5/10 Shooto Final Tradition - Live RESULTS

The event has just started in Korakuen Hall, I will be updating the results as soon as they become available. It is the best Shooto card I can remember and some of their biggest Japanese stars are participating. This event will shake up the Shooto rankings as well.

The first fight of the night was cancelled, Korean Sol didnt make weight and he is disqualified.

1. Middle: Sol Kyung Pyo(?) vs. Takesuke Kume Cancelled

2. Fly: Megumi Fuji Def. Chu Won Bun by arm-lock Round 1 0:52

3. Light: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura Def. Takumi Ota by Decision (20-18, 20-18, 10-17)
Accourding to the Shooto site, "Wicky" takes round 1.

There is a short break.
Inside report: I have some friends on the crowd who are telling me the atmosphere is great. "Mega-Megu" barely broke a sweat in her fight, while the fight between "Wicky" and Ota was very entertaining.

There are now 40 former and current Shooto champions and stars in the ring and they are having a 20 year anniversary ceremony. Some of the fighters in the ring are: "Mach", Uno, Kawajiri, Aoki, Hioki, Mamoru, Enson, BJ, Matsune... The list goes on...

There has been some announcements for the Shooto event in Korakuen Hall 19. July. Shooto Featherweight champion, Masakatsu Ueda, will put his title on the line against the young and very talented Brazilan, Eduardo Dantas. Also participating will be bantamweight champion "BJ" Kojima.

Announced: Featherweight title fight:
Masakatsu Ueda vs. Eduardo Dantas

4. Welter: Koutetsu Boku Def. Yutaka Ueda by TKO Round 1 4:56

5. Welter: Kenichiro Togashi Def. Tetsuji Kato by decision 2-0 (30-28, 29-29, 29-28)
Sounds like round 1 went the way of Togashi. Round 2, fighters were feeling eachother out, and did not engage as much as round 1. Sounds like round 2 is a draw.

Inside report: The crowd showed a lot of appriciation for the 40 Shooto ledgends that came to the ring. Boku vs. Ueda was a very good fight and lots of good hits. Togashi and Kato was evenly matched, as the scorecard also suggests.

No wins coming out of the blue corner so far.

6. Welter: Mizuto Hirota Def. Mitsuhiro Ishida by TKO Round 1 1:33
The event has an upset, Hirota is better than his reputation though. But defeating Ishida showes how good he is. Hirota floors Ishida with a left hook, followed by a straight right. Ishida is struggling to recover when the referee steps in.

7. Welter: Willamy Chiquerim "Chiqueirinho" Def. Yusuke Endo by Guilliotine Round 1 5:00
How long before "Chiqueirinho" gets a shot at the title or is picked up by a bigger organization? A very strong win!

Inside report: Ishida looked in control when Hirota struck, not unusual for Hirota to strike like that. Chiquerim was very impressive in his performance and the 1st win for the blue corner.

8. Welter: Takanori Gomi Def. Takashi Nakakura by TKO Round 2 4:24
Gomi looks to have come out on top in Round 1. A very strong win by Gomi. Nakakura had not lost since August 2005, on that occation to Ishida. Gomi needed this win, coming off 2 straight losses.

Inside Report: From my friends in the stands: Lots of attention for this fight, and it delivered! This is a FOTY candidate. Gomi showes that he is very happy to get this win, he was definately under pressure coming in.

Lightweight Title Fight:
9. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue Def. Rumina Sato by TKO Round 1 4:14
"Lion" retains his title, Rumina has now lost 4 in a row.

From SportsNavi May 10, 2009:
1st roundBoth take an orthodox stance Rumina, keeping low springs up with a swinging hook Lion blocks with his arm and doesn’t allow it to hit. After that Rumina crouches like he’s ducking and from that position unleashes a right hook, jab and backfist, looking like he might put Lion off balance。But with Lion’s strong press he was unable to find a good opening.

Rumina’s tricky moves like a superman punch prevented getting closing the distance from the front. Rumina throws an axe kick. Lion doesn’t allow it to connect but he receives a back spinning kick from Rumina after that. After Rumina’s attack Lion lands a right straight.

From a crouching position Rumina continues his tricky attacks with a side kick. From there he lands a clean hit with a swinging hook which he makes good on by grabbing a hold of Lion. All at once Rumina moves in and locks up, then gets Lion’s knees. The match looks like it is about to finish but Lion, ignoring the armlock throws a flurry of hooks that give Rumina some damage. When Rumina falls near the corner Lion follows with the pound and finishes the match with a final rush.

Inside report: It finishes with another good fight. A very good event, all the fighters show a lot of passion and heart. It is easy to see that the fighters have a lot of passion for Shooto and that is why it has survived all these years and the stars continue come back.

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5/10 Shooto Final Tradition - Fight Order

Tomorrow Shooto will have their last event in the Tradition series, and it will be an amazing card and it might be one of the better events of the year.

On the card are Dream and Sengoku veterans like Takanori Gomi, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Mizuto Hirota, Koutetsu Boku and "Wicky" Akiyo. In addition to that, there will be a lightweight title fight between the champion "Lion" Takeshi and Shooto star Rumina Sato.

