Sengoku Raiden Championship 12
Rygoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
March 7, 2010
HDNet
Last year Mamed Khalidov beat Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in a non-title fight. Khalidov will get his re-match at this show. Michael Schiavello is joined by Frank Trigg for commentary at this event. Marlon Sandro and former UFC fighter Akihiro Gono are also on the card tonight.
Shigeki Osawa (4-1) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (4-2)
Kang is a Korean fighter who has won 2 of his last 3 fights. He is making his Sengoku debut tonight. Osawa has won 4 of his 5 fights but his last fight was a loss to Ronnie Mann by decision. Both fighters are very young (22 & 23). Osawa has a background as an amateur wrestler. Osawa is the favorite in this fight.
R1- Osawa got a quick take down and then took Kang's back and hit a back suplex on him. Kang went for a triangle and Osawa picked him up and dropped him on his head with a nasty power bomb type slam. Osawa stayed on top of Kang for the majority of the round and took the round 10-9.
R2- Osawa quickly got the fight to the ground again in this round. Kang was able to take Osawa's back at the half way point of the round but couldn't do anything with the position. Not much damage done so far in this fight as it's been mostly a battle of positioning. This round could have gone either way but I'll give it to Osawa.
R3- Osawa landed a couple of punches and wobbled Kang early in the round. Osawa hit back to back to back suplexes mid-way through the round. Osawa will take this fight 30-27.
Winner: Shigeki Osawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-3) vs. Kiuma Kunioku (34-22-9)
Santos lost his last fight but has won 4 of his last 5 with 3 of those wins coming by way of submission. Kunioku is on a 3 fight win streak. Santos has a 5" height advantage.
R1- Santos scored a take down two minutes into the round and moved to the mount position. Santos transitioned to a Rear Naked Choke and finished the fight. Not flashy, but very effective.
Winner: Leonardo Santos by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R1
Featherweight Fight- Nick Denis (9-1) vs. Yuji Hoshino (16-7-7)
Denis is on a 2-fight win streak and has won 4 of his last 5. He has finished 8 of his 9 fights by TKO/KO. His only loss came at the hands of top contender Marlon Sandro. Hoshino is a former Pancrase fighter who has also lost to Marlon Sandro (in his last fight) but has won 4 of his last 5.
R1- Hoshino got a quick take down but Denis was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Denis landed some good strikes to the body and some knees to the legs. Hoshino got another take down with about two minutes left in the round but Denis tried a triangle choke and Hoshino countered with an ankle lock and then ended up on top in Denis's guard. Denis grabbed an omaplata attempt but Hoshino slipped out and then took Denis's guard again. Good round, I gave it to Denis 10-9 due to his striking and his submission attempts.
R2- Hoshino pulled guard on a guillotine choke early in the round and Denis tapped.
Winner: Yuji Hoshino by Submission (Guillotine) R2
Heavyweight Fight- Henry "Sentoryu" Miller (6-9) vs. Yoshihiro Nakao (8-2)
Miller is a former Sumo wrestler who has won 2 of his last 5 fights (one was ruled a no contest). Nakao has won 3 of his last 5 fights. Miller has Nakao out weighed by 23 pounds.
R1- Nakao hit a high left head kick but Miller fought it off and Miller threw some wild punches and ended up on his back. Nakao trapped him in a crucifix position and hit him with repeated punches to the head. Nakao went for an arm bar and then turned it into a kimura attempt but he couldn't quite lock it in and Miller escaped. Nakao with a borderline 10-8 round.
R2- Nakao got a take down one minute into the round. Nakao put Miller in the crucifix position again and pelted him with strikes to the head. The ref finally stepped in and stopped the fight.
Winner: Yoshihiro Nakao by TKO (Strikes) R2
Featherweight Fight- Marlon Sandro (15-1) vs. Tomonari Kanomata (15-4-5)
Kanomata is undefeated in his last 5 fights but two of them were draws. All of his last 5 fights have gone the distance. Sandro has won 4 of his last fights including wins over Nick Denis and Yuji Hoshino. His only loss was a controversial split decision loss to Michihiro Omigawa.
R1- Kanomata tried to push the pace early but he ate a left hook that stunned him and then Sandro threw a right uppercut that knocked Kanomata out. Dominant performance from Sandro. This one might have lasted 10 seconds. They took Kanomata out on a stretcher after this fight.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (Punch) R1 0:09
Featherweight Fight- Maximo Blanco (4-2-1) vs. Armbar Kim (15-5)
They didn't say Kim's real name but said he was known as "ArmBar Kim" because he finished 8 of his 10 submission victories with Arm Bars. Kim is 5-0 in his last 5 fights. Blanco is 3-1-1 in his last 5 with the loss being a DQ due to an illegal soccer kick.
R1- Blanco caught Kim in the corner and knocked him out with a kick to the face and then landed a couple of punches on Kim's way down to the mat. Two straight big time knockouts.
Winner: Maximo Blanco by KO (Kick) R1
Welterweight Fight- Akihiro Gono (31-15-7) vs. Diego Gonzalez (13-3)
Gonzalez is on an 8 fight winning streak and went 3-0 in 2009. Gono is 2-3 in his last fights but those fights were against high level competition (1 win against Hayato Sakurai and 2 of the losses in the UFC to Jon Fitch and Dan Hardy). Gonzalez also has a loss to Dan Hardy on his record.
R1- The first round was all stand up. Gono landed more strikes but Gonzalez landed the better combos. This was a really close round.
R2- All stand up this round as well but this one has turned into a bit of a snoozer. Trigg has Gono 19-18 of far.
R3- Gono opened up a cut near Gonzalez's eye. Not a real exciting fight but Gono distanced himself as the fight continued and he will take this one via decision.
Winner: Akihiro Gono by Decision (Unanimous)
Sengoku Middleweight Title Fight- Jorge Santiago (c) (21-8) vs. Mamed Khalidov (20-3-1)
Khalidov is 4-0-1 in his last 5 fights including a TKO win over Jorge Santiago in his last fight on 11/7/2009. Santiago trains at American Top Team and is 4-1 in his last five fights with the only loss being to Khalidov. JZ Calvancante is in Santiago's corner for the fight. Khalidov's last loss was in 2005 and has only won decision victory in his 20 wins.
R1- Santiago clamped on an early guillotine but Mamed got out of the submission. Santiago ended the first round on top of Mamed and he took the first round 10-9. Frank Trigg agreed with me on the scoring.
