurt Tokoro at the end of the last round and just finished it here at the beginning of this round. Really good fight.

Winner: Hiroyuki Takaya by TKO (Punches) R2

Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Final Fight- Bibiano Fernandes (5-3) vs. Joe Warren (2-0)

Fernandes is a 5-time world jiu jitsu champion. Fernandes advance to this point by defeating Masakazu Imanari and Takafumi Otsuka by decision. Joe Warren is a decorated wrestler who has defeated tournament favorite Kid Yamamoto and Chase Beebe in this tournament (these were his first two MMA fights).

R1- They clinched early and Warren almost got a take down but couldn’t hold it and then got a slam and landed in Bibiano’s guard. Bibiano locked in an arm bar and Joe Warren tapped Bibiano’s leg and submitted.

Post-fight Warren looks confused like he didn’t tap and the Bibiano comes at Warren and points at him (possibly flipping him the bird) and then takes off out of the ring and on the ramp again points at him. Really strange happenings after this fight finished. Looks like Bibiano has to be the favorite for the finals due to the time of this fight versus the time of the other semi-final.

Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Submission (Arm Bar) R1

Super Hulk Tournament Semi-Final- Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Hong-Man Choi

Minowa beat Bob Sapp in the first round to advance and Hong-Man Choi defeated Jose Canseco. Yes, that Jose Canseco. Choi is 7’2” and 355 lbs. Minowa is 5’9” and 201 lbs.

R1- Minowa looks like he’s half the size of Choi. Minowa tried for a take down and got stuffed and Choi was briefly on top but then stood up. Minowa landed an over hand right but Choi answered with a knee. Minowa went for a take down and fought and got it with about 6 minutes left in the round. Minowa is landing some knees to Choi’s side but really isn’t doing much and the ref stands them up at 3 minutes left in the round and gives Choi a yellow card. Choi got top position on Minowa and landed some strikes but then stood back up. Not a real exciting round. Both guys look pretty tired.

R2-Minowa went for a take down and didn’t initially get it but he twisted around and got on top and tried for a leg lock and he got it and tapped out Choi. Good showing by Minowa just because of the huge size dis-advantage that he had.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Submission (leg lock) R2

Super Hulk Tournament Semi-Final- Bob Sapp vs. Sokoudjou

Bob Sapp lost in the first round to Minowa but is filling in for Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi was pretty vocal in saying that he didn’t want to fight Sokoudjou because he thought he was on the gas. Sokoudjou beat Jan Nortje in the first round to advance.

R1- Sapp missed a wild right hand and got taken down. Sokoudjou put his knee on Sapp’s stomach and landed some Ground and Pound and eventually the ref stopped the fight.

Winner: Sokoudjou by TKO (Punches) R1

Lightweight Fight- Tatsuya Kawajiri (24-5-2) vs. Melchor Barracuda (2-3)

Kawajiri last fought at DREAM 9 where he beat JZ Calvacante by Unanimous Decision.

R1- Barracuda swung wildly to start but was clinched by Kawajiri. Kawajiri got him to the ground and took his guard. Kawajiri was able to move to the mount position. Kawajiri landed some good Ground and Pound and Barracuda’s corner stepped in and the ref stopped the fight. Very one-sided fight as was expected in this one. Kawajiri should be in line to face the winner of Hansen/Aoki.

Winner: Tatsuya Kawajiri by TKO (Punches) R1

Middleweight Fight- Kazushi Sakuraba (24-12-1) vs. Rubin Williams

Is a pro boxer who is 29-8-1 as a boxer with 16 knockouts but has lost his last 6 fights as a boxer. He’s been training in MMA for one year. This fight was added to the show late to spur attendance due to the drawing power of Sakuraba. Sakuraba was last seen losing to Kiyoshi Tamura and Melvin Manhoef so he’s on a 2 fight losing streak coming into this fight.

R1- Sakuraba starts out with some leg kicks and you can tell Williams doesn’t like them. Sakuraba shoots in and Williams tries to clinch him on the ground to minimize damage. Sakuraba lands some strikes and tries to set up for an arm bar or a kimura. Williams taps out to a kimura. Sakuraba made quick work of Williams.

Winner: Kazushi Sakuraba by Submission (Kimura) R1

DREAM Lightweight Title Fight- Joachim Hansen © (19-7-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (21-4)

Joachim Hansen actually lost to Eddie Alvarez in the 2nd round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix but came back as a replacement for Alvarez when Alvarez won his semi-final fight but then could not continue to the finals due to an injury. Hansen won his reserve fight so he moved on to the finals and defeated Shinya Aoki by TKO (Strikes) in the first round in a pretty short fight. Since then Hansen has not fought but Aoki has gone on to fight a bunch of fights. At DREAM 6 Aoki beat Todd Moore by Rear Naked Choke in the first round, at the DREAM/K-1 Show he beat Eddie Alvarez for the WAMMA Lightweight Championship by Heel Hook Submission, at DREAM 7 he beat David Gardner by Rear Naked Choke Submission, at DREAM 8 he lost a Welterweight fight to Hayato Sakari by first round TKO (punches) in 27 seconds and at DREAM 10 he defeated Vitor Ribeiro by Unanimous Decision. Aoki is a consensus Top 5 Lightweight. He’s ranked by most as the #2 Lightweight fighter in the world behind BJ Penn.

R1- Hansen went for a big uppercut but missed and Aoki clinched him and got him to the ground. Hansen got back to his feet momentarily but Aoki wrestled him back down. Hansen kicked Aoki with two upkicks. One while he was standing and one while he had one knee on the ground. The ref calls for time. The announcers are saying that this is legal but that Aoki may have been hit with a shot to the groin. All the attention in the corner is being paid to Aoki’s eye and his vision and not his groin. Hansen’s corner is wondering what is going on. If this is for a groin kick then Aoki is milking this for everything it’s worth because he was about to get finished after those upkicks that badly damaged him. They re-start the fight with Aoki on top of Hansen. Hansen has an active guard and is landing some strikes on Aoki but nothing damaging. Hansen went for an arm bar and almost had it but Aoki countered nicely with some kicks and then a leg lock. Hansen countered back with some good elbows to the thigh area of Aoki. Aoki tried to lock on a reverse body triangle but Hansen escaped and got to his feet and briefly took Aoki’s back and then landed some strikes. Aoki got a double leg take down with about a minute forty left. Aoki is really not doing much while on top in this fight. This was a close round. Aoki spent most of the round on top but Hansen has come closer to finishing the fight. I’m not sure how they will score the upkicks that caused the stoppage.