This is an awesome card from top to bottom.

Lightweight Title Fight:
9. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue 15-3-0 vs. 24-13-2 Rumina Sato

8. Welter: Takanori Gomi 29-5-0 vs. 11-2-1 Takashi Nakakura
7. Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-2 vs. 12-1-0 Willamy Chiquerim "Chiqueirinho"
6. Welter: Mitsuhiro Ishida 18-4-1 vs. 10-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
5. Welter: Kenichiro Togashi 8-6-5 vs. 19-8-0 Tetsuji Kato
4. Welter: Koutetsu Boku 13-5-2 vs. 6-1-1 Yutaka Ueda
3. Light: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-4-1 vs. 4-2-1 Takumi Ota
2. Fly: Megumi Fuji 16-0-0 vs. Chu Won Bun (?)
1. Middle: Sol Kyung Pyo(?) vs. 4-1-2 Takesuke Kume

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5/10 Shooto Final Tradition - Change to Megumi Fuji's Opponent

Kim Don Hee (?) is out of her fight with the undefeated Megumi Fuji, the replacement is another Korean fighter. Chu Won Bun is a muay thai fighter with a muay thai record of 10-3. The 35 year old Korean is unlikely to be a threat to the undefeated Mega-Megu, but no opponent should be taken lightly.

Change:
Fly: Megumi Fuji 16-0-0 vs. Chu Won Bun (?)

Rest of the card:
Lightweight Title Fight:
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue 15-3-0 vs. 24-13-2 Rumina Sato

Welter: Takanori Gomi 29-5-0 vs. 11-2-1 Takashi Nakakura
Welter: Koutetsu Boku 13-5-2 vs. 6-1-1 Yutaka Ueda
Welter: Mitsuhiro Ishida 18-4-1 vs. 10-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
Welter: Kenichiro Togashi 8-6-5 vs. 19-8-0 Tetsuji Kato
Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-2 vs. 12-1-0 Willamy Chiquerim "Chiqueirinho"
Light: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-4-1 vs. 4-2-1 Takumi Ota
Middle: Jae Yong Jun vs. 4-1-2 Takesuke Kume

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5/10 Shooto Final Tradition - T-Shirt

Shooto is putting on the best card I can remeber for their final "Tradition" event, and of course such an occation demands a t-shirt. The Shooto t-shirts always look good and this will be sold at the event for JPY 4,500.

The card has fighters such as Takanori Gomi, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Megumi Fuji, Mizuto Hirota, Koutetsu Boku and "Lion" Takeshi.



A reminder of the fights announced:

Lightweight Title Fight:
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue 15-3-0 vs. 24-13-2 Rumina Sato

Welter: Takanori Gomi 29-5-0 vs. 11-2-1 Takashi Nakakura
Welter: Koutetsu Boku 13-5-2 vs. 6-1-1 Yutaka Ueda
Welter: Mitsuhiro Ishida 18-4-1 vs. 10-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
Fly: Megumi Fuji 16-0-0 vs. Kim Don Hee (?)
Welter: Kenichiro Togashi 8-6-5 vs. 19-8-0 Tetsuji Kato
Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-2 vs. 12-1-0 Willamy Chiquerim "Chiqueirinho"
Light: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-4-1 vs. 4-2-1 Takumi Ota
Middle: Zon Yon Ze (?) vs. 4-1-2 Takesuke Kume

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5/10 Shooto Final Tradition - DREAM vs. Sengoku - Mitsuhiro Ishida Fighting!

The final card in the "Tradition" series, honoring Shooto's 20th anniversary, is lookeing like the best Shooto event I can remember...

Announced today was a fight that is promoted as Dream vs. Sengoku. Representing DREAM is Mitsuhiro Ishida, he is taking on Sengoku's Mizuto Hirota. But this is not the only big fight announced!

Also on the card is female star Megumi Fuji, who will be taking on Korean fighter and I am not sure of the name, Kim Don Hee.

Shooto veteran Kenichiro Togashi should have his hands full with Tetsuji Kato. The Strikeforce veteran is returning to Shooto after almost 2 years away from the ring, his last fight was a decision loss to Gilbert Melendez in September 2007. He has not fought in Shooto since 2003.

And the big fights dont stop there! The Pacific champion, Yusuke Endo, is going to take on the South American champion, "Chiqueirinho", in a fight that wont be for a title but will be an important fight to determine the #1 contender for Nakakura's title.

"Wicky" is also coming back to Shooto after fighting in both the Cage Force and DREAM tournaments. He is always a popular addition to these cards, and he should be the favorite in his fight with Takumi Ota. Coming off 2 straight losses, "Wicky" will want to end this early, and in the process improve his Shooto ranking.