R2- Santiago attempt a take down two minutes into the round but Mamed ended up in top position. Mamed landed a couple of shots from the top but nothing substantial. Santiago was able to get Mamed in a funky submission and then Mamed rolled out and both guys went back to their feet. Close round, probably went to Mamed due to the take down and his domination of ring position. I've got 19-19 after two rounds. Twinkle Toes has it scored 20-18 Santiago after two.
R3- Mamed got a take down about a minute and a half into the round. Not much action until the one minute mark when Mamed started to throw some Ground and Pound strikes. I've got Mamed 29-28, Twinkle Toes has it Santiago 29-28.
R4- Santiago got a take down in the first minute of the round but Mamed reversed a submission into top position for himself but Santiago got back to his feet without taking any damage. Santiago landed a good combination and then landed some knees. Mamed got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Mamed landed some Ground and Pound near the end of the round. Really close round. I've got Mamed 39-37, Twinkle Toes has it 38-38.
R5- Santiago landed a good strike and then avoided a take down. Mamed looks really tired and Santiago is bringing it to him. Mamed goes to the mat looking for some rest and Santiago takes top position. Mamed was able to take top position but then ate an up kick. Mamed got cut open and the ref stopped the fight to look at the cut and they continued the fight. Santiago landed a good right towards the end of the fight and I've got him taking this round. Trigg says he could argue this fight for either fighter. I've got Mamed taking this fight 48-47 but I honestly don't think he did enough to win the title so I'd be satisfied with Santiago winning this one by decision. Not a great fight. All three judges gave the fight to Santiago 48-47.
Winner: Jorge Santiago by Decision (Unanimous)
Showing posts with label Marlon Sandro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marlon Sandro. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sengoku 8 3/2/09 Re-Cap
Sengoku - Eighth Battle: Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round
May 2, 2009
Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo
Sengoku is back for their third effort this year. The last show was the first round of the Featherweight Grand Prix. Here is a look at the brackets for the 2nd round:
Hatsu Hioki vs. Ronnie Mann
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Nam Phan
Masanori Kanehara vs. Chang Sung Jung
Marlon Sandro vs. Nick Denis
Lightweight Fight- Akihiko Mouri (6-6-1) vs. Maximo Blanco (2-1-1)
Mouri is a decorated amateur wrestler and a veteran of DEEP, Pancrase and the K-1 Hero promotion. Blanco was a All-Japan freestyle wrestling champion in High School and college. Apparently Blanco looks up to Eddie Alvarez and his backflips.
R1- Blanco got a quick take down in the first thirty seconds of the fight. Mouri caught Blanco with an arm bar but Blanco quickly rolled out of it and regaining top position. Blanco is bleeding from the nose early. Blanco dropped Akihiko with a good punch and then jumped on top in side control but couldn’t finish. Blanco hit a spinning back kick and then nailed Akihiko with a right hand and then a soccer style kick to the head. The kick was illegal based on Sengoku rules because Akihiko was down. Big mistake by Blanco because Akihiko was finished after that right hand.
Winner: Akihiko Mouri by Disqualification (Illegal Kick) R1
Light Heavyweight Fight- Travis Wiuff (54-12) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (5-0)
Nedkov is wearing an “I Love Jesus” T-shirt as he comes to the ring. He is a BJJ black belt, a solid wrestler and is undefeated. 4 of his 5 fights have ended in the first round. Wiuff is 9-1 in his last 10 fights. He fought 16 times in 2003 and 20 of his fights have gone the distance (he is 18-2 in those fights).
R1- Stanislav hits a couple of low blows early and we are in rest mode for the first several minutes of the fight. A red card is issued to Nedkov and that means that means Nedkov gets a point deduction. Nedkov hits another low blow on Wiuff. Pretty much a worthless first round due to three low blows. Nedkov gets another red card so he’s down two points (if he gets one more than he’s automatically disqualified).
R2- Wiuff got a good slam/take down to start the round. They stood back up at the three minute mark and Nedkov nailed Wiuff with a big punch but Wiuff took it well and stayed on his feet. Wiuff grabbed a guillotine but Nedkov slipped out. Wiuff takes this round and is probably up 20-16 due to the loss of points for Nedkov. Nedkov has to finish this fight in Round Three if he wants to win.
R3- Nedkov landed a good punch and jumped on top and landed some Ground and Pound on Wiuff and is destroying him in the ropes and the ref stops the fight and Nedkov kisses the referee. Really impressive come back by Nedkov after a rough first two rounds and he remains undefeated at 6-0.
Winner: Stanislav Nedkov by TKO (Strikes) R3
Welterweight Fight- Michael Costa (9-4) vs. Makoto Takimoto (4-5)
Costa’s last fight was a loss to Nick Thompson on 6/8/08 by submission. Takimoto is also coming off of a loss as his last fight was a loss to Frank Trigg on 8/24/08. Takimoto has fought a high level of competition in his brief career as he also has losses to Gegard Mousasi and Kiyoshi Tamura. This is Takimoto’s first fight at Welterweight since dropping down from Middleweight.
R1- Costa went for a high kick and a high knee early but got taken down by Takimoto. Costa was able to grab a guillotine on the ground but he was eventually able to get out of the submission. Takimoto grabbed an arm bar attempt but Costa blocked the submission. Takimoto instead grabbed a heel hook and got a submission. Pretty good fight although it didn’t last long.
Winner: Makoto Takimoto by Submission (Heel Hook) R1 3:31
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Nick Denis (7-0) vs. Marlon Sandro (13-0)
Denis defeated Seiya Kawahara in the first round of the tournament by TKO. Denis is the KOTC Bantamweight Canadian Champion. Denis showed some really good striking skills in his first round victory. Sandro is also undefeated and is the Featherweight King of Pancrase. He defeated Matt Jaggers by submission as he finished Jaggers with an arm triangle in the second round of the fight.
R1- Sandro dropped Denis with a punch and jumped on top and just destroyed him with punches. Very unexpected finish as Sandro was supposed to be the ground guy. Tremendous showing by Sandro and if he wasn’t in the Top 10 of Featherweights in the world then I would say that he is now.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (punches) R1 0:19
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Masanori Kanehara (12-5-5) vs. Chan Sung Jung (6-0)
Jung is undefeated and beat Shintaro Ishiwatari in a fun fight in the first round of this tournament. Jung has won 4 of his last 5 fights in the 1st round. Kanehara won a unanimous decision over Jong Man Kim in his first round fight. Both of these fighters are considered “dark horses” in this tournament.
