To get to the finals, Jacare defeated Zelg Galesic, Mayhem Miller and Ian Murphy. Mousasi defeated Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon and Melvin Manhoef.
Mousasi next fight a rematch with Uriah Hall at UFC 206. Fight starts at the 8 minute mark.
Showing posts with label Gegard Mousasi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gegard Mousasi. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Video of the Day - Mousasi v. Jacare
Here is Gegard Mousasi fighting Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza at Dream 6 for the finale of the Dream Middleweight Grand Prix which took place on 9/23/08 in Saitama, Japan.
To get to the finals, Jacare defeated Zelg Galesic, Mayhem Miller and Ian Murphy. Mousasi defeated Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon and Melvin Manhoef.
Mousasi next fight a rematch with Uriah Hall at UFC 206. Fight starts at the 8 minute mark.
To get to the finals, Jacare defeated Zelg Galesic, Mayhem Miller and Ian Murphy. Mousasi defeated Denis Kang, Dong Sik Yoon and Melvin Manhoef.
Mousasi next fight a rematch with Uriah Hall at UFC 206. Fight starts at the 8 minute mark.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Video of the Day - Mousasi v. Manhoef
Here is Gegard Mousasi fighting Melvin Manhoef at Dream 6 which happened on 9/23/08 in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
Mousasi next fights Vitor Belfort at UFC 204.
Mousasi next fights Vitor Belfort at UFC 204.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Video of the Day - Hunt v. Mousasi
Here is Mark Hunt fighting Gegard Mousasi at Dream 9 which took place on 4/26/09 in Yokohama, Japan.
Mousasi will next fight Costas Philippou at UFN 66 which will take place in Pasay, Philippines.
Mousasi will next fight Costas Philippou at UFN 66 which will take place in Pasay, Philippines.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Video of the Day - Mousasi v. Izumi
Here is Gegard Mousasi defending his Dream 205 pound belt against judoka Hiroshi Izumi in Dream 17 which took place on 7/16/11 in the Ariake Coliseum,
Tokyo, Japan.
Mousasi (33-3) is currently riding a 5 fight win streak and will make his UFC debut on April 6th against Alexander Gustafsson.
Tokyo, Japan.
Mousasi (33-3) is currently riding a 5 fight win streak and will make his UFC debut on April 6th against Alexander Gustafsson.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Top 10 Men's Strikeforce Fighters Under 205
The MMA world has been flipped upside down with the gigantic mega Zuffa purchase of rival organization Strikeforce. Even though Dana White has said Strikeforce will remain "business as usual" history suggests otherwise. Zuffa has been in a constant flux of attempting to corner the market on the top mixed martial artists in the world.
In December of 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC, World Extreme Cage Fighting, mainly because of the UFC's then exclusive television deal with Spike. Zuffa was allowed to use the WEC to block rival IFL from appearing on Versus. Next, Zuffa also quickly picked up the WFA, World Fighting Alliance, as a means of acquiring the contracts of Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
On March 27, 2007, while riding surging popularity and ppv buys, Zuffa purchased the Pride Fighting Championships, acquiring a variety of top talent. Pride has never held an event since, as the UFC has enjoyed a revenue stream from DVD sales and a Pride "Best of" show on Spike TV. Zuffa picked up Pride fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva in the deal.
In October of 2010, the WEC was folded completely into the UFC. Reed Harris, the former president of the WEC, first ran the WEC as a completely different entity. Scott Coker will essentially be doing the same thing for Strikeforce. Dana White has said that we will see certain fighters from the UFC go to Strikeforce.
That was the same as what happened for fighters deciding to lose weight and make a go of it in the WEC. Fighters like Manny Gamburyan and George Roop went down this route. Alex Karalexis stayed at 155 in his journey through the UFC then the WEC.
One big monkey wrench is Fedor Emelienenko and his management group of M-1. Zuffa has always been adament about their opposition of co-promotion. Fedor and M-1 are a package deal, and odds are he finishes his contract, never to be seen in the UFC.
Who are the best fighters in Strikeforce to look out for? Well, everyone already knows the entrants of the World Grand Prix- Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Brett Rogers, Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, Andrei Arlovski, Bigfoot Silva and Fedor. I'll run down the top 10 Strikeforce fighters below:
Top 10:
Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (18-2)- the lightweight Strikeforce champ has high energy takedown machine has quick hands and a stifling ground game. Generally ranked the number 2 lightweight in the world, Melendez has wins over Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Clay Guida.
(Melendez pictured)
Nick Diaz (26-7)- the welterweight Strikeforce champ has been using his high velocity unorthodox boxing style to overwhelm his opponents. Mix in upper level BJJ blackbelt skills and you have a 10 fight win streak with 6 TKO's and 3 subs. Diaz has wins over Paul Daley, Hayato Sakurai, Frank Shamrock, Marius Zaromskis and Cyborg Santos.
(Diaz winning via gogoplata over Gomi)
Dan Henderson (27-8)- the current light heavyweight Strikeforce champ and former Pride champion has Olympic level wrestling with a power right hand. Looking more energized at 205 pounds, Henderson has KO'd Rafael Cavalcante and Babalu Sobral in his past two fights. Hendo has wins over Mike Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and Rousimar Palhares.
(Henderson putting away Wanderlei Silva)
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-2)- The ADCC champion, 5 time BJJ champion, high level BJJ blackbelt and Judo blackbelt will bring high level grappling to the table. Jacare took the Strikeforce middleweight belt with a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, and has defended against Robbie Lawler. While also competing in the Dream organization, Jacare has wins over Jason Miller, Zelg Galesic and Joey Villaseñor.
(Jacare doing the gator)
Gegard Mousasi (30-3)- The final 205 pound champ of Dream, Mousasi is a dynamic kickboxer and ground fighter. Mousasi also won the Dream MW GP and is the former 205 pound Strikeforce champ. Mousasi has wins over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, Sokoudjou and Babalu Sobral.
(Mousasi putting away Sobral)
Shinya Aoki (26-5)- The submission wizard had some trouble in his only Strikeforce appearance, losing a decision to Gilbert Melendez. He bounced back with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Marcus Aurelio in Dream, before losing an odd bout in the NYE show. Aoki will need to work on his takedowns for a career in the US MMA scene.
(Aoki via triangle/armbar)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6)- The dynamic Japanese kickboxer finds his home in Strikeforce with the collapse of the Dream promotion. Going 4-0 in 2009 with wins over JZ Calvancante and Kazunori Yokota, he rebounded from his loss to Aoki with a dominant performance getting a win against Josh Thomson on NYE.
(Kawajiri celebrating Dream victory)
Rafael Cavalcante (10-3)- The big puncher has 9 TKO wins on his resume and is the former champ at 205 pounds. Presenting problems to anyone, Feijao briefly dazed Dan Henderson before losing the bout in the second round. He has wins over King Mo Lawal, Antwain Britt, Travis Galbraith and Miodrag Petkovic.
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1)- King Mo, a former Strikeforce 205 pound champ, seemed poised for greatness with his non-stop athletic wrestling style and accuracy with his striking. However, he has also suffered a serious knee injury, and dropped his latest bout, a third round TKO loss to Rafael Cavalcante. King Mo, who has also fought for Sengoku, has wins over Mark Kerr, Mike Whitehead, Gegard Mousasi and Travis Wiuff.
Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (8-0)- A former Missouri wrestler, Tyron is one of the most coveted prospects in the Strikeforce line-up. With power takedowns as a forte, his striking has improved with every bout. Woodley has career wins over Tarec Saffiedine, Andre Galvao and Nathan Coy.
In December of 2006, Zuffa purchased the WEC, World Extreme Cage Fighting, mainly because of the UFC's then exclusive television deal with Spike. Zuffa was allowed to use the WEC to block rival IFL from appearing on Versus. Next, Zuffa also quickly picked up the WFA, World Fighting Alliance, as a means of acquiring the contracts of Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
On March 27, 2007, while riding surging popularity and ppv buys, Zuffa purchased the Pride Fighting Championships, acquiring a variety of top talent. Pride has never held an event since, as the UFC has enjoyed a revenue stream from DVD sales and a Pride "Best of" show on Spike TV. Zuffa picked up Pride fighters such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva in the deal.
In October of 2010, the WEC was folded completely into the UFC. Reed Harris, the former president of the WEC, first ran the WEC as a completely different entity. Scott Coker will essentially be doing the same thing for Strikeforce. Dana White has said that we will see certain fighters from the UFC go to Strikeforce.
That was the same as what happened for fighters deciding to lose weight and make a go of it in the WEC. Fighters like Manny Gamburyan and George Roop went down this route. Alex Karalexis stayed at 155 in his journey through the UFC then the WEC.
One big monkey wrench is Fedor Emelienenko and his management group of M-1. Zuffa has always been adament about their opposition of co-promotion. Fedor and M-1 are a package deal, and odds are he finishes his contract, never to be seen in the UFC.
Who are the best fighters in Strikeforce to look out for? Well, everyone already knows the entrants of the World Grand Prix- Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Brett Rogers, Josh Barnett, Sergei Kharitonov, Andrei Arlovski, Bigfoot Silva and Fedor. I'll run down the top 10 Strikeforce fighters below:
Top 10:
Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez (18-2)- the lightweight Strikeforce champ has high energy takedown machine has quick hands and a stifling ground game. Generally ranked the number 2 lightweight in the world, Melendez has wins over Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Clay Guida.
(Melendez pictured)
Nick Diaz (26-7)- the welterweight Strikeforce champ has been using his high velocity unorthodox boxing style to overwhelm his opponents. Mix in upper level BJJ blackbelt skills and you have a 10 fight win streak with 6 TKO's and 3 subs. Diaz has wins over Paul Daley, Hayato Sakurai, Frank Shamrock, Marius Zaromskis and Cyborg Santos.