R2- Hansen hit a couple strikes but then got clinched and taken down. Aoki is not doing anything on top so the fight is being stood up and the ref gives both fighters a yellow card. Hansen came close to hitting a kick or knee to the head but Aoki got a take down. The ref moved the fighters to the center of the ring and Aoki quickly took mount position. Aoki goes for an arm bar with 45 seconds left as Hansen is blocking the move and checking with his corner to see how much time is left. Hansen rolled the wrong way and got caught with about 3 seconds left in the round and he tapped out. Wow, talk about a huge mistake by Hansen. All he had to do was hold on for about 3 seconds in the position that he was in instead of rolling over.

Winner and new champion: Shinya Aoki by Submission (Arm Bar) R2

Featherweight Grand Prix Finals: Bibiano Fernandes (6-3)vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (12-6-1)

R1- Takaya landed an early strike and then went for a knee and got taken down. Fernandes went for a quick arm bar but came up empty and Takaya got on top. Fernandes quickly went for a leg lock but Takaya got out and quickly got back to his feet. Fernandes got a take down after he landed a strike. Fernandes stood them back up and jumped on Takaya’s back to try and get a Rear Naked Choke. The ref breaks the fighters and they re-start. Takaya landed a good right hand. Both guys are standing and landing some strikes as Fernandes continues to look for the take down. Fernandes got a take down with about two and a half minutes left in the round. Takaya put his back against the ropes and used the ropes to get back to his feet and then freed himself from Fernandes. Takaya swung with some good punches but Fernandes was able to push him off but he did sustain a cut near his eye during that exchange. Really good first round. Takaya looked like he hurt Fernandes at the end of the round.

R2- Fernandes countered a Takaya strike and knocked Takaya down. Takaya quickly got back up but Fernandez quickly got a take down. Fernandes quickly landed some punches and took Takaya’s back and Takaya stood up and moved Fernandes back to the corner and the referee broke the hold. Both guys throw some leather but neither is able to land anything solid. Takaya has some blood coming from his mouth and his left eye is swelling. Takaya landed some nice punches but Fernandes hung in there. Both guys are just swinging for the fences to try to win this fight. Awesome fight. This one is a toss up. I would probably have to give the fight to Fernandes because he came closer to finishing the fight and also scored a knock down in the second round. Really close round and one of the fights of the year.

Judges score the fight: Fernandes, Takaya and Fernandes

Winner and new champion: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Split)

DREAM 9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round 5.26.09 Re-Cap

DREAM 9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round
(5/26/09) – Nagoya, Japan (Yokohama Arena)

No Bas Rutten tonight, instead the announcers are the trio of Michael Schiavello (PBP), Guy Mezger and Michael Kegan as they are ringside at the event. Schiavello is hyping this as the “Show of the Year” as we have the second round of the Featherweight Tournament, JZ vs. Kawajiri, Mousasi and Jacare vs. Mayhem II.

Just a reminder that in DREAM they fight 2 rounds. The first round is 10 minutes and the second is 5 minutes. The fights are not judged by the round but rather on the entire fight.

Super Hulk Tournament First Round Fight- Bob Sapp (10-3-1) vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (41-30-8)

Minowa’s last DREAM fight was on DREAM 8 where he fell to former NJPW wrestler Katsoyuri Shibata by Unanimous Decision. Sapp beat Akihito Tanaka at the DREAM/K-1 New Years Eve show by TKO at the 5 minute mark. Sapp has a gigantic weight and size advantage in this fight.

R1- Sapp sat down on Minowa early and Minowa gave up his back and then got in Sapp’s guard and Minowa transitioned to an Achilles Lock and Bob Sapp tapped out. Wow, that was surprising. Great showing by Minowa, very crafty work on his part. Minowa will be fighting the winner of Hong Man Choi/Jose Canseco in the 2nd round (so that means he will be fighting Hong Man Choi).

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Submission (Achilles Lock) R1 1:15

Super Hulk Tournament First Round Fight- Hong Man Choi (1-2) vs. Jose Canseco (0-0)

Jose comes out with a hot chick (apparently this is his girlfriend) who is throwing baseball into the crowd as he carries a bat to the ring. He’s going to need it to win this fight. He also comes out to “Wild Thing”. It’s rumored that he is receiving Six Figures for this fight. Choi is 7’2” 340 lbs and is not moving well on his way to the ring.

R1- Jose tried to duck and move early. He got caught by a counter punch and then started running away from Hong Man Choi, he must have watched some Khalib Starnes fight videos. Jose looked like he tweaked his knee running and then he got TKO’d via Ground and Pound. It didn’t look like Choi really landed anything too solidly but Jose wasn’t intelligently defending himself so the ref stopped the fight.

Winner: Hong Man Choi by TKO (Punches) R1

Super Hulk Tournament First Round Fight- Jan Nortje (2-5) vs. Sokoudjou (5-4)

Nortje is 6’11’ and 350 pounds. Nortje won his last MMA fight by knocking out Bob Sapp in under a minute. Sokoudjou is on a two fight losing streak and is a former UFC and Pride fighter. Sokoudjou is pretty much a one round fighter. If he doesn’t win the fight in the first five minutes then he generally gasses out and gets finished (see: Luiz Cane fight). Sokoudjou is currently training with Team Quest. Nortje has a huge size and weight advantage in this fight as Sokoudjou is a Light Heavyweight Fighter.

R1- Sokoudjou clinched him early and spent a while trying to get him to the ground but the ref broke them up. Sokoudjou lands some leg kicks. Sokoudjou gets him down and lands some Ground and Pound and the ref steps in and breaks it up but Sokoudjou keeps on punching and there is a mini melee in the ring after the fight. I don’t blame Sokoudjou though, he was probably just shocked that he actually won a fight.

