HEIWA DREAM.5 Lightweight GP 2008 Final Round
Date: July 21st, 2008
Place: Osaka Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan

Lightweight GP Final Fight:
Kawajiri/Alvarez vs. Uno/Aoki

Lightweight GP Semifinal Fights:
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Eddie Alvarez
Caol Uno vs. Shinya Aoki

Lightweight GP Reserve Fight:
Joachim Hansen vs. Black Mamba

Featherweight Fights:
Hideo Tokoro vs. Takeshi Yamazaki

Middleweight Fight:
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Welterweight Fight:
Motoki Miyazawa vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka

Heavyweight Fight:
Alistair Overeem vs. Mark Hunt

(Thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the full fight card)

So I’ll work my way up the card and give my picks quickly and as carefully as I can. In the only Heavyweight bout scheduled Mark Hunt returns to MMA after a 1 and 1/2 year hiatus, this does include a stoppage loss to Semmy Schilt in K-1. Alistair Overeem on the other hand has had a renaissance similar to his magnificent run at the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight GP Title. Both men possess great stand-up but what I think will make the difference is their submission game. I think Alistair definitely possesses the edge. I think Alistair will somehow force Hunt to his back or will capitalize with the height advantage. Alistair by Guillotine in the 1st.

Undefeated GCM veteran Motoki Miyazawa will step out of the cage and into his 1st big show and take on SHOOTO and UFC Veteran Kuniyoshi Hironaka. I think the edge is definitely for Hironaka primarily for the experience that he has coming in. Miyazawa does have only 4 fights all in a cage and this could definitely be a huge factor. I think Hironaka definitely needs to step up following bad results in the UFC. His stand-up is crisp and will definitely dictate the fight but I don’t think he’ll be able to finish the up and comer. Hironaka by Unanimous Decision.

Finally, after 7 months of waiting, the very much disliked and controversial Yoshihiro Akiyama makes his DREAM debut. He takes on the very colorful Katsuyori Shibata. To me, Shibata is like a poor man’s Ikuhisa Minowa, but with that said I do think Shibata is entertaining in victory or defeat, most likely defeat. Anyways, this fight is definitely a no brainer and anyone could call this. Akiyama is better at every and all facets of the game and add this to his constant gripe to impress everyone and he’s ready to go. Akiyama by Armbar in the 1st.

Even though Hideo Tokoro was in an unfortunate accident earlier this week, he will battle on and take on the very entertaining Takeshi Yamazaki. On any other card I think this would definitely prove to be fight of the night but they have tough competition with the GP semis. Every Featherweight bout in DREAM has proved to be epic and I think this one will also be a memorable bout. Both have that balls out style and will definitely provide a great show. I think the grappling will greatly influence the flow of the fight and Tokoro is definitely better in that field. Tokoro by Triangle Choke in the 2nd.

The reserve bout this night is Kultar “Black Mamba” Gill vs. Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen. “Hellboy” did actually advance to the quarters so I think his appearance is obvious due to his name and his epic bout with Alvarez but the Gill appearance is a bit confusing. I would’ve preferred to see Ishida and Hellboy but maybe helping Kawajiri’s for his fight axed that idea. Anyways, back to this match, I think that Gill’s reach and height advantage could work to his advantage but not necessarily that much. Hellboy’s good all around game with Gill’s lackluster submission defense spells disaster for Black Mamba. Hellboy by Rear Naked Choke in the 1st.

In the 1st semi-final bout, Caol Uno takes on Shinya Aoki. This will definitely prove the more methodical of the 2 semi bouts. I think both men are more meticulous and thoughtful when attacking and defending. Luckily for Uno his submission defense is great and could prove bothersome for Aoki. Aoki on the other hand is the most gifted grappler in MMA and could possible submit any fighter from 170 pounds to 155. I think Aoki will definitely try to pull guard if necessary. I don’t see this fight going the distance and I don’t see Uno out muscling the stringy Aoki. Aoki by Armbar in the 1st.

In the 2nd semi-final bout and what most, myself included, are predicting will be fight of the night. Tatsuya “Krusher” Kawajiri faces Eddie Alvarez. Personally, I can’t really even fathom how this fight will end. I don’t really have a mental picture. I know that their wrestling will definitely be a huge part. I also feel that Kawajiri will be able to out muscle and also be able to secure more significant take downs and positioning. I think Alvarez will throw all he can into the bout. This one is definitely the hardest to call. I have a feeling that this will be like Gomi vs. Kawajiri all over again, with Kawajiri actually coming out on top. Kawajiri by Unanimous Decision.

Finally, the GP and DREAM Title Fight. My picks are Kawajiri and Aoki. I feel both men will be too filled with testosterone to feel any pain or give an inch to their opponent. Both men will probably be drained but not enough to hinder their performance. I think Kawajiri’s submission defense will serve him well. My worry is that his ability to successfully take Aoki down will only help Aoki at this point. I also think Kawajiri’s ground and pound will also benefit him along with his stock frame to prevent any loose limbs. My pick stands the same from day 1. Kawajiri will be crowned DREAM and GP champion via Unanimous Decision.

Side Note: Joseph Benavidez is still scheduled to fight and they are trying to find an opponent for him. I had to try and post this as late as possible but I wasn’t able to squeek him into my preview. Maybe they’ll match him up with Darren Uyenoyama, which would definitely be great.

Grand Prix Quarter Finals - The 1st GP bout of the night pitted 1 of the 2 GP favorites, Ruslan Karaev against Tatsufumi Tomihara. I think it is a bit of a stretch to say that Karaev was a HUGE favorite in this thing considering he was knocked out 3 times in a row to Feitosa, Hari and Manhoef respectively. The Manhoef fight being probably one of the saddest scenes in K-1’s recent memory but Karaev was back to try and regain past glory. Both men engaged well in the 1st round and Karaev’s punches and kicks definitely had more snap to them. Karaev was also countering nicely, working the dirty boxing well throughout the round and overwhelming Tomihara with meticulous hooks and spin back heels. In the beginning of the 2nd round, Karaev was a man possessed throwing strong and fast, mixing it up with a nice kick chain and managed to tag Tomihara. The onslaught continues and 2 minutes in Tomihara looks gassed, while still throwing less but does show signs of life at the closing of the 2nd. Going into the 3rd Karaev has completely outclassed, punched, kicked, and defended Tomihara. They quickly start off where they ended as Karaev pours it on again. He manages to stagger Tomihara but a knockdown doesn’t come until later in the round after Karaev starts unloading on his opponent half way into the round when Tomihara is dropped by a combination of him slipping and a Karaev left. A mentally beaten and visibly upset Tomihara quickly falls again and referee Minoru Toyonaga calls the bout. Karaev advances to the Semis.