R1- Kanehara got the first take down of the fight a little over a minute into the round but it ends with the fighters being stood back up after several minutes. Kanehara got another take down with about a minute left in the round but Jung got it back to their feet and then Kanehara forced him through the ropes. Pretty even first round with Kanehara getting two take downs. Jung started to come on at the end of the round but I’ve got Kanehara up 10-9.
R2- Both guys swing wildly at each other during the opening stages of this round and it ends in a Kanehara take down. Jung tried to get an arm bar and looked like he got it but Kanehara slipped out and re-took his guard. Kanehara clamped in a heel hook at then end of the round but Jung held out until the bell. This was another close round with Kanehara dominating control of the ring and both guys almost finishing with a submission. I think Kanehara won this round with his last second submission attempt to go up 20-18 although it’s very close to 19-19.
R3- Jung slipped early and Kanehara took his guard. Jung landed a good knee about half way through the round and then got in a couple of more knees on Kanehara. Jung takes Kanehara’s guard and gets some Ground and Pound in the last minute of the round. Good fight and it was very close. I’ve got Kanehara taking Round One and Jung taking Round Three with both being pretty clear cut winners of those rounds. Round Two is up for grabs, I barely gave it to Kanehara. I could see a split decision here. I think if you were judging on the entire fight as a whole I would give it to Jung but round by round I give it to Kanehara.
Judges score the fight: 30-29 Kanehara, 30-29 Kanehara and 29-28 Kanehara.
Winner: Masanori Kanehara by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Xlexandre Riberio (1-0) vs. Kei Yamamiya (34-23-9)
Kei has fought 43 fights that have gone the distance and is 21-11-9 in those fights. He has defeated Chris Lytle, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and Denis Kang and has losses to Guy Mezger, Bas Rutten, Paulo Filho and Akihiro Gono (twice). He is a wrestler and a kick boxer. Riberio is a bjj fighter who has multiple world jiu jitsu championships but only 1 pro MMA fight.
R1- Riberio got a good take down about half way through the round. Riberio took full mount and got in some Ground and Pound. Kei gave up his back and Riberio worked for an arm bar attempt but could not end it before the round ended. Good showing in the first round by Riberio.
R2- Kei did a good job in the first half of this round avoiding a take down and Riberio seemed to tire towards the end of the round. Kei went for a flying knee but he got caught and got taken down with about half a minute left in the round and by the time Kei got mount the bell rang.
R3- Kei moved in and hit Riberio but Riberio countered punch with a strong right hand and knocked Kei out.
Good showing by Riberio. He needs to work on his cardio and if he does that then he will be tough.
Winner: Xlenandre Riberio by KO R2
They show a Ring of Honor commercial featuring Ric Flair during a break in between matches.
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-2) vs. Kazunori Yokota (8-2-3)
Yokota is a former Lightweight Champion from the DEEP promotion. His last fight was a loss to current Sengoku Lightweight Champion Satoru Kitaoka by unanimous decision. Santos is on a 5 fight win streak. Bas says he’s the brother of Wagnney Fabiano (current WEC and former IFL fighter). Both guys are looking for a title fight, so the winner of this fight could be in line for a fight against Kitaoka- especially if it’s Santos.
R1- Santos got a take down about a minute into the fight. Santos had his back but Yokota was able to spin through and take Santos’ guard. Yokota was able to get some decent Ground and Pound in at the end of the round to take the round.
R2- Santos went for a flying knee early and got taken down. With three minutes gone from the round Santos is able to escape and mount Yokota but Yokota rolls him back over. Nobody is really doing much damage in this round. Yokota takes this rather uneventful round to go up 20-18.
R3- Santos got a take down about 3 minutes into the round. Santos tried to take his back but got flipped over and Yokota took his guard. Another lackluster round. I’ve got it Yokota 29-28. Neither guy really looked like they did anything to try and finish this fight. Definitely a disappointing fight and neither guy comes out looking like they are championship contender caliber.
Judges score cards say: 30-28 Yokota, 29-28 Santos, and 30-29 Yokota.
Winner: Kazunori Yokota by Decision (Split)
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Michihiro Omigawa (5-7-1) vs. Nam Phan (15-5)
In the first round Omigawa defeated L.C. Davis by unanimous decision. Phan defeated Hideki Kadowaki via first round TKO in the first round.
R1- Omigawa got a quick takedown but Phan used a heel hook to take Omigawa’s guard. Phan got caught in a guillotine and ate some knees. Omigawa pulled guard with the guillotine but Phan got out of the move. Omigawa got another take down with one minute left in the round after some fairly even stand up. Omigawa got Phan up against the ropes and threw a ton of punches at him and then got him on the ground and just pounded him and the ref put a stop to the fight. Shocking upset!
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by TKO (punches) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Hatsu Hioki (18-3-2) vs. Ronnie Mann (17-1-1)
In the first round Ronnie Mann defeated Tetsuya Yamada by Unanimous Decision. Hatsu Hioki defeated Chris Manuel with a Triangle Choke in the first round of his first round fight. Hioki is the favorite to take this tournament.
R1- Hioki has a large height advantage in this fight. Hioki got a take down after one minute of fighting. Hioki got a mount about half way through the round and locked in a triangle choke and threw hammer fists at Mann and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Another great showing by Hioki.
Winner: Hatsu Hioki by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 3:09
May 2, 2009
Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo
Sengoku is back for their third effort this year. The last show was the first round of the Featherweight Grand Prix. Here is a look at the brackets for the 2nd round:
Hatsu Hioki vs. Ronnie Mann
Michihiro Omigawa vs. Nam Phan
Masanori Kanehara vs. Chang Sung Jung
Marlon Sandro vs. Nick Denis
Lightweight Fight- Akihiko Mouri (6-6-1) vs. Maximo Blanco (2-1-1)
Mouri is a decorated amateur wrestler and a veteran of DEEP, Pancrase and the K-1 Hero promotion. Blanco was a All-Japan freestyle wrestling champion in High School and college. Apparently Blanco looks up to Eddie Alvarez and his backflips.
R1- Blanco got a quick take down in the first thirty seconds of the fight. Mouri caught Blanco with an arm bar but Blanco quickly rolled out of it and regaining top position. Blanco is bleeding from the nose early. Blanco dropped Akihiko with a good punch and then jumped on top in side control but couldn’t finish. Blanco hit a spinning back kick and then nailed Akihiko with a right hand and then a soccer style kick to the head. The kick was illegal based on Sengoku rules because Akihiko was down. Big mistake by Blanco because Akihiko was finished after that right hand.