Winner: Sokoudjou by TKO (Punches) R1 2:29

Super Hulk Tournament First Round Fight- Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Mark Hunt

Mousasi has recently moved up in weight from Middleweight to Light Heavyweight. I had Mousasi as one of the Top Middleweight’s in the world prior to his decision to move up. He has an upcoming fight with Affliction against Vitor Belfort on their next show. Hunt lost in 18 seconds to Melvin Manhoef on the K-1/DREAM show on New Years. On this same show Mousasi beat Musashi in a K-1 fight in the first round. Mousasi was the DREAM Middleweight Champion but gave up the belt when he moved up in weight.

R1- Mousasi pushed him down early and took side control. Mousasi went for a kimura and got it and Hunt tapped out. Pure domination by Mousasi.

Winner: Gegard Mousasi by Submission (Kimura) R1 1:19

Middleweight Championship Fight- Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-5-2) vs. JZ Calvacante (14-2-1)

This is probably the fight that I am looking forward to most on this show. Both guys are legit Top 10 Lightweight Fighters. I don’t have JZ in my Top 10 because he hasn’t won a fight in over a year and a half but his only loss in that time period was to Shinya Aoki. Kawajiri has been very active lately and is coming off of wins against Ross Ebanez and Kozo Takeda. The announcers are picking JZ in this fight. They said that at the Press Conference yesterday that Kawajiri refused to shake hands with JZ. JZ trains at American Top Team.

R1- They stand up early and JZ hits Kawajiri with a couple of decent shots and then stuffs a take down. JZ grabs a guillotine and pulls guard but cannot hold guard. Kawajiri slams him down but JZ still is attempting to lock in the guillotine but Kawajiri pops his head out. Kawajiri got some Ground and Pound but nothing major, JZ got up but Kawajiri wrestled him back down to the mat but the ref stands them up with three minutes left in the round and the ref gives both fighters a yellow card. After some brief stand up JZ went for a take down but got stuffed. Kawajiri landed some knees in the clinch but the ref separated them again. Kawajiri hits a good combination and is threatening to pull away in this fight. Kawajiri got a take down towards the end of the round. Kawajiri ends the round with a couple of Ground and Pound shots. Kawajiri has the advantage at the end of the first round. It’s nothing that JZ can’t overcome but JZ needs to be more aggressive in the second round.

R2- Kawajiri landed a big right to start the round but JZ absorbed it although he sustained a cut on his nose from the punch. Kawajiri gets a slam and takes JZ down but JZ escapes with three and a half minutes left in the round. Kawajiri hits another right but then JZ avoids other shots and almost taunts Kawajiri. Kawajiri takes him down again. Kawajiri is two minutes away from winning this fight. This was a good fight but not quite the level I was hoping for. Kawajiri should take this by Unanimous Decision.

Winner: Tatsuya Kawajiri by Decision (Unanimous)

Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Fight- Hideo Tokoro (21-16-1) vs. Abel Cullum (14-2)

In the first round of this tournament Abel Cullum defeated Akiyo Nishiura by Unanimous Decision. Hideo Tokoro lost to Daiki Hata by Decision in the first round and I don’t think they ever said why he is fighting here instead of Hata. Cullum comes out to Kid Rock’s “I want to be a Cowboy”.

R1- Cullum got a double leg about a minute into the fight but Tokoro quickly got up. Tokoro hit a good knee and Cullum held on but Tokoro caught him in an arm triangle but Cullum slipped out after being in the move for a while. Cullum then drilled Tokoro with some knees but Tokoro slipped out and went for another triangle but couldn’t get it locked in. Cullum got a takedown about mid-way through the round. Really good fight so far. Cullum grabbed a knee bar but Tokoro was able to get out by kicking Cullum. Cullum got a slam with about two minutes left in the round. Tokoro got a mount with thirty seconds left but couldn’t get anything before Cullum kicked him off. Really good and close round. The fight was pretty much even with both guys threatening to finish the fight at points and both guys fighting with a lot of spirit.

R2- Tokoro spent the first couple of minutes of the round on top of Cullum. Cullum went to get out and Tokoro caught him in a Rear Naked and finished him. Really good fight.

Winner: Hideo Tokoro by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 1:38

Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round Fight- Yoshiro Maeda (24-6-2) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (10-6-1)

Maeda advanced to the second round by defeated Micah Miller by Unanimous Decision. Takaya defeated Jong Won-Kim by a TKO stoppage due to strikes in the second round of their fight. Maeda is the favorite to win this fight.

R1- Maeda caught a kick and landed some strikes in on Takaya before he advanced on the ground but he never really does any damage before they stand back up. Tokoro hit a good right hand to Maeda’s eye and the commentators said his eye started to well up. Maeda got another take down. Looks to me like Maeda is the superior ground guy and Takaya is superior when on his feet. Maeda nailed Takaya with a big knee but he got right up after it. Both guys exchange pretty well and Takaya also has some marks on his face. Maeda gets another take down and they almost fall out of the ring but the refs push them back in. They stop the fight to look at Takaya’s cut. The ref gives Takaya a yellow card after he stood up the fight. Maeda got tagged with about half a minute left and Takaya jumped in and threw some hammer punches and the ref stopped the fight. The stoppage looked a little early but Maeda took a while to get up so maybe not. That was an explosive finish by Takaya.

Winner: Hiroyuki Takaya by TKO (Punches) R1 9:40

Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Masakazu Imanari (16-6-1) vs. Bibiano Fernandes (4-2)

Fernandes won his first round fight by Unanimous Decision over Takafumi Otsuka. Fernandes only has a career record of 4-2 but his two losses are against Urijah Faber and Kid Yamamoto. Iminari defeated Atsushi Yamamoto by Split Decision in their first round contest. Both guys have strong BJJ and submission skills.

