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)

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

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