(Diaz winning via gogoplata over Gomi)
Dan Henderson (27-8)- the current light heavyweight Strikeforce champ and former Pride champion has Olympic level wrestling with a power right hand. Looking more energized at 205 pounds, Henderson has KO'd Rafael Cavalcante and Babalu Sobral in his past two fights. Hendo has wins over Mike Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Rich Franklin and Rousimar Palhares.
(Henderson putting away Wanderlei Silva)
Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (14-2)- The ADCC champion, 5 time BJJ champion, high level BJJ blackbelt and Judo blackbelt will bring high level grappling to the table. Jacare took the Strikeforce middleweight belt with a unanimous decision over Tim Kennedy, and has defended against Robbie Lawler. While also competing in the Dream organization, Jacare has wins over Jason Miller, Zelg Galesic and Joey Villaseñor.
(Jacare doing the gator)
Gegard Mousasi (30-3)- The final 205 pound champ of Dream, Mousasi is a dynamic kickboxer and ground fighter. Mousasi also won the Dream MW GP and is the former 205 pound Strikeforce champ. Mousasi has wins over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef, Sokoudjou and Babalu Sobral.
(Mousasi putting away Sobral)
Shinya Aoki (26-5)- The submission wizard had some trouble in his only Strikeforce appearance, losing a decision to Gilbert Melendez. He bounced back with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Marcus Aurelio in Dream, before losing an odd bout in the NYE show. Aoki will need to work on his takedowns for a career in the US MMA scene.
(Aoki via triangle/armbar)
Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6)- The dynamic Japanese kickboxer finds his home in Strikeforce with the collapse of the Dream promotion. Going 4-0 in 2009 with wins over JZ Calvancante and Kazunori Yokota, he rebounded from his loss to Aoki with a dominant performance getting a win against Josh Thomson on NYE.
(Kawajiri celebrating Dream victory)
Rafael Cavalcante (10-3)- The big puncher has 9 TKO wins on his resume and is the former champ at 205 pounds. Presenting problems to anyone, Feijao briefly dazed Dan Henderson before losing the bout in the second round. He has wins over King Mo Lawal, Antwain Britt, Travis Galbraith and Miodrag Petkovic.
Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (7-1)- King Mo, a former Strikeforce 205 pound champ, seemed poised for greatness with his non-stop athletic wrestling style and accuracy with his striking. However, he has also suffered a serious knee injury, and dropped his latest bout, a third round TKO loss to Rafael Cavalcante. King Mo, who has also fought for Sengoku, has wins over Mark Kerr, Mike Whitehead, Gegard Mousasi and Travis Wiuff.
Tyron "T-Wood" Woodley (8-0)- A former Missouri wrestler, Tyron is one of the most coveted prospects in the Strikeforce line-up. With power takedowns as a forte, his striking has improved with every bout. Woodley has career wins over Tarec Saffiedine, Andre Galvao and Nathan Coy.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Strikeforce - Diaz and Melendez Shine
The latest Strikeforce show produced plenty of drama and exciting fights. Embracing the recent Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce, announcers Gus Johnson, Mauro Ranallo and Frank Shamrock talked about the UFC in a positive light throughout the broadcast.
In an interview with Ranallo, Scott Coker, president of Strikeforce noted that Zuffa was helping with production and most of all publicity. He stated that we could be seeing superfights between the promotions in 8 months to a year, keep your fingers crossed.
In what was the most entertaining round of MMA action this year, the main event saw Nick Diaz and Paul Daley standing toe to toe, throwing punches in bunches. Diaz seemed to find his range early and often, going for body blows in addition to his stinging jab.
Diaz didn't have it easy though, as Daley found his mark with a big time left hook, sending the Stockton bad boy to the canvas. Daley next fired what seemed like an illegal soccer kick, however the blow landed to the shoulder and not the head. Diaz made his way to his feet, shaking loose the cobwebs.
Diaz would push Daley to the fence and unload, going head body head like the movie the Fighter. Diaz fired a hook and uppercut and the Britsh fighter got wobbly, stumbling to the canvas face first. Diaz followed with a couple more blows, getting the TKO win and retaining his belt.
(Diaz post victory)
The lightweight title fight was not nearly as back and forth, as Gilbert Melendez ran roughshot over Japanese powerhouse Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez seemed to land everything he threw, from punches to power knee strikes. After a failed takedown attempt, Melendez got top position and rained down a flurry of elbows and punches to stop the action at 3:14 of the very first round.
(Melendez post victory)
In yet another horrible effort at judging in MMA, Gegard Mousasi got hosed in fighting to a draw with Keith Jardine. In the first round, Mousasi got the better of the stand-up battle, while Jardine got a couple takedowns. During one, Mousasi grazed Jardine with an illegal upkick, one point was taken away from Mousasi.
The second and third rounds saw Jardine get worked over from strikes. The third round was a clear 10-8 round in my book for Mousasi. When you land nearly all your strikes, have your opponent retreating, nearly finish your opponent with a submission, and get a takedown, you win the round 10-8. If an MMA judge isn't going to award 10-8 rounds they should be released.
In the first televised bout, Shinya Aoki picked up his first win on American soil with a dominant display over Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm. With Beerbohm looking for the clinch, Aoki obliged, earning a trip takedown. With Beerbohm sensing danger, he got to his knees, but Aoki earned back control. Aoki looked to sink a rear naked choke, but Beerbohm wouldn't let him get sink it. So Aoki cranked the neck to the right eventually drawing the tapout.
Full Results:
Nick Diaz def Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:57
Gilbert Melendez def Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) - R1, 3:14
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine - maj draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Shinya Aoki def Lyle Beerbohm via sub (neck crank) R1, 1:32
Robert Peralta def Hiroyuki Takaya via split dec
Virgil Swicker def Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:46
Joe Duarte def Saad Awad via sub (armbar) R2, 2:45
Herman Terrado def A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) R1, 4:16
Rolando Perez def Edgar Cardenas via unanimous dec
Casey Ryan def Paul Song via sub (triangle) R1, 1:39
In an interview with Ranallo, Scott Coker, president of Strikeforce noted that Zuffa was helping with production and most of all publicity. He stated that we could be seeing superfights between the promotions in 8 months to a year, keep your fingers crossed.
In what was the most entertaining round of MMA action this year, the main event saw Nick Diaz and Paul Daley standing toe to toe, throwing punches in bunches. Diaz seemed to find his range early and often, going for body blows in addition to his stinging jab.
Diaz didn't have it easy though, as Daley found his mark with a big time left hook, sending the Stockton bad boy to the canvas. Daley next fired what seemed like an illegal soccer kick, however the blow landed to the shoulder and not the head. Diaz made his way to his feet, shaking loose the cobwebs.
Diaz would push Daley to the fence and unload, going head body head like the movie the Fighter. Diaz fired a hook and uppercut and the Britsh fighter got wobbly, stumbling to the canvas face first. Diaz followed with a couple more blows, getting the TKO win and retaining his belt.
(Diaz post victory)
The lightweight title fight was not nearly as back and forth, as Gilbert Melendez ran roughshot over Japanese powerhouse Tatsuya Kawajiri. Melendez seemed to land everything he threw, from punches to power knee strikes. After a failed takedown attempt, Melendez got top position and rained down a flurry of elbows and punches to stop the action at 3:14 of the very first round.
(Melendez post victory)
In yet another horrible effort at judging in MMA, Gegard Mousasi got hosed in fighting to a draw with Keith Jardine. In the first round, Mousasi got the better of the stand-up battle, while Jardine got a couple takedowns. During one, Mousasi grazed Jardine with an illegal upkick, one point was taken away from Mousasi.
The second and third rounds saw Jardine get worked over from strikes. The third round was a clear 10-8 round in my book for Mousasi. When you land nearly all your strikes, have your opponent retreating, nearly finish your opponent with a submission, and get a takedown, you win the round 10-8. If an MMA judge isn't going to award 10-8 rounds they should be released.
In the first televised bout, Shinya Aoki picked up his first win on American soil with a dominant display over Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm. With Beerbohm looking for the clinch, Aoki obliged, earning a trip takedown. With Beerbohm sensing danger, he got to his knees, but Aoki earned back control. Aoki looked to sink a rear naked choke, but Beerbohm wouldn't let him get sink it. So Aoki cranked the neck to the right eventually drawing the tapout.
Full Results:
Nick Diaz def Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:57
Gilbert Melendez def Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) - R1, 3:14
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine - maj draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Shinya Aoki def Lyle Beerbohm via sub (neck crank) R1, 1:32
Robert Peralta def Hiroyuki Takaya via split dec
Virgil Swicker def Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) R1, 1:46
Joe Duarte def Saad Awad via sub (armbar) R2, 2:45
Herman Terrado def A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) R1, 4:16
Rolando Perez def Edgar Cardenas via unanimous dec
Casey Ryan def Paul Song via sub (triangle) R1, 1:39
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Dream's Dynamite!! 2010 Preview
Dream's year end Dynamite show will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan on December 31st, with a broadcast in North America on HDNet. Main event bouts include title fights between Bibiano Fernandes versus Hiroyuki Takaya and Marius Zaromskis versus Kazushi Sakuraba.
Rising Brazilian star Bibiano Fernandes (8-2, #6 ranked FW) will look to use his quickness and slick takedowns to defeat Hiroyuki "Streetfight Bancho" Takaya (14-8). Takaya has two straight KO's over Chase Beebe and Joachim Hansen in Dream. Expect Takaya to try to keep the fight standing to use his heavy hands.
