7/4 Pancrase Passion Tour - 1 Event, 3 Title Fights

Pancrase have announced another title fight to the July 4th event in Differ Ariake. And it is a rematch when Yuki Kondo faces Yuji Hisamatsu, 2 very experienced fighters and last time it ended in a draw.

Announced earlier are title fights in the Bantam- and Flyweight divisions.

Middleweight King of Pancrase title fight:
Yuki Konto 52-23-7 vs. 15-17-5 Yuji Hisamatsu

Bantamweight King of Pancrase title fight:
Manabu Inoue 9-5-1 vs. 9-2-0 Seiya Kawahara

Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
Kiyotaka Shimizu 5-3-1 vs. 8-1-0 Isao Hirose

Discuss in the FORUM

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2/7 Pancrase Passion Tour 1 - RESULTS

Pancrase's first event of 2010 is looking like a very good event. Sherdog has a live PBP going on, and I will post the results here as it becomes available.

Main-Event: Middleweight Intrim King of Pancrase title fight:
11. Yuki Kondo (Champion) Def. Takenori Sato by Decision 3-0

Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
10. Kiyotaka Shimizu Def. Mitsuhisa Sunabe (champion) by Decision 2-0

9. Bantam: Seiya Kawahara Def. Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi by Decision 3-0
8. Middle: Yuji Hisamatsu Def. Keiichiro Yamamiya by Decision 2-0
7. Light: Tetsuya Yamada Def. Takafumi Ito by KO Round 2 2:23
6. Feather: Tomonari Kanomata Def. Shigeyuki Uchiyama by decision 2-0
5. Light: Isao Kobayashi Def. Hiroki "AB" Aoki by TKO Round 1 1:00
4. Fly: Isao Hirose Def. Takuma Ishii by rear-naked choke Round 2 1:34
3. Middle: Hoon Kim Def. Ryuji Ohori by armbar Round 1 3:36
2. Welter: Daisuke Watanabe Def. Kosei Kubota by Decision 2-0
1. Welter: Kengo Ura Def. Shingo Suzuki by TKO Round 1 1:43

Discuss in the FORUM

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2/7 Pancrase Passion Tour 1 - Former "Super High-School Student" Participates!

"The Former Super High-school Student" Tetsuya Yamada will make his Pancrase debut against Pancrase superveteran and 1995 Neo-Blood tournament winner, Takafumi Ito. It should be a good test for the 19 year old talent.

Also added is a rematch between Isao and AB. The last fight ended early with an accidental groin kick and the following DQ of AB. Both fighters will be eager to prove they are better and it should be a good fight.

Tomonari Kanomata is also returning to Pancrase to take on the undefeated Grabaka fighter, Shigeyuki Uchiyama.

The last fight added today is between Ryuji Ohori, who is coming in on a 3 fight losing streak. He is taking on Korean Kim Hoon.

Added:
Light: Takafumi Ito 35-29-10 vs. 3-2-0 Tetsuya Yamada
Light: Isao Kobayashi 5-0-0 vs. 4-3-0 Hiroki "AB" Aoki
Feather: Tomonari Kanomata 14-4-5 vs. 8-0-0 Shigeyuki Uchiyama
Middle: Ryuji Ohori 3-5-0 vs. 5-4-0 Hoon Kim

Previously Announced:
Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
(champion) Mitsuhisa Sunabe 11-5-3 vs. 4-3-1 Kiyotaka Shimizu

Middleweight Intrim King of Pancrase title fight:
(Champion) Yuki Kondo 50-23-7 vs. 9-6-5 Takenori Sato

Welter: Shingo Suzuki 3-2-1 vs. 7-5-1 Kengo Ura
Bantam: Seiya Kawahara 8-2-0 vs. 12-5-10 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
Welter: Daisuke Watanabe 17-28-4 vs. 24-32-11 Kosei Kubota
Fly: Isao Hirose 6-1-0 vs. 3-4-1 Takuma Ishii
Middle: Keiichiro Yamamiya 36-24-9　vs. 14-17-5 Yuji Hisamatsu

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2/7 Pancrase Passion Tour - Fights Announced

Pancrase have announced an additional 6 fights for their first main event of 2010. It will be held in Differ Ariake and will now feature 2 title fights.

Earlier the flyweight title fight was announced, now Yuki Kondo will put his middleweight title on the line against Takenori Sato.

Also added is a flyweight fight between former Neo-Blood tournament winner, Isao Hirose and Takuma Ishii. Hirose had his title shot in his last fight, but lost a decision to the champion Sunabe. He will be looking to get back in contention with a win here.

The popular Seiya Kawahara is also returning to the ring, he has a 2 fight winning streak after losing in the Sengoku featherweight tournamnet early in 2009. Now he is looking to get another shot at the Pancrase bantamweight title.