Winner: Akihiko Mouri by Disqualification (Illegal Kick) R1
Light Heavyweight Fight- Travis Wiuff (54-12) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (5-0)
Nedkov is wearing an “I Love Jesus” T-shirt as he comes to the ring. He is a BJJ black belt, a solid wrestler and is undefeated. 4 of his 5 fights have ended in the first round. Wiuff is 9-1 in his last 10 fights. He fought 16 times in 2003 and 20 of his fights have gone the distance (he is 18-2 in those fights).
R1- Stanislav hits a couple of low blows early and we are in rest mode for the first several minutes of the fight. A red card is issued to Nedkov and that means that means Nedkov gets a point deduction. Nedkov hits another low blow on Wiuff. Pretty much a worthless first round due to three low blows. Nedkov gets another red card so he’s down two points (if he gets one more than he’s automatically disqualified).
R2- Wiuff got a good slam/take down to start the round. They stood back up at the three minute mark and Nedkov nailed Wiuff with a big punch but Wiuff took it well and stayed on his feet. Wiuff grabbed a guillotine but Nedkov slipped out. Wiuff takes this round and is probably up 20-16 due to the loss of points for Nedkov. Nedkov has to finish this fight in Round Three if he wants to win.
R3- Nedkov landed a good punch and jumped on top and landed some Ground and Pound on Wiuff and is destroying him in the ropes and the ref stops the fight and Nedkov kisses the referee. Really impressive come back by Nedkov after a rough first two rounds and he remains undefeated at 6-0.
Winner: Stanislav Nedkov by TKO (Strikes) R3
Welterweight Fight- Michael Costa (9-4) vs. Makoto Takimoto (4-5)
Costa’s last fight was a loss to Nick Thompson on 6/8/08 by submission. Takimoto is also coming off of a loss as his last fight was a loss to Frank Trigg on 8/24/08. Takimoto has fought a high level of competition in his brief career as he also has losses to Gegard Mousasi and Kiyoshi Tamura. This is Takimoto’s first fight at Welterweight since dropping down from Middleweight.
R1- Costa went for a high kick and a high knee early but got taken down by Takimoto. Costa was able to grab a guillotine on the ground but he was eventually able to get out of the submission. Takimoto grabbed an arm bar attempt but Costa blocked the submission. Takimoto instead grabbed a heel hook and got a submission. Pretty good fight although it didn’t last long.
Winner: Makoto Takimoto by Submission (Heel Hook) R1 3:31
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Nick Denis (7-0) vs. Marlon Sandro (13-0)
Denis defeated Seiya Kawahara in the first round of the tournament by TKO. Denis is the KOTC Bantamweight Canadian Champion. Denis showed some really good striking skills in his first round victory. Sandro is also undefeated and is the Featherweight King of Pancrase. He defeated Matt Jaggers by submission as he finished Jaggers with an arm triangle in the second round of the fight.
R1- Sandro dropped Denis with a punch and jumped on top and just destroyed him with punches. Very unexpected finish as Sandro was supposed to be the ground guy. Tremendous showing by Sandro and if he wasn’t in the Top 10 of Featherweights in the world then I would say that he is now.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by KO (punches) R1 0:19
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Masanori Kanehara (12-5-5) vs. Chan Sung Jung (6-0)
Jung is undefeated and beat Shintaro Ishiwatari in a fun fight in the first round of this tournament. Jung has won 4 of his last 5 fights in the 1st round. Kanehara won a unanimous decision over Jong Man Kim in his first round fight. Both of these fighters are considered “dark horses” in this tournament.
R1- Kanehara got the first take down of the fight a little over a minute into the round but it ends with the fighters being stood back up after several minutes. Kanehara got another take down with about a minute left in the round but Jung got it back to their feet and then Kanehara forced him through the ropes. Pretty even first round with Kanehara getting two take downs. Jung started to come on at the end of the round but I’ve got Kanehara up 10-9.
R2- Both guys swing wildly at each other during the opening stages of this round and it ends in a Kanehara take down. Jung tried to get an arm bar and looked like he got it but Kanehara slipped out and re-took his guard. Kanehara clamped in a heel hook at then end of the round but Jung held out until the bell. This was another close round with Kanehara dominating control of the ring and both guys almost finishing with a submission. I think Kanehara won this round with his last second submission attempt to go up 20-18 although it’s very close to 19-19.
R3- Jung slipped early and Kanehara took his guard. Jung landed a good knee about half way through the round and then got in a couple of more knees on Kanehara. Jung takes Kanehara’s guard and gets some Ground and Pound in the last minute of the round. Good fight and it was very close. I’ve got Kanehara taking Round One and Jung taking Round Three with both being pretty clear cut winners of those rounds. Round Two is up for grabs, I barely gave it to Kanehara. I could see a split decision here. I think if you were judging on the entire fight as a whole I would give it to Jung but round by round I give it to Kanehara.
Judges score the fight: 30-29 Kanehara, 30-29 Kanehara and 29-28 Kanehara.
Winner: Masanori Kanehara by Decision (Unanimous)
Light Heavyweight Fight- Xlexandre Riberio (1-0) vs. Kei Yamamiya (34-23-9)
Kei has fought 43 fights that have gone the distance and is 21-11-9 in those fights. He has defeated Chris Lytle, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and Denis Kang and has losses to Guy Mezger, Bas Rutten, Paulo Filho and Akihiro Gono (twice). He is a wrestler and a kick boxer. Riberio is a bjj fighter who has multiple world jiu jitsu championships but only 1 pro MMA fight.
R1- Riberio got a good take down about half way through the round. Riberio took full mount and got in some Ground and Pound. Kei gave up his back and Riberio worked for an arm bar attempt but could not end it before the round ended. Good showing in the first round by Riberio.
R2- Kei did a good job in the first half of this round avoiding a take down and Riberio seemed to tire towards the end of the round. Kei went for a flying knee but he got caught and got taken down with about half a minute left in the round and by the time Kei got mount the bell rang.
R3- Kei moved in and hit Riberio but Riberio countered punch with a strong right hand and knocked Kei out.
Good showing by Riberio. He needs to work on his cardio and if he does that then he will be tough.