(Bibiano Fernandes pictured)
The stacked card features four top ten fighters and several legends of MMA. As per usual, the card has it odd fights. Bob Sapp will fight sumo fighter Shinichi Suzukawa in an MMA bout without gloves, thus no closed fist strikes. Shinya Aoki(#4 ranked LW) fights Yuichiro Nagashim in a bout featuring a 3 minute kickboxing round then a 5 minute MMA round. Gegard Mousasi(#10 ranked LHW) and "Wicky" Nishiura will take part in kickboxing bouts.
(Aoki fighting JZ Calvancante)
Satoshi Ishii v. Jerome Le Banner
Sergei Kharitonov s. Tatsuya Mizuno
Alistair Overeem v. Todd Duffee
Bob Sapp v. Shinichi Suzukawa
Champ Bibiano Fernandes v. Hiroyuki Takaya
Champ Marius Zaromskis v. Kazushi Sakuraba
Shinya Aoki v. Yuichiro Nagashim
Tatsuya Kawajiri v. Josh Thomson
Kazuyuki Miyata v. Caol Uno
Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura v. Tetsuya Yamato
Kyotaro Fujimoto v. Gegard Mousasi
Hideo Tokoro v. Kazuhisa Watanabe
Jason High v. Hayato Sakurai
Hiroshi Izumi v. Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Katsuaki Furuki v. Andy Ologun
Rising Brazilian star Bibiano Fernandes (8-2, #6 ranked FW) will look to use his quickness and slick takedowns to defeat Hiroyuki "Streetfight Bancho" Takaya (14-8). Takaya has two straight KO's over Chase Beebe and Joachim Hansen in Dream. Expect Takaya to try to keep the fight standing to use his heavy hands.
(Bibiano Fernandes pictured)
The stacked card features four top ten fighters and several legends of MMA. As per usual, the card has it odd fights. Bob Sapp will fight sumo fighter Shinichi Suzukawa in an MMA bout without gloves, thus no closed fist strikes. Shinya Aoki(#4 ranked LW) fights Yuichiro Nagashim in a bout featuring a 3 minute kickboxing round then a 5 minute MMA round. Gegard Mousasi(#10 ranked LHW) and "Wicky" Nishiura will take part in kickboxing bouts.
(Aoki fighting JZ Calvancante)
Satoshi Ishii v. Jerome Le Banner
Sergei Kharitonov s. Tatsuya Mizuno
Alistair Overeem v. Todd Duffee
Bob Sapp v. Shinichi Suzukawa
Champ Bibiano Fernandes v. Hiroyuki Takaya
Champ Marius Zaromskis v. Kazushi Sakuraba
Shinya Aoki v. Yuichiro Nagashim
Tatsuya Kawajiri v. Josh Thomson
Kazuyuki Miyata v. Caol Uno
Akiyo "Wicky" Nishiura v. Tetsuya Yamato
Kyotaro Fujimoto v. Gegard Mousasi
Hideo Tokoro v. Kazuhisa Watanabe
Jason High v. Hayato Sakurai
Hiroshi Izumi v. Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Katsuaki Furuki v. Andy Ologun
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Strikeforce on CBS Preview
Strikeforce will bring its second card to CBS this Saturday, April 17, 2010. CBS has been pushing the Strikeforce card since the NCAA tournament with spots featuring Dan Henderson, Jake Shields, Gilbert Melendez and Shinya Aoki. The fights will take place in Nashville, Tennessee at the Bridgestone Arena.
Here is a look at the match-ups:
MAIN CARD
Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson- This fight could be a quick one for Jake Shields if he doesn't have his takedown game working. Dan Henderson is an olympic level wrestler with a nasty right hand. Look for Henderson to sprawl and brawl, throwing his trademark overhand right.
Henderson (25-7) is a legend of the game, coming off his UFC run where he had three consecutive victories over Rousimar Paulhares, Rich Franklin and Michael Bisping. Prior to that, Henderson competed in Rings and Pride, scoring big wins over Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie and Akhiro Gono.
(Dan Henderson pictured)
Jake Shields (24-4, 1-0 SF) is the current Strikeforce 185 champ and is the former Elite XC 170 pound champ. The BJJ blackbelt has victories over Mayhem Miller, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal- This fight is for the Strikeforce 205 pound title. Mousasi took the belt from Babalu Sobral, then subsequently crushed Sokoudjou in his first defense. King Mo, a NCAA champion wrestler, has gone 6-0 in his young career with 5 KO's.
Expect Mousasi (28-2) to utilize his precision kickboxing game and slick submissions to finish this fight before the final round. While Lawal has the clear advantage wrestling, his striking is unrefined. In addition, Lawal's submission game really hasn't been tested.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki- This bout is for the Strikeforce lightweight title. Gilbert Melendez (17-2)was able to get the belt from Josh Thomson after dominating the takedowns and boxing game. Comparing Aoki's submission game to Thomson's is just something you cannot do.
Aoki (23-4) is by far one of the slickest submission artists in the game. He has pulled off some crazy subs, including a standing armlock, 2 gogoplatas, hammerlock arm breaker and flying triangle. While Aoki won't have his trademark rainbow pants, he will be prepared for his American debut.
(Aoki almost tapping JZ Calvancante)
SWING BOUT
Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout
UNDER CARD
Zach Underwood vs. Hunter Worsham
Josh Schockman vs. Cale Yarbrough
Dustin Ortiz vs. Justin Pennington
Andrew Uhrich vs. Dustin West
Chris Hawk vs. Ovince St. Preux
Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd
Here is a look at the match-ups:
MAIN CARD
Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson- This fight could be a quick one for Jake Shields if he doesn't have his takedown game working. Dan Henderson is an olympic level wrestler with a nasty right hand. Look for Henderson to sprawl and brawl, throwing his trademark overhand right.
Henderson (25-7) is a legend of the game, coming off his UFC run where he had three consecutive victories over Rousimar Paulhares, Rich Franklin and Michael Bisping. Prior to that, Henderson competed in Rings and Pride, scoring big wins over Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Renzo Gracie and Akhiro Gono.
(Dan Henderson pictured)
Jake Shields (24-4, 1-0 SF) is the current Strikeforce 185 champ and is the former Elite XC 170 pound champ. The BJJ blackbelt has victories over Mayhem Miller, Paul Daley, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.
Gegard Mousasi vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal- This fight is for the Strikeforce 205 pound title. Mousasi took the belt from Babalu Sobral, then subsequently crushed Sokoudjou in his first defense. King Mo, a NCAA champion wrestler, has gone 6-0 in his young career with 5 KO's.
Expect Mousasi (28-2) to utilize his precision kickboxing game and slick submissions to finish this fight before the final round. While Lawal has the clear advantage wrestling, his striking is unrefined. In addition, Lawal's submission game really hasn't been tested.
Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki- This bout is for the Strikeforce lightweight title. Gilbert Melendez (17-2)was able to get the belt from Josh Thomson after dominating the takedowns and boxing game. Comparing Aoki's submission game to Thomson's is just something you cannot do.
Aoki (23-4) is by far one of the slickest submission artists in the game. He has pulled off some crazy subs, including a standing armlock, 2 gogoplatas, hammerlock arm breaker and flying triangle. While Aoki won't have his trademark rainbow pants, he will be prepared for his American debut.
(Aoki almost tapping JZ Calvancante)
SWING BOUT
Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Tim Stout
UNDER CARD
Zach Underwood vs. Hunter Worsham
Josh Schockman vs. Cale Yarbrough
Dustin Ortiz vs. Justin Pennington
Andrew Uhrich vs. Dustin West
Chris Hawk vs. Ovince St. Preux
Thomas Campbell vs. Cody Floyd
Saturday, January 2, 2010
K-1 Dynamite Results
K-1 Dynamite: Dream v. Sengoku was an awesome, epic show which went full throttle for nearly 7 hours on HDNet, airing live from Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The annual event featured stars such as Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Gegard Mousasi and Alistair Overeem.
MMA RESULTS
Hidehiko Yoshida def Satoshi Ishii via unanimous dec- The debut of gold medal judo player Satoshi Ishii followed in the tradition of many Japanese MMA fighters. Throw the inexperienced fighter in with a veteran and see what happens. What happened in this one was Ishii being very tense, eating punches, and not going for a takedown.
Shinya Aoki def Mizuto Hirota via sub (hammerlock) R1, 1:17- This fight ended with the most brutal submission in 2009 and one of the nastiest in MMA history. Allegedly, Hirota had talked smack about Aoki pre-fight. During the fight, Aoki trapped Hirota's arm behind his back as he got a takedown against the ropes.
As Hirota tried to escape, Aoki hit him with mild punches while continuing to work the hammerlock. Aoki cranked the arm more and more before supposedly breaking Hirota's humerus bone. It looked as if Hirota's shoulder was dislocated as well. After the ref jumped in, Aoki added insult to injury by flipping him and the audience the bird.
(Aoki cranking the hammerlock)
Gegard Mousasi def Gary Goodridge via TKO (punches) R1, 1:34- As expected, rising star Gegard Mousasi made quick work of long time MMA vet Gary Goodridge. Gegard quickly went for a double leg takedown, then threw rapid ground and pound until the fight was called.
Alistair Overeem def Kazuyuki Fujita via KO (knee) R1, 1:15- Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem made quick work of the mismatched Fujita. A big time knee landed flush to Fujita's eye socket, crumpling him to the canvas. Hopefully, Fujita is ok as the strike looked absolutely brutal.
