Rizen Fighting World Grand Prix

The new upstart Rizen Fighting Championship is an interesting promotion which is stacking its inaugural event. The fights will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, spanning two dates on December 29th and New Years Eve. An open weight world grand prix will kick off on the 29th featuring a diverse group of mainly 205 pound fighters, each hailing from a different country so far. The event is being broadcast on Spike TV.

Fedor Emelianenko (34-4) will return from a three and a half year retirement to headline the New Years Eve card. He has finally been announded to be fighting kickboxer Jaideep Singh (2-0). Japanese MMA pioneer Tsuyoshi Kosaka (26-18) will fight British slugger James Thompson (20-15).

(Fedor at Rizen Press Event)

One FC champ Shinya Aoki (38-6) will fight Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba (26-16) in the headliner of the 29th card. Kicking off the Grand Prix festivities will be Strikeforce champ Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal(16-4) against a still unknown BAMMA UK representative. UFC vet Goran Reljic(15-5) represents Poland's KSW organization, taking on Russian Vadim Nemkov (3-0). Brazilian Bruno Cappelozza(7-3) is fighting Lithuania's Teodoras Aukstuolis(7-2). Japan's Satoshi Ishii will fight Czech Republic's Jiri Prochazka (13-2) will fight. Valentin Moldovsky (1-0) and Yuta Uchida (0-0) are fighting in the reserve bout.

(Sakuraba at Rizen Press Event)

New Years Eve will feature the tournament final and several high profile debuts. Kickboxing legend Andy Souwer will fight oddball striker Yuichiro Nagashima. BJJ legend and Gracie family member Kron Gracie (1-0) will fight against Japanese wrestling phenom Asen Yamamoto who is making his debut. Women's heavyweight BJJ player Gabi Garcia has been rumored to make her debut against pro wrestler Seini Draughn who will also make her debut. Shootboxing Rene Kubota and K-1 kickboxer Jleana Valentino will fight eachother in their debuts. Kaido Hoovelson, a former judo and sumo fighter, will make his debut.

(Kron Gracie Pictured)

December 29th

Shinya Aoki v. Kazushi Sakuraba
Tsuyoshi Kosaka v. James Thompson
AJ Matthews v. Anatoly Tokov
King Mo v. TBA (BAMMA)
Goran Reljic v. Vadim Nemkov
Bruno Cappelozza v. Teodoras Aukstuolis
Satoshi Ishii v. Jiri Prochazka
Yuki Motoya v. Nam Jin Jo (rumored)
Valentin Moldovsky v. Yuta Uchida

New Years Eve

Fedor v. Jaideep Singh
World Grand Prix Championship
Kaido Hoovelson v. TBA
Hiroyuki Takaya v. Daiki Hata
Andy Souwer v. Yuichiro Nagashima
Kron Gracie v. Asen Yamamoto
Gabi Garcia v. Seini Draughn
Rene Kubota v. Jleana Valentino
World Grand Prix Final Four

(Gabi Garcia at Rizen Press Event)

Best Champions The UFC Needs

Without a doubt, the UFC holds the vast majority of talent in MMA. However, some legit rising fighters exist outside the UFC who should get a shot in the UFC. I've left off Jake Shields and Rouisimar Palhares, as I think more time needs to pass for either to get a shot back at the UFC. I just don't forsee Cyborg making 135 pounds in the UFC, so I left her off.

Here is a look at the top 10.

1. Ben Askren (14-0) the NCAA champ and Olympic wrestler has been devasting his last 4 bouts earning 3 TKO's and a 1st round arm triangle submission. The current One FC welterweight champ next defends his title against Bellator veteran Luis Santos (61-9). Askren had contract discussions with the UFC, but no offer was officially made and One FC offered Askren good money. With a few fights still on his contract, Askren won't hit the market in the near future. With the best wrestling at 170 and increasingly good submission skills, Askren can compete with anyone in the top 10 right now.


2. Marcin "Tybur" Tybura (11-0)- The Polish HW and BJJ black belt has 5 submissions and 4 TKO's on his resume. The M-1 HW Champ seems to be at his best when he throws a few punches, backs his opponent against the fence and works a takedown. From there, Tybura has a solid submission game from top position and uses ground and pound to set up submissions. Tybura's contract status with M-1 could be murky with a champions clause. Tybura hasn't fought since his 1st round submission of hot prospect Denis Smoldarev (11-1). With an aging HW division, the 29 year old Tybura would fit in well as he is in his prime.

