5/2 Sengoku 8 - Live Results

The event has just started in Yoyogi Gymnasium, Tokyo. The fights today are very interesting, there is a very good mix of talented fighters facing experienced fighters.

Stanislav Nedkov vs. Travis Wiuff and Kei Yamamiya vs. Xande Ribeiro are very good examples of this. It will be interesting to see how the new fighters take on these experienced veterans. Both the newcomers will probably want to take this to the ground.

Also look for Maximo Blanco to entertain the crowd.

Opening Fight:
1. Feather: Hirotoshi Saito Def. Yoshitaka Abe by arm-bar Round 1 2:52
2. Feather: Shigeki Osawa Def. Kota Ishibashi by Decision 3-0

Non-Tournament:
3. Light: Akihiko Mouri Def. Maiximo Blanco by DQ Round 1 4:20
Maximo Blanco got too excited again, and treats the crowd to a soccer kick. Again he risks a DQ/NC in a fight he had won. This is a lesson Blanco should have learned a LONG time ago, he just gets too excited...

4. Light-Heavy: Stanislav Nedkov 5-0-0 vs. 54-12-0 Travis Wiuff
Wiuff looks bigger than the Bulgarian, but the Sumo Ozeki, Kotooshu, is there supporting his countryman. Wiuff have been hit low twice, but is still getting up and wants to continue. We are now counting 3 low blows and Nedkov has received 2 red cards (point deductions) in round 1 and he has to win by stoppage now.

In round 2 Wiuff is able to get the takedowns and wins this round by being on top. Not much damage done though.

Nedkov drops Wiuff early in round 3 and doesnt let up, he gets the TKO win! Round 3 0:42

5. Welter: Makoto Takimoto 4-5-0 vs. 9-4-0 Michael Costa
Costa tries a flying knee and the fight goes to the ground. Takimoto is on top and works his way to an arm-bar attempt. Costa defends well, and Takimoto transitions into a leg-lock. It took a few attempts, and Takimoto gets the win with a heel-hook. Round 1 3:31.

Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
6. Marlon Sandro 13-0-0 vs. 7-0-0 Nick Denis
The fight between 2 undefeated fighters. Denis wants this fight standing, Sandro will look to take it down.
Sandro knocks Denis down and follows up with strong gnp. The fight is over in 19 seconds, and its Sandro that finishes the fight with punches!

7. Masanori Kanehara 12-5-5 vs. 6-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
The fighters are feeling eachother out. Kanehara gets a takedown as Jung moves forward. Kanehara is moving into half guard and trying to get side control. The ref gets the fighters up and warns Jung for stalling. Kanehara takes Jung down again, in Jung's guard, more action this time and Jung gets up. Lots of action as round 1 ends, I think Kanehara has round 1.

Kanehara still going for takedowns, Jung denies and the exchange wild punches. Kanehara gets Jung down. Jung has dangerous upkicks and Kanehara is unable to break the guard. Jung has the arm and it looks tight, but Kanehara escapes. What a fight! Jung has a dangerous guard and Kanehara is having trouble improving his position. Just as the bell rings Kanehara has a heel-hook. A very close round.

Kanehara takes the fight to the ground again, and for the first time it looks like he is able to get sidecontrol. Jung is able to get the guard back and then is able to get up. The pace has slowed a little as the fighters are getting more tired. Jung's upkicks and knees are dangerous, Kanehara desperately trying to keep Jung down. 1 minute left and Jung is on top, this fight ends and it will be close. Fight of the night so far (and it will be hard to beat)!

Kanehara gets the decision 3-0 (30-29, 30-29, 29-28)

Non-Tournament:
8. Light-Heavy: Keiichiro Yamamiya 34-23-9 vs. 1-0-0 Xande Ribeiro
I am really looking forward to this fight. Yamamiya is very hard to take down, and it will be interesting to see how Ribeiro approaches this challenge.

The fighters are feeling eachother out, and Ribeiro goes for the takedown. Yamamiya defends well and Xande is unable to get it down. The ref breaks it up and the takedowns will be key. Xande gets the fight down and is in Yamamiya's guard now. 2 minutes left and Xande is in mount. Yamamiya turns to get away from the punches and Ribeiro gets his back with a minute left of the round. Xande has an arm-bar, but is unable to force the tap before the bell. Ribeiro gets round 1.

Round 2 starts much like round 1, Yamamiya defending a takedown attempt. Ribeiro is working hard at it, but Yamamiya gets up. The ref restarts in the middle and again Ribero goes back to working the takedown. Ribeiro looks like he is getting tired after the takedown attempts and Yamamiya is going forward now. A flying knee gives Ribeiro the chance he has been waiting for. The bell rings as Ribeiro moves to mount.

Ribeiro comes out swinging and Yamamiya is happy to return the punches. Ribeiro drops Yamamiya with a right and the Japanese fighter goes down. Ribeiro follows up and the ref stops it early in the 3rd round.