The 2nd of the 4 GP bouts was definitely the most visually comedic one to watch as Ssireum (Traditional Korean Wrestling) star Kim Young-Hyun fought Saiseelek Nor-Seepun. Kim’s height is 7 feet, 1 inch while the Thai fighter stood at 5 feet, 9 inches. This was fight reminiscent of a Kaoklai Kaennorsing fight or if you’ve never seen Koaklai than Little Mac vs. Anyone in Mike Tyson’s Punchout!! Nothing out of the ordinary in this fight as Saiseelek was constantly circling and not trying too much to engage while Kim kept getting leg sweep knockdown that in the end don’t count. Not much action really stood out in the 2nd other than visual proof that Saiseelek could actually reach Kim’s jaw with a punch. The 3rd round was the most interesting and not much of anything happened. Kim got swept and almost scored a close knockdown but other than that he coasted to an easy unanimous decision. Kim advances to the Semis.

The 3rd of the GP bouts featured the other GP favorite Aleksandre Pitchkounov against Nobu Hayashi. In the 1st round both men definitely stood their ground and none gave up an inch. Pitchkounov managed to utilize his jab effectively and also his lower leg kicks but Hayashi’s big frame doesn’t seem to give as both stand and exchange good blows. The 2nd round starts with a beautiful Pitchkounov front kick to the face of Hayashi as both men start to throw with much more strength. Hayashi is landing strong leg kicks while Pitchkounov lands better on the mid to upper body and even manages to throw an unsuccessful “Brazilian Kick”. The intensity picks up again in the 3rd round with much of the same great action continuing. Pitchkounov is close to a KO at one point where he lands a nice left hook followed by a massive left high kick but Hayashi isn’t dazed. The fight comes to a close and the judges score it a draw and an extension is needed. Personally, I had Pitchkounov winning all the rounds but he did throw and initiate more than Hayashi. The rounds were very close but I think the extension was unnecessary. For the 1st time in the fight Hayashi is clearly engaging and pushing forward to start the extension. Both men are definitely desperate to leave a good impression on the judges and the punch count increases a lot as the 2 continue to stand and trade. With 1 minute left Pitchkounov lands a massive high kick that just sucks the life out of Hayashi but he’s still standing and towards the end of the round Pitchkounov throws a Rolling Thunder-like kick. Pitchkounov is awarded the extension decision. Pitchkounov advances to the Semis.

The 4th and Final GP Quarter Final bout pitted Makoto Uehara vs. Yong Soo Park. Both men start the fight with high kicks, which was definitely a precursor of the fight. Both men seemed very intent on finishing the fight but the problem was that neither men would set-up a shot but rather would try and find a one punch KO the whole 1st round. Nothing too out of the ordinary in the 1st. Park came out guns blazing in the 2nd, throwing a massive Axe Kick and 2 spinning heels, one which seemed like a knockdown but was not given as one. Park definitely seemed the aggressor and Uehara looked overwhelmed by the bigger Park. The tide would change severely in the 3rd as 1 minute into the round Uehara found success and connected against Park by almost just flailing his arms and throwing power shots. Sadly, he is unable to really create any other offense the remainder of the round and leaves it up to the judges to decide. Again, the judges feel the fight was close and call a draw so an extension is needed. The fight doesn’t show much promise until a pause is needed. The fight resumes and Uehara just unloads a huge left and puts Park out. Definitely a great knockout and definitely worth the wait. Uehara advances to the Semis but is unable to compete.

Both Superfight after the 1st round featured MAX weight fighters. These were bouts between gyms. The 2 teams were from Taiwan and Australia respectively. The hometown boys were successful in both. In the 1st bout, Yang Tong Hsiung won a decision over Matt Campbell, while the 2nd bout was a bit more interesting. Wang Chung Yaun took on Mick Mittiga. The bout started with a quick exchange than a botched clinch that saw Yaun go to the floor in which Mittiga throw a knee to a downed opponent. This visually frustrated Yaun but fight continued as Mittiga worked his clinch game. Both men proceeded to throw crazily until Yaun connected sending Mittiga to the canvas with a punch that didn’t necessarily look too devastating but he stayed down for the count and the hometown fighters went 2-0 in Superfights.

Grand Prix Semifinals - The pairings for the Semis were Karaev vs. Young-Hyun and Pitchkounov vs. Anderson (Uehara was unable to continue so the alternate Vaugh Anderson took his place) The 1st semifinal bout was lightning quick and lasted a whole 15 seconds. Remember Aleksander Emelianenko’s insane accuracy against Ricardo Morais at Bushido 6? This was very similar to that but with a different result. After receiving 100% of Karaev’s punches Young-Hyun was quickly examined by a doctor who concluded he had suffered a nose injury, thus being unable to continue. Ideally, this was perfect for Karaev going fresh into GP Finals bout. Karaev advances to the Finals.

The 2nd bout saw the winner also fortunate of the fight not leaving the 1st. Pitchkounov was a heavy favorite and had to advance against Anderson. Anderson came out quickly and engaged Pitchkounov in a way that underdogs with things to prove usually do. He was quick to engage but slowed down towards the middle of the round where things became alot more even. With about 30 seconds left, Pitchkounov delivered a nice left high kick, which had a sort of slap effect and noise on Anderson’s face and he was soon pounced on. Pitchkounov was smart and dropped him soon after. He repeated the dosage with single digits left in the round after which the referee called the fight. A very upset Anderson was shaking his glove in disapproval as he stumbled around the ring trying to find his feet coincidentally. Pitchkounov advances to the Finals.

There were 2 more Heavyweight superfights on the card. Ray Sefo took on Zabit Samedov and Remy Bonjasky fought Volk Atajev. For those heartbroken Sefo fans, the nightmare continues as Sefo extends his losing streak to 5. He drops this one after 2 round extensions and by split decision. His last win was in 2006 and while I respect and admire Ray Sefo and his career it seems like the competition may have past him up. Sefo along with Jerome LeBanner are definitely the 2 best fighters to never win the World GP title and I think both men will have to go their career without experiencing that. Hopefully Sefo rebounds from this and finds success in the near future. Another K-1 legend was victorious as Remy Bonjasky knocked out a very game Volk Atajev in the 3rd round of their contest. One thing that should be noted is the 3rd round in which Bonjasky looked incredible to say the least. He threw with pure power and conviction and ended the fight with a huge flying knee.

Grand Prix Finals - Pitchkounov vs. Karaev. The 2 men left were the biggest, best, and most feared fighters in the event and cleared good competition to get to the finals. Both men come out willing to quickly fight and don’t necessarily looked too fatigued. Luckily for them, the bout before (Sefo vs. Samedov) went to 2 round extensions and not to mention they both managed to make quick work of their 1st opponents. Karaev is obviously moving a lot more than Pitchkounov. Also, Karaev tests the water and his combos and his punches generally look a lot stronger and harder than Pitchkounov. 1 minute in and Pitchkounov is very defensive and receiving a lot punches. The fight is momentarily stopped because Karaev recieves a low blow. This turns out to be a huge blessing in disguise. After a quick breather, he returns and just cranks up the power and starts using his left hooks to get through. Finally, he manages to connect a beautiful combo to Pitchkounov’s head ending the bout. Ruslan Karaev after having a win less 07 is back and looks like a completely new person. Congratulations to him and hopefully this is a sign of things to come as he takes on the big guns later this year at the World GP Finals.