Added:
Middleweight Intrim King of Pancrase title fight:
(Champion) Yuki Kondo 50-23-7 vs. 9-6-5 Takenori Sato

Welter: Shingo Suzuki 3-2-1 vs. 7-5-1 Kengo Ura
Bantam: Seiya Kawahara 8-2-0 vs. 12-5-10 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
Welter: Daisuke Watanabe 17-28-4 vs. 24-32-11 Kosei Kubota
Fly: Isao Hirose 6-1-0 vs. 3-4-1 Takuma Ishii
Middle: Keiichiro Yamamiya 36-24-9　vs. 14-17-5 Yuji Hisamatsu

Previously Announced:
Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
(champion) Mitsuhisa Sunabe 11-5-3 vs. 4-3-1 Kiyotaka Shimizu

Discuss in the FORUM

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10/25 Pancrase Changing Tour - Fights Announced

Pancrase is putting on an awesome card on October 25 in Differ Ariake.

This card has lots of Pancrase stars on it. There will be a flyweight title fight, that should be awesome.

Also added is a very interesting fight between Kenji Arai and Tomonari Kanomata. Also added is fight between Kazuhiro Hamanaka and DEEP megaton competitor Shunsuke Inoue. The card is looking just about finished and this should be a very good event.

Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
Mitsuhisa Sunabe 10-5-3 vs. 6-0-0 Isao Hirose

Bantam: Seiya Kawahara 7-2-0 vs. 4-2-1 Ryota Sasaki
Fly: Takuya Eizumi 5-2-0 vs. 3-2-1 Kiyotaka Shimizu
Bantam: Manabu Inoue 7-5-1 vs. 19-11-7 Masahiro Oishi
Middle: Ichiro Kanai 9-10-3 vs. 36-24-9 Keiichiro Yamamiya
Welter: Takuya Wada 18-8-9 vs. 7-4-0 Kengo Ura
Feather: Kenji Arai 15-13-3 vs. 13-5-3 Tomonari Kanomata
Light-Heavy: Kazuhiro Hamanaka 5-6-1 vs. 6-3-2 Shunsuke Inoue
Feather: Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi 12-5-9 vs. 3-2-0 Jung Jin Suk　
Light: Hiroki "AB" Aoki 3-2-0 vs. 4-0-0 Isao Kobayashi

Pancrase Gate:
Light: Nobuhito Sakurada vs.Kenta Okuyama
Light: Ryosuke Togashi vs. Daisuke Shimayama
Feather: Chaplin Kiyama vs. Taketo Noguchi
Feather: Kenichi Ogura vs. Masaaki Hasegawa
Bantam: Kazuki Itaya vs. Yuki Kishitaka
Bantam: Yuta Numakura vs. Daisuke Sugishima

Participating:
Yuki Kondo

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10/25 Pancrase Changing Tour - Title Fight Announced

Pancrase have added a flyweight title fight to this card on October 25 in Differ Ariake. The champion Mitsuhisa Sunabe will take on undefeated challenger Isao Hirose. Hirose was the Neo-Blood champion in 2008, and the fighter he defeated in the final, Takuya Eizumi got the title shot before him. Now Hirose is rightly ranked #1 and he has earned his title shot.

Also on the card is Seiya Kawahara, Kawahara fought in the DREAM featherweight GP, now he is back at bantamweight, something that should suit him a lot better. He has already had a shot at the Pancrase title, and is one of the more popular Pancrase fighters, mainly because he tends to finish his fights in spectacular fashion. He is ranked #1, but had his title shot in December last year, and he might have to wait a little more for another one. This time he is taking on Ryota Sasaki, who is on a 4 fight winning streak, but would be the underdog in this fight.

Previously announced on this card was the fight between the bantamweight king of Pancrase and the former Shooto featherweight champion and last year's Cage Force tournament finalist, Masahiro Oishi. This should be a very good fight!

Flyweight King of Pancrase title fight:
Mitsuhisa Sunabe 10-5-3 vs. 6-0-0 Isao Hirose

Bantam: Seiya Kawahara 7-2-0 vs. 4-2-1 Ryota Sasaki
Fly: Takuya Eizumi 5-2-0 vs. 3-2-1 Kiyotaka Shimizu
Bantam: Manabu Inoue 7-5-1 vs. 19-11-7 Masahiro Oishi

Participants:
Ichiro Kanai 9-10-3
Keiichiro Yamamiya 36-24-9

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6/7 Pancrase Changing Tour 3 - Flyweight Title Fight

Pancrase have added 3 fights to their 3rd Changing Tour event. This is looking like it will be a very good card, Pancrase are putting some of their biggest stars on the card. This includes Sengoku champion Satoru Kitaoka and Sengoku veterans Ryo Kawamura and Yukiya Naito.

The Flyweight King of Pancrase fight will see the #1 ranked Mitsuhisa Sunabe take on #2 ranked Takuya Eizumi for the vacant title. Takuya Eizumi lost the Neo-Blood tournament final last year, but since then he has remained undefeated and all his wins have been within the distance. The winner of last year's tournament, Isao Hirose is likely to be the first title defence for the winner.