Announced:
Welter: Mitsuhiro Ishida 18-4-1 vs. 10-3-1 Mizuto Hirota
Fly: Megumi Fuji 16-0-0 vs. Kim Don Hee (?)
Welter: Kenichiro Togashi 8-6-5 vs. 19-8-0 Tetsuji Kato
Welter: Yusuke Endo 12-2-2 vs. 12-1-0 Willamy Chiquerim "Chiqueirinho"
Light: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-4-1 vs. 4-2-1 Takumi Ota
Middle: Zon Yon Ze (?) vs. 4-1-2 Takesuke Kume

Previously Announced:
Lightweight Title Fight:
"Lion" Takeshi Inoue 15-3-0 vs. 24-13-2 Rumina Sato

Welter: Takanori Gomi 29-5-0 vs. 11-2-1 Takashi Nakakura
Welter: Koutetsu Boku 13-5-2 vs. 6-1-1 Yutaka Ueda

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3/8 DREAM 7 - LIVE Results

I will be posting results and some short comments here. Am at home, enjoying the event live on SkyPerfect.

For play-by-play, Sherdog will do the honors, that means that I can sit back and relax with a few friends and beers.

If you have some questions relating to the event, please feel free to leave a comment (if you get an error message, click the "Post Comment" button again).

It should be a very good and exciting event, and it will start a couple of hours after the UFC event finishes (4PM Japan time).

Some background reading:
My preditions
Some Betting Odds (so many sites out there for this..)
Presenting the Featherweights (Sengoku and DREAM

Other sites to follow the event on:
Sherdog PbP
BloodyElbow

Spoilers if you read on!

The live broadcast has started, and we should soon be watching the first fight.

DREAM 7 is dedicated to the memory of Helio Gracie, both Kazushi Sakuraba and Yuki Nakai was in the ring to honor his memory.

Results:
1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
The fighters are making their way to the ring, it looks like there would be no problem getting a ticket, but its still early. I think this might be one of the better fights though.

Round 1
Bibiano gets the takedown early, and is working for side control. Bibiano has been on top so far, but the damage is limited to some punches and the ref stands it up. Bibiano gets yellow card, and looks puzzled, the crowd agrees.
Otsuka looks nervous,and he has a bloody nose that seems to attract his attention. So far Bibiano should be ahead.

1st round is over and I think Otsuka has looked nervous. Bibiano won this round, but it is judged as one.

Round 2
Bibiano gets Otsukas back early in the 2nd, but Otsuka just stands up and is able to get out. IMO Otsuka is showing his skills only in defense today, normally he is a very offensive fighter and I think it looks like he is afraid of losing. Otsuka is hit with a knee that almost ends the fight, but he is able to continue to fight back.

This should be a decision to Bibiano.
The judges agree 3-0 Bibiano.

2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
The fighters are in the ring.

Round 1
As expected, Joe Warren is going for takedowns, but so far is unable to make it stick. Chase is looking good on his feet so far. Beebe looks like he is getting tired in the 2nd half of the round and Warren is able to take him down. The momentum is changing a bit now. Beebe gets a big cut over his left eye from a knee, the end of the round was all Warren.

The doctor stops the fight due to the cut on Chase Beebe, Joe Warren wins his debut.

3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
The fighters are in the ring now, and "Wicky" is now known as the MMA Monkey.

Round 1
So far, Cullum has been very agressive and been able to take the fight to the ground. "Wicky" gets out of what looks like a very good arm-bar attempt, but Cullum is spending a lot of energy. "Wicky" is not able to get the space he needs to far. "Wicky" is very busy defending on the ground, this is a very good jiu-jitsu fight so far. Cullum has been cut by a knee and some counter punches, but he is still winning this fight so far. Cullum gets mount and this time makes it count, but "Wicky" scrambles and gets guard.

Round 2
Cullum has come in with a VERY good gameplan, the fight has been all ground so far and "Wicky" has not been able to get anything going. Finally "Wicky" gets something going, but the time is almost up.

"Wicky" got to show a little bit, but Cullum should get this decision in a very good fight. Cullum really showed that he is quality fighter.

Cullum gets the decision 3-0

4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
Round 1
This fight starts slow, Ishida is very careful in going forwards and then goes for a takedown. Nakamura is going for a Kimura. Nakamura scrambles, but Ishida gets out on top. Nakamura is very technical, but Ishida is showing strength is getting out of kimura attempt. Nakamura gets a small cut, looks like it is from the glove, not a puch. The doctor checks it, and the fight continues. This is turning into a ground fight with Nakamura on the bottom.

Round 2
The 2nd round is continuing like the first, Ishida is on top and Nakamura is scambling to get out. Nakamura is going for a leg-lock in the dying seconds, but time runs out. I would give this to Ishida.

Decision goes to Ishida 3-0

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Round 1
The fighters are standing off in the start, as expected Aoki goes for a takedown and gets mount. Like a spider Aoki takes the back and continues to work for a choke, Gardner fights it off so far. Gardner is able to get out and runs away to make Aoki stand up. Aoki quicky gets the back and Gardner deceides to say "hello Japan", Aoki uses that to sink in the choke and gets the submission by rear-naked choke. One of the most stupid things I have seen....

Break - No News...

6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri
Fighters are entering the ring for the first after the break.

Round 1
Ebanez didnt make weight and gets yellow card. Kawajiri gets the takedown, as expected, but Ebanez is able to get back up. Kawajiri gets the back and attempts to get a rear-naked in. Eventually the rear-naked choke sinks in, a convinsing win by Kawajiri.

Kawajiri wants to fight JZ Calvan at DREAM 9! That would be an awesome fight!