Ikuhisa Minowa def Sokoudjou via TKO (punch) R3, 3:29- The Minowaman won the Super Hulk tournament with a surprising upset victory over the larger and more athletic Sokoudjou. Minowa looked for takedowns early and often, and when they failed, Minowa fell to guard, then looked for his signature leg locks. In the third round, both fighters seemed a little fatigued and were awarded yellow cards for inactivity. After the second card, Minowa threw a crushing overhand punch which sent Sokoudjou to the floor.
(Minowaman fist pump)
Masanori Kanehara def Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto via unanimous dec- This was a very close fight as both fighters traded punches and kicks from the clinch. Yamamoto gave up a takedown or two which probably gave the fight to Kanehara.
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Kazunori Yokota via unanimous dec- Kawajiri dominated this fight from start to finish with takedowns and submission attempts. Kawajiri nearly had numerous arm bars throughout the fight.
Hideo Tokoro def Jong Man Kim via unanimous dec
Melvin Manhoef def Kazuo Misaki via TKO (punches) R1, 1:49
Akihiro Gono def Hayato "Mach" Sakurai via sub (armbar) R2, 2:56
Michihiro Omigawa def Hiroyuki Takaya via TKO (punches) R1, 2:54
Hiroshi Izumi def Katsuyori Shibata via unanimous dec
K-1 RESULTS
Masato def Andy Souwer via unanimous dec
Masaaki Noiri def Shota Shimada via unanimous dec (KOSHIEN final)
Ray Sefo def Yosuke Nishijima via unanimous dec
Shota Shimada def Katsuki Ishida via majority dec (KOSHIEN semi)
Masaaki Noiri def Hiroya via unanimous dec (KOSHIEN semi)
MMA RESULTS
Hidehiko Yoshida def Satoshi Ishii via unanimous dec- The debut of gold medal judo player Satoshi Ishii followed in the tradition of many Japanese MMA fighters. Throw the inexperienced fighter in with a veteran and see what happens. What happened in this one was Ishii being very tense, eating punches, and not going for a takedown.
Shinya Aoki def Mizuto Hirota via sub (hammerlock) R1, 1:17- This fight ended with the most brutal submission in 2009 and one of the nastiest in MMA history. Allegedly, Hirota had talked smack about Aoki pre-fight. During the fight, Aoki trapped Hirota's arm behind his back as he got a takedown against the ropes.
As Hirota tried to escape, Aoki hit him with mild punches while continuing to work the hammerlock. Aoki cranked the arm more and more before supposedly breaking Hirota's humerus bone. It looked as if Hirota's shoulder was dislocated as well. After the ref jumped in, Aoki added insult to injury by flipping him and the audience the bird.
(Aoki cranking the hammerlock)
Gegard Mousasi def Gary Goodridge via TKO (punches) R1, 1:34- As expected, rising star Gegard Mousasi made quick work of long time MMA vet Gary Goodridge. Gegard quickly went for a double leg takedown, then threw rapid ground and pound until the fight was called.
Alistair Overeem def Kazuyuki Fujita via KO (knee) R1, 1:15- Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem made quick work of the mismatched Fujita. A big time knee landed flush to Fujita's eye socket, crumpling him to the canvas. Hopefully, Fujita is ok as the strike looked absolutely brutal.
Ikuhisa Minowa def Sokoudjou via TKO (punch) R3, 3:29- The Minowaman won the Super Hulk tournament with a surprising upset victory over the larger and more athletic Sokoudjou. Minowa looked for takedowns early and often, and when they failed, Minowa fell to guard, then looked for his signature leg locks. In the third round, both fighters seemed a little fatigued and were awarded yellow cards for inactivity. After the second card, Minowa threw a crushing overhand punch which sent Sokoudjou to the floor.
(Minowaman fist pump)
Masanori Kanehara def Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto via unanimous dec- This was a very close fight as both fighters traded punches and kicks from the clinch. Yamamoto gave up a takedown or two which probably gave the fight to Kanehara.
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Kazunori Yokota via unanimous dec- Kawajiri dominated this fight from start to finish with takedowns and submission attempts. Kawajiri nearly had numerous arm bars throughout the fight.
Hideo Tokoro def Jong Man Kim via unanimous dec
Melvin Manhoef def Kazuo Misaki via TKO (punches) R1, 1:49
Akihiro Gono def Hayato "Mach" Sakurai via sub (armbar) R2, 2:56
Michihiro Omigawa def Hiroyuki Takaya via TKO (punches) R1, 2:54
Hiroshi Izumi def Katsuyori Shibata via unanimous dec
K-1 RESULTS
Masato def Andy Souwer via unanimous dec
Masaaki Noiri def Shota Shimada via unanimous dec (KOSHIEN final)
Ray Sefo def Yosuke Nishijima via unanimous dec
Shota Shimada def Katsuki Ishida via majority dec (KOSHIEN semi)
Masaaki Noiri def Hiroya via unanimous dec (KOSHIEN semi)
Monday, November 9, 2009
Strikeforce - Chicago
Strikeforce Chicago took place this past Saturday at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. The event had plenty of excellent fights, featuring submissions, exciting grappling displays and the worlds greatest scoring a KO.
Fedor Emelianenko def Brett Rogers via TKO (punches) R2, 1:48- This showstopper was by far the craziest fight I have ever seen. As soon as Fedor appeared the audience went nuts. During the first round, Rogers was able to get a straight jab in on Fedor, opening a large gash above his nose.
Despite blood pouring from his nose, Fedor was the aggressor throughout the fight. Fedor dominated transitions, attempting submissions and landing shots after takedowns. In the second round, Fedor landed a huge overhand right crumpling Rogers to the canvas. As he laid on the ground, Fedor pounced and the fight was called.
The legend of Fedor is only growing, as the replay showed a clean power right hand that landed to the face of Brett Rogers sending him to another planet. With the win, Fedor has reeled off 8 straight stoppage wins. If you count the TK illegal cut as a loss, Fedor has 27 straight victories.
(Fedor Emelianenko pictured)
Jake Shields def Jason "Mayhem" Miller via unanimous dec
Gegard Mousasi def Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) R2, 3:43
(Mousasi throwing punches)
Fabricio Werdum def Antonio Silva via unanimous dec
PRELIMINARY CARD
Marlos Coenen def Roxanne Modafferi via sub (armbar) R1, 1:03
Jeff Curran def Dustin Neace via sub (injury) R1, 1:39
Shamar Bailey def John Kolosci via unanimous dec
Nate Moore def Louis Taylor via submission (strikes) R2, 3:24
Christian Uflacker def Jonatas Novaes via unanimous dec
Fedor Emelianenko def Brett Rogers via TKO (punches) R2, 1:48- This showstopper was by far the craziest fight I have ever seen. As soon as Fedor appeared the audience went nuts. During the first round, Rogers was able to get a straight jab in on Fedor, opening a large gash above his nose.
Despite blood pouring from his nose, Fedor was the aggressor throughout the fight. Fedor dominated transitions, attempting submissions and landing shots after takedowns. In the second round, Fedor landed a huge overhand right crumpling Rogers to the canvas. As he laid on the ground, Fedor pounced and the fight was called.
The legend of Fedor is only growing, as the replay showed a clean power right hand that landed to the face of Brett Rogers sending him to another planet. With the win, Fedor has reeled off 8 straight stoppage wins. If you count the TK illegal cut as a loss, Fedor has 27 straight victories.
(Fedor Emelianenko pictured)
Jake Shields def Jason "Mayhem" Miller via unanimous dec
Gegard Mousasi def Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) R2, 3:43
(Mousasi throwing punches)
Fabricio Werdum def Antonio Silva via unanimous dec
PRELIMINARY CARD
Marlos Coenen def Roxanne Modafferi via sub (armbar) R1, 1:03
Jeff Curran def Dustin Neace via sub (injury) R1, 1:39
Shamar Bailey def John Kolosci via unanimous dec
Nate Moore def Louis Taylor via submission (strikes) R2, 3:24
Christian Uflacker def Jonatas Novaes via unanimous dec
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Strikeforce - Fedor v. Roger Preview
On Saturday, November 7th, the number 1 MMA fighter of all-time Fedor Emelianenko will be fighting rising top 10 heavyweight Brett Rogers. Rounding out the card is a 185 pound title fight between Jake Shields and Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Gegard Mousasi, Fabricio Werdum and Jeff Curran. The card unfolds at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois and will be broadcast live on CBS.
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers- Finally we get to see Fedor fight after he was MIA from MMA action since a KO win over Andrei Arlovski in January. Also, Brett Rogers will be returning since his June beatdown of the aforementioned Arlovski.
Fedor (30-1) is an absolute beast, dismantling former UFC champs, massive brawlers and NCAA champs at ease. He owns wins over a staggering group of fighters including everyone from Antonio Nogueira, Tim Sylvia, Mark Coleman, Matt Lindland, Kevin Randleman and Ricardo Arona.
Look for Fedor to bring Rogers to the mat and take him to school with his amazing grappling aresenol. If the fight stays standing, I would expect Fedor to look to use his quickness against Rogers power punching.
(Fedor Emelianenko pictured)
Brett Rogers (10-0) is a rising star in the mixed martial arts world. He started his career training working full-time in Sam's Club's tire department and training in a 5 car garage. He has awesome power, standing 6'5" and weighing 265+ pounds. Expect Rogers to keep the fight standing, hunting for a knockout.
During his brief MMA career, Rogers has finished every fight with 9 TKO/KO's and 1 submission, albeit via a punches. Besides Arlovski, Rogers has taken out James Thompson, Jon Murphy and Ron "Abongo" Humphrey.
(Brett Rogers pictured)
Jason "Mayhem" Miller vs. Jake Shields- After the extremely entertaining Cung Le decided to vanquish his middleweight belt, Strikeforce has handed the title shot to two of the best American fighters outside the UFC. The grappling wizards will be fighting five rounds to determine the new champ.