R1- Fernandes got some Ground and Pound early but Iminari went for a leg lock and Fernandes got out of dodge. Fernandes countered a punch with a take down but couldn’t take Iminari’s guard. Fernandes countered an Iminari kick with another take down but didn’t take his guard again. Fernandes game plan seems to be to counter Iminari’s strikes with take downs and look for Ground and Pound if it’s there but being very careful of Iminari’s submission skills. Iminari seems to want to spend this fight on his back. The ref stops the fight to ask both fighters for more action. The referee issues a yellow card to Iminari since he seems content to spend a good portion of the fight on his back waiting for Fernandes to enter his guard. Iminari went for a knee but Fernandes moved out of the way and hit some Ground and Pound and then took side control but doesn’t seem to be getting much offense in. Fernandes is throwing knees from the side but doesn’t look to be landing anything solidly. Not a real exciting round. Fernandes is up so far because he’s been countering everything Iminari has tried and has gotten numerous take downs (which the Japanese don’t weight heavily) but Iminari just hasn’t really done anything yet in the fight.

R2- Fernandes grabbed an Iminari kick and swept his leg from under him. Iminari sits down in front of Fernandes and tries to get him to enter his guard. Iminari goes for a flying arm bar but gets take down and punched instead. Fernandes lands some leg kicks and Iminari looks like he doesn’t want to be here. Fernandes takes down Iminari and give him a good punch. Iminari grabs a leg but Fernandes escapes. Iminari is lying on the ground and the ref stops the fight to issue a yellow card to Fernandes. Wow. Fernandes got another take down but Iminari got out with no damage.

The fight comes to an end and I don’t see how you could possibly score this fight for Iminari. Fernandes will advance to the next round. This was a little reminiscent of Anderson Silva versus Thales Leites fight although Iminari was more aggressive than Leites was in his fight.

Winner: Bibiano Fernandes by Decision (Unanimous)

Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round: Kid Yamamoto (17-1) vs. Joe Warren (1-0)

Joe Warren won his opening round fight against Chase Beebe by ref stoppage due to cut. This is only Warren’s second professional fight. Kid got a first round bye so this is his first fight of the tournament. Kid comes out to the Star Wars theme music. Kid is the favorite to win this tournament. Warren trains out of Team Quest and has also trained with Urijah Faber.

R1- Warren lands some shots in the clinch early. Kid responds with a good knee. Joe Warren got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Warren stays on top but isn’t really getting much in terms of offense but does land a shot that cuts Kid between his eyes on the bridge of his nose. Yamamoto is issued a yellow card for trying to stall so the ref would stand up the fight. Kid hit a good slapping type punch and is starting to land some kicks and then a good right hook. Kid has hit some good counter hooks in this round. Kid was starting to take over the fight but Warren got another take down. This was a good first round. Warren controlled on the ground at the beginning and end of the round and Kid controlled the middle with his stand up.

R2- Kid hit a big left and then a right and Warren took them and kept coming. Warren was able to get a take down about two minutes into the round. Kid went for an arm bar but couldn’t get it locked in on Warren. They stood back up and Kid hit a good right hand. Warren got another take down at the end of the fight and gets some brief ground and pound. Kid goes for a submission near the bell but couldn’t lock it in.

This was a good fight. I think Joe Warren deserves to win this fight. I think it will be close since Japanese judges don’t judge as much on take downs.

The first judge scores the fight for Warren. The second gives it to Kid. The deciding judge gives the fight to Joe Warren. Big time upset, great showing by Warren in only his second fight!

Winner: Joe Warren by Decision (Split)

DREAM Middleweight Championship Fight: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (10-2) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (22-6)

This is a re-match from DREAM 4 where Jacare defeated Mayhem by Unanimous Decision in the first round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. They are fighting for the belt that was vacated by Gegard Mousasi. Mousasi originally won the belt by defeated Jacare by KO at DREAM 6. I’ve got Jacare as a Top 10 Middleweight (although at the bottom of the Top 10) going into this fight. Jacare is the favorite going into this fight. Mayhem comes out with a red skunk stripe in his hair and with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Jacare comes out by himself. Mousasi is in the ring with belt that he is presenting to the winner and is wearing an Affliction T-Shirt.

R1- Jacare went for a double leg after some brief stand up but couldn’t get the take down. Miller looks like he has a cut on the side of his face but not too close to his eye. Miller cut Jacare with a kick to his head and the ref stops the fight to look at the cut that is on the top of his head. Jason Miller is given a yellow card as Miller kicked him on his head while he was down- which is illegal in DREAM (can’t kick to the head of a downed fighter). Looks like Jacare is ready to fight so the fight is back on. Jacare gets a quick take down. Jacare’s blood is all over Miller and the ref stops the fight again. The referee is calling a time out, Jacare says he wants to continue. The referee stops the fight and it’s ruled a no-contest as the illegal kick (called accidental by referee) caused the stoppage of the fight and at the time the fight was stopped the fight had not gone on long enough to be ruled a definitive decision.

Decision: No Contest

Good show with an unfortunate ending. Tokoro/Cullum was FOTN. Kid/Warren, Kawajiri/JZ, Maeda/Takaya were also worth watching if you are an MMA fan.

So the Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals lines up with these fighters (will probably take place at DREAM 11):

Joe Warren
Bibiano Fernandes
Hideo Tokoro
Hiroyuki Takaya

Here is the information on the new DREAM show:

OLYMPIA DREAM.10 Welterweight Grand Prix Final Round (7/20/09) – Saitama, Japan (Saitama Super Arena)
Welterweight Grand Prix Finals: André Galvão/Jason High vs. Hayato Sakurai/Marius Zaromskis
Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho
Katsunori Kikuno vs. André Amade
Welterweight Grand Prix Reserve Bout: Seichi Ikemoto vs. TBA
Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinals: Hayato Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis
Welterweight Grand Prix Semifinals: André Galvão vs. Jason High

Pride Bushido Volume 5 Re-Cap/Thoughts

Pride Fighting Championships Bushido Volume 5

October 14, 2004

Mauro Ranallo and Baz Rutten are the hosts/announcers of this show. Pride fights are two rounds. The first round is 10 minutes and the second round is 5 minutes. The fights are judged on the entire fight and not on individual rounds so there is no scoring system. Another big difference between Pride and UFC (besides that this takes place in a ring instead of a cage) is that they allow knees to grounded opponents in Pride.

Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Rua is 2-0 in Pride and Yasuhito is 1-0 in Pride.

R1- Shogun charges right at him and hits him with a knee. They clinch and Shogun is hitting some knees. Shogun gets a take down into the corner. They get back up but Shogun knocks him down and Shogun is hitting some right hands. Shogun is dominating early. Shogun takes his back but Yasuhito flips over and gets in Shogun’s guard. Shogun quickly gets the fight back under control and is now in Yasuhito’s guard. Shogun gets side control. Yasuhito gets up but then is quickly knocked down and Shogun is just picking him apart. Shogun with kicks and punches. Shogun gets full mount and Yasuhito gives up his back. Shogun gives up the position and gets some nice kicks in and then gets back on top and is hitting some strikes. Shogun is just dominating. Shogun in full mount and again takes the back. Yasuhito’s face is a wreck. Shogun nails Yasuhito with two strong kicks to the face and then a punch and the ref finally ends this one.Shogun just looked awesome here and destroyed his opponent.

Winner: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by TKO (ref stoppage) R1

Henry “Sentoryu” Miller vs. Mal Foki

Mal Foki has a twin brother that is also a fighter and Mauro interviews them backstage. Baz interviews Miller. This is a Heavyweight Fight. Both guys look really thick. Miller is over 300 pounds. This is Mal’s Pride debut, he is 5-2 overall so far. Miller is 0-1 in Pride fights.

R1- They are swinging early and Foki goes down quickly and this one is over. Sentoryu finished Foki quickly. This fight went about 30 seconds. Miller just hit him with a big right hook and then nailed a couple of punches on the ground and the ref stopped the fight as Foki was basically curled up in the fetal position.Sakuraba is shown at ringside after the fight is over.

Winner: Henry “Sentoryu” Miller by TKO (strikes) R1

Luiz “Buscape” Firmino vs. Masakazu Imanari

Buscape is currently working for the DREAM promotion in Japan (he lost to Kawajiri in the second round of their lightweight tournament). He is 1-0 in Pride fights going into this fight. He’s only 22 years old. This is Imanari’s debut in Pride.

R1- Buscape comes in immediately with a flying knee but it’s ducked and they take this one to the ground early. Imanari almost gets an arm bar early. Buscape is controlling the fight early but not doing a lot of damage. He is getting in some strikes. Buscape gets a choke in but Iminari reverses with an arm bar and Buscape releases. The second half of the round had Buscape dominating in terms of ring control but not doing a whole lot of damage. Buscape definitely in control and winning the fight so far.

R2- Iminari looking to get a leg submission on Buscape but is having trouble getting in position. Buscape gets a nice soccer kick to Iminari’s head. Iminari is trying to get low on Buscape and Buscape is hitting some good leg kicks. Not a tremendously entertaining fight but Buscape looked good.

Winner: Luiz “Buscape” Firmino by Decision (Unanimous)

Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Ryuki Ueyama

R1- Minowa controls the first round as he spends the majority of the round on top of Ryuki and in a dominate position. Ryuki gets a reversal with about two minutes left in the round and he gets some shots in on Minowa but Minowa again gains the dominant position at the end of the round.

R2- Ueyama controls this round as he tries for some submissions but has not been able to finish. Overall, this was a very bland but even fight. Minowa controlled the first round and Ueyama the second. So it’s pretty much Minowa controlling 9 minutes to Ueyama about 6. No one really inflicted much damage on their opponents. Decision will probably go to Minowa.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by Decision (Split)

Heavyweight Fight- Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Shamoji Fujii

R1- Long feeling out process. Fujii tries a take down but Igor stuffs it and delivers some knees. Igor gets the first take down of the fight. Fujii gets a red card for basically being Igor’s punching bag (this means Fujii gets docked 10% of his purse) and the ref stands them back up. Igor knocks Fujii down with a couple of punches and finishes him with a soccer kick. Igor looked great in this fight.

Winner: Igor Vovchanchun by TKO (ref stoppage due to strikes)

Carlos Newton vs. Ryo Chonan

R1- Newton gets an immediate take down. Newton gets full mount and gets some Ground and Pound but Chonan rolls him over. Newton grabs an arm bar but Chonan turns out of the move. Chonan settles the fight down and is in Newton’s guard and is getting in some shots as Newton defends. Newton gets to his feet and Newton tries a take down but Chonan ends up on top. This is a pretty good fight so far. Much more active than the last fight. Newton gets an arm bar and Chonon hangs on and then turns into it and escapes. Great survival by Chonan. Newton sustains full mount but Chonan flips him over and postures up and gets some shots in on Newton. Chonan getting in some good shots and gets full mount. Newton pushes him off and Chonan tries for an arm bar but Newton gets out of the move. Chonan looks real good so far hand he’s got the advantage in the fight so far.

R2- They open up this round with some stand up and Chonan has him against the ropes and is laying into him with punches and knees. Chonan looks like he is going to finish this fight and Newton grabs a knee to try and survive. Chonan with more knees. Newton somehow takes Chonan’s back. The fight is stood up after Newton doesn’t do anything with the advantage. Chonon gets some strikes in on the ropes and hits him with a bunch of shots. Newton crumples to the ground and Chonan takes side control. One minute left in the fight. Chonan with a big knee to the head. Chonan with full mount and gets some Ground and Pound in and the fight ends with Chonan on top and pounding on Newton. Chonan clearly won this fight and looked very good in the process.

Winner: Ryo Chonan by Decision (Unanimous)

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Crosley Gracie

Sakurai is 2-1 in Pride and this is Gracie’s debut.

R1- They wage a stand up battle at the beginning of the fight with neither guy being dominant but a slight edge to Mach. They go to the ground and Mach controls early but then Gracie gets on top and does some damage. They stand back up and Gracie gets a take down after some back and forth stand up action. Gracie controls on the ground until the bell rings. Gracie won the first round, it will be interesting to see what happens in the second round.

R2- Gracie gets an immediate take down at the beginning of the round. Gracie quickly mounts and is getting in some punches although Mach is defending well. Mach gives up his back and Gracie goes for an arm bar and gets it and gets the tap. Nice move and good showing for Gracie.