7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Micah Miller comes in wearing long tights, dont know if he will wear them in the fight but this is one fight I have been looking forward to!

Round 1
Miller looks a lot taller than I expected. Maeda is running around the reach so far and they almost fall out of the ring. Maeda takes Miller (who is compered to Aoki by Japanese commentators) down. Maeda is not making much progress on top, Miller is showing off his guard. The ref stands it up and gives a yellow (I dont know who), the fight goes straight back to the ground, Miller on bottom. Miller goes for an omopalata, but Maeda gets out. The fights been all Miller so far.

Round 2
Miller looks a lot more tired than Maeda, but he is leading after the 1st round. Miller is tired but continues to go forward and try for takedowns. Maeda is still looking good and the fight could go either way. Just as the bell rings Miller has an arm-bar attempt going. I would give it to Miller.

Maeda gets the decision 3-0, and I am surprised!

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Round 1
Looks like Won is not going for takedowns yet, but I expect that to change soon. Very quiet start to the fight. Takaya throws a body kick that allows Won to take him down, but it looks like Takaya will get right back up. The fight has been mainly standup, but very little action.

Round 2
Takaya closes in and a straight right hits the target. The ref steps in to save won as Takaya continues the GnP. Takaya by TKO.

Main-Event - Featherweight Round 1:
9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Round 1
Yamamoto shows he has power in his punches, but it only takes Imanari to the ground (where he wants to be). Imanari has Yamamoto in his guard, but is unable to do anything. He is going for a gogopalata, but the ref stands it up. Nothing really happens on the feet and Yamamoto gets another takedown. Imanari sweeps and gets on top, still no sign of a foot lock that everyone is expecting. Instead he goes for an arm-bar. Yamamoto gets out on top and is in Imanari's guard. Imanari continue to go for the gogopalata when the bell rings.

Round 2
Imanari gets another yellow as Yamamoto is on top and Imanari is inactive ont he bottom. Imanari is keeping his dstance, and to be honest its pretty boring. Yamamoto gets another takedown and is on top. Imanari uses the rubber guard, like he has all fight, and Yamamoto gets up. The fight ends with Yamamoto on top, like most of the fight, and he should get this decision.

Imanari get the decision 2-1!

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DREAM 7 - Predictions

I normally don't do this, but I am seeing that some fans think this is the weakest DREAM card yet. These things are always subjective, but I would wait until after the event to judge. The fact that you don't know the fighters doesn't make them bad... I see fighters on this card that I know nothing about, and that makes me more interested. FEG has seen them worthy of a spot, and I want to see if they can live up to that.

The real reason some fighters are lesser known is that few featherweights have, up until now, fought overseas. Also keep in mind that this GP is at 63.5kg, which might actually make it closer to a bantamweight GP (depending on what you are used to watching).

It is a long time since I have done this, but I will give you my predictions.

A word of warning: I suck at predicting fights, and you might do better going with the opposite picks of mine. I never put money on the fights and if you do, please base that on your own predicitions.

1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
This match up looks awesome to me, Bibiano is famous for his jiu-jitsu and that is key here. Otsuka's base is wrestling, but he is a bred MMA fighter with few weaknesses.

Otsuka will try to keep this fight standing, but it will hit the ground at one point. Otsuka will try to make it later.

I think it will be an entertaining fight that will go the distance. If it does, I think its because Otsuka is successful and he gets the decision.

2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
These are 2 fighters that I know virtually nothing about. Chase Beebe has the MMA experience, a veteran of WEC he lost his 2 last fights and will be looking to get back on the winning track.

Joe Warren, all I know is that he is a very good wrestler and has some solid training partners. Could he be another King Mo? We will have to wait and see, but he has everything to gain in this fight.

I would go for Chase Beebe, but its just because of his experience.

3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
Abel Cullum is another of the fighters I am looking forward to seeing here. I have seen a few of his fights and his jiu-jitsu is very good. The key here will be his take downs though.

"Wicky" is a guy that fans of Japanese MMA will be very familiar with, even though he will make his debut on the big stage tomorrow. "Wicky" is one of the more exciting and unorthodox fighters out there, and unusually for Japanese fighters, this guy does not want to go to the ground.

Key for "Wicky" will be to get into the right rhythm, and I think he will enjoy the big stage. Cullum needs to make his take downs stick, he does not want to stand with "Wicky".

I see Abel Cullum being hit late in round 1, and will predict a TKO win for "Wicky". Remember: 10 minutes 1st rounds.

4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
This is an awesome match-up, and a chance for Daisuke Nakamura to climp into the top 10 lightweights.

Ishida is a fighter that in some ways seems to fly under the radar, a very quiet and unassuming guy, but in the ring he means business. He has only been submitted once in his career, that was to Caol Uno in the DREAM tournament last year. He quickly redeemed himself by a spectacular fashion in his US debut.

Nakamura has quietly built an 8 fight winning streak, his last loss being to Vitor Ribeiro. He is a well rounded fighter, and is often involved in very exciting fights.

Key for Ishida will be to get Nakamura to the ground and I think he has the wrestling to do that, but once there he needs to keep Nakamura on his back. That is where he can start his GnP. I think Ishida's wrestling and strength will be too much for Nakamura. Ishida will get the decision.