Flyweight King of Pancrase:
Mitsuhisa Sunabe 8-5-3 vs. 5-1-0 Takuya Eizumi

Light-Heavy: Ryo Kawamura 9-4-2 vs. 15-5-2 Yukiya Naito
Bantam: Seiya Kawahara 6-2-0 vs. 3-2-1 Tatsuya So

Previously Announced:
Light: Satoru Kitaoka 24-8-9 vs. 3-4-0 Yukio Sakaguchi

Neo-Blood Semi-Finals:
Fly: Daisuke Tsujita 3-0-0 vs. 3-4-1 Yuki Yashima
Fly: Takuma Ishii 2-3-1 vs. 1-1-1 Kiyotaka Shimizu
Bantam: Taro Shimazaki 5-1-1 vs. 2-2-1 Ryota Sasaki
Bantam: Nobuhiro Yoshitake 1-4-1 vs. 10-1-6 Ranki Kawana
Feather: Shigeyuki Uchiyama 5-0-0 vs. 1-0-1 Hiroshi Tomita
Feather: Yasutomo Tanaka 5-2-4 vs. 0-1-0 Akira Saito
Light: Keigo Hirayama 7-4-3 vs. Hiro Tomiyama
Light: Koji Nakamura vs. 2-0-0 Isao Kobayashi

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6/7 Pancrase Changing Tour 3 - Kitaoka Returns to Pancrase

The next Pancrase event is shaping up to be something special. Pancrase has some very loyal fighters, and even though Kitaoka has moved on to bigger and better things, he still wants to fight in Pancrase.

So, at this Pancrase event Satoru Kitaoka will return to Pancrase and take on Dynamite! participant Yukio Sakaguchi. This might look like a mis-match, and if it goes to the ground, it will be. But Sakaguchi does have KO power, and that is his only hope here. It should be a quick and entertaining fight.

Listed as participants are some very big Pancrase stars: Ryo Kawamura, Koji Oishi, Seiya Kawahara, Ichiro Kanai, Kenji Arai and Takafumi Ito are all very familiar Pancrase names.

Announced:
Light: Satoru Kitaoka 24-8-9 vs. 3-4-0 Yukio Sakaguchi

Participants:
Light-Heavyweight Champion: Ryo Kawamura
Lightweight ranked #1: Koji Oishi
Bantamweight ranked #1: Seiya Kawahara
Middleweight ranked #2: Ichiro Kanai
Featherweight ranked #4: Kenji Arai
Takafumi Ito

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3/20 Sengoku 7 - RESULTS

It is Sengoku's turn to kick off the featherweight GP, DREAM started their earlier this month and I will call it a bit disappointing. Lets hope the Sengoku GP lives up to expectations.

I will be posting the results live, or close to it here.

Spoilers for those who read on (starting 5PM Japan time). This event should air LIVE on HDNet!

Some background reading:
Sherdog Weigh-in
Sherdog Preview
MMA Weekly Preview
DREAM vs. Sengoku GP (Recommended)

Sherdog PbP

1. Feather GP: Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0 vs. 6-0-0 Nick Denis
Nick Denis is too strong for Kawahara, TKO in ROund 1.

2. Feather GP: Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0 vs. 16-1-1 Ronnie Mann
Yamada is impressive and showes that he has ground skills. Mann has been mostly on the defensive (I disagree with the Sherdog scores then...). Awesome first round by both fighters though. Mann looks like the fresher fighter coming out for round 2.

Round 2 is clearly for Mann, Yamamda gets taken down and though he is never really in danger does little to do damage. Yamamda has tried to work a kimura, but so far Mann has been able to avoid.

Yamada comes out hard in the final round, but Mann takes it to the ground. Yamada looks like he is getting tired and Mann is taking over. It goes the distance, and it should go to Mann.

Ronnie Mann gets a close decision. 3-0

3. Feather GP: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3 vs. 2-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
The fighters come out swinging. Ishiwatari is the better technical striker, but Jung has the reach, and tags Ishiwatari. As Ishiwatari goes to the ground, Jung gets the back and sinks in the rear-naked choke. Round 1 submission win. Awesome fight.

4. Feather GP: Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5 vs. 3-5-3 Jong Man Kim
Kanehara controls round 1 and had Kim in trouble, Kim went to the ground but Kanehara got stuck in the half guard (I suspect his ZST experience worked against him here). Kanehara wins round 1.

Kanehara is in control most of the round, but just as the time is running out Kim gets a guilliotine attempt that looks very tight. We will never know if this would finish the fight, as the bell rings. Kanehara should be in control at this point.

Another close, but action packed fight goes the distance. Kanehara should get this IMO.

Kanehara gets the decsion 3-0.

5. Feather GP: Marlon Sandro 12-0-0 vs. 9-4-0 Matt Jaggers
Sandro is able to get the takedowns, but is not able to advance. Every time Sandro advance his position, Jaggers reverses. A VERY close round, but Sandro has the takedowns.