Winner: Xlenandre Riberio by KO R2
They show a Ring of Honor commercial featuring Ric Flair during a break in between matches.
Lightweight Fight- Leonardo Santos (6-2) vs. Kazunori Yokota (8-2-3)
Yokota is a former Lightweight Champion from the DEEP promotion. His last fight was a loss to current Sengoku Lightweight Champion Satoru Kitaoka by unanimous decision. Santos is on a 5 fight win streak. Bas says he’s the brother of Wagnney Fabiano (current WEC and former IFL fighter). Both guys are looking for a title fight, so the winner of this fight could be in line for a fight against Kitaoka- especially if it’s Santos.
R1- Santos got a take down about a minute into the fight. Santos had his back but Yokota was able to spin through and take Santos’ guard. Yokota was able to get some decent Ground and Pound in at the end of the round to take the round.
R2- Santos went for a flying knee early and got taken down. With three minutes gone from the round Santos is able to escape and mount Yokota but Yokota rolls him back over. Nobody is really doing much damage in this round. Yokota takes this rather uneventful round to go up 20-18.
R3- Santos got a take down about 3 minutes into the round. Santos tried to take his back but got flipped over and Yokota took his guard. Another lackluster round. I’ve got it Yokota 29-28. Neither guy really looked like they did anything to try and finish this fight. Definitely a disappointing fight and neither guy comes out looking like they are championship contender caliber.
Judges score cards say: 30-28 Yokota, 29-28 Santos, and 30-29 Yokota.
Winner: Kazunori Yokota by Decision (Split)
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Michihiro Omigawa (5-7-1) vs. Nam Phan (15-5)
In the first round Omigawa defeated L.C. Davis by unanimous decision. Phan defeated Hideki Kadowaki via first round TKO in the first round.
R1- Omigawa got a quick takedown but Phan used a heel hook to take Omigawa’s guard. Phan got caught in a guillotine and ate some knees. Omigawa pulled guard with the guillotine but Phan got out of the move. Omigawa got another take down with one minute left in the round after some fairly even stand up. Omigawa got Phan up against the ropes and threw a ton of punches at him and then got him on the ground and just pounded him and the ref put a stop to the fight. Shocking upset!
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by TKO (punches) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix Second Round Tournament Fight- Hatsu Hioki (18-3-2) vs. Ronnie Mann (17-1-1)
In the first round Ronnie Mann defeated Tetsuya Yamada by Unanimous Decision. Hatsu Hioki defeated Chris Manuel with a Triangle Choke in the first round of his first round fight. Hioki is the favorite to take this tournament.
R1- Hioki has a large height advantage in this fight. Hioki got a take down after one minute of fighting. Hioki got a mount about half way through the round and locked in a triangle choke and threw hammer fists at Mann and the ref stepped in and stopped the fight. Another great showing by Hioki.
Winner: Hatsu Hioki by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1 3:09
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Sengoku 7 Re-Cap
World Victory Road: Sengoku 7
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Tokyo, Japan
Sengoku is back for their second effort this year. The first show of the year had Jorge Santiago winning the Middleweight Title, Satoru Kitaoka beating Takanori Gomi for the Lightweight Title, King Mo, and former Elite XC Heavyweights Dave Herman and Antonio Silva. This show features King Mo and the first round of the Featherweight Tournament. This should be interesting as DREAM started their Featherweight tournament on their last show so it will be interesting to compare and contrast the two divisions as they progress in their respective tournaments. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are our HDNet TV announcers.
The fighters featured at the beginning of the telecast are Hatsu Hioki, L.C. Davis, Nam Phan, and Marlon Sandro. So those are the four guys to watch on tonight’s show. James Thompson and Mo Lawal will also fight tonight, but not against each other.
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Nick Denis (6-0) vs. Seiya Kawahara (6-1)
Denis is the King of the Cage Canadian Bantamweight Champion. All of his fights have been won by KO or Submission with 5 Kos. Kawahara has finished 5 of his 6 wins by KO or Submission with 4 Kos so it looks like we are going to see someone finished in this fight. Kawahara is the 2nd youngest fighter in this tournament at 21 years of age. Denis has a degree in BioChemistry.
R1- Denis hit a high kick early that knocked Kawahara down and followed with some knees. Denis knocked him down again with n exchange later in the round and followed it up as some Ground and Pound and as the ref was moving to stop the fight Kawahara’s corner threw in the towel. Good start to the tournament and while both guys looked green, Denis showed some good striking and remains undefeated.
Winner: Nick Denis by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Ronnie Mann (16-1-1) vs. Tetsuya Yamada (3-0)
Mann’s only loss was by unanimous decision by in July of 2007. He was 3-0 in 2008. Yamada is the youngest participant in this tournament. He is only 18 and actually just finished high school at the beginning of this month. All 3 of his victories have come in the 1st round. Yamada has a 4” height advantage in this fight.
R1- Mann is the aggressor early in the fight but Yamada rushes in and gets a take down but Mann is able to sweep him over and get on top. Mann gets a body triangle on Yamada as he takes his back and looks for a submission. Mann gets rolled back over but he’s in full mount. Yamada slips out the back and grabs a heel hook but doesn’t seem to have it clamped in too well and gives it up and instead ends up in the rubber guard that Mann breaks. Very active fight on the ground so far as Yamada goes for a triangle but is denied. Yamada went for a jumping knee bar and ended up with a toe hold but couldn’t hold it and Mann stood up. Really good fight so far that is somewhat even. Mann has be in control of the fight more but Yamada is really fighting for submissions.
R2- Mann spends the first part of this round on top in a dominant position but hasn’t really done any damage. Yamada is actively trying to keep this fight on the ground even if he’s in guard. Mann gets a slam near the end of the round. Mann was more decisive in this round as he’s winning the fight so far.
R3- Yamada hit a good head kick early but Mann fought it off and got a take down. Yamada rolled him over and looked for subs but Mann fought through it. Mann hit a good body shot and then got Yamada down again. Yamada has definitely slowed down in this round but he did hit a good kick before Mann took him down again. Mann grabs a toe hold and Yamada tries to counter with a knee bar but Mann releases the move. Yamada jumps on top to end the fight. I’ve got Mann winning this fight.
Winner: Ronnie Mann by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Chan Sung Jung (2-0) vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari (6-1-3)
Jung’s last fight was a 17 second knockout victory. Ishiwatari’s only loss came in his pro debut in 2006.