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
We are getting into 2 fights that I wont go into too much details... Everyone knows Shinya Aoki and what he will be looking to do, I know nothing about David Gardner.

Aoki will win this one by submission, I hope it will be something exciting.

I know what you are thinking, whats with this match-up??? It is because Aoki is fighting in the welterweight GP next month. It is worth noting that this fight is at welterweight.

Before the next fight, there is a short break. Look for welterweight GP news here.

6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri
I have very little knowledge of Ross Ebanez, but I do know a bit about Kawajiri.

I hope Kawajiri pulls it together here. He will get the win, I hope its not be decision.

7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
This match-up is very hard to predict for me, it makes it a good one. But I also have not seen enough of Micah Miller to know what Maeda is up against.

Maeda I think is a bit unpredictable and it seems to be against taller and aggressive fighters. Miller is taller, I don't know if he is aggressive enough.

This fight has delayed this post for a few days now, gut feeling says Miller will take it.

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Hiroyuki Takaya is a very experienced fighter, he is taking on a Korean Judoka in Kim Jong Won. Won is making his MMA debut, and Dong Sik Yoon has said he is very impressed by his striking. I don't think he should try to strike his way to a win here though.

Hiroyuki Takaya will take this if he comes in shape, I am worried about his weight cutting "skills" (stamina) especially in the later part of round 1. Takaya by decision.

9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
If you dont know what to expect fromt the main event, you have not followed Japanese MMA closely (and there is nothing wrong with that). Imanari is famous for his leg-locks, Yamamoto will try to keep this fight standing for as long as it takes to wreck Imanari's face (see the Tokoro fight).

Imanari is not going to waste time on his feet, look for him to dive in and go for a leg. The whole world will know what to expect here.

I see this fight ending in the first few minutes, it could be by a Yamamoto KO/TKO. More likely is a Imanari submission though.

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Fight Order

FEG have announced the fight order for Sunday's Featherweight GP Round 1. The main event is the fight between Masakazu Imanari and Atsushi Yamamoto, and I cant see it going the distance.

The night will be kicking off with a fight that I think might be fight of the night, Otsuka vs. Bibiano. It should be a close fight and I think it will be very entertaining.

This event is all about the featherweights, but there will be other big names on the card as well, including Tatsuya Kawajiri, Shinya Aoki and Mitsuhiro Ishida.

Main-Event - Featherweight Round 1:
9. Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto

8. Feather GP: Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
7. Feather GP: Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
6. Light: Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri

Break

5. Welter: Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
4. Light: Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
3. Feather GP: "Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum
2. Feather GP: Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
1. Feather GP: Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Betting Odds

Here are the betting lines from Sportsbook.com. I have never used any betting company, so if you have experience, good or bad, it would be good to hear about it.

Anyway, the odds seem ok. Kawajiri and Aoki are going in as huge favorites, but thats probably to be expected. If I were looking for value, I would go for Otsuka.

Tatsuya Kawajiri -575
Ross Ebanez +375

Shinya Aoki -1100
David Gardner +600

Mitsuhiro Ishida -185
Daisuke Nakamura +155

Masakazu Imanari -185
Atsushi Yamamoto +155

Hiroyuki Takaya -175
Jong Won Kim +145

Yoshiro Maeda -155
Micah Miller +125

Chase Beebe -140
Joe Warren +110

Takafumi Otsuka +165
Bibiano Fernandes -205

Akiyo Nishiura +105
Abel Cullum -135

Some additional odds from MMA Underdogs/Bodog.

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Kawajiri Fighting

Tatsuya Kawajiri is one of the bigger stars in Japan at the moment, his KO win on NYE against Kozo Takeda with K-1 rules was certainly noticed (along with the other upsets under K-1 rules). This time he will compete under MMA rules, and against a very experienced opponent.

This time Kawajiri is taking on the American Ross Ebanez from BJ Penns gym. He is a veteran of ROTR and EliteXC, other than that, I know very little but I am sure that will change soon.

Both fighters have faced Eddie Alvarez, and lasted almost to the second as long (7:35 for Kawajiri and 7:32 for Ebanez).

With just over 1 week to the event, I think the card is just about complete now.
Added:
Ross Ebanez 19-6-0 vs. 22-5-2 Tatsuya Kawajiri

Previously Announced:
Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

Featherweight GP 1st Round:
Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
"Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum

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3/8 DREAM 7 - Ishida vs. Nakamura Announced

At yesterday's DEEP event, it was announced that Mitsuhiro Ishida will face Daisuke Nakamura at DREAM 7. This will of course not be a GP fight, but one of the non-GP fights on the card.

Daisuke Nakamura had an amazing 2008, winning all of his 7 fight and only once going the distance. His last loss came to Vitor Ribeiro, and he has only 1 loss in his last 12 fights. This should be a very good fight.

Another one will be the fight between Shinya Aoki and David Gardner. Aoki expressed an interest in fighting on the DREAM 7 card, even though he is scheduled for DREAM 8 as well. DREAM has granted him that request, and I am sure the Japanese fans will be looking forward to that fight. David Gardner is an experienced opponent and he has been to Japan before. On that occation, he was fighting in Cage Force and he lost to Koutetsu Boku.