9. Light: Kazunori Yokota 8-2-3 vs. 6-2-0 Leonardo Santos
Santos with a reach advantage and probably the better fighter on the ground, Yokota is a very good and well rounded fighter though. Santos goes for the takedown and gets Yokota's back. Yokota is able to defend well and is in Santos' guard. Yokota is doing well with punches in the guard, but it is dangerous. The bell sounds and Yokota might get the nod in a close round.

Santos attempts a flying knee, Yokota catches it and takes Santos down. Santos works his way to Yokota's back and eventually to mount. This round Yokota is forced to defend more submissions than in the 1st round. Both fighters are tired as the bell ring, this round was for Santos IMO.

Yokota is able to close the distance and looks for the takedown. Santos has other plans and turns it. His turn to go for takedowns now. The ref breaks it up. The fighters are looking tired, Yokota goes for a takedown that Santos reverses. Yokota has half guard and Santos working his way into mount. Yokota is able to get into Santos' guard and the time is running out. It will be a close decision.

Yokota gets a split decision 2-1! (30-28, 30-29, 28-29)

Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
10. Michihiro Omigawa 5-7-1 vs. 15-5-0 Nam Phan
Michihiro is an underdog again, lets see if he can pull of another upset.

Nam Phan gets taken down but tries a heel-hook and ends up on top. Omigawa works his way to a guillotine and shows a bit of Judo. Omigawa is dominating, doing a good job controlling the head. Phan is able to get out. Standing Phan is showing some skills, but Omigawa is doing a good job avoiding the punches. Omigawa is throwing wild punches and Phan looks in trouble. Omigawa takes it to the ground and continues to throw punches. The ref jumps in with seconds left! This GP is getting very interesting.

11. Hatsu Hioki 18-3-2 vs. 17-1-1 Ronnie Mann
Hioki is the Japanese favorite, but he is facing a very good opponent.

Hioki usually has a reach advantage and its the case here too. Good takedown defense from Mann early, but eventually it goes to the ground. Hioki is going for an anaconda choke but Mann defends well. Hioki ends up in mount and goes for a triangle choke and it looks tight. Mann taps and Hioki proves why he is the favorite in this tournament.

The only non-Japanese in the semi-finals is Marlon Sandro, who I have as my favorite.

Read more...

5/2 Sengoku 8 - Weigh In

Fighters are on weight for the Sengoku event tomorrow. This card is looking very good and I have very high expectations for the main event and the Sandro vs. Denis fight.

Also look for Stanislav Nedkov to make it on the big stage. Travis Wiuff should be a very tough opponent, and I am really looking forward to that fight too.

Other than that, the additions of Xande Ribeiro and Leonardo Santos makes this a very interesting card and a sign of things to come from Sengoku.

For American fans, this will air on HDNet, live!

Main-Event - Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
Hatsu Hioki 65.0kg
Ronnie Mann 64.7kg

Michihiro Omigawa 64.7kg
Nam Phan 64.8kg

Non-Tournament:
Kazunori Yokota 69.9kg
Leonardo Santos 69.9kg

Keiichiro Yamamiya 92.0kg
Xande Ribeiro 90.3kg

Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
Masanori Kanehara 64.8kg
Jung Chan Sung 65.0kg

Marlon Sandro 64.9kg
Nick Denis 64.6kg

Non-Tournament:
Makoto Takimoto 75.4kg
Michael Costa 75.9kg

Stanislav Nedkov 91.9kg
Travis Wiuff 92.9kg

Maiximo Blanco 69.9kg
Akihiko Mouri 69.9kg

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5/2 Sengoku 8 - Fight Order

WVR have announced the fight order for the 8th Sengoku event, this will be held in the Yoyogi 2nd Gymnasium on May 2.

To me the Sengoku card are looking better and better for every event. They have added a fight that I am really excited about as an opening event here too. Look out for the 2008 Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament winner, Hirotoshi Saito. From his record it might look like he is a boring fighter, but he is the opposite (look at his picture gallery). I am very happy to see him get a shot here against Paraestra Matsudo's Yoshitaka Abe.

The main event will the the big fight in the tournament, Hatsu Hioki will take on Ronnie Mann. After the 1st round Hioki is the Japanese favorite in this tournament, but he is taking on a very experienced opponent.

My personal favorite for the GP is Marlon Sandro, I think he will be very difficult to beat here, but he has not got an easy opponent. Two of the ubeaten fighters in the GP, Marlon Sandro and Nick Denis, will square off and it should be a battle. The way I see it, Denis has his chance early in this fight otherwise Sandro will grind out a win.

