Video of the Day - Kawajiri v. Sanchez

Here is Tatsuya Kawajiri fighting Donald Sanchez at One FC 3 which took place on 3/31/12 in Kalang, Singapore.

Video of the Day - Kawajiri v. Fickett

Here is Tatsuya Kawajiri fighting Drew Fickett at Dream - "Fight for Japan," which occured on 7/16/11 at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan.

Kawajiri (28-7) will drop to 145 for his next bout, which is against Joachim "Hellboy" Hansen at Dream 17.

Video of the Day - Kawajiri v. Takeda

Here is Tatsuya Kawajiri fighting Kozo Takeda at Dynamite 2008 in a K-1 rules kickboxing match.

Kawajiri got back to his winning ways at Dream 17 with a first round TKO of UFC veteran Drew Fickett.

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.

Video of the Day - Kawajiri v. Bow

Here is Tatsuya Kawajiri fighting Ryan Bow in Shooto which occured on 12/14/03 in Chiba, Japan.

Kawajiri fights Gilbert Melendez for the Strikeforce lightweight title at Strikeforce - Diaz v. Daley.

Video of the Day - Alvarez v. Kawajiri

Here is Eddie Alvarez fighting Tatsuya Kawajiri in Dream 5 - Lightweight Grand Prix which took place on 7/21/08 in Osaka, Japan.

Eddie next fights Roger Huerta in a non-title fight at Bellator 33 in Philadelphia, PA.

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 9 - Super Hulk

The first round of the "Superhulk" tournament kicked off with Gegard Mousasi earning yet another victory, this time against super-heavyweight Mark Hunt. Ikuhisa Minowa and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou were also able to topple their respective giants in Bob Sapp and Jan Nortje.

Jose Canseco's black pajama pants couldn't stop a Hong Man Choi beating, as Canseco crumpled to the canvas after attempting a kick and ate numerous punches before tapping. Apparenty Canseco had injured his knee before training. The final four of the Super Hulk tournament are Sokoudjou, Minowa, Mousasi and Choi.

The Dream FW tournament also wrapped, with three upsets, and a final four of Tokoro, Fernandes, Takaya and Warren. Joe Warren toppled the seemingly untouchable Kid Yamamoto for his first loss since 2002. The Mayhem Miller v. Jacare MW championship was not determined, as Miller struck Jacare in the head with a kick while Jacare was grounded. The bout was declared a no contest.

Results:
Ikuhisa Minowa def Bob Sapp Sub (Achilles Lock) R1, 1:15
Hong Man Choi def Jose Canseco Sub (Punches) R1, 1:17
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def Jan Nortje TKO (Punches) R1, 2:29
Gegard Mousasi def Mark Hunt Sub(Armbar) R1, 1:19
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Gesias Cavalcante Dec (Unanimous)
Hideo Tokoro def Abel Cullum Sub(Rear-Naked Choke) R2, 1:38
Hiroyuki Takaya def Yoshiro Maeda TKO (Punches) R1, 9:40
Bibiano Fernandes def Masakazu Imanari Dec (Unanimous)
Joe Warren def Norifumi Yamamoto Dec (Split)
Ronaldo Souza no contest Jason Miller (Illegal Kick)


(Ikuhisa Minowa, now with a 42-30 record, pictured)

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)

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

Dream Results - Rd 1

The first round of the lightweight Grand Prix went down on Saturday night, and there are now even more questions surrounding the event. The potential blockbuster fight between Shinya Aoki and JZ Calvancante faded into an oblivion after JZ threw at least one illegal elbow. The elbow struck Aoki in the neck. After the event, he explained that he would have returned and fought but he was unable to move his right arm.

I have seen most of the fights on Daily Motion and Ultimate MMA Videos. Eddie Alvarez looks to be the dark horse of the tournament. Here are the results.

Non-Tournament Bouts:

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai def. Hidetaka Monma via TKO (strikes) - R1 4:12
Ikuhisa Minowa def. Bum Chan Kang via sub (kneebar) - R1 1:25
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic def. Tatsuya Mizuno via TKO (strikes) - R1 0:56

Tournament Bouts:

JZ Calvancante v. Shinya Aoki no contest (illegal elbow) - R1 3:46
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Kultar Gill via unanimous decision
Eddie Alvarez def. Andre Amade via TKO - R1 6:47
Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Bu Kyung Jung via unanimous decision
Katsuhiko Nagata def. Artur Oumakhanov via unanimous decision
Luiz Firmino def. Kazuyuki Miyata via sub (rear-naked choke) - R1 7:37
Joachim Hansen def. Kotetsu Boku via unanimous decision

*There are 6 fighters who have advanced, if it is a 16 man tourney you would need 8 for the second round. It will be interesting to see what they do with Aoki and Calvancante, technically, they could pass both to the next round.

Yarennoka!!! Results

Yarennoka show does not dissapoint - Thoughts by the MMA Blaster

The M1 Yarennoka card was held in Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan this New Years Eve. It was solid from top to bottom as everyone expected. Watching the video's online, I could see it was the top card of the New Years collective. Here are the results:

Michael Russow def Roman Zentsov - Sub (North/South Choke) R1 2:58
Tatsuya Kawajiri def Luiz Azeredo - Dec.(Unanimous) R2 5:00
Makoto Takimoto def Murilo Bustamante - Dec. (Split) R2 5:00
Mitsuhiro Ishida def Gilbert Melendez - Dec. (Unanimous) R2 5:00
Kazuo Misaki def Yoshihiro Akiyama KO - (Kick) R1 7:48
Fedor Emelianenko def Hong Man Choi - Sub (Armbar) R1 1:54
Hayato Sakurai def Hidehiko Hasegawa - Dec. (Unanimous) R2 5:00
Shinya Aoki def Bu Kyung Jung Dec. - (Unanimous) R2 5:00

The Fedor fight was interesting in that Hong Man Choi is just so massive. I didn't think I'd ever see Fedor intentionally pull guard but he did, and took a couple big fists to the face to show for it. But, it only took two arm bar attempts to seal the victory.

Bustamante didn't lose his fight, you can never leave a fight to the hands of the judges. Melendez' undefeated streak is over, he didn't look very good out there. Russow looked pretty good in his first fight on a big stage, but Zentsov looked like he just wasn't on his game in that fight.

Akiyama is hated by the Japapese fans after the incident in his fight with Sakuraba. Apparently he was wearing an oil to make his skin more slippery. The fight with Misaki was very entertaining, the ending is pretty spectacular.