I guess this would be the MMA tie-in. With FEG having at least 3 shows a month (K-1 or MMA rules), they’re no stranger to having in K-1 Fighters momentarily transition to MMA and vice versa. Last week, we witnessed Andre “Dida” Amade successfully knockout the powerful Remigijus Morkevicius in a very one sided fight. This, coupled with Jerome Le Banner’s appearance than disappearance due to injury from DREAM. 5 got me thinking that there are a lot guys that I would like to see fight MMA on a more consistent basis. While most won’t necessarily become Mirko “Cro Cop” and become legitimatized MMA contenders, I do feel that with some training the transition won’t be too bad and they could enjoy success on a different fighting forum. My only worry is that they’ll end looking like another K-1 superstar who made the transition, the infamous Stefan “Blitz” Leko, which is pretty hard to do. Anyways, here’s my list:

5.) Glaube Feitosa - While not necessarily sporting the best record in the K-1 world, Feitosa brings a predictable, yet unpredictable style at the same time to all his fights. His incredible mastery of the “Brazilian Kick” definitely leaves everyone baffled, opponents and spectators alike. Feitosa’s incredible kicking style isn’t necessarily as strong as Mirko’s but is definitely more versatile and able to land kicks from strange and almost impossible angles. Feitosa has fought 1 MMA fighter in the past when he managed to knockout Alistair Overeem at the Ichigeki Kyokushin vs K-1 All Out Battle show in 2004 and a rematch in the near future would definitely be awesome.

4.) Remy Bonjasky - What I would do to hear Ennio Morricone’s masterpiece “The Man With The Harmonica” used in a DREAM show to introduce Bonjasky. His credentials speak for themselves. 2 Time K-1 World Grand Prix Champion is definitely a title that commands attention. At the age of 32, Bonjasky is still at the tail-end of his natural prime and could still make the transition. He’s the same age as another fearless Dutchmen, Melvin Manhoef, who also fights in DREAM. Of the ones that I listed I feel he would be one of the least likely to make the switch sadly.

3.) Yoshihiro Sato -I know what some people are thinking, “Why no Buakaw?” and I think the answer is simple. Yoshihiro Sato is why. I think unexpected sums up the result of their last fight. I think the win over Buakaw definitely catapults him to new heights. Not even Japanese Ladies Man Masato could brag to the ladies that he ended a certain aura that Buakaw had. Sato is definitely going to become a huge commodity in Japan and personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him fight in a Ray Sefo vs. Min Soo Kim style MMA/k-1ish style rules match maybe at a Dynamite!! show someday. He definitely exposed a weakness in Buakaw even during his diminishing state. A fight between Kid Yamamoto or Masato could definitely boost slumping numbers come New Year’s.

2.) Artur Kyshenko - I’ll admit that this pick is a bit biased. Earlier this year I picked Kyshenko to win the MAX title after I saw his performance at last year’s MAX GP Final. I think Kyshenko is without a doubt the future of MAX and more importantly is very young at only 21 years old. I think of the 5 names I picked, he is only 1 of 2 who I think should immediately hang up their 12 ounce gloves and start learning how to wrestle. The scary thing is that he is yet to reach his maximum potential in the K-1 realm and is definitely destined to become MAX champ sooner than later.

1.) Badr Hari - This was the obvious one. What can I say? Badr Hari is definitely IT. The 1 fighter who I think needs to come to MMA. He’s the total package. Raw, Young, Fearless, and Relentless. The random fact of the day is that Hari actually fought MMA once. He lost by submission in 0:22 seconds. This was 8 years ago and he’s evolved. If I were to pick 1 fighter who I think can replicate what Cro Cop did, this man would be it. His semi-nemesis Peter Graham recently hooked up with Team Quest, so why can’t he do the same? To make matters a bit more intriguing he currently trains with Melvin Manhoef with Mike Passenier. BADR HARI, COME TO MMA!!!

HEIWA DREAM.5 Lightweight GP 2008 Final Round
Date: July 21st, 2008
Place: Osaka Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan

Lightweight GP Final Fight:
Kawajiri/Alvarez vs. Uno/Aoki

Lightweight GP Semifinal Fights:
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Eddie Alvarez
Caol Uno vs. Shinya Aoki

Featherweight Fight:
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Joseph Benavidez

Participants:
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Katsuyori Shibata

Possible Participants:
Minowaman, Joachim Hansen, Mark Hunt, Denis Kang, Black Mamba

(Thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the Full Fight Card)

Now to sort this out a bit. Both “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill and Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen will most likely be featured as the reserves for this event. Why Mamba? Who knows really? It also surprises me that Kang and Minowa are both listed but I think FEG are trying to go BIG for their September 23rd show, which means sliding down the non-GP participating Middleweights. Also, Mark Hunt will participate and will likely face Jerome LeBanner, who was Mirko’s original opponent. Finally, Katsuyori Shibata expressed his desire to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at the Akasaka Fight Festival. Akiyama has gone 7 months since his last fight and I definitely think this fight could serve him well to get back in the swing of things.

Moving on to the WVR side of things. MMA Junkie is reporting that the company has inked a deal with UFC veteran Frank Trigg. This is definitely a move in the right direction for WVR. This no doubt sets up a possible rematch with WVR standout Kazuo Misaki, who lost to Trigg at the memorable PRIDE 33: Second Coming show. Also, the plan to carry out a GP by Sengoku is in full swing. The only names listed currently on the site are Eiji Mitsuoka, Satoru Kitaoka, Duane “Bang” Ludwig, Rodrigo Damm, and Kazunori Yokota. The hopes of this is to get some competition for their Lightweight King, Takanori Gomi, who might be set to fight Chris Horedecki. If you ask me, they should’ve just set up a fight against Kitaoka, considering his credentials I think this would’ve been enough. But anyways, the 8/24 show is nowhere close to being booked but looks like this:

SENGOKU IV
Date: August 24th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Fights:
Peter Graham vs. Moise Rimbon

Possible Fights:
Takanori Gomi vs. Chris Horodecki

Possible Participants:
Frank Trigg
Daniel Acacio
Cristiano Marcello
Clay French

Lightweight Tournament Participants:
Satoru Kitaoka
Eiji Mitsuoka
Kazunori Yokota
Rodrigo Damm
Duane Ludwig

(Thanks again to Nightmare of Battle for the Full Fight Card)