R1- These guys are standing up at the beginning of the fight and throwing leather. Jung hitting a good combo and landed a good left that floored Ishiwatari as he was backing into the corner. Jung landed side control and got some brief Ground and Pound in before Ishiwatari got back to his feet with half a round left. Ishiwatari connected on a high kick but Jung fought it off. Both guys are really throwing at one another. Jung came in with a combo and then took Ishiwatari’s back and locked in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight. Really fun fight.
Winner: Chan Sung Jung by Rear Naked Choke R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Masanori Kanehara (11-5-5) vs. Jong Man Kim (3-5-3)
Kim is winless in his last 5 fights (0-3-2) so my guess is that he will not be the favorite to win this one. Expert analysis by Bas Rutten on his record “That’s not that good” (I kid because I actually really like Bas as a color commentator). However, he does hold a victory over one of the favorites in this tournament (Hatsu Hioki). Kanehara has finished 10 of his 11 wins by KO or Submission). Kim is a wrestler and BJJ fighter. Kanehara is a jiu jitsu fighter.
R1- The jiu jitsu guys stay on their feet with the fight being pretty even until Kanehara gets in a couple of shots that floors Kim with about a minute left in the round. Kim’s face looks like he has some bruises after the first round.
R2- Kanehara gets a take down and tried to get a submission with an arm triangle but Kim broke free. After two rounds Kanehara is winning this fight. Kim is going to need to finish to get the win in this one.
R3- Final round was pretty even with Kanehara getting a take down in the final minute. I’ve got Kanehara winning this fight.
Winner: Masanori Kanehara by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Matt Jaggers (9-4) vs. Marlon Sandro (12-0)
Marlon Sandro is the Featherweight King of Pancrase. He trains with Thales Leites, Jose Aldo and Wagnney Fabiano. He has only finished 5 of his 12 fights but is undefeated. Jaggers has a wrestling background. According to the odds-makers Sandro is a 5.5 to 1 favorite and is the biggest favorite of any of the tournament fights tonight. Sandro is a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter.
R1- Sandro got a take down about 30 seconds into the fight. Jaggers got up swinging. Sandro got another take down about half way through the round. Jaggers is able to roll Sandro over but Sandro rolls him back over. Sandro gets some punches in but then Jaggers flips him back over. Slight edge to Sandro in the first round for the take downs but hasn’t really done any damage.
R2- Sandro nipped Jaggers in the mid-section with a spinning back kick and then got another take down. Sandro looks like he’s working for an arm triangle and Jaggers gets to his feet but Sandro finishes him off with the arm triangle.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- L.C. Davis (13-1) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (4-7-2)
L.C. Davis has only 1 professional loss which was to WEC fighter Wagnney Fabiano in an IFL fight. Davis is a 4 to 1 favorite in this fight and has won 4 straight fights. Omigawa is 0-3-1 in his last four fights. He has a Judo background.
R1- Omigawa got Davis to the ground about a minute and a half into the fight and then laid on top of him doing nothing for a while. Omigawa mounts at the two minute mark but hasn’t done any damage yet. LC gives up his back trying to get out but Omigawa is just hugging him at the point. Omigawa is doing a good job with the wrestling but not much in terms of finishing the fight. Omigawa did grab an arm bar near the end of the round but Davis was able to hold on until the bell. Omigawa definitely up after one round.
R2- Omigawa once again is able to get Davis to the ground after about a minute and a half of stand-up that Davis was winning but not decisively. Davis is able to get up fairly quickly this time. This round was even so Omigawa has the advantage going into the final round. A strong round by either guy here could take this fight.
R3- Omigawa gets a takedown at the one minute mark of the round and seems content to lay on Davis until the bell rings in four minutes. Omigawa gets a guillotine but can’t finish with the submission. This was definitely my least favorite of the Featherweights so far. Omigawa gets the upset as he controlled the fight in unspectacular fashion.
30-28, 30-28 and 30-27 in favor of Omigawa on the score cards.
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Jim York (9-2) vs. James Thompson (14-9)
York has finished all of his 9 victories but he’s only fought twice in the last 31 months. Thompson is 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Thompson has a 4” height advantage and a 7 lb advantage.
R1- Thompson charges in and misses. This is a slugfest early! York grabbed a standing guillotine but couldn’t finish with it. Pretty even stand up with Thompson starting to pull away but he got caught and floored and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Jim York by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Nam Phan (14-5) vs. Hideki Kadowaki (13-8-2)
Nam Phan is a guy who has fought for Strikeforce in the past and recently lost a close split decision to Billy Evangelista in a Lightweight fight at the June 2008 show (I actually had the fight scored a draw with a 10-8 round to Evangelista and two 10-9 rounds to Phan). He trains with Caol Uno. Phan is a 3 to 1 favorite to win this fight but has lost 3 of his last 5 fights. Kadowaki is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. He has defeated Bao Quach, Akitoshi Tamura (twice) and Rumina Sato and has losses to Kid Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki and Takeshi Inoue.
R1- Lots of stand up early in this fight. Phan caught him with a right hand that floored him and the ref stopped the fight. Fun fight and good finish by Phan.
Winner: Nam Phan by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Hatsu Hioki (17-3-2) vs. Chris Manuel (6-0-2)
Hatsu Hioki has beat Mark Hominick twice and Jeff Curran once. He is undefeated outside of Shooto (5-0 in those fights). Hioki was 4-0-1 in 2008. He’s ranked as Inside MMA’s #8 Featherweight. Hioki is a 3.5 to 1 favorite. Manuel fights out of American Top Team and is a BJJ Black Belt.
R1- Hioki gets a quick take down. Hioki gets takes his back and attempts an arm bar but Manuel escapes. Hioki gets him down again. Hioki is looking really strong on the mat. Hioki now getting some Ground and Pound. Hioki went for an arm bar and settled for a triangle choke and hit some Ground and Pound. Hioki gets the win, he was by far the best looking fighter tonight in the tournament.
Winner: Hatsu Hioki by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1
Light Heavyweight Fight- Muhammed Lawal (3-0) vs. Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2)
Lawal comes to the ring with some dancing Japanese girls with a cape and crown. Ryo is the King of Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion. Lawal is a 5 to 1 favorite.
R1- King Mo gets a quick take down early but Ryo gets back up. Lawal hits some strikes and gets Ryo down again. Lawal is dominating early and getting in strikes up against the ropes on Ryo. Lawal is just manhandling Ryo and continues to take him down time after time. Borderline 10-8 round for Lawal.