Sandro takes the fight to the ground again, and gets Katagatame choke in round 2.

6. Feather GP: Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1 vs. 13-1-0 L.C. Davis
Omigawa gets the take down and works his way to mount. He is having a hard time utilizing it though. As Davis tries to get out, Omigawa gets the back, then the arm and the round ends. Omigawa wins round 1.

Its like Omigawa has figured out how he should fight... He is able to take Davis down againg, but Davis gets back up. Davis needs to keep this fight standing, round 2 is very close though. I think Omigawa has control at this point.

Records mean nothing, and here is the proof! Omigawa has dominated Davis, Davis has not been able to do anything to stop Omigawa's offence.

Omigawa gets the decision 3-0!

BREAK TIME: There is a break, and Satoru Kitaoka enters the ring. He will defend his belt in August, and he will fight once before that.

7. Non-GP Heavy: James Thompson 14-9-0 vs. 9-2-0 "Big" Jim York
Thompson runs in and misses, York follows up and starts the round better. It is a slugfest and "Big" Jim hits with a left that sends Thompson to the ground, KO win for "Big" Jim York.

8. Feather GP: Hideki Kadowaki 13-8-2 vs. 14-5-0 Nam Phan
Phan sends the former Shooto champion to the ground in the first round. A right hook sends Kadowaki down, big KO win. Kadowaki was never able to get it to the ground in an action packed 1st round.

9. Feather GP: Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2 vs. 6-0-2 Chris Manuel
Hioki is on the offensive from the start, Manuel does well to defend all the submission attempts from Hioki. Eventually Hioki has a mounted triangle and the fight is over. A DOMINATING performance!!

Main Event: Non-GP Light-Heavy:
10. Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2 vs. 3-0-0 Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
Kawamura looks like he is being outpowered early on. Kawamura survives round 1, but its all King Mo.

Looks like Kawamura got poked in the eye, and it takes up a lot of time, twice. "King Mo" gets a yellow and he has never gone this far in a fight... It is closer in round 2, but Kawamura looks the more defensive fighter. This round might be a draw due to the yellow card though.

"King Mo" looks like he is more comfortable getting the takedowns now. Kawamura is the one fighting to stand up, but King Mo just continues to take it to the ground. The fight goes the distance, but it should go to King Mo.

King Mo gets the decision 3-0

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3/20 Sengoku 7 - Fight Order

A week before the event WVR have announced the fight order for Sengoku 7. Sengoku also has a feeatherweight GP this year, and unlike DREAM all the round 1 fights seems to take place at this event.

King Mo's profile is now high enough to warrant him taking on Ryo Kawamura in the main event. These are 2 fighters that are popular with the Japanese fans, and it should be a good fight.

The featherweight GP has a good mix of new and very talented fighters and some very experienced fighters.

This event also signals the return of James Thompson to Japan!

Main Event: Non-GP Light-Heavy:
10. Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2 vs. 3-0-0 Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal

9. Feather GP: Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2 vs. 6-0-2 Chris Manuel
8. Feather GP: Hideki Kadowaki 13-8-2 vs. 14-5-0 Nam Phan
7. Non-GP Heavy: James Thompson 14-9-0 vs. 9-2-0 "Big" Jim York
6. Feather GP: Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1 vs. 13-1-0 L.C. Davis
5. Feather GP: Marlon Sandro 12-0-0 vs. 9-4-0 Matt Jaggers
4. Feather GP: Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5 vs. 3-5-3 Jong Man Kim
3. Feather GP: Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3 vs. 2-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
2. Feather GP: Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0 vs. 16-1-1 Ronnie Mann Ushiwaka
1. Feather GP: Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0 vs. 6-0-0 Nick Denis

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3/20 Sengoku 7 - Featherweight GP Fights Announced

Sengoku have announced the matchups for round 1 in their featherweight GP. A couple of fights stand out to me. Hatsu Hioki vs. Chris Manuel should be a very good fight, as will Omigawa vs. L. C. Davis and Kadowaki vs. Nam Phan.

My pick for most exciting fight here is Seiya Kawahara vs. Nick Denis, this wont go the distance.

As for a fighter that can expect a bit of a "culture" shock, Tetsuya Yamada will really have to step it up against Ronnie Mann. But you never know how that turns out and it will be exciting to see.

Personally, I think Marlon Sandro will be hard to beat here, but there are so many good fighters.

Also announced today was the addition of Leonardo Santos, he is a BJJ expert and will compete at Sengoku 8, which will take place on May 2.