3. Justin Gaeje (13-0)- The 26 year old former wrestler has been dominant as WSOF's 155 pound champion. He last defended the title with a close split decision win over Melvin Guillard in his most lackluster performance to date. Prior to that fight, he had 7 straight T/KO's including a 1st round TKO over JZ Cavalcante and 2nd round TKO's over Dan Lauzon and Nick Newell. Gaethje is on his 6th WSOF fight.

4. Shinya Aoki (37-6)- The insane submission specialist is One FC's current 155 pound champion. He last fought on NYE in Inoki Bom Ba Ye, submitting Yuki Yamamoto with a rare twister. He has won 7 straight since a TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez in Bellator. Aoki may be resistant to a move for the US based UFC, as he has gone just 1-2 stateside. Aoki has career wins over Rich Clementi, Kamal Shalorus, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Lyle Beerbohm and Joachim Hansen. At 31 years old and having been TKO'd 4 times in MMA and once in kickboxing, time is not on Aoki's side.

5. Patricio Friere (23-2)- Bellator's 145 pound champ has been on a tear since a narrow split decision loss to Pat Curran at Bellator 85. Winner of season 4 and 9's featherweight tournaments, Friere won a decision over Pat Curran for the title and defended by submitting Daniel Strauss. He also has KO wins over UFC vets Diego Nunes and Wilson Reis.

6. Will Brooks (15-1)- The tenacious wrestler won Bellator's season 9 LW tourney and followed it up with a split decision win over Michael Chandler, then TKO'd Chandler in the rematch. With 8 career Bellator fights, Brooks loyalty might be with the organization. Brooks next fights Dave Jansen at Bellator 136.

7. Jessica Aguilar (19-4)- The current WSOF 115 pound champion has won 10 straight since a questionable split decision loss to Zolia Gurgel in Bellator. Generally ranked #1-2 in the world at 115, Aguilar holds a split decision win over UFC 115 champ Carla Esparza which took place on 6/25/11 in Bellator. Aguilar holds decision wins over Megumi Fujii, Emi Fujino and Lisa Ellis in her career, with a sub over judo expert Alida Gray. Aguilar's solid grappling would give anyone in the 115 pound division trouble.

8. Vitaly Minakov (14-0)- Bellator’s reigning HW champion has not fought much lately. With a background in Sambo, he knocked out countryman Alexander Volkov to win the Bellator belt in November 2013 and then defended with a decision win over UFC vet Cheick Kongo in April. With crisp boxing to go along with black belt judo, Minakov would be a welcome addition. Questions have arisen due to the long layoff whether Minakov is injured or if he is dealing with contractual issues.

9. Marlon Moraes (14-4)- the WSOF 135 pound champ has won 9 straight fights, defeating former WEC champ Miguel Torres, TUF vet Cody Bollinger and Josh Hill(then 10-0). With Dominick Cruz's career likely over, Moraes would look good on the roster. The 26 year old is 1-2 fights into his new WSOF deal which is a multi-fight, multi-year deal.

10. Liam McGeary (10-0)- The new Bellator LHW champ just dominated Emanuel Newton for five rounds at BFC 134. The 6'6" McGeary had never been to decision before that fight, winning the Bellator LHW tourney with TKO's of Egidijus Valavicius and Kelly Anundson. He has 7 straight Bellator wins.

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Yamamoto

Here is Shinya Aoki fighting Yuki Yamamoto at IGF Inoki Bom Ba Ye 2014 which took place on 12/31/14 in Tokyo, Japan.

Aoki, the One FC lightweight champ, has won 7 straight since his TKO loss to Eddie Alvarez in Bellator.

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Hirota

Here is Shinya Aoki fighting Mizuto Hirota from K-1 Dynamite which took place on 12/31/09. The ending is not for the faint of heart.

Shinya (34-6) has won seven straight bouts since his defeat to Gilbert Melendez.


(Shinya Aoki Hammerlock)

Video of the Day - Aoki v. McKee

Here is Shinya Aoki fighting Antonio McKee at the Saitama Super Arena on 12/31/12 in the Dream Glory NYE special. A replay of the event will air tonight on CBS Sports Net.

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Black

Here is Shinya Aoki fighting UFC and Pride fighter Jason Black at Pride Bushido 12 which took place on 8/26/06 in the Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Japan.

Aoki will fight smothering wrestler Antonio McKee at Dream and Glory's New Years Eve event at the Saitama Super Arena on Monday. Jason Black, 23-4, appears to be retired last fighting at UFC 77, losing a decision to Matt Grice.

Below is the fight line-up for Dream 18 - New Years Special. Glory will hold a kickboxing event as well. No broadcast details for the United States have been offered.