R2- Lawal gets a yellow card in this round as he hit Ryo with two eye pokes in the early going. Lawal hit a good jumping knee. Lawal took Ryo’s back and got him to the ground. Lawal is getting take downs at will in this fight. I’ve got Lawal up 20-17 so far going into the third round.
R3- Lawal begins this round by smothering Ryo again. Once King Mo learns some submissions he’s going to be a very dangerous fighter. Mo drops Ryo on the back of his neck and hits some good Ground and Pound in the last minute of the fight. Ryo is basically just trying to hold on to get a decision but then finally fights back and gets taken down by Mo as the bell rings. Dominate win by Lawal, he just didn’t finish him. Ryo looks pretty jacked up after the fight and King Mo looks fresh.
30-24, 20-27 and 30-27 on the score cards.
Winner: Mohammed Lawal by Decision (Unanimous)
This was a pretty good show. I liked it more than the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix first round show. Next round match-ups look like this in the Sengoku Featherweight Tournament:
Hatsu Hioki vs Ronnie Mann
Michihiro Omigawa vs Nam Phan
Masanori Kanehara vs Chang Sung Jung
Marlon Sandro vs Nick Denis
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Tokyo, Japan
Sengoku is back for their second effort this year. The first show of the year had Jorge Santiago winning the Middleweight Title, Satoru Kitaoka beating Takanori Gomi for the Lightweight Title, King Mo, and former Elite XC Heavyweights Dave Herman and Antonio Silva. This show features King Mo and the first round of the Featherweight Tournament. This should be interesting as DREAM started their Featherweight tournament on their last show so it will be interesting to compare and contrast the two divisions as they progress in their respective tournaments. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are our HDNet TV announcers.
The fighters featured at the beginning of the telecast are Hatsu Hioki, L.C. Davis, Nam Phan, and Marlon Sandro. So those are the four guys to watch on tonight’s show. James Thompson and Mo Lawal will also fight tonight, but not against each other.
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Nick Denis (6-0) vs. Seiya Kawahara (6-1)
Denis is the King of the Cage Canadian Bantamweight Champion. All of his fights have been won by KO or Submission with 5 Kos. Kawahara has finished 5 of his 6 wins by KO or Submission with 4 Kos so it looks like we are going to see someone finished in this fight. Kawahara is the 2nd youngest fighter in this tournament at 21 years of age. Denis has a degree in BioChemistry.
R1- Denis hit a high kick early that knocked Kawahara down and followed with some knees. Denis knocked him down again with n exchange later in the round and followed it up as some Ground and Pound and as the ref was moving to stop the fight Kawahara’s corner threw in the towel. Good start to the tournament and while both guys looked green, Denis showed some good striking and remains undefeated.
Winner: Nick Denis by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Ronnie Mann (16-1-1) vs. Tetsuya Yamada (3-0)
Mann’s only loss was by unanimous decision by in July of 2007. He was 3-0 in 2008. Yamada is the youngest participant in this tournament. He is only 18 and actually just finished high school at the beginning of this month. All 3 of his victories have come in the 1st round. Yamada has a 4” height advantage in this fight.
R1- Mann is the aggressor early in the fight but Yamada rushes in and gets a take down but Mann is able to sweep him over and get on top. Mann gets a body triangle on Yamada as he takes his back and looks for a submission. Mann gets rolled back over but he’s in full mount. Yamada slips out the back and grabs a heel hook but doesn’t seem to have it clamped in too well and gives it up and instead ends up in the rubber guard that Mann breaks. Very active fight on the ground so far as Yamada goes for a triangle but is denied. Yamada went for a jumping knee bar and ended up with a toe hold but couldn’t hold it and Mann stood up. Really good fight so far that is somewhat even. Mann has be in control of the fight more but Yamada is really fighting for submissions.
R2- Mann spends the first part of this round on top in a dominant position but hasn’t really done any damage. Yamada is actively trying to keep this fight on the ground even if he’s in guard. Mann gets a slam near the end of the round. Mann was more decisive in this round as he’s winning the fight so far.
R3- Yamada hit a good head kick early but Mann fought it off and got a take down. Yamada rolled him over and looked for subs but Mann fought through it. Mann hit a good body shot and then got Yamada down again. Yamada has definitely slowed down in this round but he did hit a good kick before Mann took him down again. Mann grabs a toe hold and Yamada tries to counter with a knee bar but Mann releases the move. Yamada jumps on top to end the fight. I’ve got Mann winning this fight.
Winner: Ronnie Mann by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Chan Sung Jung (2-0) vs. Shintaro Ishiwatari (6-1-3)
Jung’s last fight was a 17 second knockout victory. Ishiwatari’s only loss came in his pro debut in 2006.
R1- These guys are standing up at the beginning of the fight and throwing leather. Jung hitting a good combo and landed a good left that floored Ishiwatari as he was backing into the corner. Jung landed side control and got some brief Ground and Pound in before Ishiwatari got back to his feet with half a round left. Ishiwatari connected on a high kick but Jung fought it off. Both guys are really throwing at one another. Jung came in with a combo and then took Ishiwatari’s back and locked in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight. Really fun fight.
Winner: Chan Sung Jung by Rear Naked Choke R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Masanori Kanehara (11-5-5) vs. Jong Man Kim (3-5-3)
Kim is winless in his last 5 fights (0-3-2) so my guess is that he will not be the favorite to win this one. Expert analysis by Bas Rutten on his record “That’s not that good” (I kid because I actually really like Bas as a color commentator). However, he does hold a victory over one of the favorites in this tournament (Hatsu Hioki). Kanehara has finished 10 of his 11 wins by KO or Submission). Kim is a wrestler and BJJ fighter. Kanehara is a jiu jitsu fighter.
R1- The jiu jitsu guys stay on their feet with the fight being pretty even until Kanehara gets in a couple of shots that floors Kim with about a minute left in the round. Kim’s face looks like he has some bruises after the first round.
R2- Kanehara gets a take down and tried to get a submission with an arm triangle but Kim broke free. After two rounds Kanehara is winning this fight. Kim is going to need to finish to get the win in this one.
R3- Final round was pretty even with Kanehara getting a take down in the final minute. I’ve got Kanehara winning this fight.