DREAM 7 is shaping up to be a very good card, main focus will be on the featherweight GP, of course.

Announced:
Shinya Aoki 19-3-0 vs. 16-10-0 David Gardner
Mitsuhiro Ishida 17-4-1 vs. 19-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

Previously announced:
Masakazu Imanari 15-6-1 vs. 12-5-1 Atsushi Yamamoto
Hiroyuki Takaya 9-6-1 vs. Kim Jong Won
Yoshiro Maeda 23-6-2 vs. 10-2-0 Micah Miller
Chase Beebe 12-3-0 vs. Joe Warren
Takafumi Otsuka 8-3-1 vs. 3-2-0 Bibiano Fernandes
"Wicky" Akiyo Nishiura 9-3-1 vs. 13-2-0 Abel Cullum

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12/31 Dynamite - Alvarez finally take on Aoki

First up, appologies for being very late with this. I was busy yesterday and didn't have time to get the post written up. Hopefully, it will lead to better things down the road though.

The fights added are interesting, to say the least. Shinya Aoki was meant to face Eddie Alvarez in this year's Lightweight Tournament final. That didn't happen, and there should be a lot at stake in this fight! My guess is that the winner gets a shot at "HellBoy"'s title early next year.

The other fight announced is also MMA rules and will feature 2 K-1 stars. Of course Mark Hunt have gone on to improve his resume by including both Pride and Hustle ProWresting to that. Hunt's last performance in DREAM was something he would like to put behind him, and it will be interesting if he is able to bounce back against LeBanner. Based on it being MMA rules, Hunt might come in as the favorite, but his comback against Alistair Overeem left more questions than answers. Lets hope we get some answers in this one!

Added:
DREAM Rule:
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Lebanner
Shinya Aoki vs. Eddie Alvarez

Previously announced:
K-1 Rule
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda

DREAM Rule
Kazushi Sakuraba 24-11-1 vs. 32-13-2 Kiyoshi Tamura
Joachim Hansen 19-7-1 vs. 14-2-1 "JZ" Gesias Cavalcante

K-1 Youth Tournament Semi-Final (Final held same night):
Hiroya vs. Shota Shimada
Tatsuya Kusakabe vs. Koya Urabe

Participants:
Masato
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
Caol Uno
Hideo Tokoro
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Masakatsu Funaki
Katsuyori Shibata
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Junichi Sawayashiki
Yoshihiro Sato
Yasuhiro Kido
Taishin Kohiruimaki
Mirko Crocop
Hong Man Choi

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FEG Dynamite Press Conference

I just got back from the press conference. Not a lot of surprises, and no match ups are ready, but some fighters were presented.

This is of course the biggest day on the calendar for any MMA fan in Japan, and this year should be very good.

The only foreign fighter present was Joachim Hansen, who also took the opportunity to promote Simeon Thoresen's fight on Thursday.

Joachim brought what everyone there wanted, the belt.



Of the Japanese fighters, the question is really who was not there...

Anyway, here is the list of who were present:
Joachim Hansen
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai
Yuichi Nakanishi (DEEP Middleweight champ)
Musashi
Kazushi Sakuraba
Shinya Aoki
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Masakazu Imanari
Atsushi Yamamoto
Takeshi Yamazaki
Minowaman
Seichi Ikemoto (DEEP Welterweight Champ)
Kiyoshi Tamura
Yoshihiro Sato
Yasuhiro Kido
Kuniyoshi Hironaka

Yoshihiro Sato wanted a re-match with Masato, Tanigawa (K-1 event producer) said that it would be a fight he would like to see, but no promises could be made at the time.


FEG is negotiating with Fedor. Mirko Crocop and Hong Man Choi are also considered as participants.

Both Aoki and Sakuraba were jokingly challenged Akiyama.




Musashi had been celebrating his birthday, and admited that he was still a bit drunk. He seemed to enjoy center stage with Sakuraba.




Other than Crocop, Fedor and Hong Man Choi, they also mentioned "Kid", Masato, Funaki and Mousasi. Add Badr Hari to that (I feel he was confirmed at DREAM 6).

As I said, this will be a huge event. It is said to contain 15-20 fights both MMA and K-1 rule.

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FEG (K-1 MAX and DREAM) Presents Akasaka Fight Fest

From June 30 to July 6 FEG will hold an event in Akasaka Sacas (Click here for directions) . Every day next week some of the biggest stars of FEG and DREAM will be there.

If you are in the area, this is something you should go and check out!