Shinya Aoki v. Antonio McKee
Bibiano Fernandes v. Yoshiro Maeda
Denis Kang v. Melvin Manhoef
Georgi Karakhanyan v. Hiroyuki Takaya
Phil Baroni v. Hayato Sakurai
Will Brooks v. Satoru Kitaoka
Tatsuya Kawajiri v. Michihiro Omigawa

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Alvarez

Here is Shinya Aoki v. Eddie Alvarez from K-1: Dynamite which took place on 12/31/08.

Aoki v. Alvarez II takes place this Saturday at Bellator 66.

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.

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

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Hironaka

Here is Shinya Aoki fighting Kuniyoshi Hironaka from Shooto 2005 which took place on 11/6/05 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Aoki defeated Lyle Beerbohm via neck crank at Strikeforce - Diaz v. Daley.

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

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Hansen

Here is Shinya Aoki versus Joachim Hansen from Pride Shockwave 2006 which occurred on 12/31/06.

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

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)

Dream 10 - Mario's World

Dream 10 belonged to Lithuanian Marius "Mario" Zaromskis. The young up and coming 170 pounder scored a major upset, defeating Japanese favorite Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and American Jason High. The card delivered some of the best entrances and exciting finishes of recent memory.

Tarec Saffiedine def Seichi Ikemoto via unanimous dec- WW Reserve bout- Ichimoto threw some crazy techniques in this fight, including a double superman punch, double punch, spinning backfists, and even a double body punch while Saffiedine was grounded. Saffiedine landed the the more powerful shots, landing a big overhand right then jumping right knee near the end of the round.

In the second it was all Saffiedine, as he landed all the power punches and kicks. He was able to get a takedown off a failed attempt by Ichimoto, and worked mount and throw some good shots. Near the end of the round, Ichimoto got a reversal and a couple ground and pound shots. Saffiedine ends up winning a close unanimous decision.

Marius Zaromskis def Hayato "Mach" Sakurai via TKO (strikes) R1, 4:03- WW Bout 1- Zaromskis came out to Europe's "Final Countdown" dressed as a Dragon Ball Z character, including red wig and garb. He also wore a necklace of mouthpieces. Mach Sakurai came out with a massive applause from the Japanese crowd. The announcers described Sakurai's hard time making the weight.

After a pretty even amount of punishment dished out by each and a Sakurai takedown, a cut opened on above and below Sakurai's left eye. Following a long break, Sakurai was nailed with a high left kick that landed perfect sending him to the canvas. After a few follow-up punches, the bout was called. On the replay, you could see Marius faked a left punch and went for the high kick to move to the finals.

Jason High def Andre Galvao via split dec- WW Bout 2- Jason High came out to Jay-Z, with a black bandana over his face, Kansas City Royals cap, and a big gold chain. Coach Antonio McKee was in his corner, with a katana sword. Andre Galvao came out with his black belt and gi to a soul song. The first round was all Galvao, as he got the better of the ground game. Galvao nearly locked in a leg lock/knee bar that High barely slipped out of. Galvao next almost got a rear naked choke, having High's back for about 4 minutes.

In the second it was all Jason High, as he threw snapping body and leg kicks. Galvao had nothing to offer but a few decent knees. High also got some takedowns which Galvao gave up easily to try a submission. However, High kept the pace up throughout with his striking. In the end, the judges gave the split decision victory to Jason High who moves to the welterweight final.
*High and Galvao win MMA Blaster's Fight of the Night

(Jason High pictured)

Katsunori Kikuno def Andre "Dida" Amade via TKO (punches) R1, 3:47- Katsunori Kikuno came out to the 80's song for charity, "We Are the World." Dida meanwhile came out to a Bob Marley's "Could This Be Love" while donning a crazy mask. Katsunori employed an odd karate stance and stalked Dida. Dida landed a coule punches and kicks, while landing a decent overhand punch. After a yellow card warning, Kikuno came out, got a body lock takedown, moved to back then threw rapid punches until the fight was called.

Paulo Filho def Melvin Manhoef via sub (armbar) R1, 2:36- After intro's, Melvin Manhoef had to be wiped down as he was sweating profusely. After a failed double leg takedown by Filho, Melvin started working Filho over with a flurry of powerful rights and left hooks and straights. After Paulo went to the ground Melvin continued with his flurry. It looked as though Filho was in serious trouble when Melvin allowed him up.