Mayhem Miller (22-6) has used his "unique" personality to host the show Bully Beatdown and launch various other endevors. With an underrated submission game, Miller will look to defend Shields submission attempts while looking to punish the jiu-jitsu blackbelt.
Miller has fought in Hawaii, Japan and the continental US during his long career, with wins over Kala Hose, Robbie Lawler, Niko Vitale, Tim Kennedy and Ron Jhun.
(Mayhem Miller pictured)
Jake Shields (23-4) was the first and only Elite XC 170 pound champ, a Shooto champ and two time Rumble on the Rock tournament champ. He is currently riding a 12 fight win streak. Shields grappling has looked flawless during that stretch. Expect Shields to look for takedowns early and often, and then try for a submission.
Shields won the 170 pound Elite XC belt over Nick Thompson and defended against Paul Daley. He would then beat Robbie Lawler at a 182 catch weight in his first Strikeforce fight. Shields has other career victories over Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle and Dave Menne.
(Jake Shields pictured)
Gegard Mousasi vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou- Gegard Mousasi (26-2), the Strikeforce 205 pound champion, will be taking on the uber athletic Sokoudjou in this non-title match. Expect Mousasi to use his precision kickboxing to neutralize Sokodjou's power. Mousasi is on a 13 fight win streak with victories over Babalu Sobral, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Jacare.
Antonio Silva vs. Fabricio Werdum- The winner of this heavyweight clash will find himself in a potential showdown with the winner of Fedor v. Rogers. Both fighters are excellent grapplers, and this fight will likely be determined on the ground. Werdum is coming of a 2009 ADCC HW championship.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Marloes Coenen vs. Roxanne Modafferi- CBS Swing Bout
Jeff Curran vs. Dustin Neace
Shamar Bailey vs. John Kolosci
Deray Davis vs. Mark Miller
Nate Moore vs. Louis Taylor
Jonatas Novaes vs. Christian Uflacker
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Strikeforce - Cyborg Attack!
Strikeforce: Carano v. Cyborg featured four televised bouts during the 2 hour timeslot. The favored fighters triumphed in emphatic fashion. Unfortunately, Strikeforce and Showtime haven't managed to figure out how to put undercard fights that end early in the broadcast. As a result, we had to endure numerous mind numbing interviews and lead-in's to upcoming fights.
Fabricio Werdum def Mike Kyle via Sub(Guillotine Choke) R1, 1:24- Werdum showed off his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess in this quick submission win. While Kyle looked to show off his power punching, Werdum got the fight to the mat, then a scramble lent Werdum to perfectly secure the Guillotine.
Gilbert Melendez def Mitsuhiro Ishida via TKO (Punches) R3, 3:56- The Gilbert Melendez of old came out looked fast, precise and relentless in this bout. Melendez' boxing was sharp as he continually threw punches that found their mark wobbling the Japanese fighter. In the third, with blood streaming down Ishida's face, the bout came to a close as Melendez released a flurry of ground and pound strikes.
*Melendez wins the LW Interim Belt
Gegard Mousasi def Renato Sobral via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:00- Mousasi absolutely brutalized Sobral in this fight, keeping his run of wins going. After Sobral caught a Mousasi kick, the fight found its way to the ground. From side mount, Mousasi rained down punches as Sobral's eyes rolled back in his head and the ref jumped in to save him.
*Mousasi wins the Light Heavyweight Belt
Cristiane Santos def Gina Carano via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:59- Gina Carano had no answer for Cyborg's strength and technique. It may have appeared that Carano was a little apprehensive in this fight. Cyborg stalked Carano, winning most of the action standing.
With the time ticking down in the round, the fight went to the mat where Cyborg looked for a keylock. After Carano escaped, Cyborg threw punches until the ref stopped it just before the bell.
*Cyborg wins the Women's 145 pound belt.
(Cris "Cyborg" Santos pictured)
Undercard
Alexander Trevino def Isaiah Hill via Sub (Keylock) R1, 3:56
James Terry def Zak Bucia via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) R1, 1:23
Justin Wilcox def David Douglas via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R3, 3:16
Scott Lighty def Mike Cook via TKO (Punch to the Body) R1, 2:05
Jay Hieron def Jesse Taylor via Dec (Unanimous)
Fabricio Werdum def Mike Kyle via Sub(Guillotine Choke) R1, 1:24- Werdum showed off his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu prowess in this quick submission win. While Kyle looked to show off his power punching, Werdum got the fight to the mat, then a scramble lent Werdum to perfectly secure the Guillotine.
Gilbert Melendez def Mitsuhiro Ishida via TKO (Punches) R3, 3:56- The Gilbert Melendez of old came out looked fast, precise and relentless in this bout. Melendez' boxing was sharp as he continually threw punches that found their mark wobbling the Japanese fighter. In the third, with blood streaming down Ishida's face, the bout came to a close as Melendez released a flurry of ground and pound strikes.
*Melendez wins the LW Interim Belt
Gegard Mousasi def Renato Sobral via TKO (Punches) R1, 1:00- Mousasi absolutely brutalized Sobral in this fight, keeping his run of wins going. After Sobral caught a Mousasi kick, the fight found its way to the ground. From side mount, Mousasi rained down punches as Sobral's eyes rolled back in his head and the ref jumped in to save him.
*Mousasi wins the Light Heavyweight Belt
Cristiane Santos def Gina Carano via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:59- Gina Carano had no answer for Cyborg's strength and technique. It may have appeared that Carano was a little apprehensive in this fight. Cyborg stalked Carano, winning most of the action standing.
With the time ticking down in the round, the fight went to the mat where Cyborg looked for a keylock. After Carano escaped, Cyborg threw punches until the ref stopped it just before the bell.
*Cyborg wins the Women's 145 pound belt.
(Cris "Cyborg" Santos pictured)
Undercard
Alexander Trevino def Isaiah Hill via Sub (Keylock) R1, 3:56
James Terry def Zak Bucia via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) R1, 1:23
Justin Wilcox def David Douglas via Sub (Rear-Naked Choke) R3, 3:16
Scott Lighty def Mike Cook via TKO (Punch to the Body) R1, 2:05
Jay Hieron def Jesse Taylor via Dec (Unanimous)
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Strikeforce Preview - Carano v. Cyborg
This weekend's Strikeforce - Carano v. Cyborg show will take place at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, California. The action will be shown live on Showtime. The event will feature three title fights, with the welterweight belt postponed after a missed drug test by Nick Diaz.
(Gina Carano throwing a kick in practice)
The card is littered with stars such as Dream superstar Gegard Mousasi, Affliction/IFL/UFC vet Jay Hieron and UFC vets Jesse Taylor, Babalu Sobral and Fabricio Werdum. The Carano v. Cyborg fight is one of the biggest women's MMA bouts of all-time.
Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos- This fight is for the first ever Strikeforce Women's 145 pound title. Expect each fighter to keep the fight standing and work powerful combinations. Santos (7-1) will likely look for big shots, while Carano (8-0) looks to work combinations.
(Cris Cyborg pictured)
Champ Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi- LHW Title Fight- Babalu (35-8), the current Strikeforce LHW Champ has looked sharp since his departure from the UFC winning 5 straight including wins over Mike Whitehead, Bobby Southworth and Sokoudjou. The submission ace will look to get the fight to the ground.
(Babalu pictured)
Gegard Mousasi (25-2) has been on fire as of late, winning the Dream Middleweight Grad Prix and Title. He also has won a K-1 rules match against Musashi. His latest string of 12 victories has included wins over Mark Hunt in the Dream Super Hulk tournament; Jacare, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Dong Sik Yoon in Dream's MW Tournament; Hector Lombard in Pride and Cyborg Santos in HCF. I expect Mousasi to keep the fight standing and look for a KO.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida- LW Title Fight
Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor
UNDERCARD
Mike Kyle vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mike Cook vs. Scott Lighty
David "Tarzan" Douglas vs. Justin Wilcox
Zak Bucia vs. James Terry
Isaiah Hill vs. Alex Trevino
(Gina Carano throwing a kick in practice)
The card is littered with stars such as Dream superstar Gegard Mousasi, Affliction/IFL/UFC vet Jay Hieron and UFC vets Jesse Taylor, Babalu Sobral and Fabricio Werdum. The Carano v. Cyborg fight is one of the biggest women's MMA bouts of all-time.
Gina Carano vs. Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos- This fight is for the first ever Strikeforce Women's 145 pound title. Expect each fighter to keep the fight standing and work powerful combinations. Santos (7-1) will likely look for big shots, while Carano (8-0) looks to work combinations.
(Cris Cyborg pictured)
Champ Renato Sobral vs. Gegard Mousasi- LHW Title Fight- Babalu (35-8), the current Strikeforce LHW Champ has looked sharp since his departure from the UFC winning 5 straight including wins over Mike Whitehead, Bobby Southworth and Sokoudjou. The submission ace will look to get the fight to the ground.
(Babalu pictured)
Gegard Mousasi (25-2) has been on fire as of late, winning the Dream Middleweight Grad Prix and Title. He also has won a K-1 rules match against Musashi. His latest string of 12 victories has included wins over Mark Hunt in the Dream Super Hulk tournament; Jacare, Melvin Manhoef, Denis Kang and Dong Sik Yoon in Dream's MW Tournament; Hector Lombard in Pride and Cyborg Santos in HCF. I expect Mousasi to keep the fight standing and look for a KO.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Champ Gilbert Melendez vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida- LW Title Fight
Jay Hieron vs. Jesse Taylor
UNDERCARD
Mike Kyle vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mike Cook vs. Scott Lighty
David "Tarzan" Douglas vs. Justin Wilcox
Zak Bucia vs. James Terry
Isaiah Hill vs. Alex Trevino
Monday, July 20, 2009
Video of the Day Mousasi v. Mensing
Here is Gegard Mousasi v. Steve Mensing from M-1: Slamm from 3/2/08 which took place in Holland. Gegard is set to take on Renato "Babalu" Sobral at Affliction III in his next bout.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
MMA Blaster 2008 Awards
2008 was an awesome year for mixed martial arts. With the year wrapped, I've got some awards to hand out. They choices were difficult, so if you have any some comments feel free to leave them.