Winner: Masanori Kanehara by Decision (Unanimous)
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Matt Jaggers (9-4) vs. Marlon Sandro (12-0)
Marlon Sandro is the Featherweight King of Pancrase. He trains with Thales Leites, Jose Aldo and Wagnney Fabiano. He has only finished 5 of his 12 fights but is undefeated. Jaggers has a wrestling background. According to the odds-makers Sandro is a 5.5 to 1 favorite and is the biggest favorite of any of the tournament fights tonight. Sandro is a Muay Thai and BJJ fighter.
R1- Sandro got a take down about 30 seconds into the fight. Jaggers got up swinging. Sandro got another take down about half way through the round. Jaggers is able to roll Sandro over but Sandro rolls him back over. Sandro gets some punches in but then Jaggers flips him back over. Slight edge to Sandro in the first round for the take downs but hasn’t really done any damage.
R2- Sandro nipped Jaggers in the mid-section with a spinning back kick and then got another take down. Sandro looks like he’s working for an arm triangle and Jaggers gets to his feet but Sandro finishes him off with the arm triangle.
Winner: Marlon Sandro by Submission (Arm Triangle) R2
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- L.C. Davis (13-1) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (4-7-2)
L.C. Davis has only 1 professional loss which was to WEC fighter Wagnney Fabiano in an IFL fight. Davis is a 4 to 1 favorite in this fight and has won 4 straight fights. Omigawa is 0-3-1 in his last four fights. He has a Judo background.
R1- Omigawa got Davis to the ground about a minute and a half into the fight and then laid on top of him doing nothing for a while. Omigawa mounts at the two minute mark but hasn’t done any damage yet. LC gives up his back trying to get out but Omigawa is just hugging him at the point. Omigawa is doing a good job with the wrestling but not much in terms of finishing the fight. Omigawa did grab an arm bar near the end of the round but Davis was able to hold on until the bell. Omigawa definitely up after one round.
R2- Omigawa once again is able to get Davis to the ground after about a minute and a half of stand-up that Davis was winning but not decisively. Davis is able to get up fairly quickly this time. This round was even so Omigawa has the advantage going into the final round. A strong round by either guy here could take this fight.
R3- Omigawa gets a takedown at the one minute mark of the round and seems content to lay on Davis until the bell rings in four minutes. Omigawa gets a guillotine but can’t finish with the submission. This was definitely my least favorite of the Featherweights so far. Omigawa gets the upset as he controlled the fight in unspectacular fashion.
30-28, 30-28 and 30-27 in favor of Omigawa on the score cards.
Winner: Michihiro Omigawa by Decision (Unanimous)
Heavyweight Fight- Jim York (9-2) vs. James Thompson (14-9)
York has finished all of his 9 victories but he’s only fought twice in the last 31 months. Thompson is 2-7 in his last 9 fights. Thompson has a 4” height advantage and a 7 lb advantage.
R1- Thompson charges in and misses. This is a slugfest early! York grabbed a standing guillotine but couldn’t finish with it. Pretty even stand up with Thompson starting to pull away but he got caught and floored and the ref stopped the fight.
Winner: Jim York by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Nam Phan (14-5) vs. Hideki Kadowaki (13-8-2)
Nam Phan is a guy who has fought for Strikeforce in the past and recently lost a close split decision to Billy Evangelista in a Lightweight fight at the June 2008 show (I actually had the fight scored a draw with a 10-8 round to Evangelista and two 10-9 rounds to Phan). He trains with Caol Uno. Phan is a 3 to 1 favorite to win this fight but has lost 3 of his last 5 fights. Kadowaki is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. He has defeated Bao Quach, Akitoshi Tamura (twice) and Rumina Sato and has losses to Kid Yamamoto, Hatsu Hioki and Takeshi Inoue.
R1- Lots of stand up early in this fight. Phan caught him with a right hand that floored him and the ref stopped the fight. Fun fight and good finish by Phan.
Winner: Nam Phan by TKO (Strikes) R1
Featherweight Grand Prix First Round Tournament Fight- Hatsu Hioki (17-3-2) vs. Chris Manuel (6-0-2)
Hatsu Hioki has beat Mark Hominick twice and Jeff Curran once. He is undefeated outside of Shooto (5-0 in those fights). Hioki was 4-0-1 in 2008. He’s ranked as Inside MMA’s #8 Featherweight. Hioki is a 3.5 to 1 favorite. Manuel fights out of American Top Team and is a BJJ Black Belt.
R1- Hioki gets a quick take down. Hioki gets takes his back and attempts an arm bar but Manuel escapes. Hioki gets him down again. Hioki is looking really strong on the mat. Hioki now getting some Ground and Pound. Hioki went for an arm bar and settled for a triangle choke and hit some Ground and Pound. Hioki gets the win, he was by far the best looking fighter tonight in the tournament.
Winner: Hatsu Hioki by Submission (Triangle Choke) R1
Light Heavyweight Fight- Muhammed Lawal (3-0) vs. Ryo Kawamura (9-3-2)
Lawal comes to the ring with some dancing Japanese girls with a cape and crown. Ryo is the King of Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion. Lawal is a 5 to 1 favorite.
R1- King Mo gets a quick take down early but Ryo gets back up. Lawal hits some strikes and gets Ryo down again. Lawal is dominating early and getting in strikes up against the ropes on Ryo. Lawal is just manhandling Ryo and continues to take him down time after time. Borderline 10-8 round for Lawal.
R2- Lawal gets a yellow card in this round as he hit Ryo with two eye pokes in the early going. Lawal hit a good jumping knee. Lawal took Ryo’s back and got him to the ground. Lawal is getting take downs at will in this fight. I’ve got Lawal up 20-17 so far going into the third round.
R3- Lawal begins this round by smothering Ryo again. Once King Mo learns some submissions he’s going to be a very dangerous fighter. Mo drops Ryo on the back of his neck and hits some good Ground and Pound in the last minute of the fight. Ryo is basically just trying to hold on to get a decision but then finally fights back and gets taken down by Mo as the bell rings. Dominate win by Lawal, he just didn’t finish him. Ryo looks pretty jacked up after the fight and King Mo looks fresh.
30-24, 20-27 and 30-27 on the score cards.
Winner: Mohammed Lawal by Decision (Unanimous)
This was a pretty good show. I liked it more than the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix first round show. Next round match-ups look like this in the Sengoku Featherweight Tournament:
Hatsu Hioki vs Ronnie Mann
Michihiro Omigawa vs Nam Phan
Masanori Kanehara vs Chang Sung Jung
Marlon Sandro vs Nick Denis
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