Main-Event - Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
11. Hatsu Hioki 18-3-2 vs. 17-1-1 Ronnie Mann
10. Michihiro Omigawa 5-7-1 vs. 15-5-0 Nam Phan

Non-Tournament:
9. Light: Kazunori Yokota vs. Leonardo Santos
8. Light-Heavy: Keiichiro Yamamiya vs. Xande Ribeiro

Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
7. Masanori Kanehara 12-5-5 vs. 3-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
6. Marlon Sandro 13-0-0 vs. 7-0-0 Nick Denis

Non-Tournament:
5. Welter: Makoto Takimoto vs. Michael Costa
4. Light-Heavy: Stanislav Nedkov 5-0-0 vs. 54-12-0 Travis Wiuff
3. Light: Maiximo Blanco 2-1-1 vs. 6-6-1 Akihiko Mouri

Opening Fight:
2. Feather: Shigeki Osawa 2-0-0 vs. 0-3-0 Kota Ishibashi
1. Feather: Hirotoshi Saito 2-1-1 vs. 2-2-1 Yoshitaka Abe

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5/2 Sengoku 8 - Fights Announced

Sengoku have added another 2 fights to the card on May 2. Both the fights will include one of their "training players". This really proves the commitment Sengoku has to these fighters, and we will get to see more of them in the future.

Maximo Blanco had a very good wrestler and is very entertaining to watch. His record so far showes that he wins quick, or not at all. If he is able to overpower his oppoennt, he will. He is lacking submission skills though, but I am sure he is working on that too. In Sengoku 8 he will fight the much more experienced Akihiko Mouri.

The other Sengoku training player is Shigeki Osawa, also a wrestler. He has only had 2 fights, and will be in the opening fight in this event. He is taking on Kota Ishibashi.

Announced:
Non-Tournament:
Light: Maiximo Blanco 2-1-1 vs. 6-6-1 Akihiko Mouri

Opening Fight:
Feather: Shigeki Osawa 2-0-0 vs. 0-3-0 Kota Ishibashi

Previously Announced:
Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
Hatsu Hioki 18-3-2 vs. 17-1-1 Ronnie Mann
Masanori Kanehara 12-5-5 vs. 3-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
Michihiro Omigawa 5-7-1 vs. 15-5-0 Nam Phan
Marlon Sandro 13-0-0 vs. 7-0-0 Nick Denis

Non-Tournament Fights:
Light-Heavy: Stanislav Nedkov 5-0-0 vs. 54-12-0 Travis Wiuff
Welter: Makoto Takimoto vs. Michael Costa
Light: Kazunori Yokota vs. Leonardo Santos
Light-Heavy: Keiichiro Yamamiya vs. Xande Ribeiro

Read more...

5/2 Sengoku 8 - Fight Announced

Nightmare of Battle is writing that the YAMMA champion and Sengoku and UFC veteran Travis Wiuff will take on Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov.

I saw Nedov fight in Pancrase in December last year. After the event I thought we might see him in Sengoku, and we will. Nightmare of Battle has a link to the fight in the article I referenced above. For those who are lazy: Stanislav Nedkov vs. Masayuki Kono

Nedkov is still undefeated and he is taking on the very experienced Travis Wiuff, who is coming off a surprise loss to the then unknown "King Mo".

The card is looking very good!

Announced:
Light-Heavy: Stanislav Nedkov 5-0-0 vs. 54-12-0 Travis Wiuff

Previously Announced:
Featherweight GP 2nd Round:
Hatsu Hioki 18-3-2 vs. 17-1-1 Ronnie Mann
Masanori Kanehara 12-5-5 vs. 3-0-0 Jung Chan Sung
Michihiro Omigawa 5-7-1 vs. 15-5-0 Nam Phan
Marlon Sandro 13-0-0 vs. 7-0-0 Nick Denis

Non-Tournament Fights:
Welter: Makoto Takimoto vs. Michael Costa
Light: Kazunori Yokota vs. Leonardo Santos
Light-Heavy: Keiichiro Yamamiya vs. Xande Ribeiro

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!

Read more...

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

Read more...

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

Read more...

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

Read more...

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

Read more...

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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12/7 Pancrase - 3 More Fights Added

Pancrase have added 3 more fights to their event on December 7. This is looking like a very strong event, but some times there are fights I get surprised by… This time Pancrase have announced a Welterweight King of Pancrase title fight, in the same event, they have the final in the Welterweight tournament… The winner of the tournament was meant to fight interim champion Wada for the title next year. It doesn’t matter much I guess, we will see how it all works out.

Another fight added is the heavyweight fight between Masayuki Kono and Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov. I don’t want to jump to conclusions here, but it is the first heavyweight fight I can remember in Pancrase since "Tiger" Abacus was meant to fight Assuerio Silva in October last year. I think there are a couple of things to read into this, Pancrase is setting a goal of building talent for Sengoku and Stanislav Nedkov could be a guy to watch out for in the future.

The last fight announced today is between this year's Neo-Blood tournament winner, Hirotoshi Saito and the very experienced Tashiro "Akai" Nishiuchi.

I am really excited about this event, some strong talent and good match-ups. This event now has 3(!) title fights and one tournament final. We are also expecting the newly crowned Light-Heavyweight champion, Ryo Kawamura to participate.

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

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

Previously announced:
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

Middle: Ichiro Kanai 8-9-3 vs. 10-20-4 Daijiro Matsui
Feather: Yuki Yashima 2-4-1 vs. 5-2-4 Yasutomo Tanaka

Participating:
Ryo Kawamura 9-3-2
Maximo Blanco 1-0-0 (1 NC)

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