Fighter of the Year (UFC)- Anderson Silva- Anderson remained dominant in 2008 as he defended the MW belt with wins over Dan Henderson and Patrick Cote. He also defeated James Irvin in a match at 205 pounds for three wins in the UFC for 2008. As usual, Anderson did not let any match go to the judges hands. He won over Henderson via rear naked choke, Irvin via nasty KO, and Cote after he injured his knee. It was also nice to see him appear on The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
(Anderson Silva pictured)
*Runner-up- Rashad Evans- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Chuck Liddell via first round KO to get the number one contender spot and then Forrest Griffin via TKO for the LHW belt.
*Runner-up- BJ Penn- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Joe Stevenson for the LW belt via rear naked choke then Sean Sherk in a great fight where BJ finsihed sending Sherk to the fence and finishing him with knees and punches.
*Runner-up- Georges St. Pierre- won twice in convincing fashion beating Matt Serra to unify the WW belts via 2nd round TKO and defending the belt against Jon Fitch in an epic 5 round decision.
Fighter of the Year Outside UFC- Gegard Mousasi- Mousasi had a busy 2008, winning the Dream middleweight tournament with wins over dangerous striker Melvin Manhoef, world class grappler Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, elite judoka Dong Sik Yoon, and Pride and K-1 vet Denis Kang. Outside Dream, Mousasi claimed victories over Steve Mensing and the gritty veteran Cyborg Santos. With 6 mma wins, Mousasi also won a K-1 rules match over Musashi via first round TKO. Mousasi's 6-0 mma record (3 KO/TKO's, 2 subs and 1 dec) and 1-0 K-1 record for 2008 make him an easy choice for this honor.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Fight of the Year- Cung Le v. Frank Shamrock, Strikeforce, March 29, 2008- The fight was three rounds of non-stop action. Frank kept to his word and preferred to stay on his feet. He attempted a takedown only one time, with the announcers eluding to a possible ACL injury. While standing, Cung got the most of Frank with his assortment of kicks, punches, spinning backfists, and a couple leg catches. The leg catches were very impressive, as Cung caught the leg of a Shamrock high kic and blasted Shamrock's grounded ankle with a sweep kick (reminiscent of San Shou).
Frank was able to land a couple kicks on Cung and was able to close the distance in the third round. When in close, Frank did some damage with punches. However, it was only temporary as Cung was able to break away. Cung's kicks proved too much for Frank in the end as he broke his ulna(forearm) while defending high kicks, not answering the bell in the third. This fight is an absolute must see.
(Cung Le kick of Frank Shamrock pictured)
Runners Up- Joachim Hansen v. Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Forrest Griffin vs Rampage Jackson, Jon Fitch v. Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn v. Sean Sherk, too many to list.
Submission of the year- Three way tie- Shinya Aoki's mounted gogoplata over Katsuhiko Nagata, Demian Maia's mounted triangle over Ed Herman, and Dustin Hazelett's arm bar over Josh Burkman. All are works of art and should be viewed over and over again. Fight fans will see all three of these guys getting more awesome submissions in 2009.
Runners Up- Marcus Aurelio's armbar over Ryan Roberts, Mitsuhiro Ishida's armbar over Justin Wilcox, C.B. Dollaway's Peruvian Necktie over Jesse Taylor, and Frank Mir's kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar.
KO of the year punch(2-way tie)- Rampage Jackson KO of Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans KO of Chuck Liddell. Rampage had lost twice to Wanderlei before this fight via big knockouts. In the first round, Rampage ducked Silva’s blow and unleashed a left hook that crushed Silva directly on the chin, leaving him unconscious.
Rashad Evans was able to get the number one contender status after blasting Liddell into the next hemisphere. Rashad placed a devastating right hand to Liddell's chin while Liddell was throwing an ill advised uppercut.
Runners Up- Jeremy Stephens come from behind uppercut KO of Rapheal Dos Anjos, Wanderlei Silva mauling of Keith Jardine, and Josh Koscheck over Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
KO of the year kick- Rory Markum's high kick KO of Brodie Farber. Rory was losing the fight after being tagged several times by Farber. While backing up, Rory threw the high kick with his shin striking Farber's neck. Farber was out cold.
Runners Up- Anthony Johnson's third round high kick KO of Kevin Burns for revenge from a previous eye poke and Gegard Mousasi's upkick KO of Jacare to win the Dream MW tourney championship.
Top Up and Coming Fighter- Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (13-0). The undefeated heavyweight prospect Herman scored four victories in 2008, including three for the now defunct Elite XC organization. Herman TKO'd Kerry Schall, Ron Waterman, Mario Rinaldi and Chris Guillen. Only Rinaldi was able to get out of the first round. The 6'5" Herman is very athletic and can throw a variety of punches and kicks while possessing a wrestling background from the University of Indiana.
Fighter of the Year (UFC)- Anderson Silva- Anderson remained dominant in 2008 as he defended the MW belt with wins over Dan Henderson and Patrick Cote. He also defeated James Irvin in a match at 205 pounds for three wins in the UFC for 2008. As usual, Anderson did not let any match go to the judges hands. He won over Henderson via rear naked choke, Irvin via nasty KO, and Cote after he injured his knee. It was also nice to see him appear on The Ultimate Fighter Season 8.
(Anderson Silva pictured)
*Runner-up- Rashad Evans- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Chuck Liddell via first round KO to get the number one contender spot and then Forrest Griffin via TKO for the LHW belt.
*Runner-up- BJ Penn- won twice over top ten opponents, defeating Joe Stevenson for the LW belt via rear naked choke then Sean Sherk in a great fight where BJ finsihed sending Sherk to the fence and finishing him with knees and punches.
*Runner-up- Georges St. Pierre- won twice in convincing fashion beating Matt Serra to unify the WW belts via 2nd round TKO and defending the belt against Jon Fitch in an epic 5 round decision.
Fighter of the Year Outside UFC- Gegard Mousasi- Mousasi had a busy 2008, winning the Dream middleweight tournament with wins over dangerous striker Melvin Manhoef, world class grappler Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, elite judoka Dong Sik Yoon, and Pride and K-1 vet Denis Kang. Outside Dream, Mousasi claimed victories over Steve Mensing and the gritty veteran Cyborg Santos. With 6 mma wins, Mousasi also won a K-1 rules match over Musashi via first round TKO. Mousasi's 6-0 mma record (3 KO/TKO's, 2 subs and 1 dec) and 1-0 K-1 record for 2008 make him an easy choice for this honor.
(Gegard Mousasi pictured)
Fight of the Year- Cung Le v. Frank Shamrock, Strikeforce, March 29, 2008- The fight was three rounds of non-stop action. Frank kept to his word and preferred to stay on his feet. He attempted a takedown only one time, with the announcers eluding to a possible ACL injury. While standing, Cung got the most of Frank with his assortment of kicks, punches, spinning backfists, and a couple leg catches. The leg catches were very impressive, as Cung caught the leg of a Shamrock high kic and blasted Shamrock's grounded ankle with a sweep kick (reminiscent of San Shou).
Frank was able to land a couple kicks on Cung and was able to close the distance in the third round. When in close, Frank did some damage with punches. However, it was only temporary as Cung was able to break away. Cung's kicks proved too much for Frank in the end as he broke his ulna(forearm) while defending high kicks, not answering the bell in the third. This fight is an absolute must see.
(Cung Le kick of Frank Shamrock pictured)
Runners Up- Joachim Hansen v. Eddie Alvarez, Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver, Forrest Griffin vs Rampage Jackson, Jon Fitch v. Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn v. Sean Sherk, too many to list.
Submission of the year- Three way tie- Shinya Aoki's mounted gogoplata over Katsuhiko Nagata, Demian Maia's mounted triangle over Ed Herman, and Dustin Hazelett's arm bar over Josh Burkman. All are works of art and should be viewed over and over again. Fight fans will see all three of these guys getting more awesome submissions in 2009.
Runners Up- Marcus Aurelio's armbar over Ryan Roberts, Mitsuhiro Ishida's armbar over Justin Wilcox, C.B. Dollaway's Peruvian Necktie over Jesse Taylor, and Frank Mir's kneebar victory over Brock Lesnar.
KO of the year punch(2-way tie)- Rampage Jackson KO of Wanderlei Silva and Rashad Evans KO of Chuck Liddell. Rampage had lost twice to Wanderlei before this fight via big knockouts. In the first round, Rampage ducked Silva’s blow and unleashed a left hook that crushed Silva directly on the chin, leaving him unconscious.
Rashad Evans was able to get the number one contender status after blasting Liddell into the next hemisphere. Rashad placed a devastating right hand to Liddell's chin while Liddell was throwing an ill advised uppercut.
Runners Up- Jeremy Stephens come from behind uppercut KO of Rapheal Dos Anjos, Wanderlei Silva mauling of Keith Jardine, and Josh Koscheck over Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
KO of the year kick- Rory Markum's high kick KO of Brodie Farber. Rory was losing the fight after being tagged several times by Farber. While backing up, Rory threw the high kick with his shin striking Farber's neck. Farber was out cold.