Winner: Crosley Gracie by Submission (arm bar) R2 2:09

Takanori Gomi vs. Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett

This is Bennett’s debut in Pride and Gomi is undefeated in Pride. This is tonight’s Main Event. Bas Rutten says that the fight will not go five minutes with explosive action.

R1- Charles Bennett jumps up on the turnbuckle and sits down for the first 5 seconds of the fight. Both guys swing with some wild shots. Gomi gets a take down and immediately mounts but Bennett escapes. They clinch and Gomi gets another take down. Gomi takes his back but Bennett sprawls out again. They mix it up on their feet. Gomi hits a big shot and then gets a slam take down. Gomi hits a big knee to Bennett’s head. Gomi gets a weird arm bar but releases and Bennett gets a big side suplex on Gomi. They are standing up and Gomi hits some knees and a shot and gets another take down. Gomi mounts again and gets some good shots. Both guys look winded. Gomi gets some Ground and Pound. They reach the five minute mark, so 5 minutes left in the round. Gomi gives up the mount and takes side control and grabs a kimura and it look like Gomi is going to break his arm but Bennett spins out and then finally the ref calls for the bell. Really good fight, definitely the fight of the night. Gomi looked like a champ and Bennett hung in there and had a good showing.

Winner: Takanori Gomi by Ref Stoppage (Kimura) R1

Verdict:
This was a pretty decent show capped off by a good Main Event in Gomi/Bennett. A couple of stand-outs from the show (besides the Main Event) were Shogun Rua, Crosley Gracie and Ryo Chonan.

DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 4/29/08 Re-Cap/Thoughts

DREAM.2 Middleweight Grand Prix 4/29/08

Lightweight Tournament Rematch:
Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante

R1- Aoki just kind of latches onto JZ throughout the early parts of this match and just tries not to get hit. Aoki grabs a leg hold about 2 minutes in and JZ responds with lots of stiff strikes and Aoki is in danger but Aoki got to his feet and tied up JZ again. Aoki's strategy seems to be just to be so close to JZ that JZ can't strike and to them try to grab onto a submission. Aoki rides JZ's back and is trying for a headlock/choke type move. Aoki hits his first strikes of the night at around 5 minutes as he's hitting JZ in the back of the head and then again goes for the choke from behind. Aoki is effective but man he's tremendously boring. JZ slumps down to the mat and Aoki still has him hooked and has his back. JZ finally gets out of the move with about a minute and a half left. Aoki just lays on his back and refuses to come to his feet. Man, I hate Aoki. He's just no fun. Unfortunately, he's winning this fight.

R2- Aoki gets JZ in his guard early in this round and just looks like his plan is to hang on and back into a victory here this evening. Aoki goes for an armbar but loses. Aoki lays on his back until the ref makes him come to his feet and fight. Aoki goes for a flying submission but JZ grabs him but once again Aoki gets him in his guard and basically just hugs him so he can't do anything. Great defense by Aoki as he looks like he's going to ride to a decision here. Aoki lays on the ground again until the ref makes him get to his feet and fight. Aoki jumps onto his own back but the ref makes him get to his feet again and fight. Aoki just trying to kill time here as he's on his back again. Practicing his best "look at me I'm a hooker" pose. Aoki ends up grabbing an effective armbar and is going for a submission. JZ rolls through very nicely and gets out.

And the fight ends. Man, Aoki is just so so so so boring. He's going to advance but if I never see him fight again it will be too soon.

Winner: Shinya "yawn" Aoki via Decision

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Taiei Kin

R1- Not much going on early. Minowa has a dominate position but Kin just kind of sits back and defends in full guard. Kin hits a nice kick but Minowa takes him down again. Kin gets a yellow card for stalling (which the announcers say takes away 10% of his purse). This wakes up Kin and he starts to get in some strikes. Minowa takes him down again but isn't doing any damage. Really uneventful first down. Minowa got a bunch of takedowns but did nothing. Kin got a yellow card for stalling but did get some nice kicks.

R2- Minowa takes down Kin early in the round and lays on him. Then the round ends. This just wasn't a very good fight.

Winner: Taiei Kin via Decision (Unanimous)

Two real snoozefest fights to start off this show.

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Yoon Dong Sik vs. Shungo Oyama

R1- Both of these guys have losing records but the announcers are pimping them as "underrated" so it will be interesting to see who can live up to they hype the announcers are giving them. Yoon takes him down pretty quickly and is actually trying to do damage to his opponent (unlike the last fight). Oyama grabs an arm lock but can't hold it. Yoon continues to hold a dominant position over Oyama on the mat throughout the first half of Round One. Decent first round that I would give to Yoon as he dominated ring control throughout the round.

R2- Yoon drops Oyama at the beginning of the round but couldn't follow up. Yoon continues to control this fight with take downs. Yoon nailing Oyama with Ground and Pound punches in the final minute of the fight.

Winner: Yoon Dong Sik by Decision (Unanimous)

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Zeig Galesic vs. Magomed Sultanakhmedov

R1- Magomed is sporting a "Volk Han" T-Shirt so he is immediately the guy I want to win this fight. Zeig came at Magomed early but Magomed took him down. Zeig quickly reversed and this one looks like it might be a pretty active fight. Zeig grabs an armbar and Magomed has to tap early.

Winner: Zeig Galesic via Submission (Armbar) R1

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Ronaldo Jacare Souza vs. Ian Murphy

R1- This is Ian Murphy's first MMA fight. Souza is 7-1 gaining mostly first round submissions. Souza flies at Murphy at the beginning and Murphy is able to take him down but can't get an advantage. Souza just nailing him with knees. Souza takes him down and is going for an armbar. Souza is dominating since he got taken down that one time. Souza finally grabs a Rear Naked Choke and Murphy taps out. Murphy was just overmatched in this fight.

Winner: Ronald Jacare Souza via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Masakatsu Funaki vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

R1- Both of these guys have over 30 wins under the belt and both are over 30 years of age (38 and 39). Interesting how some relatively inexperienced guys got matched up against each other and then these two got matched up against each other. These guys mix it up pretty good early and Tamura is getting in a lot of shots and then takes down Funaki and is just destroying him and the ref calls for the bell. Impressive win by Tamura.