6/30 19:00-20:00 DREAM: Yamamoto "Kid" - Q&A
7/1 18:00-19:00 K-1 MAX: Masato - Open practice
7/1 19:00-20:00 DREAM: Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Masakazu Imanari, Hidehiko Hasegawa - Special interview/talkshow and open practice + price giveaways.
7/2 18:00-19:00 K-1 MAX: Haruaki Otsuki, Daisuke Uematsu. Susumu Daiguji, Saiga Kizaemomu, Hirotaka Tode - Open practice and interview.
7/2 19:00-20:00 DREAM: Masakatsu Funaki, Katsuyori Shibata + more pro-wrestlers
7/3 18:00-19:00 K-1 MAX: Yoshihiro Sato, Yasuhiro Kido - Open Practice
7/3 19:00-20:00 DREAM: Caol Uno, Hideo Tokoro - Open Practice and interview
7/4 18:00-20:00 K-1 MAX: Buakaw, Andy Souwer other foreign MAX fighters - Interview and charity auction
7/5 13:00-15:00 DREAM: Yoshihiro Akiyama and others, making promotion for DREAM special on July 13.
7/5 16:00-20:00 K-1 MAX: Special match, 3-4 fight + Muay Thai/Karate fights

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5/11 DREAM 3 - RESULTS

Just came back from an amazing event!! This was really a level up from the two first DREAM events. I am really disappointed that Joachim lost, but it was a great fight and both fighters had their chances. I dont think any of them should be disappointed with their efforts.

Caol Uno pulled of the upset of the night and got a very good victory over Ishida. Disappointment of the night was Kawajiri acting like a spoiled brat after Uno's victory.

BTW, Nick Diaz and Jason Miller were very good and entertaining in their fights! This was a very good event!

Lightweight Tournament Round 2:
8. Caol Uno Def. Mitsuhiro Ishida by rear-naked choke Round 2, 1:39
7. Eddie Alvarez Def. Joachim Hansen by decision 3-0
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Luiz “Buscape” Firmino by decision 3-0

Welterweight Champion Eliminator:
5. Nick Diaz Def. Katsuya Inoue by TKO (towel thrown) Round 1 6:47

Non-Tournament Fight:
4. Daisuke Nakamura Def. Jung Bukyung Round 2 1:15

Middleweight Tournament Reserve Fight:
3. Melvin Manhoef Def. Kim Dae Won by TKO (Knees and punches) Round 1 4:08

Middleweight Tournament Round 1:
2. Jason Miller Def. Katsuyori Shibata by TKO (punches) Round 1 6:07 dedicated his fight to Kato-san and his family.

Non-Tournament Fight:
1. Takeshi Yamazaki Def. Shoji Maruyama by decsion 3-0

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5/11 DREAM 3 - Fight order

Finally DREAM has annouced the fight order for tomorrow. I cant wait for this one, this is the best DREAM card yet.

Main event:
Lightweight Tournament Round 2:
8. Caol Uno 24-10-4 vs. 16-3-1 Mitsuhiro Ishida
7. Joachim Hansen 17-6-1 vs. 13-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri 21-4-2 vs. 12-3-0 Luiz “Buscape” Firmino

Welterweight Champion Eliminator:
5. Nick Diaz 15-7-0 vs. 16-5-3 Katsuya Inoue

Non-Tournament Fight:
4. Jung Bukyung 0-2-0 vs. 13-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura

Middleweight Tournament Reserve Fight:
3. Melvin Manhoef 20-4-1 vs. Kim Dae Won

Middleweight Tournament Round 1:
2. Jason Miller 20-5-0 vs. 2-3-0 Katsuyori Shibata

Non-Tournament Fight:
1. Takeshi Yamazaki 13-7-2 vs. 6-2-1 Shoji Maruyama

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5/11 DREAM 3 - Card Complete (?)

It looks as though the DREAM 3 card it complete, still a small question mark over Nick Diaz but it looks as though he is fighting too. There is a lot to look forward to on this card! I am planning a preview of all the fights tomorrow, hopfully I can finish it. Either way, the last fighter added to the card is Pancrase title holder, Shoji.

Shoji is a fighter with lots of talent, but he is yet to fight on this level. His biggest win to date was his KO win over Artur Oumakhanov in January, that victory earned him the Pancrase title. He should have a good battle against the veteran Takeshi Yamazaki.

Added:
Takeshi Yamazaki 13-7-2 vs. 6-2-1 Shoji Maruyama

The complete card:
Lightweight Tournament Round 2:
Caol Uno 24-10-4 vs. 16-3-1 Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri 21-4-2 vs. 12-3-0 Luiz “Buscape” Firmino
Joachim Hansen 17-6-1 vs. 13-1-0 Eddie Alvarez

Welterweight Champion Eliminator:
Nick Diaz 15-7-0 vs. 16-5-3 Katsuya Inoue

Middleweight Tournament Round 1:
Jason Miller 20-5-0 vs. 2-3-0 Katsuyori Shibata

Middleweight Tournament Reserve Fight:
Melvin Manhoef 20-4-1 vs. Kim Dae Won

Non-Tournament Fights:
Jung Bukyung 0-2-0 vs. 13-9-0 Daisuke Nakamura
Takeshi Yamazaki 13-7-2 vs. 6-2-1 Shoji Maruyama

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DREAM 2 and 3 Fights Announced

DREAM has made their decision regarding the outcome of the controversial JZ vs. Aoki fight. There will be a re-match in DREAM 2. The winner of this will get to fight 2 less than 2 weeks later in the quarter final. Sounds unfair? Well, the opponent will be Nagata, who is the weakest link in my opinion.