Finally, while this isn’t 100% MMA related, the K-1 World MAX circuit is down to the final 4 competitors. The most stand-out thing from last night definitely had to be Yoshihiro Sato’s amazing knockout of Buakaw Por-Pramuk. The 2 men had battled earlier this year in a Superfight at the MAX Japan Tournament earlier this year to a Round extension split decision. This fight is definitely an indication of Buakaw finally being caught up by the competition and also his ability to look very very lackluster this year. Speaking of the MAX Japan Tournament, Yasuhiro Kido’s dream run for the title is over after he was defeated by my pick to win MAX this year, Artur Kyshenko. Masato and Andy Souwer round out the other 2 finalist in what looks like a stellar final. Last but not least, the MMA tie-in. UDL’s Andre “Dida” Amade was victorious over ZST and early K-1 HERO’s standout Remigijus Morkevicius in an explosive and much needed boost in moment for the Brazilian fighter. I’ll link the more interesting bouts under:

Yoshihiro Sato vs. Buakaw Por. Pramuk III

Artur Kyshenko vs. Yasuhiro Kido (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2)

Andre “Dida” Amade vs. Remigijus Morkevi?ius

Fighter of the Mid-Year: Eddie Alvarez (DREAM)

While you can make a strong case for Aoki, I feel that Eddie Alvarez definitely worked a lot harder and was most deserved of the title. Coming off a decent at Welterweight career, lots of people ,including myself, were dubious about the how he would stack up to top tier competition at 170. He may have destined for obscurity at 70 but by signing with Elite XC and agreeing to drop to 160 (Elite XC Lightweight) he definitely opened doors of possibility. He not only looked great against the 2007 HERO’S Middleweight GP Runner-Up Andre Dida, he looked like a new fighter, who was willing to rely on his great wrestling and also comfortable on the feet as always. To make the selection a bit easier on my part, he had one of the most memorable bouts against Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen in the 2nd Round of the DREAM Lightweight GP. Alvarez has definitely caught the attention of many and now hopes to claim the 1st DREAM title later this month.

Submission of the Mid-Year: Shinya Aoki’s Mounted Gogoplata on Katsuhiko Nagata (DREAM)

This was pretty much a no-brainer. The degree of difficulty is insane to say the least and the odds of it actually happening were slim to none but I guess with Aoki we can always expect the unexpected and it was definitely unexpected.

Knockout of the Mid-Year: Alistair Overeem’s knockout of Tae Hyun Lee (DREAM)

I think it’s safe to say that Alistair at heavyweight, minus the Kharitonov fight, looks better than ever. In his last 2 wins against Buentello and Tae Hyun Lee we’ve seen a dramatic turn around from the Alistair we saw in late 06, who kept dropping fights and looked half interested in the process. This maybe a re-birth of sorts for the Demolition Man, at least I’m hoping it is. His huge left followed by that right that smacked the face of his Korean counterpart definitely give him a much needed boost of confidence if he wants to pursue his current interest, Mirko Cro Cop.

Upset of the Mid-Year: Caol Uno’s win over Mitsuhiro Ishida (DREAM)

I know you’re thinking that this wasn’t necessarily the “biggest” upset when you thoroughly compare the 2 fighters but coming into the fight it was a completely different story. Ishida was poised as a front-runner for the title, along with fellow T-Blood partner Kawajiri, and had the tide in his favor with wins over Gilbert Melendez and Jung Bu-Kyung. Uno on the other hand was out for almost 8 months healing injuries he received from Andre Amade and to be honest had looked very lackluster in previous attempts at the HERO’S Middleweight Title on 3 consecutive occasions. Uno was all business in the fight and left home with a much needed submission victory to his name and dispelled any thoughts of him being completely past his prime.

Dissapointment of the Mid-Year: Mirko Cro Cop’s Return, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue’s Road to Redemption and World Victory Road (tie)

How many people remember that 2 of these 3 are still around? If anyone would’ve told me that Cro Cop, 1 year after signing with the UFC Cro Cop would be dropped, would end up fighting a can (no offense to Mr. Tatsuya Mizuno) and I would not be interested, I probably would’ve thought they were insane. 1 year, 1 can, and 1 disinterested feeling later, we’ve arrived to this point where Mirko is just a former shadow of himself and might be destined to be referred to in a similar as Vitor Belfort. Maybe Old Vitor and Old Mirko regain that lost spark but at this moment it’s very unclear. WVR.. Who knew it’d be THAT bad? I was definitely on the love wagon trying to become a fan of this but it’s very hard to do so with lackluster cards and overall bad matchmaking. Not even Gomi, Yoshida and J. Barnett could help them sell 10,000 tickets. Well, actually, maybe they can and thats why these 3 have to be on all the cards from now on to garner any attention or buzz. Finally, “Lion” Takeshi Inoue. This one is a bit closer to home considering Takeshi is my favorite 143 pounder but his last showing at SHOOTO: Tradition left a sour taste in my mouth. This coupled with the fact that he actually previously lost to A. Tamura, who in turn lost his belt as soon as he got it. The road to the belt starts over and hopefully, Takeshi doesn’t get Antonio Carvalho treatment from SHOOTO.

Fight of the Mid-Year: Eddie Alvarez vs. Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen (DREAM)

Truly a stand-out bout in one of the best MMA shows in the last 2 years, this bout had everything. Awesome displays of Heart, Knockdowns, Sportsmanship, and yes, an insane Helicopter Armbar attempt. This fight I think surpasses some of the other great bouts including the Featherweight bouts like Tokoro vs. Uyenoyama and Shoji vs. Yamazaki simply for the fact that it was a Grand Prix bout and the winner would obviously have a birth in the next round. Stellar bout from both men and unfortunately for 1 man, Hansen, there had to be a loser afterward. This fight definitely is a throwback to the BUSHIDO 9: 2005 PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix fights, which also featured some of the best Lightweight and Welterweight (PRIDE Welterweight) bouts in recent memory and also featured “Hellboy” doing his thing.

Organization of the Mid-Year: DREAM

Overall, it’s definitely been the start of some great things in Japanese MMA (DREAM), while it also has been the start of not so great things (WVR). Starting this year on January 1st, I remember thinking to myself that PRIDE’s void will never be filled and while it will NEVER EVER truly be filled, DREAM has converted itself to a fine organization and should definitely use PRIDE’s blueprint for success but also, they should look more closely at their mistakes and try to correct them. DREAM is definitely the De Facto champion now that PRIDE is no more. WVR has definitely got to step up their game in these next 6 months or they could find themselves becoming forgotten or even out of business if they don’t do something and do it quick. So far, It’s the easiest one of my picks. Also, another reason why this is SOO simple is availability. All you need is HDNet and you can watch the events live and you don’t have to pay for view.

6 more months to go and hopefully we’re treated to some great bouts and some great MMA moments.

Ok.. Anyways, DREAM. 3 is only hours away and the updated finalized card looks like this:

HEIWA DREAM.3 Lightweight GP 2008 2nd Round
Date: May 11th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Lightweight GP 2nd Round Fights:
8. Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Caol Uno
7. Joachim Hansen vs. Eddie Alvarez
6. Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Luis Buscape

Welterweight Championship Eliminator Fight:
5. Nick Diaz vs. Katsuya Inoue

Lightweight Fight:
4. Jung Bukyung vs. Daisuke Nakamura

Middleweight GP 1st Round Reserve Fight:
3. Melvin Manhoef vs. Kim Dae Won

Middleweight GP 1st Round Fight:
2. Jason Miller vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Featherweight Fight:
1. Takeshi Yamazaki vs. SHOJI

(Thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the Updated card.)

Since I am a bit pressed on time, I’ll give my quick thoughts and predictions for this card. I’ll work my way up from the bottom starting with the Inaugural Featherweight bout of DREAM. Most of us did see this happening sooner or later. I remember about 8 months ago Tanigawa and Co. had made note that they definitely had plans to try and expand the HERO’s roster to try and incorporate the featherweight fighters. There are probably 2 reasons why they wanted to do this. 1.) They want to expand their brand and bring in different fighters or the other more obvious reason 2.) They need a Division where Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto can rule with an iron fist as he did in the early days of HERO’s. Actually, it should be noted that they even thought of creating a 140 pound division for Kid instead of the standard 143 or 145 we see in SHOOTO or the WEC.

Back to this specific fight, Pancrase’s 1st Lightweight champ SHOJI (SHOJI SHOJI or Shoji Maruyama) is taking on DEEP Veteran and Grabaka Dojo member Takeshi Yamazaki. While I haven’t seen too much of Yamazaki, Shoji definitely caught alot of people off guard when he knocked out the than recent Cage Force Tournament Champion Artur Oumakhanov, who now also fights in DREAM on and off. While Shoji doesn’t nearly have as many fight as Yamazaki, I think Shoji has fought better opposition in shorter periods. The 2 opponents who stand out are the aforementioned Oumakhanov and Brazilian powerhouse Jose Aldo, who Shoji fought to a decision. I think Shoji’s stand up should help him get the win to help him climb to the top of the Lightweights. Shoji by Knockout in the 1st That climb to the top may prove a bit harder with both Hideo Tokoro and Masakazu Imanari both wanting a piece of Kid also.

Similar to the Last DREAM, this one will also feature a late GP bout but for the 185 GP. To help clarify things up, Melvin Manhoef was originally scheduled to fight for a spot to be seeded into the GP but due to him being knocked about by Remy Bonjasky at the K-1 Amsterdam GP show last month, FEG staff have decided that it was best for him to only fight for a reserve spot. The actual final spot will be taken by the winner of Katsuyori Shibata and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. The other thing that should be noted is that both Akitoshi Tamura and Sakuraba may not participate in the next round of the GP for various reasons so the Manhoef fight will most likely be a qualifier also. I’m still praying that they decide to bring Akiyama back.

This fight, in my opinion, will definitely be the most entertaining bout of the evening for personality reasons. I think a great way to describe Katsuyori Shibata is Psychotic but Limited. One thing the man does possess is lots of Heart and drive but he’s very limited in his skill set. On the other hand you have the colorful Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who is definitely a very entertaining personality. Mayhem definitely didn’t have it that easy in his last fight against the tough Tim Kennedy, eventually decisioning him. Shibata’s last fight on the other hand was just a war. The Funaki-trained Shibata, did get finished but definitely showed a fighting spirit the whole fight. I think Mayhem’s experience really makes him the easy favorite to win this bout. I think he’ll overpower Shibata and manage to pound on him for the full length of the fight. I think Shibata won’t be stopped but I do feel he won’t be able to handle Mayhem. Mayhem Miller by Unanimous Decision If all goes how I believe it will the Intro’s and staredown to this fight will steal the show.

The 3rd bout scheduled was originally Melvin Manhoef vs. Ralek Gracie but that fight was scrapped a bit after it was announced. For the Manhoef vs. Gracie fight, my prediction was going to be very simple. Manhoef by Knockout within 30 Seconds. That 1st bout had Manhoef-Oyama II written all over it. Anyways, the bout is now Manhoef vs. Dae Won Kim. Kim is no stranger to the larger Japanese shows. He’s participated both in PRIDE and in HERO’s going 1 and 1, with that win coming to the highly touted and debuting Marcel Garcia, while that lost came to none other than DJ Gozma himself, Akihiro Gono. I think it should be noted that Kim has faced really good competition for only having 7 fights. Garcie, Gono and Doerksen are all former opponents of his. The problem is that he’s facing Melvin Manhoef. Every opponent knows what he brings but he always manages to get them. Manhoef’s explosiveness is ridiculous and enviable at the very least and I see him having no problem with Kim. Manhoef by Knockout in the 1st.

“Finally…” I think that’s what Jung Bu Kyung is thinking after he got matched up with Daisuke Namakura. While not necessarily the Worst that 155 has to offer, Nakamura definitely provides a great fight for people to gauge where Jung’s potential is really at. No disrespect to Nakamura but the one who has more to gain or lose is Jung. If he wins decisively than he’s on his way maybe to a Dong Sik Yoon type renaissance, while if he looks sluggish and unable to finish Nakamura than maybe he was just more hype than anything else. Anyways, I am confident in the skills that Jung displayed in his 1st 2 bouts against Aoki and Ishida respectively, and I do see him taking the Dong Sik Yoon route. The 1 thing I’m troubled about is Nakamura’s plethora of experience compared to Jung and I could see Jung getting upset. I don’t really know if beating a 0-2 fighter is an upset but anyways, I’m gonna have to go with Jung on this one. Jung by Dongbar—I mean Armbar in the 2nd. I think it must be said but Dong Sik Yoon is awesome and also provided one of the most awkward and confusing moments in the history of Fighter Intro’s when he came out to Purple Rain by Prince at the last DREAM show.

One thing I believe DREAM is aiming for is having established Champions in most their divisions by or during 2009. This is very evident in the fact that the winner of both GP’s will win both GP and DREAM titles for their respective weights. JZ also recently stated that he plans on challenging for the DREAM title as soon as he is able to compete after his recent injury. All this added to the fact that they’re now having elimination bouts to set up title fights kind of really helps DREAM and gives it credibility where HERO’s lacked it. The winner of this elimination bout between Nick Diaz and Katsuya Inoue has the displeasure of fighting Hayato “Mach” Sakurai for the title. Sakurai was recently upset by David Baron at the SHOOTO Tradition show. That show did have another upset with “Lion” Takeshi Inoue also dropping a bout to Savant Young, Thankfully both Yusuke Endo and Takeshi Nakakura were victorious so the night wasn’t completely lost.

After being on, than off again, than on again, Nick Diaz finally gets the thumbs up from Pro Elite and gets to make his Japanese debut in a big show. (Side Note: Pro Elite and DREAM have announced a partnership that includes fighters exchanges amongst other things.) Diaz, did make his SHOOTO debut at the 2002 Year End show, which in retrospect is an Ultra Stacked card. Anyways, Diaz is facing Inoue, who’s riding a huge upset win against Satoru Kitaoka last year. While I do think that Kitaoka win was big, 8 times out of 10 I think Kitaoka wins the fight but anyways, the past is the past and Nick Diaz is his new foe. I think Inoue is stronger than Diaz on the feet and could possibly pose a threat if the fight manages to stay on the feet for long periods of time. Inoue has been stopped before though Akira Kikuchi and Yoshiyuki Yoshida but I don’t think Diaz’s punching power will facilitate the KO. Nick Diaz would be heavily benefited by taking this to the floor. I think on the floor, he’ll aim to soften him up with blows and eventually manage to submit, even though Inoue is yet to be submitted in MMA. Both men carry a great deal of experience and this bout should definitely prove really competitive and even. Diaz by Rear Naked Choke in the 1st.

Finally, what feels like Years of waiting the 2nd round of the Lightweight GP is under way. There are only 3 scheduled bouts because of the Aoki-Nagata fight being moved to DREAM. 4. These fights are definitely the one’s most of us have been waiting for and while there are clear cut favorites to possibly win these bouts, I think its very hard to categorize any of these 3 bouts as susceptible to upsets in the sense that if either men wins their respective bout you can’t really make the case and cry upset due to the very close and talented fighters partaking in them.

The only rematch of the GP, Tatsuya “Crusher” Kawajiri vs. Luis “Buscape” Firmino. If your memory serves you well, you’ll remember when the highly touted Kawajiri made his PRIDE debut at BUSHIDO 7 against In Seok Kim and just ran through the poor guy. Buscape was also coming off a very very hardly contested bouts against Luiz Azeredo at BUSHIDO 6 in one of the best fights in BUSHIDO history. Anyways, I think many people thought Kawajiri might repeat the dosage but everyone was just shocked at what transpired. Buscape clearly had 1 thing in mind and that was taking Kawajiri down, which he managed to do very briefly. Of the 15 minutes the bout lasted, Buscape had Kawajiri’s back on the feet as Kawajiri desperately found himself losing the fight going into the 2nd round. Kawajiri looked flat and very perplexed with Buscape’s style of attack. The fight was a bit lack luster to the common eye but the battle for positioning on the feet was incredible to say the least. While many, myself included, believe Kawajiri did not do enough to win the bout, he was still awarded the decision. The key part of the argument lies in the fact that with 5 seconds left in the bout, Kawajiri managed to connect 4 or more solid stomps to Buscape’s face, which begs the question of, what if there was 5 more seconds?

While I did pick Kawajiri to win the whole thing, I think the 1st bout was almost borderline as dominant as anyone has ever been against Kawajiri. Not even Gomi or Melendez managed to control Kawajiri’s upper body for as long or even really completely take him out of his element like Buscape did. Their 1st round bouts where very different. Kawajiri had to face the Behemoth, Kultar Gill and was unable to finish him though he dominated, while Buscape, after a 1 year lay-off, got back into his groove by finishing Kazuyuki Miyata. I think the fight will not be like the 1st. I think Kawajiri is wiser and knows what to expect from Buscape. I think Kawajiri will employ GSP’s recent tactic and just secure the quick takedown and works from a position that benefits him and where he feels more comfortable. Now actually getting the takedown should prove a bit harder and I think he’ll have to set the takedown up with some heavy strikes. Buscape on the other hand should try the same tactic as in the 1st. Try and secure the upper body and eventually the takedown also. I think Kawajiri’s strength might play into it but Buscape is definitely not a slouch in that zone. I don’t see either men finishing each other but I’m gonna have to go with my gut even though there are no stomps. Kawajiri by Split Decision.

The 2nd bout has fight of the night written all over it with Joachim “Hellboy” Hansen taking on Eddie Alvarez. I remember when they originally announced that Eddie Alvarez would be participating I was thrilled to hear his name because he had relative success at 170 pounds but his true calling was at Lightweight. He didn’t disappoint. He scored a huge stoppage win over my Original Dark Horse pick Andre “Dida” Amade. He did everything to perfection in that bout. Worked the crisp stand-up, nice knees and used his superior wrestling. Hellboy on the other hand, had a tough time with Koutetsu Boku, who definitely put up a great fight. Hellboy looked well rounded and started to regain his stride. The 1 thing I find amazing is that both men are soo talented in almost all fields of the game. This fight will definitely prove to possibly be the best fight in DREAM’s short history due to the excitement and of course, skill that both men bring to the table.

Hellboy in a mount or dominant position could very easily end the fight at any given second, so I think it would be wise for Eddie to avoid going to his back because of Hellboy’s solid ground and pound and good submission game. Eddie could also opt to try and get the takedown but I really don’t know how Hellboy would react to that because of his ability to regain his bearings and reverse to a favorable position. This fight is very hard to call but I Think this will be a stand-up battle for about 3 minutes with both shooting on each other and both being Unsuccessful. I think the fight will be decided on the feet for the most part. I’m going out on a limb and I’m gonna say Thunder will strike again and Hellboy will connect with a huge knee to Alvarez’s face and we know what happens after that. Reference the Uno, Azeredo or Imanari fight if you’re confused. Hansen by Knee in the 1st Round. This fight is too close to call so why not dream of this ending? It’s like watching a Glaube Feitosa fight and waiting for the Brazilian Kick KO. It may or not happen.

Finally, the Main event and final bout of the GP, Caol Uno vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida. While I don’t think this’ll be a repeat of Uno vs. Sato I do think this is a great fight but probably the least intriguing bout for me personally. I think the gift Uno got from FEG was just ridiculous and incorrect when compared to the treatment Yoshihiro Akiyama got. Anyways, this fight probably won’t be the most likely to deliver the big knockout but it will be one of the highest paced bouts on the card. Both men’s wrestling, especially Ishida, is some of the noteworthy in the division and I do think this fight will be long and tedious and very hard fought. Another thing that should be noted is that Uno’s last fight was against Andre Amade at last year’s HERO’s GP in which Amade ended up breaking Uno’s jaw with a massive knee. Uno looked very uncomfortable and his wrestling was unable to bail him out of anything. Ishida’s last fight was against Jung Bu Kyung and was very announced and had an almost predictable outcome. I don’t see either men finishing each other, and if I was to choose someone who was most likely to finish the bout, I’d probably pick Uno. Anyways, just like many other times Ishida is just too much for his opponent. Ishida by Unanimous Decision.

I’m not brave enough to pick any upsets but I don’t realistically see any. Anyways, enjoy DREAM. 3 and I’m a liar because my “breakdown” wasn’t as quickly as advertised. Sorry.

My Picks:

• Shoji by Knockout in the 1st
• Jason Miller by Unanimous Decision
• Melvin Manhoef by Knockout in the 1st.
• Jung Bu Kyung by Armbar in the 2nd
• Nick Diaz by Rear Naked Choke in the 1st.
• Tatsuya Kawajiri by Split Decision
• Joachim Hansen by Knee in the 1st Round
• Mitsuhiro Ishida by Unanimous Decision.

Anyways, enough of the negativity, back to the reason of this little writing. As announced DREAM. 2 will be held on April 29th and the card looks like so:

OLYMPIA DREAM.2 Middleweight GP 2008 1st Round
Date: April 29th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

Middleweight GP 1st Round:
8. Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
7. Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
6. Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
5. Ronaldo Jacare vs. Ian Murphy
4. Magomed Sultanakhmadov vs. Zelg Galesic
3. Yoon Dong Sik vs. Shungo Oyama
2. Kin Taiei vs. Minowaman

Lightweight GP 1st Round:
1. Shinya Aoki vs. J.Z. Calvan

(Many thanks to Nightmare of Battle for the Organized Full Card)

Anyways, moving to content, FEG is finishing up its 3rd major event of the month in Japan with its 2nd DREAM Show. My last posting before my “break” was specifically updating this card and I’m not too happy to inform you that there has been no additions thus far to the 183 Pound Grand Prix until Today that is. The card is most likely 100 percent finalized and the Grand Prix matches look like this:

Olympia DREAM.2

4/29 at Saitama Super Arena

• Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara
• Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
• Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Taiei Kin vs. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa
• Magomed Sultanakhmedov vs. Zelg Galesic
• Dong Sik Yoon vs. Shungo Oyama
• Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza vs. Frank Trigg
• Gesias “JZ” Calvancanti vs. Shinya Aoki

This card looks great at first glance and definitely seems more competitive than I had originally believed it would be. A full top to bottom preview of this card is definitely in the works. Also, it should be noted that the Winner of the JZ/Aoki fight will get a seed in the next round of the Lightweight GP but even more strange were comments made by Aoki earlier this week saying that he would most likely sit out the next round if he advanced. This does remain to be seen but this definitely adds a touch of controversy to the now trio of strange fights between the pair.

Sticking with FEG, it was announced that DREAM has signed a deal with SkyPerfectTV to have their shows on PPV in Japan (Hat Tip to Nightmare of Battle and Japan MMA). This move does come as a bit of surprise considering the partnership that FEG has with TBS. This could be due to the dismal number that DREAM.1 drew or looking at it more positively a way to avoid heavy editing when displaying their product. Side Note: SHOOTO’s Anniversary show will also be on PPV and features great fighters from both past and present SHOOTO. Sakurai, Sato, Hioki, and Lion Takeshi will all be featured just to name a few.

Still sticking with FEG, they had the 1st round of the K-1 World MAX Championships. The 2nd round fights take place on July 7th and the GP bracket looks like this:

K-1 World MAX 2008 GP Bracket:

• Masato vs. DRAGO
• Yoshihiro Sato vs. Buakaw Por. Pramuk
• Andy Souwer vs. Warren Stevelmans
• Yoshihiro Kido vs. Artur Kyshenko:

Artur Kyshenko my original pick to win MAX this year is still in and looking strong and he’s going up against a new face in the eyes of the Japanese, Yoshihiro Kido, who had an amazing 1st round fight stopping his opponent, Chi Bin Lim in 40 seconds. Also, it should be noted that the Sato/Buakaw trilogy will definitely deliver if the 2nd fight earlier this year was any indication. I Think Masato/Buakaw and Souwer/Kyshenko will be the Final Four but that remains to be seen.

The Heavies were on display last week on 4/12 in what has to be the best K-1 show this year in my opinion. Great fights and Great fighters. Quick recap of that. Semmy Schilt not surprisingly defeated Mark Hunt by Stoppage after Hunt not being able to continue. Badr Hari showed everyone why he’s the future star of K-1 by dismantling the horrible looking Ray Sefo in the 1st round. Junichi Sawayashiki’s fame as the Japanese attraction in K-1 was quickly wiped away as former Fan favorite Musashi, stopped him dead in his tracks. Another former fan favorite didn’t have the same luck, Yosuke Fujimoto was knocked down 3 times in his bout against Ewerton Teixiera in the 2nd extention round! Mighty Mo lost a less than thrilling overtime decision to who I believe is one of the saddest displays of a fighter in Keijiro Maeda. Takashi Tachikawa’s struck out against Hiroyuki Enokida even after knocking Enokida down twice in the 1st round within 25 seconds, he was soon there after knocked out in one of the most comedic fights in recent memory. Another fighter who’s got a bright future Alexander Pitchkounov scored a huge 2nd extension round victory over Golden Glory’s Chalid “Die Faust” Arrab. Mistugu Noda displayed great heart in defeating the touch and hard headed Petr Vondracek. Last but certainly not least the always impressive Glaube Feitosa delivered the Knockout of the year thus far as he Brazilian Kicked Alex Roberts’ hopes and face in an impressive showing by the Brazilian.

(Side Note: FEG will also have a GP in Holland on the 26 of April. The card is stacked and brings the count to 4 major events in 1 month for the busy FEG crew.)

Now for the J-Rock portion of this long update. Things seem rather calm on this front compared to the chaotic FEG side. The card for Senoku 2 was not updated until today and the card stands as so:

WVR Presents Sengoku 2

5/18

• Eiji Mitsuoka vs. Kwang Hee Lee
• Satoru Kitaoka vs. Ian Schaffa
• Yuki Sasaki vs. Jorge Santiago
• Yoshihiro “Kiss’ Nakao vs. “Big” Jim York
• Mike Pyle vs. Dan Hornbuckle
• (Roger Gracie and Kevin Randleman are also announced to appear)

This is definitely a week card compared to DREAM.2 and compared to inaugural Sengoku show. I expect maybe 2 or maximum 3 more fights to be announced but I don’t expect something mindbending or shattering.

For any information regarding DREAM visit their official website here.

For any information regarding Sengoku visit their official website here.

Both Websites are in Japanese.

• Denis Kang vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Masakatsu Funaki
• Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Andrews Nakahara

The only real bout really seems relevant is the Kang-Mousasi fight. Obviously, that is a great bout with 2 potential GP winners eliminating each other. This definitely offers to be a great fight, especially compared to the other bouts. Kang’s journey to try and repeat his incredible run begins with a tough competitor in Gegard Mousasi, who is definitely one of the early Dark Horses in the GP. Mousasi’s last 2/3 bouts have been fought in Canada at the Hardcore Championship Fighting organization and his last win was at the M-1 Global Slamm show earlier this month.

Even though it’s not too competitive, I am incredibly interested in watching the Tamura-Fuanki fight for the shear fact that every fight Tamura fights against a Popular Japanese Fan Favorite seems to have a good build up. Hopefully, we don’t have a repeat of the disrespect we saw when he fought Hideo Tokoro at Dynamite!! 2007. Tokoro actually slapped him during the staredown and later when Tamura won the fight, Akira Maeda made a scene by shoving the winners trophy into Tamura in a very cold and disrespectful manner.

And there’s Sakuraba. What more can you say? Sakuraba will be fighting a Kyokushin Karate competitor from Brazil named Andrews Nakahara. This is the 25 year old MMA debut. What more do I need say other than hopefully, DREAM can get a better number for this show. I do expect and hope they actually get into the double digits with Funaki, Sakuraba, and Akiyama on the card but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Cro Cop really didn’t face much trouble in Pride until he fought Nogueira, which is where the fatal weaknesses in his mental gameplan where brought out into the open. Nogueira, unlike many of Mirko’s opponents, seemed to be immune to the KO that had slain so many other and he was also persistent with his TD attempts. He kept coming at Mirko despite the brutal punishment he was taking, upsetting the trend of opponents constantly backing away from the Croat and fearing him. Cro Cop has always been a fighter that could sniff out the slightest sense of fear or doubt and could turn into your living nightmare within the first minute of the fight, just ask Igor Vovchanchyn.

In many people’s opinions Mirko lost his fire when he couldn’t topple Fedor and this is certainly true in some aspects. Unlike Nogueira, Fedor’s win was not brought to him by an unbreakable chin, but by just being better at every aspect of the game that night. Mirko had been defeated, not by a lucky punch or a freak chin, but by sheer skill and better game plan giving him his first utter defeat in MMA. Everyone was counting him out after he dropped yet another loss, this time to the human tank that is Mark Hunt, losing in a very similar manner that cost him the Nogueira fight.

“Cro Cop” looked washed up and tired of fighting in the Hunt fight, certainly looking nothing like the monster that terrorized K-1 and Pride. Everyone on the internet forums were saying “He’s done, his game has been figured out” or calling him a “has-been” but oh how it all changed in the new year with the Open-Weight Grand Prix on the horizon. Tearing through Minowa in the first round certainly didn’t change the minds of the masses, but after handily defeating Hidehiko Yoshida with some of the most brutal leg kicks ever seen in MMA people started to jump back on the bandwagon.

His true test was in the semi-finals where Wanderlei Silva, fresh off of a brutal TKO win over Kazuyuki Fujita and with a burning hatred for Cro Cop ever since their first fight. Mirko silenced all doubters after giving Wanderlei Silva the most brutal KO loss of his career (Vitor has nothing on this one) and by beating a highly skilled Josh Barnett for the third time in the finals.

Mirko looked to be back on the right path, with a Grand Prix championship belt around his waist and a new contract with the UFC. He looked poised to take over the world once again, but all of the cries for Cro Cop’s take over were silenced during his fight against Gabriel Gonzaga, after being dispatched by the very high kick that had slain so many of his past opponents and sending him crumbling to the mat along with his immediate hopes of capturing the title any time soon. The chance of redemption presented itself in his match against Cheick Kongo but all that the fans were given was a half hearted attempt just to survive the fight, fueling more fans theories that he was once again done.

Anyone who has followed the fight game long enough knows about the “Mirko Cycle” of storming the scene and destroying opponents left and right but ultimately degrading back into timidness and lack luster fights. Will this latest win in DREAM catapult Cro Cop back into success just as the Minowa fight did? Will Cro Cop finally get all of the problems with his mental game plan figured out? Everyone who calls themselves a fan of MMA should certainly hope so because this man has the talent to beat any Heavyweight in the MMA world, including Fedor, if he keeps his head on straight.

Many speculate that this low number was particularly due to the opponent Mirko was facing. Luckily and hopefully, it seems that Mirko will face better competition in the near future and maybe sooner than we think considering the name Sergei Kharitonov has been thrown around for a possible June clash with Cro Cop. Kharitonov has remained inactive since avenging a loss to Alistair Overeem in August. Kharitonov was also supposedly scheduled to fight Might Mo at Dynamite!! but the bout was scrapped.

I know this is mostly a MMA site but I have to squeeze in a bit of K-1 news. Yosuke Nishijima is also back in action, sadly. He’ll be giving the K-1 circuit a shot. He’ll face Ewerton Teixeira at the K-1 World GP in Yokohama on April 13th, which also features 2 stelar bouts, Rey Sefo vs. Badr Hari and Semmy Schilt vs. Mark Hunt for the World Super Heavyweight Title. Mighty Mo, Glaube Feitosa, Chalid “Die Faust” Arrab, and Alexander Pitchkounov will also be featured that night.

The only thing that could really eclipse this show is a solid K-1 MAX card and April is the beginning of a year long search for the 2008 K-1 World MAX champion. K-1 World MAX 2008 World Championship Tournament Final 16 will be on April 9th and definitely promises to deliver. This card is just incredible from top to bottom and to me, is definitely the best card in April whether it be K-1 or MMA. The tournament bouts are as follows:

K-1 World MAX Championship Round of 16

1. Masato vs. Virgil Kalakoda
2. Buakaw Por. Pramuk vs. Albert Kraus
3. Andy Souwer vs. Mike Zambidis
4. Yoshihiro Sato vs. Murat Direkci
5. Drago vs. GORI
6. Artur Kyshenko vs. Jordan Tai
7. Saro Presti vs. Warren Stevelmans
8. Chi Bin Lim vs. Yoshihiro Kido

Overall, an amazing card. The 2 things I don’t really like too much are the fact that both recent GP winners, Lim and Kido will be facing off against each other in the 1st round. I would’ve liked to see how far both can go in the competition. Also, the fact that HIROYA is on the undercard. I don’t see why they’re pushing this kid so much considering he didn’t win the U-18 tournament last year. Also, my pick to win the MAX title this year is bold but I’m gonna have to go with Artur Kyshenko. I think he’s definitely going to take all the experience from last year and crown himself champ at years end.

Sticking with FEG, DREAM.2 is around the corner. The fighters announced to be participating in the GP for the event are:

• Dong Sik Yoon
• Yoshihiro Akiyama
• Taiei Kin
• Kiyoshi Tamura
• Masakatsu Funaki
• Ikuhisa Minowa
• Kazushi Sakuraba

At 1st glance it does appear like this is Akiyama’s tournament to lose but names like Daniel Acacio and Zelg Galesic have come up and could make this a lot more interesting. Sadly, it looks like Melvin Manhoef will not be participating this year due to a scheduled fight against Peter Aerts in Holland. Yes, Peter Aerts believe it or not.

Finally, some World Victory Road talk. Sengoku 2 and 3 were announced at the inaugural show on the 5th but new names have been confirmed for this upcoming show on May 18. Satoru Kitaoka, Yoshihiro Nakao and Yuki Sasaki join Roger Gracie and Kevin Randleman on the growing list of fighters. While not necessarily the elite of Japanese MMA, they do bring in experience and big wins to the table. I really like the fact that some of the Pancrase fighters are actually fighting on bigger show, which was the case for Kawamura, Monteiro and now Kitaoka. Nakao was just recently on the edge of fighting Cro Cop but was saved by the bell and from potential death when The Oriental Mystery Takumi Yano joked about Nakao’s possible death after the Cro Cop fight.

Also, to shift things to the WVR side of the Japanese MMA power struggle. It was announced that FujiTV has decided to pick up a WVR program. This doesn’t necessarily mark the re-entrance of FujiTV completely back into the MMA game but this may be a sign of things to come. I think we all know how important a TV deal would be for a large Japanese promotion and I’d like to wait and see what comes out of this. FujiTV, as we all should know, was the network that dropped PRIDE after news of the Yakuza scandal rocked the MMA world.