Winner: Kiyoshi Tamura by TKO (punches) R1

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi

R1- Kang takes him down early after hitting a couple of punches. Kang is controlling the fight from the top. Mousasi grabs a triangle armbar from the bottom and taps Kang! Wow, this was a shocking upset in my book. Kang dominated but got caught with a submission and lost the fight.

Winner: Gegard Mousasi via Submission (triangle) R1

Middleweight Gran Prix Tournament Round One Fight: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara

R1- This is Nakahara's MMA debut. Sakuraba and his crew come in wearing pro wrestling masks and keep them on until the introductions. Sakuraba goes for a take down but Nakahara denies him early. Sakuraba gets kicked low and they stop the fight for a while. Nakahura hits a nice kick and then barely misses another after they re-start. This is a surprisingly even fight so far. Sakuraba grabs a rear naked choke and wins this one in a fairly competitive first round.

Winner: Kazushi Sakuraba by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1

Overall Thoughts: This was a decent show. No great fights but after the first two clunkers it picked up. Surprise of the night was the Denis Kang upset. I'm thinking Souza looks like he might go on to win this one but there are also some real experienced fighters like Sakuraba and Tamura that will definitely have a say in this tournament.

DREAM.1 3/15/08 Fight Re-Caps/Thoughts

DREAM. 1
March 15, 2008

DREAM is promoted by Fighting and Entertainment Group (owners of K-1). DREAM should be similar to FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight group HERO'S. First round is 10 minutes and second round is 5 minutes in these fights. There is no point system in place as fights are not judged round to round but will be judged based on their entirety and there will be no draws.

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Joachim Hansen (16-6-1) vs Koutetsu Boku (13-4-1)

Hansen is a former Shooto lightweight champion who holds victories over Yves Edwards, Takanori Gomi and Caol Uno. Took me a while to figure out who everybody is since this is in Japanese. Joachim, nicknamed "Hellboy", got the early advantage with a nice punch that floored Boku and Hellboy is on top in full guard. First Round is 10 minutes. They stand up and Hellboy hits what is basically a side suplex and takes down Boku and then rolls him over and has his back. Hellboy is dominating so far. and goes for a rear naked choke but Boku fights it. Hollboy now goes for an armbar. They stand up and they trade pretty good. Hellboy corners him and hits another slam and then has side control. Hellboy went for full mount but Boku slipped out and Hellboy again slammed Boku down. Hellboy takes his back and is just dominating this fight when it's on the ground. They stand back up and Hellboy again gets a takedown with about 30 seconds left in round 1. Round 1 comes to an end and it easily is in favor of Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen as he dominated the fight when it was on the ground and easily took down Boku whenever he wanted. He just didn't show any finishing power or submissions yet.

R2- Hansen backs him into the corner and they exchange knees. Boku is doing well in the stand-up game in this round as he's showing some life. Hellboy grabs a clinch and hits some knees and takes him down as a response to Boku's offense. Hansen is in full guard and trying to throw some punches but Boku is doing a decent job defending himself. Hellboy moves to side control but then is quickly back into full mount. Hellboy trying to lay in some punches but not getting any real damaging shots yet. Only a minute and a half left in the fight. They stand up. Boku is on the offensive but Hansen hits a punch and Boku goes down and Hansen pounces on him.

Hansen dominated this fight on the mat just couldn't put Boku away. Boku had the advantage when they stood up but Hansen quickly took Boku down whenever he sustained any type of advantage. If Hansen wants to advance in this tournament he's gonna need to do a better job trying to finish as he never really went after a submission after the first 5 minutes of the fight and Boku was rarely in danger of being finished.

Winner: Joachim Hansen by unanimous decision

Heavyweight Fight- Ikuhisa Minowa (38-27-8) vs Bum Chan Kang (1-1)

Minowa does a roll to start the match and then another. Bum Chan Kang is very large and out of shape and Minowa is very small comparatively but has a nice physique. Minowa takes him down and is in half guard. Minowa quickly taps Kang with a leg hold.

Winner: Ikuhisa Minowa by submission (knee bar) R1 1:25

Welterweight Fight- Hayato Sakurai (31-7-2) vs Hidetaka Monma (14-7-3)

Hayato has wins against Mac Danzig, Jens Pulver, Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno and Frank Trigg on his record. He has also lost to Gomi, Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, They trade some light leg kicks to start. Hayato attacks with a combo. Monma misses with a spinning back kick and almost gets caught in the ropes. Hayato with another combo and grabs a clinch and hits some knees and then Monma pulls him down into his guard and tries to go for the rubber guard but is unsuccessful. Hayato is on top but no one with a clear advantage yet as Monma works from the bottom and then Hayato gets out of there and they stand up. Monma slips and Hayato lets him back up. Hayato attacks with a punch combo again. Hayato definitely seems to be the better stand-up fighter at this point. Monma gets a punch in but gets nailed by a counter punch and then Hayato is all over him and throwing punches on a fallen Monma and trying to finish. Monma is just curling up into the fetal position and Hayato is reigning down punches and the ref jumps in to end it. Hayato definitely finished impressively and seems to have a strong stand-up game as he had the clear advantage throughout the fight.