So, announced today:

DREAM 2:
Shinya Aoki 12-2-0 vs. 14-1-1 Gesias "J.Z." Calvancante


DREAM 3:
The DREAM Lightweight Quarter-Finals were also announced, and the winners of the 2 best fights (Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez) in the first round will face off against each other.

The Quarter Finals:
Tatsuya Kawajiri 21-4-2 vs. 12-3-0 Luiz Firmino "Buscape"
Winner Aoki/JZ vs. 4-2-0 Katsuhiko Nagata
Joachim Hansen 17-6-1 vs. 13-1-0 Eddie Alvarez
Mitsuhiro Ishida 15-3-1 vs. 24-10-4 Caol Uno

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3/15 DREAM - Pictures

DREAM 023
Originally uploaded by japanmma

Minowa was wondering where he was...

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Then he realized this was DREAM's first ever fight, and he was all business. The fight was, as expected, very quick.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Monma entering the ring for his fight against crowd favorite Sakurai "Mach"

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai making his way to the ring.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

"Mach" and Monma as the fight starts. As you can see, the disadvantage with the bigger organizations is the distance to the ring. It is very hard to get good action shots... As a consequence, there will be few good ones.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Then it was time for my personal favorite. Hellboy was facing a very strong opponent in Boku. I have read an interview that Hansen was almost KOed. Just to put the record straight, he was never close to being KOed in this fight, and from where I was sitting, never threatened. This is most likely a translation issue, things can very easily get lost when translating from English to Japanese and back...

It was a question of how long Boku could resist the attack from Hellboy. He lasted the duration of the fight and should be credited for the defence.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

A man on a mission!

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Then it was time for "Buscape" to face the underrated Miyata.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Miyata has a lot of potential, but is yet to show too much. This time, "Buscape"'s ju jitsu skills were too much.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Miata vs. "Buscape"

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

"Buscape" was very happy to secure his place in the next round.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Artur Oumakhanov fought Katsuhiko Nagata, and he has lost 3 of his last 5. I am sure he was disappointed, and this was the weakest fight in the tournament (IMO).

DREAM 077
Originally uploaded by japanmma

Korean Bu Kyung Jung is a much better fighter than his record. It is a question of time before he upsets someone big. It was not to be this time though.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Ishida walked into the ring as one of the favorites for the tournament.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Ishida took the decision, and I hope we get to see more of Bu Kyung Jung in the near future.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

The ring-girls went through their routine during the intermission.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Murilo Bustamante took time to sign some autographs and talk with fans.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Then it was time for the big one, CroCop's back!

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

The fight was more about his return to Japan than the result, but he got his win.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Eddie Alvarez has arrived in Japan!

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Alvarez took on "Dida", who was full of confidence after his performance in HERO's last year.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

Alvarez got an impressive win, and is definitely an outsider to this title.
At this point, I was running out of batteries, and wanted to make sure I got some pictures of Aoki vs. JZ. That meant that I didn't get any pictures of Kawajiri vs. "Black Mamba". I will check with friends and see if they have some good ones.

Anyway, it was time for the main event!

DREAM 145
Originally uploaded by japanmma

Aoki made his entrance. As always to "Baka survivor".

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

J.Z. made his entrance. The Japanese crowd was very excited about this fight.

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Originally uploaded by japanmma

The fight started good, but ended way to quick, the result was a No Contest... Hopefully these fighters get another chance to face each other.
As you saw by my post yesterday, I was a little disappointed. Now that I look back, it was unfortunate that it ended the way it did. But this was the beginning of something REALLY good!! For me, it was good to see Hellboy as we know him, entertaining the crowd, he was dominating and very agressive. But there are so many good fighters in this tournament! I can't wait to see how the fighters match up in the next round!

FightOpinion has put up an estimated paying attendence of 19,120.

DREAM 068
Originally uploaded by japanmma

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3/15 DREAM - MAJOR SPOILER result

Ok, I am home frome DREAM 1. For some reason I dont feel satisfied...

It was a very good production. I think the reason I am not satisfied in the main event...

I dont want to see it end like that... Aoki got a few elbows to the neck and couldn't continue. I think both these fighters will go through to the next round. There is no reasoning behind this, but the way it ended, its hard to justify anything else (of course, there is also the fact that they are 1 fighter short).

Hellboy won, so did Alvarez. The second round will be amazing!!

10- Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias "J.Z." Calvancante NO CONTEST
9- Tatsuya Kawajiri Def. Kultar “Black Mamba” Gil by Decision 3-0
8- Eddie Alvarez Def. Andre "Dida" Amade TKO, 6:47
7- (SF) Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic Def. Tatsuya Mizuno
6- Mitsuhiro Ishida Def. Bu Kyung Jung by decision 3-0
5- Katsuhiko Nagata Def. Artur Oumakhanov by decision 3-0
4- Luiz Firmino "Buscape" Def. Kazuyuki Miyata by front choke Round 1, 7:37
3- Joachim Hansen Def. Koutetsu Boku by decision 3-0
2- (SF) Hayato "Mach" Sakurai Def. Hidetaka Monma By TKO, Round 1 1:12
1- (SF) Minowaman 38-27-8 Def. Lee Gwan Bum by Knee-bar 1:25

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