Featherweight GP Round 1:
Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2 vs. 6-0-2 Chris Manuel
Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1 vs. 13-1-0 L.C. Davis
Hideki Kadowaki 13-8-2 vs. 14-5-0 Nam Phan
Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5 vs. 3-5-3 Jong Man Kim
Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3 vs. 2-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0 vs. 6-0-0 Nick Denis
Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0 vs. 16-1-1 Ronnie Mann Ushiwaka
Marlon Sandro 12-0-0 vs. 9-4-0 Matt Jaggers

Non-GP Fights:
Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2 vs. 3-0-0 Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal
James Thompson 14-9-0 vs. 9-2-0 "Big" Jim York

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3/20 Sengoku 7 - James Thompson Returns to Japan/Featherweight GP Full

Sengoku have announced the return of James Thompson to Japan, it is almost 2 years since he last fought here and I am sure it will be a popular addition. His last 2 fights have been very noticable for other reasons, his fight with "Kimbo Slice" got a lot of attention after his ear exploded. In Strike Box he caused a riot after ignoring the gentlemans agreement of not taking fights to the ground.

This time he is taking on "Big" Jim Yorke. "Big" Jim had his 9 fight winning streak broken in his Sengoku debut against Yoshihiro Nakao, and I am sure both these fighters want to find back to their winning ways.

The Sengoku featherweight GP is also complete with the last addition today. Kim Jong Man is the last fighter. His record is somewhat average, but he has fought some of the best. A noticable win over Hatsu Hioki stands out.

Added:
Non-GP Fight:
James Thompson 14-9-0 vs. 9-2-0 "Big" Jim York

Featherweight GP:
Jong Man Kim 3-5-3

Previously Announced:
Non-GP Fight:
Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2 vs. 3-0-0 Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal

Featherweight GP:
Nam Phan 14-5-0
Matt Jaggers 9-4-0
L.C. Davis 13-1-0
Hideki Kadowaki 13-8-2
Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5
Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0
Jung Chan Sung 2-0-0
Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2
Marlon Sandro 12-0-0
Ronnie Mann Ushiwaka 16-1-1
Chris Manuel 6-0-2
Nick Denis 6-0-0
Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3
Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0
Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1

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3/20 Sengoku 7 - Featherweight GP Participants Announced

Sengoku have made it official, Nam Phan is in the featherweight GP. Phan is of course is a very strong addition, but there are more good additions today.

I am looking forward to seeing Matt Jaggers and L.C. Davis. Matt Jaggers is a KOTC veteran and is a very good addition. L.C. Davis is 13-1, he won his last fight in Affliction - Day of Reckoning against Bao Quach.

I think still that Sengoku is picking up very good and talented fighters, even if all these guys are very experienced I would not say that they are huge stars, YET.

The additions today are solid from Sengoku, and there are now only 1 spots left!

I missed an addition... Former Shooto champion, Hideki Kadowaki was also added today, this will be his debut on this level but he is very good on the ground.


Added:
Nam Phan 14-5-0
Matt Jaggers 9-4-0
L.C. Davis 13-1-0
Hideki Kadowaki 13-8-2

Previously Announced:
Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5
Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0
Jung Chan Sung 2-0-0
Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2
Marlon Sandro 12-0-0
Ronnie Mann Ushiwaka 16-1-1
Chris Manuel 6-0-2
Nick Denis 6-0-0
Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3
Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0
Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1

Read more...

3/20 Sengoku 7 - 3 Featherweights Added to GP

Sengoku is continuing to pick up very talented (and young) fighters for their featherweight GP. Added today are Pancrase talent Seiya Kawahara, UFC and Pride veteran Michihiro Omigawa and Shooto talent Shintaro Ishiwatari.

I see a clear trend that Sengoku is signing up talents rather than very experienced fighters. This will be a very interesting GP. Seiya Kawahara has been awesome in his Pancrase fights, and only lost when he fought Manabu Inoue for the title in December last year. I would question if he is not too small for this weight though, he normally fights at bantamweight.

The veteran Michihiro Omigawa and the talented Shintaro Ishiwatari fought a fight in Shooto last month. It was a qualifying fight for this GP, and ended in a draw. Sengoku have deceided to give them both a spot.

Added:
Shintaro Ishiwatari 6-1-3
Seiya Kawahara 6-1-0
Michihiro Omigawa 4-7-1

Previously Announced:
Masanori Kanehara 11-5-5
Tetsuya Yamada 3-0-0
Jung Chan Sung 2-0-0
Hatsu Hioki 17-3-2
Marlon Sandro 12-0-0
Ronnie Mann Ushiwaka 16-1-1
Chris Manuel 6-0-2
Nick Denis 6-0-0

Non-GP Fight:
Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2 vs. 3-0-0 Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal

Read more...

12/7 Pancrase - Pictures

This will be a long post... Took a lot of pictures yesterday, so there will be more than usual.

It was a very good event, the card was awesome and the fights delivered. I have had to add a new fighter to my favorites, Rin Nakai. I knew about her before and was looking forward to this fight. She really delivered and she is one fighter I will follow.

As promised, at the event was Satoru Kitaoka signing his new shirts. My friend grabbed the oppurtunity to buy one and I got a picture (win/win situation).



The night kicked off with some very entertaining amature fights. This is Takeshi Egami and Masakazu Takafuji going at it.