Runners Up- Anthony Johnson's third round high kick KO of Kevin Burns for revenge from a previous eye poke and Gegard Mousasi's upkick KO of Jacare to win the Dream MW tourney championship.
Top Up and Coming Fighter- Dave "Pee Wee" Herman (13-0). The undefeated heavyweight prospect Herman scored four victories in 2008, including three for the now defunct Elite XC organization. Herman TKO'd Kerry Schall, Ron Waterman, Mario Rinaldi and Chris Guillen. Only Rinaldi was able to get out of the first round. The 6'5" Herman is very athletic and can throw a variety of punches and kicks while possessing a wrestling background from the University of Indiana.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
K-1 Fields Dynamite Results
I've been watching the fights on dailymotion.com. Unfortunately, K-1 and HDNet couldn't work out a deal to get the card broadcast in the states. The Joachim Hansen v. JZ Calvancante was scratched as Hansen did not pass his pre-fight physical.
The Melvin Manhoef KO of Mark Hunt is pretty awesome, check that one out. The biggest upset of the night has to go to Alistair Overeem knocking out K-1 Grand Prix runner-up Badr Hari. The best comeback I've seen so far was the surprising effort by Bob Sapp. Sapp was taken down and absorbing light hammerfists on his back before getting out of it and tagging his anime masked foe. Despite having an arm free for the taking, apparently anime characters don't know arm bars.
MMA Bouts
Ikuhisa Minowa def Errol Zimmerman via Sub (Toe Hold) R1, 1:01
Daisuke Nakamura def Hideo Tokoro via Sub (Armbar) R1, 2:23
Andy Ologun def Yukio Sakaguchi via KO (Punches) R1, 3:52
Bob Sapp def Akihito Tanaka via TKO (Punches) R1, 5:22
Semmy Schilt def Siala Siliga via Sub (Triangle Choke) R1, 5:31
Hayato Sakurai def Katsuyori Shibata via TKO (Punches) R1, 7:01
Mirko Filipovic def Hong Man Choi via TKO (Leg Kicks) R1, 6:32
Melvin Manhoef def Mark Hunt via KO (Punches) R1, 0:18
Shinya Aoki def Eddie Alvarez via Sub (Heel Hook) R1, 1:32
Kiyoshi Tamura def Kazushi Sakuraba via Dec(Unanimous)
K1 Bouts
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Kozo Takeda via KO, R1 2:31
Artur Kyshenko def Yoshihiro Sato via majority dec
Gegard Mousasi def Musashi via TKO, R1 2:32
Alistair Overeem defeated Badr Hari via KO, R1 2:07
(Bob Sapp pictured)
The Melvin Manhoef KO of Mark Hunt is pretty awesome, check that one out. The biggest upset of the night has to go to Alistair Overeem knocking out K-1 Grand Prix runner-up Badr Hari. The best comeback I've seen so far was the surprising effort by Bob Sapp. Sapp was taken down and absorbing light hammerfists on his back before getting out of it and tagging his anime masked foe. Despite having an arm free for the taking, apparently anime characters don't know arm bars.
MMA Bouts
Ikuhisa Minowa def Errol Zimmerman via Sub (Toe Hold) R1, 1:01
Daisuke Nakamura def Hideo Tokoro via Sub (Armbar) R1, 2:23
Andy Ologun def Yukio Sakaguchi via KO (Punches) R1, 3:52
Bob Sapp def Akihito Tanaka via TKO (Punches) R1, 5:22
Semmy Schilt def Siala Siliga via Sub (Triangle Choke) R1, 5:31
Hayato Sakurai def Katsuyori Shibata via TKO (Punches) R1, 7:01
Mirko Filipovic def Hong Man Choi via TKO (Leg Kicks) R1, 6:32
Melvin Manhoef def Mark Hunt via KO (Punches) R1, 0:18
Shinya Aoki def Eddie Alvarez via Sub (Heel Hook) R1, 1:32
Kiyoshi Tamura def Kazushi Sakuraba via Dec(Unanimous)
K1 Bouts
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Kozo Takeda via KO, R1 2:31
Artur Kyshenko def Yoshihiro Sato via majority dec
Gegard Mousasi def Musashi via TKO, R1 2:32
Alistair Overeem defeated Badr Hari via KO, R1 2:07
(Bob Sapp pictured)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
FEG Fields Dynamite NYE Show
FEG, the same group behind Dream and K-1 will host an annual New Years Eve show on December 31st in Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The event will most likely be broadcast on HDNet at an odd time, so make sure to set your DVR. There are 4 bouts that will be fought under K-1 kickboxing rules. It will be interesting to see top ten fighters Kawajiri(155) and Mousasi(185) fight under K-1 rules. It has been interesting as fights keep getting added as we get closer to fight time.
MMA Fights
Hong Man Choi vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic- Cro Cop is fighting for the first time since his notorious fight with Alistair Overeem. That was called a no contest after repeated Overeem knees to Cro Cop's groin. Cro Cop's career seemed to have peaked in 2006 when he won the Pride Absolute Grand Prix with wins over Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Ikuhisa Minowa. Since then he has won over Eddie Sanchez and Tatsuya Mizuno, while not looking himself against Cheick Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem.
(Cro Cop KO of Don Caras, Jr.)
Hong Man Choi has not fought MMA since a loss last New Years Eve to Fedor. Choi at 7'2" 300 pounds or so will have a distinct size advantage. It will be interesting to see what Cro Cop's gameplan will be. It might be to take Choi down, but Cro Cop will have to take punishment to use that manuever. Interesting fight.
(Hong Man Choi throwing a kick in K-1)
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war. Both fighters excelled in K-1 kickboxing competition. Hunt will be carrying a weight advantage going into the fight. Le Banner beat Junichi Sawayashiki before losing to eventual winner Remy Bonjasky in the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix this year. Le Banner has a 3-1 MMA record and a 74-16 kickboxing record. Among his three MMA victories are Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jimmy Abriz.
*Le Banner has repordedly withdrawn at the last minute due to the flu. Melvin Manhoef will take his place.
(Jerome Le Banner pictured)
Hunt has a prior KO victory over Le Banner in K-1 during his championship run. Hunt is looking for his first win since 2006 as he has lost three MMA fights in a row to Fedor, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett, all top competition. Hunt has notable wins in MMA over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Cro Cop, Dan Bobish and Wanderlei Silva. A highly decorated kickboxer, Hunt won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001.
(Mark Hunt pictured)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Shin'ya Aoki- This is the fight most fans are clamoring about as two of the best lightweights will tangle. Alvarez is generally ranked as the number 2 lightweight behind BJ Penn. Alvarez has had a breakout year, notching 4 wins including Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Ross Ebanez.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Aoki, a submission wizard, has also had an excellent year, going 4-1 with a win over JZ Calvancante. Aoki has one of the top submissions of the year over Katsuhiko Nagata with a mounted gogoplata. Aoki also has wins over Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno, Jason Black and George Sotiropoulos.
(Aoki choking out Clay French)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura- Sakuraba is an MMA Legend having wins over Rampage Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Masakatsu Funaki, Kevin Randleman and Carlos Newton. He had a three fight winning streak going before losing to knock-out artist Melvin Manhoef at Dream 4. This will be Sakuraba's first fight in 6 months.
(Sakuraba cartwheel guard pass on Vitor Belfort)
While Kiyoshi Tamura is not very well known in the United States, his resume speaks for itself. The 39 year old former pro wrestler, catch wrestler and mixed martial artist has gone 32-13 in his mma career. He is tough with wins over Ikuhisa Minowa, Pat Miletich, Renzo Gracie, Dave Menne and Maurice Smith.
(Tamura getting an armbar on Rony Sefo)
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen- Calvancante's 2008 was not very spectacular as the lightweight was in a no-contest against Shinya Aoki, then lost a unanimous decision to Aoki in Dream 1 and 2. Calvancante is a strong stand-up fighter, and I would expect this fight to be nothing less. JZ has wins over Vitor Ribeiro, Nam Phan, Caol Uno and Rani Yahya. Hansen won a majority decision over JZ in 2004.
(JZ Calvancante pictured)
Joachim Hansen is always a fan favorite with his killer instincts and slug it out mentality. He recently defeated Shinya Aoki for the Dream lightweight tournament championship. Hansen has quick hands, notching him victories over Luiz Azeredo, Masakazu Imanari, Takanori Gomi and Rumina Sato.
(Joachim Hansen pictured)
"Kinniku Mantaro" vs. Bob Sapp- Wow is all I have to say about this match-up. With the Japanese crowd loving to be entertained, this match will feature Japanese wrester Akihito Tanaka wearing a mask of anime charater Kinniku Mantaro. Bob Sapp is already enough of a character. This match will be interesting to say the least.
Semmy Schilt vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga- This is a fight between two excellent stand-up oriented fighters. Schilt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, and Mighty Mo is renowned for his punching power. Schilt will have the size advantage as he stands 6'11".
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Hideo Tokoro - These are two veteran Japanese fighters. Nakamura (18-9) is a Pride, Dream, M-1 and Deep veteran who owns 11 submission victories. Tokoro (21-14) is a Dream, K-1 and Shooto veteran who owns 13 submission victories.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Andy Ologun vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Errol Zimmerman
K-1 Fights
Alistair Overeem v. Badr Hari- This fight was recently signed. Hari, an elite K-1 level kickboxer, advanced to the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix finals before getting DQ'd in a match against Remy Bonjasky. Hari, in a very strange sequence, took Bonjasky to the ground, threw some punches, and then a foot stomp. Hari, who completely disregarded K-1 rules, never fully explained the incident. Hari has around 78 kickboxing victories to around 8 defeats. He is a former K-1 HW champ.