After taking more punishment, Filho got a takedown, mount, then armbar. Even though Melvin rolled, Paulo's armbar was too good, and soon Melvin was tapping. Filho survived a wicked amount of punishment, and pulled off an outstanding comeback.
*Paulo Filho wins MMA Blaster's Submission of the Night

(Paulo Filho pictured)

Jesse Taylor def Dong Sik Yoon via TKO (injury), R1, 1:02- Jesse Taylor made a successful Japanese debut, steamrolling Dong Sik Yoon. After Taylor out muscled Yoon for a takedown, he got Yoon's back and nearly got a rear naked choke. Soon after, Yoon bizarrely asked for time and quit. A replay showed that when Taylor was throwing Yoon to the canvas while having his back, Yoon's ankle was caught on the canvas and torqued at a bad angle. Taylor was classy in victory.

Shinya Aoki def Vitor Ribeiro via unanimous dec- Aoki came out in red and white candy cane line pants with board shorts. Aoki began the fight well, landing and attempting kicks at will. Three minutes in, Ribiero had a large red welt on his elbow from blocking kicks. Aoki dominated the stand-up throughout the first round, denying Ribiero's two takedown attempts. Near the end of the round, Aoki squeezed in a knee to Ribiero's chin.

In the second it was more of the same, as Aoki hammered Ribiero with kicks and knees. When Ribeiro went for a takedown, Aoki landed a knee to the face of Ribiero but gave up the takedown. Ribiero got some ground and pound shots in, but did not do enough to win the fight. All three judges gave the win to Aoki.

Marius Zaromskis def Jason High via KO (head kick) R1, 2:22- Zaromskis completed his amazing night of fights with two highlight reel high kicks. The second came at the expense of Jason High, who ate a shin to the jaw.

The two fighters came out the same exact intro's as their first fights. Right off the bat, Marius went for a jumping knee that was caught by High who completed a takedown soon after. High looked to be controlling, until a scramble had the tow back to their feet.

Next, Marius threw a partial blocked one-two punching combo, then an immediate high kick that landed shin directly to the jaw. A couple punches followed to an unconscious Jason High before the ref jumped in. Marius Zaromskis captured the Welterweight Dream Grand Prix title, along with the Welterweight belt.
*Zaromskis wins MMA Blaster's KO of the Night
*Zaromskis wins Dream Welterweight Grand Prix

(Marius Zaromskis pictured)

Video of the Day - Aoki v. Sakurai

Here is Shinya Aoki v. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai from Dream 8 which took place on 4/5/09. The win pushed Sakurai to the four man finale which takes place this morning at 3 AM.

Dream 10 Preview

Dream 10 is scheduled for July 20th in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Have your DVR's set, as it will be broadcast in the wee hours of the morning on HDNet. The event will feature the finals of the 8 man welterweight grand prix. The odds on favorite in Japanese superstar Hayoto "Mach" Sakarai, who defeated Shinya Aoki in the first round.

The match-up of Shinya Aoki (20-4) v. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro (20-2) is a grappling fans dream. Each has pulled off remarkable submissions in their careers, dislocating some elbows along the way. TUF 7 alum Jesse Taylor (11-3) will look to build on his five fight win streak outside the UFC against judoka Don Sik Yoon.

Here is how it looks right now:

Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Andre "Dida" Amade vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Paulo Filho vs. Melvin Manhoef
Jesse Taylor vs. Dong Sik Yoon
Tarec Saffiedine vs. Ikemoto Seich- WW Reserve Bout

Welterweight Grand Prix

Andre Galvao vs. Jason High- Bout 1
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis- Bout 2
Winner of Galvao/High vs. winner of Sakurai/Zaromskis


(Hayato Sakurai pictured)

Dream 8 Preview

Dream will also have an event going on Sunday, April 5th in its Dream 8 event. The event kick off the Dream 8-man 170 pound tournament. Also, the last 139 pound bout will take place in Hata v. Tokoro. The event will be shown on a 5 day delay on HDNet. The headliner bout between Sergei Kharitonov and Jeff Monson should be interesting, as Sergei only fought once in 2008 beating Jimmy Abriz.

Non-Tourney Bouts

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jeff Monson
Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
Andrews Nakahara vs. Shungo Oyama
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Katsuyori Shibata

170 Pound WW Tournament

Shinya Aoki vs. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Jason High vs. Yuya Shirai
Seichi Ikemoto vs. Marius Zaromskis
John Alessio vs. Andre Galvao

139 Pound FW Tournament Final Bout

Daiki "DJ.taiki" Hata vs. Hideo Tokoro


(Sergei Kharitonov pictured)

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.

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