The Pancrase Gate fights were entertaining, but the night doesn't really start until the ring girls are introduced.


Isao Hirose in black shorts took the first fight of the night against Tokuaki Ninomiya. It was a very good and close fight.


The next fight was the very talented Maximo Blanco against the experienced Daisuke Hanazawa "13". I was expecting a quick one, but Hanazawa had done his homework!


For the first time in his MMA career, Blanco was takeing into the 2nd round.


Hanazawa forced the tap 2:19 into the 2nd round. Both fighters had their chances, but Hanazawa came in with the better tactic.


The next fight was my fight of the night, even though there were several fights that were very exciting in this event. Hirotoshi Saito won the Neo-Blood tournament this year, and he is always exciting to watch. He won the first round clearly, but in the second Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi was able to take him down. A deserved draw, but it does not mean it wasn't exciting!


The heavyweight fight on the card was between Masayuki Kono and Stanislav Nedkov. Nedkov proved too strong for his Japanese opponent. It was clear that Nedkov enjoyed his experience here and I really hope we get to see him back soon!


The welterweight tournament final was up, the winner will challange for the King of Pancrase title next year. There was a lot at stake, and Nozawa was throwing everything at Iwamiya, including flying kicks. In the end though, Iwamiya got the judges decision 3-0.


I was really looking forward to seeing Rin Nakai fight. I have seen one of her fights in SmackGirl, and was really impressed. This time she was up against the very experienced "Windy" Tomomi.


Nakai really took the fight to "Windy" and there was never any doubt. Nakai won the fight by gnp, and it was an impressive victory.


Rin Nakai had eveery reason to be happy after a great performance!


Daijiro Matsui did not have a good day at the office... He was knocked out, but recovered only to be choked out cold by Ichiro Kanai.


Satoru Kitaoka was in Ichiro Kanai's corner, after the fight he showed his respect to a great fighter.


There was a break before the 3 title fights. In it, Kitaoka was brought into the ring to promote his upcoming title fight with Gomi. There is no love lost between them and it should be a very good fight. Kitaoka never won the Pancrase belt and he has a lot of respect for the Pancrase ring.


The first title fight was for the welterweight belt, and Masahiro Toryu was throwing everything at the champion, Takuya Wada.


But in the end, Wada got the decision and defended his belt.


For the bantamweight King of Pancrase title, the undefeated Seiya Kawahara was facing Manabu Inoue. To me, it looked like the fight was going towards a Kawahara decision.


Inoue didn't want to leave it to the judges though, and with just seconds left in the 2nd round he sunk in the rear-naked choke to end the fight.


The main event was for the lightweight title. Katsuya Inoue was taking on Koji Oishi. It was a fight where Oishi was going for takedowns, but Inoue was too good in defending them.


Katsuya Inoue fought his way to a decision.


On my way out I noticed Rin Nakai was just finishing off an interview. I asked if could take a picture of her, and she accepted. I really look forward to her next fight!

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12/7 Pancrase - RESULTS

Just came back from the Pancrase event in Differ Ariake and it didnt disappoint! There were one fighter in particular that I was impressed by, Rin Nakai! She is relatively inexperienced, but showed her talent today by crushing "Windy" Tomomi. Look out for that girl!

Otherwise, there was a few surprises. Maximo Blanco tasted defeat, and might have been exposed as a wrestler with just strength in this fight. No doubt he is a talented fighter, but before this fight I thought he could take on the world... I think that was why Hidehiko Yoshida was sitting next to me also (he was obviously there to see the Maximo Blanco fight). Either way, Hanazawa started the fight by taking Blanco down and was able to control his power. In the second round Hanazawa was able to finish the fight with an arm-triangle choke. Hanazawa took his time in adjusting it, and it seemed like Blanco had time to get out of it, but he was too tired and Hanazawa too strong at that stage.

Blanco might have missed his chance this time, but there will be more! I hope there is for Stanislav Nedkov too! He was very good today, and obviously enjoyed the atmosphere. A good win, and I think you might see him in Sengoku down the road.

Maybe an even bigger surprise, Kawahara lost. It was a fight where Inoue was able to take Kawahara down, but not until the end really get anything going. If it had gone to decision it would have been close, but Inoue was able to take it out of the judges hands and won by rear-naked choke in the 2nd round.

Fight of the night is a very close call... But I will give it to the always exciting Hirotoshi Saito vs. "Akai" Nishiuchi, a battle that ended in a deserved draw. Saito was the winner of the Neo-Blood tournament this year and is an entertaining fighter! Hirose (another Neo-Blood Tournament champion from earlier this year) also secured a good win in a close fight.

The verteran Matsui Daijiro was choked out cold by an arm-triangle. Never really had a chance against Ichiro Kanai.

Pictures tomorrow!

Lightweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
Katsuya Inoue Def. Koji Oishi by decision 3-0

Bantamweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
Manabu Inoue Def. Seiya Kawahara by rear-naked choke Round 2 4:44

Welterweight King of Pancrase
Takuya Wada Def. Masahiro Toryu by Decision 3-0

Middle: Ichiro Kanai Def. Daijiro Matsui by arm-triangle choke Round 1 2:25
55kg: Rin Nakai Def. "Windy" Tomomi Sunabe by TKO Round 1 1:33

Welterweight Tournament Final 3x5min
Tomoyoshi Iwamiya Def. Hiroyuki Nozawa by decision 3-0

Heavy: Stanislav Nedkov Def. Masayuki Kono by TKO Round 1 1:35
Feather: Hirotoshi Saito vs. Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi DRAW
Light: Daisuke Hanazawa "13" Def. Maximo Blanco by arm-triangle choke Round 2 2:19
Fly: Isao Hirose Def. Tokuaki Ninomiya by Decision 2-0

Pancrase Gate:
7. Middle: Shingo Suzuki Def. Makoto Kawawa by arm-bar Round 1 1:13
6. Light: ISAO vs. Yuki Takushige DRAW
5. Feather: Pitan Def. Takanori Iwamoto by arm-bar Round 2 2:00
4. Feather: Masaru Ueda Def. Taro Shimazaki by TKO Round 1 0:28
3. Feather: Masakazu Takafuji Def. Takeshi Egami by arm-bar Round 1 2:12
2. Bantam: Hiroyuki Nakajima Def. Takanori Saito by triangle choke Round 1 3:47
1. Fly: Takashi Nakamura Def. Kago Yamana by KO Round 2 3:53

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12/7 Pancrase Shining Tour - Yuki Yashima attacked with knife!! Fight cancelled!

Yuki Yashima was out walking to make weight this morning, when he was attacked by a guy with a knife! He was cut 3 times and has had to pull out of his fight tomorrow. Very sad, but he seems to be ok.

Source

The main-card will therefore have 10 fights.

Cancelled:
1. Feather: Yuki Yashima 2-4-1 vs. 5-2-4 Yasutomo Tanaka

The updated card:
MAIN EVENT: Lightweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
10. Katsuya Inoue 16-6-3 vs. 17-7-5 Koji Oishi

Bantamweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
9. Seiya Kawahara 6-0-0 vs. 6-5-1 Manabu Inoue

Welterweight King of Pancrase
8. Takuya Wada 17-8-9 vs. 6-3-4 Masahiro Toryu

7. Middle: Ichiro Kanai 8-9-3 vs. 10-20-4 Daijiro Matsui
6. 55kg: "Windy" Tomomi Sunabe 12-8-0 vs. 4-0-0 Rin Nakai

Welterweight Tournament Final 3x5min
5. Tomoyoshi Iwamiya 5-7-0 vs. 6-3-2 Hiroyuki Nozawa

4. Heavy: Masayuki Kono 3-4-0 vs. 3-0-0 Stanislav Nedkov
3. Feather: Hirotoshi Saito 2-0-0 vs. 9-5-8 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
2. Light: Maximo Blanco 1-0-0 (1NC) vs. 10-9-5 Daisuke Hanazawa "13"
1. Fly: Isao Hirose 3-0-0 vs. 3-3-0 Tokuaki Ninomiya

Pancrase Gate:
7. Middle: Shingo Suzuki vs. Makoto Kawawa
6. Light: ISAO vs. Yuki Takushige
5. Feather: Pitan vs. Takanori Iwamoto
4. Feather: Taro Shimazaki vs. Masaru Ueda
3. Feather: Takeshi Egami vs. Masakazu Takafuji
2. Bantam: Hiroyuki Nakajima vs. Takanori Saito
1. Fly: Kago Yamana vs. Takashi Nakamura

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12/7 Pancrase - The Complete Card

The Pancrase event on Sunday should be a really good one. I have presented the main-card earlier, but if you're heading out to this event you will notice that there is LOTS more happening!

The event starts at 4PM, and kicks off with 7 amature (Panrcase Gate) fights. As always there are T-shirts on sale, like the once I wrote about earlier. If you deceide to buy shirts at the event, both Ryo Kawamura and Satoru Kitaoka will be signing shirts.

It should be a very good day at Differ Ariake!

This is the complete card (including amature fights):
MAIN EVENT: Lightweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
11. Katsuya Inoue 16-6-3 vs. 17-7-5 Koji Oishi

Bantamweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
10. Seiya Kawahara 6-0-0 vs. 6-5-1 Manabu Inoue

Welterweight King of Pancrase
9. Takuya Wada 17-8-9 vs. 6-3-4 Masahiro Toryu

8. Middle: Ichiro Kanai 8-9-3 vs. 10-20-4 Daijiro Matsui
7. 55kg: "Windy" Tomomi Sunabe 12-8-0 vs. 4-0-0 Rin Nakai

Welterweight Tournament Final 3x5min
6. Tomoyoshi Iwamiya 5-7-0 vs. 6-3-2 Hiroyuki Nozawa

5. Heavy: Masayuki Kono 3-4-0 vs. 3-0-0 Stanislav Nedkov
4. Feather: Hirotoshi Saito 2-0-0 vs. 9-5-8 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
3. Light: Maximo Blanco 1-0-0 (1NC) vs. 10-9-5 Daisuke Hanazawa "13"
2. Fly: Isao Hirose 3-0-0 vs. 3-3-0 Tokuaki Ninomiya
1. Feather: Yuki Yashima 2-4-1 vs. 5-2-4 Yasutomo Tanaka

Pancrase Gate:
7. Middle: Shingo Suzuki vs. Makoto Kawawa
6. Light: ISAO vs. Yuki Takushige
5. Feather: Pitan vs. Takanori Iwamoto
4. Feather: Taro Shimazaki vs. Masaru Ueda
3. Feather: Takeshi Egami vs. Masakazu Takafuji
2. Bantam: Hiroyuki Nakajima vs. Takanori Saito
1. Fly: Kago Yamana vs. Takashi Nakamura

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12/7 Pancrase - Fight Order

I cant remeber any event like this... Pancrase is putting on 3 title fights in this event! Thats in addition to the welterweight tournament final and some very exciting talent on the card! They are really going out with a bang this year!

Pancrase have put a female fight on this card, something I am very happy to see. "Windy" will face one of the most talented and one of my favorite female fighters on this card, Rin Nakai. Nakai is undefeated so far in her MMA career and is a very powerful fighter.

The main event is Katsuya Inoue vs. Koji Oishi for the Lightweight title. But this card is packed with good matchups!

MAIN EVENT:
Lightweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
11. Katsuya Inoue 16-6-3 vs. 17-7-5 Koji Oishi

Bantamweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
10. Seiya Kawahara 6-0-0 vs. 6-5-1 Manabu Inoue

Welterweight King of Pancrase
9. Takuya Wada 17-8-9 vs. 6-3-4 Masahiro Toryu

8. Middle: Ichiro Kanai 8-9-3 vs. 10-20-4 Daijiro Matsui
7. 55kg: "Windy" Tomomi Sunabe 12-8-0 vs. 4-0-0 Rin Nakai

Welterweight Tournament Final 3x5min
6. Tomoyoshi Iwamiya 5-7-0 vs. 6-3-2 Hiroyuki Nozawa

5. Heavy: Masayuki Kono 3-4-0 vs. 3-0-0 Stanislav Nedkov
4. Feather: Hirotoshi Saito 2-0-0 vs. 9-5-8 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
3. Light: Maximo Blanco 1-0-0 (1NC) vs. 10-9-5 Daisuke Hanazawa "13"
2. Fly: Isao Hirose 3-0-0 vs. 3-3-0 Tokuaki Ninomiya
1. Feather: Yuki Yashima 2-4-1 vs. 5-2-4 Yasutomo Tanaka

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12/7 Pancrase Shining Tour - Card Complete (?)

Pancrase have added 2 more fights to this card. It looks like Ryo Kawamura is taken off this, but this card is solid and will be one of the best Pancrase cards this year (as it should be in December).

Today there are 2 additions, the exciting talent Maximo Blanco has another victim. Blanco has not been close to threatened in any of his fights so far, but I have been on his back about not stopping when the ref steps in to save his opponent. He is a HUGE talent, and I hope he will control his enthusiasm this time. His opponent is Daisuke Hanazawa, who is experienced and has had a good streak in 2008.

The other fight added is a female fight, and of course it is "Windy" Tomomi who is coming of a good win in the first ever VALKYRIE event earlier this week. She is taking on Rin Nakai, who is a VERY strong opponent. Rin Nakai is undefeated and a fighter I think has a promising future. I look forward to seeing what she can do against an experienced fighter like "Windy".

Added:
Light: Maximo Blanco 1-0-0 (1NC) vs. 10-9-5 Daisuke Hanazawa "13"
55kg: "Windy" Tomomi Sunabe 12-8-0 vs. 4-0-0 Rin Nakai

Previously announced:
Welterweight King of Pancrase
Takuya Wada 17-8-9 vs. 6-3-4 Masahiro Toryu

Bantamweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
Seiya Kawahara 6-0-0 vs. 6-5-1 Manabu Inoue

Lightweight King of Pancrase Title Fight
Katsuya Inoue 16-6-3 vs. 17-7-5 Koji Oishi

Welterweight Tournament Final 3x5min
Tomoyoshi Iwamiya 5-7-0 vs. 6-3-2 Hiroyuki Nozawa

Heavy: Masayuki Kono 3-4-0 vs. 3-0-0 Stanislav Nedkov
Feather: Hirotoshi Saito 2-0-0 vs. 9-5-8 Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi
Middle: Ichiro Kanai 8-9-3 vs. 10-20-4 Daijiro Matsui
Feather: Yuki Yashima 2-4-1 vs. 5-2-4 Yasutomo Tanaka

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