Alistair Overeem has seen some controversy this year as well, when he had a fight ruled a no contest after repeatedly striking Mirko Cro Cop in the groin. Overeem had a sizable advantage on the judges scorecards when he used that tactic. Overeem has a 4 fight win streak, having beat Paul Buentello, Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge all before the end of the second round. His kickboxing record is around 4 wins to 2 defeats, but hasn't competed in professional kickboxing in a long time.
My guess is that K-1 wants to get these fighters for the publicity they will generate. Alistair has to be getting paid mega dollars to take this match under K-1 rules.
Hiroya vs. Shimada Shota
Kusakabe Ryuya vs. Urabe Koya
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Artur Kyshenko vs. Yoshihiro Sato
MMA Fights
Hong Man Choi vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic- Cro Cop is fighting for the first time since his notorious fight with Alistair Overeem. That was called a no contest after repeated Overeem knees to Cro Cop's groin. Cro Cop's career seemed to have peaked in 2006 when he won the Pride Absolute Grand Prix with wins over Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Ikuhisa Minowa. Since then he has won over Eddie Sanchez and Tatsuya Mizuno, while not looking himself against Cheick Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem.
(Cro Cop KO of Don Caras, Jr.)
Hong Man Choi has not fought MMA since a loss last New Years Eve to Fedor. Choi at 7'2" 300 pounds or so will have a distinct size advantage. It will be interesting to see what Cro Cop's gameplan will be. It might be to take Choi down, but Cro Cop will have to take punishment to use that manuever. Interesting fight.
(Hong Man Choi throwing a kick in K-1)
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war. Both fighters excelled in K-1 kickboxing competition. Hunt will be carrying a weight advantage going into the fight. Le Banner beat Junichi Sawayashiki before losing to eventual winner Remy Bonjasky in the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix this year. Le Banner has a 3-1 MMA record and a 74-16 kickboxing record. Among his three MMA victories are Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jimmy Abriz.
*Le Banner has repordedly withdrawn at the last minute due to the flu. Melvin Manhoef will take his place.
(Jerome Le Banner pictured)
Hunt has a prior KO victory over Le Banner in K-1 during his championship run. Hunt is looking for his first win since 2006 as he has lost three MMA fights in a row to Fedor, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett, all top competition. Hunt has notable wins in MMA over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Cro Cop, Dan Bobish and Wanderlei Silva. A highly decorated kickboxer, Hunt won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001.
(Mark Hunt pictured)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Shin'ya Aoki- This is the fight most fans are clamoring about as two of the best lightweights will tangle. Alvarez is generally ranked as the number 2 lightweight behind BJ Penn. Alvarez has had a breakout year, notching 4 wins including Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Ross Ebanez.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Aoki, a submission wizard, has also had an excellent year, going 4-1 with a win over JZ Calvancante. Aoki has one of the top submissions of the year over Katsuhiko Nagata with a mounted gogoplata. Aoki also has wins over Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno, Jason Black and George Sotiropoulos.
(Aoki choking out Clay French)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura- Sakuraba is an MMA Legend having wins over Rampage Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Masakatsu Funaki, Kevin Randleman and Carlos Newton. He had a three fight winning streak going before losing to knock-out artist Melvin Manhoef at Dream 4. This will be Sakuraba's first fight in 6 months.
(Sakuraba cartwheel guard pass on Vitor Belfort)
While Kiyoshi Tamura is not very well known in the United States, his resume speaks for itself. The 39 year old former pro wrestler, catch wrestler and mixed martial artist has gone 32-13 in his mma career. He is tough with wins over Ikuhisa Minowa, Pat Miletich, Renzo Gracie, Dave Menne and Maurice Smith.
(Tamura getting an armbar on Rony Sefo)
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen- Calvancante's 2008 was not very spectacular as the lightweight was in a no-contest against Shinya Aoki, then lost a unanimous decision to Aoki in Dream 1 and 2. Calvancante is a strong stand-up fighter, and I would expect this fight to be nothing less. JZ has wins over Vitor Ribeiro, Nam Phan, Caol Uno and Rani Yahya. Hansen won a majority decision over JZ in 2004.
(JZ Calvancante pictured)
Joachim Hansen is always a fan favorite with his killer instincts and slug it out mentality. He recently defeated Shinya Aoki for the Dream lightweight tournament championship. Hansen has quick hands, notching him victories over Luiz Azeredo, Masakazu Imanari, Takanori Gomi and Rumina Sato.
(Joachim Hansen pictured)
"Kinniku Mantaro" vs. Bob Sapp- Wow is all I have to say about this match-up. With the Japanese crowd loving to be entertained, this match will feature Japanese wrester Akihito Tanaka wearing a mask of anime charater Kinniku Mantaro. Bob Sapp is already enough of a character. This match will be interesting to say the least.
Semmy Schilt vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga- This is a fight between two excellent stand-up oriented fighters. Schilt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, and Mighty Mo is renowned for his punching power. Schilt will have the size advantage as he stands 6'11".
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Hideo Tokoro - These are two veteran Japanese fighters. Nakamura (18-9) is a Pride, Dream, M-1 and Deep veteran who owns 11 submission victories. Tokoro (21-14) is a Dream, K-1 and Shooto veteran who owns 13 submission victories.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Andy Ologun vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Errol Zimmerman
K-1 Fights
Alistair Overeem v. Badr Hari- This fight was recently signed. Hari, an elite K-1 level kickboxer, advanced to the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix finals before getting DQ'd in a match against Remy Bonjasky. Hari, in a very strange sequence, took Bonjasky to the ground, threw some punches, and then a foot stomp. Hari, who completely disregarded K-1 rules, never fully explained the incident. Hari has around 78 kickboxing victories to around 8 defeats. He is a former K-1 HW champ.
Alistair Overeem has seen some controversy this year as well, when he had a fight ruled a no contest after repeatedly striking Mirko Cro Cop in the groin. Overeem had a sizable advantage on the judges scorecards when he used that tactic. Overeem has a 4 fight win streak, having beat Paul Buentello, Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge all before the end of the second round. His kickboxing record is around 4 wins to 2 defeats, but hasn't competed in professional kickboxing in a long time.
My guess is that K-1 wants to get these fighters for the publicity they will generate. Alistair has to be getting paid mega dollars to take this match under K-1 rules.
Hiroya vs. Shimada Shota
Kusakabe Ryuya vs. Urabe Koya
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Artur Kyshenko vs. Yoshihiro Sato
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Dream 6
Here are the Dream 6 results. If you haven't gotten a chance, check out mmascraps, dailymotion or hdnet for the fights.
RESULTS
MW Reserve Bout
Andrews Nakahara def. Dong Sik Yoon via TKO (Punches), 0:30 of R2
MW Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout
Gegard Mousasi def. Melvin Manhoef via Submission (Triangle Choke), 1:28 of R1
MW Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout
Ronaldo "Jacare" De Souza def. Zelg Galesic via Sub (Armbar), 1:27 of R1
Keita Nakamura def. Adriano Martins via Dec (Split)
Sergei Kharitonov def. Jimmy Ambriz via TKO (Strikes), 2:15 of R1
Atsushi Yamamoto def. Hideo Tokoro via Dec (Unanimous)
Masakatsu Funaki def. Ikuhisa Minowa via Sub (Inverted Heel Hook), 0:32 of R1
Hayato Sakurai def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka via Dec (Unanimous)
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Masanori Tonooka via Sub (Armbar), 6:26 of R1
Shinya Aoki def. Todd Moore via Sub (Neck Crank), 1:07 of R1
Alistair Overeem vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was ruled a No Contest - Overeem was winning the fight but repeadedly threw knees into Cro Cop's groin.
Middleweight Grand Prix Final Bout
Gegard Mousasi def. Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza via KO (Upkick) at 2:15 of Round 1- Gegard Mousasi threw an absolutely nasty upkick to knock Jacare out. Jacare had the takedown, then was looking to pass when he was hit square in the jaw. Probably the nastiest upkick since Renzo Gracie v. Oleg Taktarov.
RESULTS
MW Reserve Bout
Andrews Nakahara def. Dong Sik Yoon via TKO (Punches), 0:30 of R2
MW Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout
Gegard Mousasi def. Melvin Manhoef via Submission (Triangle Choke), 1:28 of R1
MW Grand Prix Semi-Final Bout
Ronaldo "Jacare" De Souza def. Zelg Galesic via Sub (Armbar), 1:27 of R1
Keita Nakamura def. Adriano Martins via Dec (Split)
Sergei Kharitonov def. Jimmy Ambriz via TKO (Strikes), 2:15 of R1
Atsushi Yamamoto def. Hideo Tokoro via Dec (Unanimous)
Masakatsu Funaki def. Ikuhisa Minowa via Sub (Inverted Heel Hook), 0:32 of R1
Hayato Sakurai def. Kuniyoshi Hironaka via Dec (Unanimous)
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Masanori Tonooka via Sub (Armbar), 6:26 of R1
Shinya Aoki def. Todd Moore via Sub (Neck Crank), 1:07 of R1
Alistair Overeem vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was ruled a No Contest - Overeem was winning the fight but repeadedly threw knees into Cro Cop's groin.
Middleweight Grand Prix Final Bout
Gegard Mousasi def. Ronaldo "Jacare" de Souza via KO (Upkick) at 2:15 of Round 1- Gegard Mousasi threw an absolutely nasty upkick to knock Jacare out. Jacare had the takedown, then was looking to pass when he was hit square in the jaw. Probably the nastiest upkick since Renzo Gracie v. Oleg Taktarov.
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