Winner: Hayato Sakurai by TKO (strikes) R1 4:12


Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri (20-4-2)vs "Black Mamba" Kultar Gill (9-6)

Kawajiri has wins over Yves Edwards and Joachim Hansen and losses to Gilbert Melendez and Gomi. He is a veteran of Pride and Shooto. Gill has been most prevalently in K-1. He has losses to Yves Edwards and Caol Uno on his record (Kawajiri drew Caol Uno). Mamba is dancing around and gets his leg caught and he gets taken down by Kawajiri. Kawajiri is nicknamed "Crusher" so that's what we'll call him here. Crusher has Black Mamba down and looks to be going for a submission. He's in full guard and trying to get a better advantage. Mamba trying to fight him off. They stand up and Crusher has him in a clinch and now has his leg against the ropes. Mamba working into a guillotine type move and is trying to clamp down on it but loses it as Crusher still has his leg. Mamba with some short punches to the side of the head but Crusher takes him down and is in full guard again. Crusher trying to pass. Mamba defending by throwing punches. Crusher has side control and looks to be going for a submission. Crusher is halfway outside the ring and is now back in. Crusher gives up his position but then gets Mamba's back and Mamba is standing up with Crusher on his back attempting to choke him out. Mamba throws him off and Mamba is now in full guard but Crusher is going for the rubber guard and the ref stops it and moves them to the middle of the ring and puts them in the same position as they were in previously. Crusher has what looks like a half rubber guard. They sprawl and Crusher has Mamba against the ropes and is going after that leg again. Crusher takes him down and the ref moves them to the middle again. Crusher works into half guard and then into side control but isn't doing much with it. Now he's in North/South and then switches to the other side and now he has Mamba's back.He's trying to clamp his legs in and it looks like he nearly has a rear naked choke and now it's in but he can't hold it. Now he's got what looks to be an arm triangle but again he can't hold it. Crusher takes him down again and is now in full guard basically just laying on Mamba. Both guys look to be pretty tired as the round is coming to and end. The match so far is definitely Crusher's as he's just imposing his will on Mamba. Mamba is doing a good job of protecting himself on the bottom but hasn't shown much offense besides defensive short punches/jabs.

R2- This one is Crusher's to lose. Mamba definitely has a reach advantage but hasn't been able to use it yet. Mamba lands a couple of strikes to start the round. Goes for a kick but Crusher ducks and impressively takes him down. He's in full guard. Mambo kicks him off and Crusher chases him down and grabs his leg again like a pit bull that just won't give up on getting that leg. Crusher grounds him yet again. He is just a superior wrestler than Mamba but hasn't been able to finish. Mambo squirts out and has the advantage but isn't doing anything with it. Crusher picks him up and grounds him again and once again is in full guard. The ref re-positions them again. Crusher's mouth is bleeding just a bit. Mamba landing some punches from the bottom and Crusher trying to get into better position. Crusher trying to throw some punches from full guard. Moves into half guard. Mambo is watching the clock. Side Control for Crusher and looks to be going for a submission. Mambo grabs a headlock on Crusher but loses it. The fight ends with Mamba defending himself.

This one should easily go to Crusher as he was just the superior wrestler in this one. But much like Hellboy earlier he couldn't finish. So advancing in the lightweight Grand Prix so far we have 2 really good wrestlers.

Winner: Tatsuya "Crusher" Kawajiri by Decision (Unanimous)


Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Andre "Dida" Amade (6-2-1) vs Eddie Alvarez (12-1)

They go at it right from the bell and Alvarez takes him down and is punching Dida and is now on top in full guard. They have a heated exchange but no one comes out with a clear advantage. Dida gets in a shot and puts Alvarez down but he pops back up. This is a real exciting fight so far compared to the other ones on the card. Alvarez again is on top and is landing punches. Dida is swinging for the fences. Alvarez is in control as his punches are much more compact and Dida is throwing punches mostly to keep Alvarez away from him. Alvarez dumps him on his back and gets on top in half guard. Alvarez hitting some punches from the top as Dida tries to protect himself. Alvarez looking very impressive so far. Alvarez throwing some hammer punches and has side control. Dida continues to try and roll out but Alvarez ins controlling and has full mount now and is laying the punches in. This one should be over soon. Alvarez almost punching himself out. Ref calls for the bell as Dida just went into the fetal position. Alvarez does a back flip off the top rope to celebrate. Really good win for Alvarez and he looked real impressive.

Winner: Eddie Alvarez by TKO (strikes) 6:41 R1

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Mitsuhiro Ishida vs Bu Kyung Jung

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Mitsuhiro Ishida by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Kazuyuki Miyata vs Luiz "Buscape" Firmino

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Luis Firmino via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 7:37 R1

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Katsuhiko Nagata vs Artur Umakhanov

Only brief highlights are shown of this one.

Winner: Katushiko Nagata by Decision (unanimous)

Lightweight Grand Prix First Round Fight: Gesias "J.Z.Calvan" Calvancante (14-1) vs Shinya Aoki (14-2)

Aoki has wins over Joachim Hansen and George Sotiropoulos and is a veteran of Shooto and Pride. JZ is from the K-1 Hero's promotion. They start by feeling each other out for a while. Aoki goes for a kick and then lays down and basically wants JZ to come to the mat with him. The ref stands them up. Aoki has on some hideous looking tights. Aoki throwing a lot of kicks but not really hitting with anything. Aoki again on his back wanting to fight on the ground. JZ comes down with a punch and then the ref re-starts the fight. JZ with a punch to the gut. Aoki tries a flying submission but eats the mat and again lays and waits for his opponent. The ref re-starts again. JZ misses with a huge roundhouse kick and Aoki dives at his leg and is holding on. Ref calls for a timeout as I think JZ hit him with a shot to the back of the head with his elbow. Aoki is really selling it like death but it looked like the elbow landed on the top of his spine below his neck. The ref calls this a no contest. Aoki's style was really annoying. I would definitely like to see more of JZ though.

Result: No Contest R1 3:46

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (22-6-2) vs Tatsuya Mizuno (3-2)

Cro Cop comes to the ring to Duran Duran. How bizarre. Mizuno's background is Pancrease. Cro Cop starts out with some leg kicks. Cro Cop with a knee and some punches as his opponent wilts and then Cro Cop lays in some punches on the ground and this one is over. Mizuno was definitely a sacrifical lamb here. Cro Cop looked a little tentative at first but then opened up in short order on Mizuno.

Winner: Cro Cop via TKO (punches) R1 0:56

Overall a decent show and I got introduced to a bunch of new fighters. I was most impressed with Eddie Alvarez.

Here is what Round 2 of the Lightweight Grand Prix will look like (scheduled for May 11th on the DREAM. 3 Card):
Katsuhiko Nagata vs JZ/Aoki winner
Mitushiro Ishida vs Caol Uno (got a first round bye)
Eddie Alvarez vs Joachim Hansen
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs Luiz Firmino

The next DREAM show "DREAM. 2" (April 29th) shapes up like this:

Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante