misfire200 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 Rising Sun 23 : Donyoku Fight Preview by Bill Jenkins In our first fight of the night you will see Fujimoto Hatsuharu vs. Mek Ju at 185. These two guys are the definition of mixed martial artists. You look at their abilities and it's very hard to find a real weakness but on the other end of that sword they also don't really have one area where they excel. Since this is such an even matchup I wouldn't be suprised at all if it came down to who wanted it more. Let's see who comes out hungry and looking for the victory. Next up will be Ragna Kisaragi and Vahtang Vmordubidze in a Light Heavyweight battle. Kisaragi is a tremendously talented fighter who has great boxing as well as being a prolific grappler. His brown belt in BJJ should make Vmordubidze want to avoid the ground game at all costs. That's not necessarily because he has an edge in the standup but at least he will have a punchers chance while on the ground he will truly be outclassed. Following that fight we will see Tim Finnigan vs. Crazy Schildt in a heavyweight fight. These two 19 year olds are still trying to develop their skill sets but they both have some good potential. Finnigan has a good striking base in muay thai that is continually improving while Schildt should look to utilize his boxing background if this fight stays on the feet. If it hits the ground we may see two grapplers who clearly could improve but I wouldnt expect this one to hit the mat. After that we will have two welterweights going at it with Spike Speigel taking on William Porthaven. They are still early in their careers but they both are currently undefeated and will surely be looking to keep it that way. They have good skills across the board although it would appear that Porthaven will have a small edge in striking. Let's see who can finish this fight and keep a goose egg in the loss column of their record. The next fight will be between James Hume and Ricardo Azzuri in a Light Heavyweight matchup. Hume is among the best muay thai strikers you will see and he is no slouch if this fight were to hit the ground. He will surely be looking to make this into a slugfest where he can show off his striking ability. Azzuri has some good boxing but his real talent is in his wrestling background. If he wants to take this fight to the ground he should have enough ability to make that happen in this fight although it's unclear if he will choose to stand and bag or try to grapple. Following that will feature Sean Ripgut and Daniel Ghita in a battle of heavyweights. These two guys are tremendous strikers yet they are also well rounded enough to really not be worried if this turns into a grappling match. The fans will be looking for a war and there is a good likelihood that they get their wish. Ghita has some wonderful boxing while Ripgut really relies on his remarkable muay thai if this fight stays on the feet. I don't expect this one to get to the judges as although they both have solid chins two knockout artists like this shouldn't have trouble finishing this one. Next up we have Mayuri Tatsuki vs. Paul Paulson at 155. These two come in with a combined record of 8-1 so you know there will be no lack of talent entering the cage this weekend. It's really hard to find an area where either fighter struggles as they both have wins by KO, submission, and decision. This could be a battle of attrition where the winner will simply be whoever can withstand the punishment their opponent dishes out while doing everything they can to finish this one and have their hand raised. After that will be Kauno Kaalikorva vs. Okina Miyamoto. These two middleweights are so good it's scary. Kaalikorva has great boxing, great wrestling, and top notch jiu jitsu ability so it's pretty hard for any potential opponents to find a weakness to exploit. With that said Miyamoto will surely be a game opponent who is ready for war with his superb wrestling and very good boxing. In past fights he has been effective both striking and taking his opponent down and raining in the ground and pound. I don't expect this one to reach the judges. In our Co-Main Event you will see Furio Guinta against Dr. Francoise Petit in a welterweight matchup. Although they have decent grappling ability we can tell from their past fights that these two really love to stand and bang. They both have quick hands and can utilize their great boxing backgrounds if they remain standing. It should be interesting to see if either man will look to take this fight to the ground or if they will put on a display of boxing. Now we get to our Main Event where the bantamweight title will be up for grabs as the champ Raimo Pukki will take on Randy Orton. Each of these two fighters are comfortable in every aspect of MMA and they have nearly identical records. Pukki has some great boxing that he is not shy about showing off while Orton has decent boxing but really utilizes his muay thai in the striking game. Pukki should have an edge if this fight turns into a grappling match although it's unclear if he will pursue the takedown or if he trusts his hands enough to try and knockout Orton. We will see what Pukki is made of in this one as this could be the toughest test he's faced in his career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 I will quickly posts the prior 2 recaps, and the 2 previews, and I will make them look nice this weekend. Very little time with a new baby around the house but did not want you all to miss these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Rising Sun 22 Recap At Rising Sun 22: Kouman, the much sought after ICON:Rising Sun welterweight crown was on the line and nearly 3000 fans turned up to watch the fireworks in our main event where Buck Norris was scheduled to defend his title against rising star Jonathan Hawkes. Though this was undoubtedly the main attraction, the crowd was treated to nine other thrilling bouts of MMA too. (WW) Riese Deponte vs Jurgen Patriarkki Deponte's superior grappling secured him an early victory here in our opening bout. He took Patriarkki down twice in quick succession and when Patriarkki made attempts to escape back to his feet, Deponte seized upon his leg and took no time at all before dropping back for a heel hook that won him the fight after 1:01 of the first round. Deponte is 4-2 and Patriarkki 2-4. (LW) Ricky Stevenson vs Spencer Fisher Ricky Stevenson performed well for the first two rounds of this ground-game dominated bout in which both fighters repeatedly took each other down, though Stevenson was somewhat more active. In the third round, with two in the bag, Stevenson began to play it safe and started fighting for the decision. This would be his undoing though, as Fisher continued to push the pace and landing big shots from mount he pulled off a nail-biting submission with only one second left to go in the fight! Very exciting stuff which sees Fisher go 4-2 and Stevenson go 5-4 (HW) JJ Oppapatika vs Manny Ashida Oppapatika completely outclassed his opponent in this bout. Fought nearly completely on the feet, Oppapatika was popping off heavy punches speedily while he skimmed across the cage with his dazzling footwork to win a 30:25 UD. Not a bad start to his MMA debut at all, Oppapatika is 1-0 and Ashida is now 2-3 (HW) Pablo Sanchez vs Jeff Miller Sanchez's conditioning looked very poor in this fight, I'm not sure how hard his pre-fight training was but he came into the arena panting already - bizarre. Miller made it an easy night for him though, getting the takedown and then the submission after 0:39 of round one. Miller is 4-2 and Sanchez is 3-2. (LHW) Diziz Sparta vs Ares Constantinides An avid WoW enthusiast, Constantinides looked impressive in his dominant performance against Diziz Sparta. Though only a blue belt in BJJ, Sparta held his own on the mat. In the stand-up game he destroyed Sparta though, and after a right cross and a solid knee Constantinides got himself a TKO victory after 3:19 of round three. (BW) Manny Pacman vs Billy Butler Though both men are strikers, Pacman looked a grade above Butler in what was predominantly a striking match. He planted his feet in the middle of the cage and proceeded to land big shots for the entirety of the fight, earning himself a 30:27 UD despite being cut in the first round. Pacman is 7-4-1 and Butler is 3-4. (HW) Janno Kivessoo vs Akio Daisuke In this striker vs grappler matchup, Akio Daisuke's ground-game quickly proved too much for Kivessoo to handle. Once Daisuke took the fight to the ground there could only ever be one winner, and the BJJ purple belt submitted his opponent after 1:58 of the first round via armbar. Daisuke is 5-1 and Kivessoo is 7-6. (LHW) Sam Samuels vs Akio Hideyoshi In the 205lbs division and after three closely contested rounds in which both fighters were cut, Sam Samuels won a 29:28 UD thanks mostly to his takedowns and his dominance on the ground. Hideyoshi had the better of the stand-up but couldn't stuff enough of Samuels' takedowns to win the fight. Samuels is 5-1 and Hideyoshi 4-2. This was the last of the undercard bouts Co-Main Event (LHW) Rankka Ankka vs Tyson Trinidad For the co-main event, two highly ranked light heavyweights faced off - both of whom are primarily grapplers. Ankka did what he did best in this fight - getting to the top position and laying down vicious ground and pound. Ankka immediately got a big double leg takedown into full mount, from where he started raining in elbows short punches. Though Trinidad was working from his back for submissions he never really looked like getting anything with so many shots finding his head. After so many unanswered strikes topped off by a huge elbow, the referee stepped in after 2:02 of round one. Ankka is an extremely popular fighter and at 8-3 I can see him going on to earn himself a title-shot should he continue to win fights. Trinidad is 8-5 but has now lost two in a row in ICON:Rising Sun and so needs to step up his game! Main Event (WW) Buck Norris vs Jonathan Hawkes The son of the legendary mass murderer/martial artist/actor Chuck Norris and the current ICON:Rising Sun champion, Buck Norris was defending his title for the first time against contender Jonathan Hawkes. Both men are truly mixed martial artists, able to hang with the best of them on the ground and the feet - no wonder then that this bout was so highly anticipated. Norris looked as slick as a seal purling through clear water and as deadly as a deadly as a club beating down on a pup. The savagery of Hawkes' demolition was made to look lustrous by the grace and skill in which it was done. The fight was kept standing and Norris had the best of it. When the final bell rang I think Hawkes was more relieved than anything else. Ladies and gentlemen, after 5 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision. Judge Yukihiro Yamamoto scores the fight 50:41 Judge Tatsuya Matsuyama scores the fight 50:41 Judge Sosuke Kotani scores the fight 50:41 In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Buck Norris! Buck Norris retains his welterweight title! Though not going for many roundhouse kicks, I'm sure Chuck is proud of his son who is now 10-4. Hawkes is 5-2. Don’t go anywhere folks, because next up we’ve got our review of Rising Sun 23: Donyoku after the break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Rising Sun 23: Donyoku closed the weekend's MMA from us here in Tokyo at ICON: Rising Sun in style with an awesome main event which saw Raimo Pukki attempt to defend his newly won bantamweight title against Randy ''The Legend Killer'' Orton. As if that wasn't enough, there were nine other bouts for fight fans of Tokyo to enjoy at the Hard Knock's Arena as well so let's get this show on the road: (MW) Fujimoto Hatsuharu vs Mek Ju Hatsuharu got the event underway in emphatic fashion with his TKO stoppage of Mek Ju after 0:37 of round one. Mek Ju started well enough and looked to be getting the better of the action before getting caught by a big overhand right. Hatsuharu followed up with strikes and the referee was forced to step in, Mek Ju just covering up in a ball. Both fighters are now 2-2. (LHW) Ragna Kisaragi vs Vahtang Vmordubidze In a fight that went back and forth, Vmordubidze won an unlikely but highly deserved 29:28 UD in which he was cut badly. Kisaragi, a BJJ brown belt, managed to take the fight to the ground for half of the fight but couldn't find a way to submit his opponent. Vmordubidze looked much better in the stand-up which, ultimately, was the deciding factor that sees him go 4-3 and Kisaragi 6-6. (HW) Tim Finnigan vs Crazy Schildt Finnigan managed to completely shut out Schildt in the eyes of the judges, winning a 30:27 UD after dominating every facet of the game. Though Schildt was the one to score the takedowns he didn't stay on top for long. Finnigan continuously swept Schildt and wound up in full mount several times in the fight from where his ground and pound nearly got the fight stopped. Finnigan is 4-3 and Schildt 2-4. (WW) Spike Speigel vs William Porthaven Scottish-born William Porthaven continues his rise up the ICON:Rising Sun welterweight ladder and is now 3-0 after completely owning Spike Speigel in their short bout. Porthaven landed a beautiful knee from the clinch which dropped Speigel. Porthaven jumped all over him and earnt a TKO victory after 1:23 of round one. Speigel is 1-1. (LHW) James Hume vs Ricardo Azzuri The Muay Thai kickboxer James Hume won this fight through his striking dominance, landing plenty of knees and elbows from the clinch. Though being suplexed at the end of the first round and nearly ground n pounded to oblivion in the third, Hume won the fight by UD. Azzuri performed well considering this was his MMA debut. Hume is now 4-2-1. (HW) Sean Ripgut vs Daniel Ghita This was the bloodiest thing I've ever seen in all my days of MMA commentating/reviewing. Ripgut destroyed Ghita, landing knees and punches at will which really messed up Ghita's face. He wasn't the most handsome looking bloke before but now he is just a hideous monstrosity who will no doubt require facial reconstruction. The doctor finally stopped the fight at 1:41 of the first round. Ripgut is 4-0 and emotionally scarred for life by the guilt of his violent disfigurement of Ghita (4-3). (LW) Mayuri Tatsuki vs Paul Paulson Paulson's greater kickboxing ability won him a 29:28 UD against previously undefeated (4-1) BJJ purple belt Mayuri Tatsuki. Tatsuki was unable to get the submission and looked out of his depth in the stand-up game. Paulson goes 5-1 in his MMA career and has won both his fights in ICON: Rising Sun. (MW) Kauno Kaalikorva vs Okina Miyamoto This was the last of the undercard bouts and saw the BJJ brown belt Kaalikorva take on sprawl and brawl fighter Miyamoto. Billy Jenkins' predicted that this fight wouldn't be going to the judges - someone was either getting knocked out or submitted. The first round was spent on the mat and, to my surprise, Kaalikorva couldn't submit his BJJ blue belt opponent before the bell. Miyamoto then won the second round with his striking. Third round and Billy's crystal ball had indeed served him well; Miyamoto struck Kaalikorva right on the temple with a mean-looking left hook and followed it up with another left hook that knocked Kaalikorva out cold. Highlight reel stuff that takes Miyamoto's record to 3-0 and Kaalikorva's record to 3-1. Co-Main Event (WW) Furio Giunta vs Dr Francoise Petit With the KO of the weekend, former KOF champion Furio Giunta ended the night early on for Dr. Petit after 0:53 of round one by way of KO thanks to a big right hand. Petit's boxing wasn't up to scratch and he barely even touched Giunta before the knockout-inducing uppercut nearly tore his head off and swept him clean off his feet. After such a great KO the fans were really pumped for the main event. Giunta is 7-1 and Petit is 4-2. Main Event (BW) Raimo Pukki vs Randy Orton Raimo ''The Victim'' Pukki had overcome the odds to become the ICON: Rising Sun bantamweight champion. Pukki was born with congenital hypertrichosism, an extremely rare condition which results in excessive hair growth all over his body which made him a freak-show attraction in his home-nation of Finland. Raimo ''All I want is to be loved!'' Pukki was defending his title for the first time against Randy "The Legend Killer" Orton, a Japanese-born fighter who made a name for himself at ICON: Rising Sun after defeating Manny Pacman by decision. For the first three rounds Pukki outscored Orton in every aspect of the fighting. His striking was cleaner, he scored with takedowns and looked fitter too. It was on the ground that he eventually won in the fourth round, securing an armbar that forced Orton to tap or snap. Ladies and gentlemen, after 2:05 of round 4, we have a winner by way of Submission (Armbar). Raimo Pukki! Raimo ''The Victim'' Pukki retains his bantamweight title! And that's all the weekend's action from ICON: Rising Sun in Tokyo. Join us for the previews and the recaps of more great shows later on in the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Rising Sun 24 : Preview For our first fight of the night you will see Kenny Carrillio take on Klaus Kluubert in a heavyweight matchup. These two fighters come in with quite a bit of experience with a combined 24 fights to their credit. Although they have some grappling ability it is clear that these two guys prefer to strike. Carrillio has a well rounded skill set with good boxing and terrific muay thai while Kluubert will use his boxing background to try and get a knockout. Next up we have Herman Li vs. Jebediah Stewart at 155. If their past fights are any indication of how this one will go it should be a struggle between a grappler and a striker. Li comes in with a purple belt in jiu jitsu and is a very dangerous fighter once the fight hits the ground. Li also has some decent striking but I think Stewart will like his chances if this turns into a slugfest with his tremendous muay thai background. The wrestling abilities look to be about even so whoever can dictate where this fight takes place should feel good about getting a victory. After that you will see Carlos Ryoku and Papoh Bamoya at 170. In this fight even more so than then last it will be a struggle over whether Ryoku can get a takedown or if Bamoya can sprawl effectively. All 3 of Ryoku's victories have come by way of submission while Bamoya has his 1 loss by submission. If Bamoya can keep this fight standing I'm sure he likes his chances as he has some of the best muay thai in the division and he certainly knows how to use it. The next fight will be between Akio Hideaki and Kenshiro Kitase in a bantamweight bout. Kitase is a pretty well rounded fighter with decent striking as well as grappling talent but it is no secret where Hideaki's strengths are as his brown belt in BJJ makes him a very dangerous fighter to go to the ground with. Hideaki also has some great wrestling which he utilizes to secure a takedown. It will take a tremendous effort from Kitase to keep off the mat but if he can do so he should have a slight edge in striking that he will try to exploit. Following that we have Akio Osamu vs. Moses Kippo at 185. They both have great wrestling and grappling but the fact that they both have purple belts may be deceiving. It would appear that Osamu wants to grapple and get wins via submission but Kippo has primarily used his jiu jitsu to escape from any situation on the ground and get back to the feet where his boxing is great. This is a big fight for both of these guys if they want to climb the ranks of the division so I expect them to both lay it on the line in this one. After that we will have Yrjo Pieru vs. Ricky McBride in a welterweight battle. They are both pretty well rounded as they have good grappling and striking. If this turns into a slugfest look for Pieru to use crisp combo's from his boxing background while McBridge will lean on his muay thai training. We know Pieru has great ground and pound but it should be interesting to see if he wants to take Mcbride down as McBride will have the edge in jiu jitsu and can be quite dangerous off his back. Next up will be Yuuri Yushima and Ivan Kilgore at 135. Both these guys have good skills across the board but it would appear that Kilgore is just slightly better in every aspect of fighting. He has a clear edge in striking with very good boxing and a decent muay thai background to lean on while Yushima has some decent boxing. If this fight turns into a grappling match however it is anyones guess who will win as these two purple belts could put on a great display of jiu jitsu for the fans. The next fight will be between Jason Jones and Marmuro Takamura at 265. This is a pretty clear clash of a striker and a grappler as Jones' brown belt in jiu jitsu means that if he can take Takamura down it won't be very long as all until he has him tapping. On the other end of the spectrum we have Takamura's tremendous boxing that will surely outclass Jones if this becomes a slugfest. Jones has all 4 of his wins by submission while Takamura has all 4 wins by KO. Don't expect the judges to play any role in this matchup. In our Co-Main Event of the night we will have the Featherweight title up for grabs as the champ Ryo Nakamura will defend it against Bada Boom who is a tremendously dangerous fighter. It's no secret how each man envisions a victory tonight as Nakamura has a definite edge in striking while Boom is an outstanding grappler. If Boom can get a takedown the champ will be in real trouble as he has some grappling experience but he is no match the contender on the ground. If Boom can't get a takedown however it shouldn't be too long before Nakamura separates him from conciousness. For our Main Event of the night we have another belt on the line as the heavyweight champion Kamuto Hierowato takes on number one contender Daniel Johansson. Johansson is new to the organization after a brief run in Synchronicity and he is going to be a great challenge for the champ. In his 2nd title defense Hierowato will look to prove why has is so feared in the division. He has great takedown defense and a good ability to survive on the ground if he does happen to get taken down. This coupled with his ridiculous striking ability makes him a tremendous foe to anyone who gets in the cage with him. Johansson is a brown belt in jiu jitsu so he needs to find a way to get a takedown and then be patient looking for an opening to submit the champ. Out of 21 combined victories for these two fighters only one has ever gone to decision. I don't expect this fight to be number 2, look for this one to end in tremendous fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted February 27, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2010 Rising Sun 25 : Preview In our first fight of the night you will see Pekka Jonsson vs. Takamiyama Daigoro at 265. Jonsson will have the edge if he can keep this fight on the feet but I don't know that he will be able to do that. Daigoro has a great background in wrestling and should look to take this fight to the ground early and often. It's anyones guess who will be better on the ground but as long as Daigoro can maintain top position I would expect him to like his chances. Next up will be Tweeti Timorian and Takumi Mayama in a lightweight matchup. Although Timorians record is not quite where he would like it to be he still has a tremendous amount of experience with 18 fights to his credit. Both of these guys prefer to fight on the ground where they can really utilize their jiu jitsu backgrounds. These two purple belts may end up putting on a display of jiu jitsu technique if this one ends up hitting the mat. After that you will see Mirzu Hitoshi vs. Dave Mustaine at 170. Hitoshi will be outclassed if this fight remains standing as Mustaine has good boxing and some very good muay thai but I expect Hitoshi to take this fight to the ground. Although they are both blue belts both of Hitoshi's victories have come by submission. If Mustaine can stuff any takedown attempts he should feel comfortable about walking away victorious. The next fight will feature Justin Yanagida and Monte Montgomery at 145. Even though both of these guys have decent striking it is no secret where their strength lies and that is in the ground game. These two grapplers are among the best once the fight hits the ground. Yanagida has a brown belt while Montgomery has a purple belt so if you want to see two technicians on the ground go at it this will be the ideal fight for you to watch. If this fight gets to the mat it could end at any moment. Following that we have Bobby McGrath vs. Eddie Mendoza in a clash of middleweights. Mendoza is very well rounded with good skills in every aspect of MMA. In this fight he will be going up against a tremendous grappler in McGrath who has already earned his brown belt in jiu jitsu. For Mendoza to win he needs to keep this fight standing and try to knockout McGrath early. If McGrath secures the takedown it won't be long before it's all over. Then you will see two Featherweights going at it with Ricardo Rotoras taking on Les Paul. Keeping with what seems to be the trend of the night we have two outstanding grapplers stepping in against each other. They each have their brown belt in BJJ so this could be a technical battle. If their jiu jitsu cancels each other out it may come down to who can stand and bang where it also appears to be very even. This will surely be an exciting one for the fans. Next up we have Mongo Malone vs. Lyoto Machida at 205. This one will be a true clash of styles as Malone has all 3 victories by way of knockout while Machida has relied heavily on his jiu jitsu to finish fights. This is a big matchup for these up and comers and could very well propel the victor much closer to the top of the division. Considering what's on the line don't expect this one to get to the judges as each man wants to finish this and leave no doubt who is the better fighter. After that you will see Yoshi Mucao vs. Kite Winchester at 145. These two guys are tremendously talented and could very well be the future of the division. Mucao has tremendous boxing, very good wrestling, and is world class in his jiu jitsu. Winchester is a sprawl and brawler with very good takedown defense and some real knockout power in his hands. They both currently have a record of of 4-0, you know neither of them wants to add a 1 to the end of the record after this one. In our Co-Main Event we will have Anthony Sylva taking on Lyoto Aoki in a matchup of top middleweight contenders. There is no shortage of experience entering the cage in this matchup as they have a combined record of 15-4. While these two are not uncomfortable in the standup exchanges it is clear that Sylva prefers the ground game. Aoki should have a slight edge if he can keep this fight standing up but neither man has a considerable edge in wrestling so it's anyones guess who will be able to dictate where this fight takes place. Now we have our Main Event where Arsene Wenger will take on Shina Aoyki in a clash of lightweights. These two are technicians on the ground where they really show why they have each earned brown belts in jiu jitsu. Wenger comes in much more experienced but Aoyki will surely be ready for what will be the biggest test of his career. I don't expect this one to stay standing very long unless one of these two wants to switch up their strategy from the past. Be sure to pay close attention to this one as it could end at any moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Rising Sun : Fight Night 8 Preview Written by Bill Jenkins In our first matchup of the night you will see Robert Bobson taking on Marcos Fernandes de Omena at 135. Bobson knows what he needs to do to win this fight and so does the rest of the world. He has good wrestling and jiu jitsu which means he should be able to score a takedown and if that is the case then he should have an edge on the ground. If Omena can stuff takedowns though he could knockout Bobson in no time at all as his striking is years ahead of Bobson. The next fight will feature two middleweights with Sancho Zola going against Yoshihiro Akiyama who is coming off two consecutive tough losses. Zola is coming off his first professional fight where he knocked out an excellent striker so we know he is dangerous if they stay standing but even if the fight hits the ground Zola should feel relatively comfortable. Akiyama is really going to have to win this one on pure heart and effort because he is outclassed in both grappling and striking. After that we have James Hetfield vs. Akira Sushimawa at 265. This fight should electrify the arenas as we have two pure strikers going at it and I don't see this ending any way other than a knockout. Hetfield has a tremendous muay thai background so look for him to utilize both kicks and punches in his attack. Sushimawa on the other hand has a wonderful boxing background and he will certainly look to use that early and often in this matchup. See who can outlast the other and walk away with a victory. Following that you will see David Johnson vs. Sham Wow in a welterweight matchup. Neither of these guys have any real striking ability but they definitely can work on the ground. Sham Wow has very good wrestling that he uses to get on top of his opponent and just rain down shots on them. Johnson may not have as good wrestling but he won't be upset if he is taken down as he will have the superior BJJ in this matchup and should have some good submissions off his back. Next up will be Rock Random agianst D Lo Brown at 205. They both have records of 4-1 and will be very hungry to get win number 5 in this fight. Random should have the edge in both striking and grappling but that doesn't mean Brown has no chance at winning. He has done a good job in previous fights of controlling his opponents even when overmatched and gotten the nod in a decision. Random needs to try and finish this early because Brown has heart and won't be easy to put away. Then you will see Dwight Demaine taking on Huima Kostaja in a battle of heavyweights. Demaine has certainly prefered to stand and bang in his past fights although his edge in the standup game this fight won't be very significant. Kostaja is not uncomfortable standing but in this matchup he has an extraordinary edge in grappling being a brown belt while his opponent only has a white belt. If this fight hits the mat Kostaja should come out victorious in no time at all. The next fight will feature two bantamweights with Nabil Yanar going against Hiroshi Kobayashi. Yanar is pretty well rounded with decent striking and grappling. He also has a good base in wrestling that he has used in his past fights. Kobayashi has some muay thai training but he is undoubtedly more comfortable on the ground and should look to use his jiu jitsu in this matchup to try and secure a win. After that will be Kai Kasem vs. Ikki Minami at 170. Kasem has a great deal of ability striking with his extensive training in muay thai. Minami on the other hand has a great balance of abilities with superb boxing as well as a purple belt in BJJ. Kasem will likely try to stay on his feet at all costs while it's hard to predict where Minami will try to fight. I expect him to toy around with striking for a bit and eventually work for a takedown and eventual submission victory. In our Co-Main Event of the night we have Freddy Evans going against Theo Radcliffe at 135. This is definitely a clash of styles between two very experienced fighters. Radcliffe has 6 wins via knockout while Evans has 6 of his wins by submission. Radcliffe has arguably the best boxing in the division, maybe even the organization, but he will need to show a good ability to sprawl if he wants to keep this fight standing. Evans has a brown belt in jiu jitsu and surely has a huge advantage if this fight hits the ground. These are two top bantamweight contenders and this fight could lead to a title shot in the near future. For our Main Event you will see two featherweights battle with Hadeo Ichisun taking on Kevin Brooks. Although Brooks is an up and comer with good talent he is surely an underdog in this matchup against the well tested veteran Ichisun. Ichisun has a record of 9-3 and is coming off a tough loss in a title fight against the champ Ryo Nakamura. He has 8 of his 9 wins by submission so it's no secret that if this fight hits the ground Brooks could be in real trouble but as long as Brooks keeps this fight standing he shouldn't be too concerned. I would expect Brooks to look to mix up his striking and keep his opponent guessing until he can land a clean shot that sends the ref jumping in to save Ichisun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Rising Sun 26 : Nikuyoku Preview Written by Bill Jenkins In our opening matchup you will see Bimbo Lice take on Yu Pu at 135. These two guys are tremendous strikers with very good wrestling that help them to keep the fight standing. Lice likes to use his boxing to work crisp punches in while also giong for some combos. Pu on the other hand is a muay thai ace who really proves that everytime he ends up in the clinch. He brutally assaults anyone who is unlikely enough to get caught in his thai clinch. Next up will be Tomas Reckless against Javier Navarro at 170. They are both pretty well rounded mixed martial artists who are very capable no matter where this fight ends up. Reckless has a good mix of both boxing and muay thai that he works into his striking while Navarro will utilize his boxing. The biggest difference in these two guys is their wrestling ability with Navarro having a pretty big edge in that area. If this fight stays on its feet as I think it will this should end by knockout. After that we will have Dick Brown vs. Nakamora Yenseki in a middleweight bout. This will probably come down to whoever can dictate where this fight will take place. Although they are good all around fighters it's no secret in this fight that Brown will try to use his edge in jiu jitsu while Yenseki will prefer to stand and bang. Yenseki has wonderful boxing ability and has all 3 of his wins by way of knockout while Brown has 8 victories with 4 coming from his opponent tapping out. Following that will be Ryan Gracie vs. Trey Guarino at 170. These two guys are very experienced fighters who have really relied on their grappling backgrounds when trying to finish fights. In their combined 21 fights they have all 13 of their victories by way of submission. They both have their purple belt in BJJ so on paper at least it should be an even match but this one may come to whoever can end up on top and work some GnP into their gameplan to soften up their opponent. The next fight will feature two heavyweights with Michael Angel taking on Damien Bullit. It's no secret how Bullit wants this fight to go as he really needs to keep this fight standing where he can utilize his crisp boxing ability. Angel has very good muay thai but in a fight like this where he has a huge edge in grappling experience then I wouldn't expect him to try and stand in the pocket and slug it out. He should look for a takedown where he can secure a submission victory. Then you will see Gabriel Torje vs. Matt Silva at 185. Both of these guys have good skills across the board and really should feel comfortable no matter where this fight ends up taking place. It's incredibly hard to predict this one as we really don't know what they are going to see as their advantage. I wouldn't be suprised if this one comes down to who wants it more and who comes out trying to finish the fight. No one wants to see their fight go to the judges. After that we will have Jackson Scholes vs. Kevin Brooks in a lightweight battle. This is a great matchup of grapplers that you just don't see too often. They both have their brown belts in BJJ and have 6 of their combined 8 wins by submission. I wouldn't expect to see too much standup here as it will surely hit the mat early and often. Whoever not only has the offensive submission ability but also the ability to avoid submission attempts should leave with their hands raised. Following that will be Craig Mason and Pratipar Rapcheep at 170. They both have a great amount of experience with good ability in both striking and grappling. Rapcheep will probably look to make this a war with both guys slugging it out and although Mason has no problem striking he will have a slight edge in BJJ and should look to exploit that. If he can end up on top I don't see Rapcheep having any submissions off his back so Mason can go to work trying to secure the victory. In our Co-Main Event we will have Graemmer Natsee vs. George OMalley at 145. Make sure to keep your eyes on this matchup as it really could end at any time. They both have power in their hands that can make their opponent go to sleep and although they only have blue belts they have shown their are good grapplers. This is a big fight for both these guys so I expect them to come out very hungry and not let this one get to a decision. For our Main Event we have two heavyweights going at it with Steve Beane taking on Too Fast. These are two of top contenders in the division and although Beane has the edge in fight experience I'm not entirely sure how big a role that will play. They both have some remarkable boxing so the standup could be in either man's favor but I wouldn't be suprised to see Beane go for the takedown. He has a huge edge in wrestling and also a slight edge in BJJ. If he can maintain top position he could impose his will on Too Fast and eventually finish with either strikes or submissions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Rising Sun 27 : Boushoku Preview Written by Bill Jenkins In our first fight of the night we will have Matt Ono vs. Paul Richards Jr. at 185. This one could easily turn into an all out slugfest as these two guys definitely prefer to strike. Ono has some very good muay thai that he typically uses to manhandle his opponent when they get into a clinch situation. Richards on the other hand prefers to stay at a distance and let his boxing background shine through. I would certainly expect this one to end long before the judges would have had a say in it. Next up will be JJ Jung against Ezio Machiavelli in a bantamweight bout. In their past fights we have seen that these two guys are very comfortable in a grappling match but we may get to see the other aspects of their fight game in this one. Machiavelli appears to have an edge in striking but Jung should be able to use his wrestling to dictate where this fight ends up. We'll see if Jung wants to grapple a bit or if he wants to switch it up and show how his striking has improved. After that you will see two heavyweights going at it with Mirian Cregov taking on Kurt Meyer. Meyer is coming off a tough loss to a top heavyweight contender Steve Beane. He will surely be looking to rebound the only way he knows how and that's by showcasing his wonderful boxing ability in route to getting the knockout. Cregov isn't scared however because he has strong boxing that is complented by an above average muay thai ability. His ability to mix up the striking could prove all important in this one. The next fight will be between Kazushi Yamazaki and Emils Heartman at 205. This is your textbook example of a fight between a striker and a grappler. Yamazaki has 5 wins by way of knockout while Heartman has 5 of his 6 victories by submission. If this fight stays standing then Yamazaki's huge advantage with his boxing will be showcased. Heartman on the other hand will definitely do everything in his power to bring this fight to the ground where he would have Yamazaki tapping in no time at all. Following that will be Gabriel Santos vs. Ryosuke Takahashi at 185. These two purple belts will likely get a chance to show off their jiu jitsu backgrounds in this one. Neither man has any overwhelming ability in the standup game but they more than make up for it with their technical ability on the ground. Santos is currently near the top of the division and this win could solidify that standing. For Takahashi this could be huge for him moving up the ladder by proving he can beat top notch competition. Then we will have two lightweights going at it with Kurisu Ikora going against Sean Sherk. This one should be interesting to see what each mans strategy is. Ikora has shown in the past how dangerous his jiu jitsu game is with 8 victories already by submission while Sherk has relied on his hands. He has the ability to stand and bang but has also shown some devastating ground and pound. Let's see if he takes the chance of taking down Ikora knowing how dangerous he is off his back or if Sherk chooses to stand and swing for the fences. The next fight will be between Wardor Warlovski and Toivo Halaus at 185. These two guys are nearly mirror images of each other. They both have tremendous talent in just about every aspect of mixed martial arts. They both have a tremendous ability to mix up their striking with great boxing as well as good muay thai to complement that. They also have purple belts in BJJ so they won't be flopping around like fish out of water if they do happen to hit the mat. This one could end at any moment so make sure not to leave your seats during this one. After that we have Dirt Magurt vs. Tyson Kawajiri in a lightweight battle. This should be a great match for the fans to see as there is no doubt exactly how this one will be fought, it's just a matter of who will get knocked out and how long it will take. These are two of the top contenders in a tough lightweight division and they are arguably the best two pure boxers we have. They each have 5 wins and every win has been by way of knockout. None of those 10 fights have lasted longer than one round so you know this one will be explosive and the fans will no doubt be electrified after this one. In the Co-Main Event you will see Alex Andrews vs. Jouichirou Daisuke at 170. These two are tremendously experienced with a total of 27 fights to date and they each have multiple victories by knockout, submission, and decision. Although they are pretty evenly matched it looks like Andrews may have an edge in striking but don't be suprised if Daisuke has something to say about that. Each man knows that a potential title shot in the near future is on the line in this one so you know they are going to leave it all in the cage in hopes of walking away victorious. Finally we get to the Main Event where the light heavyweight title will be on the line as the champ Sven Jagermeister will be defending against Shawn Aria Sr. This one should be a great clash of styles as it will clearly come down to who can use their wrestling to decide where the fight takes place. If Jagermeister can sprawl effectively he should like his chances at success as his striking is a notch above Aria. On the other side we have Aria who will undoubtedly have an edge on the ground as his brown belt makes him incredibly dangerous with submissions. This is a huge test for the champ and we will know a lot more about him after this fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Rising Sun 28 : Taida Preview Written by Bill Jenkins Opening up this night you will see Filipino Assassin vs. Komatsu Akiaki at 145. This will be Assassins first professional fight so it hsould be interesting to see how he responds to that pressure. His opponent Akiaki has some experience with a record of 4-3 so he will be no pushover. It's hard to see where each man will feel their advantage is as Assassin does have a purple belt in jiu jitsu but without having seen him fight it's hard to say how effective his grappling really is. The next fight will feature two middleweights with Ryuuken Hoshikawa and I Hard going at it. These two strikers are sure to leave it all in the cage and not leave the fans disappointed. Hoshikawa has tremendous muay thai that he couples with some boxing to really utilize every limb he has as a weapon. I Hard has some superb boxing that he has used quite effectively in past fights. Whoever comes into the cage wanting it more is likely to walk away victorious. After that we have Ippo Makunouchi and Matthew Kurose in a bantamweight matchup. It's pretty clear what each man needs to do in order to have a victory in this one. For Makunouchi he needs to avoid the ground game at all costs because his opponent has a huge edge in jiu jitsu. If Makunouchi can stay standing then he should feel comfortable with using his hands to knockout Kurose. All Kurose needs to do is drag this fight to the ground and it really shouldn't take long for him to have his opponent tapping out. Next up will be Takumi Mayama vs. Jack Inhoff at 155. This fight will be exciting no matter where it takes place. If this is taken to the ground then these two purple belts surely won't disappoint as they could delight the fans with a great performance of technical grappling. If it doesn't hit the ground and they end up slugging it out they also won't be disappoint anyone as they both have pretty good boxing and could end this fight with just one punch. Following that we will have Leroy Green vs. Takanori Gomi in a lightweight battle. Although Gomi comes in undefeated at 3-0 it's hard to see where he has an edge against the much more experienced Green. Green will have a small edge in striking but where he really wants this fight to take place is the ground where he can put his brown belt in BJJ to work. He already has 7 victories by submission thus far in his career. After that will be Jake the Terror taking on Mike Bennett in a featherweight matchup. Is the Terror can find a way to pull this one out it still surely be based on heart. He will be overmatched in pretty much every aspect in this fight but let's not be so quick to count him out as I'm sure he's ready for this test. Bennett with a brown belt and very good striking is a tremendously dangerous opponent. These two guys are still hovering in the middle of the rankings and this fight is huge if they want to try and change their standing in the division. The next fight will feature two heavyweights with Johan Schwarzenbergersteiner taking on Yedo Kim. Johan's gameplan has always been a fairly simple one yet it is brutally effective. He uses his wrestling to drag you down and then he either beats your face in or works on a submission. He has been quite efficient with both of these but I'm sure Kim will have something to say about that. He needs to avoid the takedown and if he can stay standing he needs to try and get the knockout ASAP. I highly doubt the judges will have any say in this one. Following those two you will see Keijo Kuosmanen vs. Bogie McGill at 145. These two guys are very dangerous grapplers as out of their 10 combined victories 9 have ended with their opponent tapping out. They may try to feel each other out in the standup but I don't think that will be the case. I expect to see a pretty quick takedown and then a great display of jiu jitsu. We know they have the ability to make their opponents tap but we'll find out who has the ability to avoid submissions as well while trying to get the victory. In our Co-Main Event we have two top Light Heavyweights with Ham Xu and Toni Huerta going at it. Huerta is normally comfortable fighting on the ground but in this one he is going to need to avoid being taken down at all costs. It's not that he is overmatched with jiu jitsu but Xu has proven in his past fights that if he is on top of you you're in real trouble. He rains down a barrage of shots until you quit or the ref saves you. Huerta should try to end this one when they're still standing or he's going to need to really be quick on his back and try to grab a submission before it's too late. Now we get to our Main Event where Tatu Tikki will look to defend his middleweight title for the first time against Stari Starac. Although on paper this one looks evenly matched across the board I think it's easy to see where each man wants this fight to go. Tikki has 8 of his 9 wins by knockout and will surely be looking to continue that trend in this one. Starac on other hand has relied on his jiu jitsu background with all 6 of his professional victories by submission. Let's see if Tikki can pass his first test as champ or if the title will change hands for the 2nd fight in a row. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2010 Rising Sun 27 : Boushoku Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun 27 Boushoku: Shawn Aria Sr captured the light heavyweight belt with a slick submission victory in card that had several finishes and other exciting action. Venue – Saku Dome – Tokyo (5276) Date – March 13th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was a light heavyweight fight for the belt featuring the champion, Sven Jagermeister a very well rounded fighter, coming into the fight with a 9-1 record with 8 of those wins coming by TKO/KO, facing up against ground specialist Shawn Aria Sr coming into the bout with a 7-1 record with 6 wins coming via submission. On paper one of these fighters was very likely to be finished and thankfully for the fans it lived up to this hype. Right off the bat Aria attempted two takedowns and succeeded on the second one but the fight quickly returned to the feet with good wrestling shown by Jagermeister. The fight was then taken into the clinch by Jagermeister attempted several knees but Aria was able to pull guard and take the fight to the ground. From there the brown belt quickly went to work attempting a guillotine which was avoided easily but quickly transitioning into another guillotine where Jagermeister was forced to tap. The submission victory coming at 1:53 of the first round, awarded Sawn Aria Sr with the light heavyweight belt and his 8th victory while dropping the former champion Sven Jagermeister to a 9-2 record. Our co-main event of the evening was a welterweight belt between 11-3-1 Alex Andrews, up against 8-4 Jouichirou Daisuke with both fighters making their Rising Sun debuts. Despite both of the fighters being very solid boxers the fight was spent predominantly on the ground. After a small exchange of punches and kicks the overmatched Daisuke decided to mix it up and take the fight to the ground where it was much more even. Unfortunately for him he decided to immediately get right back up where after another exchange of strikes he was subsequently taken down by Andrews who managed to control the fight for the remainder of the round. The second round however maintained a much more exciting pace as the two fighters chose to stand-up and strike until the three minute mark where Daisuke managed to land a full-mount takedown on Andrews where no submissions or strikes were thrown as both fighters did nothing but control and counter. Yet again the third round was much of the same with an early flurry of strikes, followed up by Andrews landing a few takedowns with no real damage being done until the end of the fight. The relatively un-exciting bout brought Alex Andrews’s record to 12-3-1 whilst dropping Jouichirou Daisukes record to 8-5. Closer attention being paid to his energy coming into the fight may have increased Daisukes chances of winning the fight. The last undercard fight of the evening was a very exciting lightweight brawl featuring the Wonderful Boxer, Tyson Kawajiri entering the fight with a 5-1 record with all wins coming by TKO or KO, squaring off against another stand-up specialist in Dirt Magurt who entered the bout with a perfect 5-0 record with all wins coming via TKO or KO. Right off the bat Kawajiri showed his dominance in the Stand-up game managing to cut his opponent prior to himself getting cut. He continued to press the action, throwing four times the amount of strikes that his opponent threw. Eventually this torrential pace forced Magurt into making a bad decision and he ended up moving straight backwards instead of circling and was subsequently caught with a slick four punch combo that unsurprisingly dropped the fighter where the fight was ended at 00:56 of the first round, after a few unnecessary punches were thrown. The phenomenal finish brings Tyson Kawajiri’s record to 6-1 and extended his win streak to 3 fights. The loss however snapped Dirt Magurt’s perfect 5-0 record dropping him to 5-1. Phenomenal way to end the undercard bouts. In other undercard action we had the perfect 4-0 striker, Sean Sherk against the much more experienced 9-3 Kurisu Ikora in a lightweight bout. For the majority of the first round Ikora managed to a good game plan into action, getting a few quick takedowns where he was able to control the action and attempted a few sloppy submission attempts. The round was finished with two minutes of Sherk sitting on top of Ikora throwing strikes from everywhere, but he was unable to finish the fight. The second round was more of the same with Sherk taking the fight to the ground again and after avoiding two unimpressive submission attempts, he was able to rock Ikora and throw several more ground strikes to the point of Ikora being completely overwhelmed and eventually the ref was forced to stop the fight at 3:03 of round 2 declaring the winner via TKO, Sean Sherk. The win for Sean Sherk who was making his first Rising Sun appearance brought his perfect record to 5-0. The loss however dropped Kurisu Ikora’s record to 9-4 with 2 of his last 3 fights being losses. Another undercard bout pitted two Heavyweight striking specialists against each other, with the well rounded 4-0, 23 year old Mirian Cregov squaring off against the much younger 19 year old Kurt Meyer who entered the fight with a 4-1 record. Both fighters came into the fight with Granite Chins and excellent boxing which was a recipe for a tremendous fight. However Cregov entered the fight with a much better Muay Thai pedigree than his opponent and because of that was able to incorporate several kicks into his striking game, while Meyers was limited to predominantly punches. Because of this variety in striking, Cregov was able to throw 56 strikes to Meyers 27. Due to Meyers having a granite chin he was able to take the blows without going down but throughout the fight a cut opened by an early punch became progressively worse until eventually at 1:14 of the second round the fight was stopped by the referee as the cut was absolutely ghastly. The TKO victory increased Mirian Cregov’s record to a perfect 5-0 whilst dropping Kurt Meyer’s record to 4-2 and extending his losing streak to 2 fights after he started his career a perfect 4-0. The opening fight of the card was a middleweight bout featuring 4-1 Muay Thai specialist Matt Ono facing the 5-2-1 Paul Richards Jr. Despite being the better boxer, the lack of Muay Thai in Richards’s arsenal led to his inevitable demise. Right off the bat Ono was able to take the fight into the clinch where he threw 27 elbows, landing on 8 of them. The cut that appeared very early into the fight progressively became worse with each elbow strike until eventually the fight was stopped at 1:35 of the first round by the referee awarding the TKO victory to Matt Ono. The win increased Matt Ono’s record to 5-1, increasing his win streak to two fights. However the loss dropped Paul Richards Jr’s record to 5-3-1 and increased his losing streak to 2 fights. In other action... In a middleweight bout, 7-2 Tovio Halaus won a unanimous decision over 11-7 Wardor Warlovski bringing his record to 8-2 and dropping his opponent’s record to 11-8. In another middleweight fight, perfect 6-0 Gabriel Santos scored a 30:27 unanimous decision victory over 6-4 Ryosuke Takahashi, maintaining his perfect record at 7-0 whilst dropping Takahashi’s record to 6-5. In light heavyweight action, 5-3 Kazushi Yamazaki won a 30:27 unanimous decision over 6-4 Emils Heartman. The win brought Yamazaki’s record to 6-3 with him winning 4 in a row which in turn dropped Heartman’s record to 6-5, extending his losing streak to 4 fights. Finally in a bantamweight bout, 8-2 JJ Jung won a 30:26/30:27/30:25 unanimous decision over the 3-1 Ezio Machiavelli. The win, which was his 3rd in a row increases JJ Jung’s record to 9-2 which subsequently dropped Ezio Machiavelli’s record to 3-2. And with that Rising Sun 27 Boushoku comes to a close. The event featured numerous exciting finishes and wars that went the distance. Rising Sun 28 Taida however is coming right around the corner with Rising Sun’s middleweight champion, Tatu Tikki squaring off against the challenger Stari Starac. With both fighters coming into the bout with perfect energy and near equal skills it is sure to be a very exciting fight that I predict will likely end in a TKO finish for Tikki with him retaining his middleweight belt. Anyways that’s all from my end for the time being. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow where hopefully the Rising Sun weekend will end with a bang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 16, 2010 Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 Rising Sun 28 : Taida After that we have Ippo Makunouchi and Matthew Kurose in a bantamweight matchup. ... All Kurose needs to do is drag this fight to the ground and it really shouldn't take long for him to have his opponent tapping out. http://www.flashpointsocialmedia.com/Area51/Orion/Images/o_rly.jpg by: Chris Partridge "The first round went fairly well for Kurose with him taking the fight down quickly but despite having a purple belt, he was unable to submit his white belt opponent on 8 tries." Good job Ippo, way to prove them wrong. Sorry I'm just happy about my first win in this org. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 that made me smile, the picture that is=) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun 28 Taida: Tatu Tikki retains his middleweight belt in the form of a nasty TKO finish... Venue – Hard Knocks – Tokyo (3000) Date – March 14th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was a middleweight bout for the Rising Sun middleweight belt featuring the champion, 9-3-1 Tatu Tikki entering the fight on a three fight win streak squaring off against 6-1 Stari Starac. This was the first title defence Tikki has had. Right off the bat Starac attempted to negate Tikkis superior striking by taking the fight to the clinch. From there he attempted to take the fight to the ground but was unsuccessful. Tikki on the other hand was still landing strikes and managed to rock Starac with a quick punch and then caught him with a nasty uppercut that dropped Starac where he ended the fight with unanswered strikes giving Tatu Tikki the TKO victory at 0:46 of round 1. The victory for Tatu Tikki improves his record to 10-3-1 with 9 of those wins coming by TKO or KO and extended his win streak to 4 fights. Stari Starac however drops his record to 6-2 with both losses coming via TKO or KO. Fantastic way for Tikki to do his first title defence. Our co-main event of the evening was a light heavyweight fight between two fighters with perfect records, 5-0 Ham Xu and 4-0 Toni Huerta and with both fighters having extensive ground pedigrees it was very likely that the fight was going to end on the ground. The action started with Xu utilizing his superior wrestling to take the fight to the ground. From there Huerta did nothing but attempt submissions that were all easily defended and must have taken significant amounts of energy out of the fighter. After the 7th straight submission attempt Huerta was rocked by a big elbow landed from half guard and finished with two more hard shots that gave the ref no choice but to stop it. The win maintains Ham Xu’s perfect 6-0 record with 5 of the six victories coming due to TKO. The loss however snaps Toni Huertas perfect run at 4-0 dropping the fighter to 4-1. The last undercard fight of the evening was a featherweight bout featuring two fighters going in opposite directions. Keijo Kuosmanen entered the fight winning 5 straight and a total record of 5-1 while his opponent Bogie McGill entered the fight losing two straight with a total record of 5-2. Both fighters prefer the ground by far and it was expected that the fight would end there. In the first round Kuosmanen displayed his superior wrestling skills and was able to take the fight to the ground almost instantly. From there he attempted 10 unanswered submission attempts with several coming very close to ending the fight. Domination shown by Kuosmanen. The second round was more of the same with Kuosmanen taking the fight to the ground again where he attempted 9 unanswered submissions until finally with a second to spare in the second round Keijo Kuosmanen was able to take the back of McGill and end it with a slick rear-naked choke finish at 4:59 of the second round. The fight may have been over before it even began as McGill came into the fight with barely 60% energy and that clearly had an effect on his performance. The win improves Keijo Kuosmanen’s record to 6-1 whilst dropping Bogie McGill’s record to 5-3. In other undercard action we had a heavyweight fight between 5-1 Yedo Kim and 8-3 Johan Schwarzenbergersteiner. The first round Kim displayed his superior stand up game, landing on more than 90% of his strikes. Within the round he was able to cut and rock his opponent but was unable to finish the fight. The start of the second round however went better for Schwarzenbergersteiner as he was able to take the fight to the ground but was unable to do any damage before the fight was returned to the feet. From the stand-up Kim showed his dominance again rocking Schwarzenbergersteiner with a solid shot to the chin. From there he finished the fight with more strikes at 3:22 of round 2. The TKO victory increases Yedo Kim’s record to 6-1 whilst dropping Schwarzenbergersteiner’s record to 8-4. Another undercard bout pitted two lightweight fighters against each other. 2-2 Takumi Mayama squared up against 2-1 Jack Inhoff with both fighters having impressive ground and stand-up skills. The first round started with a brief exchange between the two fighters with only a single punch actually landing. After falling off balance Mayama was taken down into his guard. Unfortunately for Inhoff he lost his concentration for a brief second and was caught in a triangle choke at 0:53 of round 1 declaring the winner Takumi Mayama. The impressive submission victory increases Mayama’s record to 3-2 whilst dropping Jack Inhoffs record to 2-2. Our next fight was a bantamweight bout featuring 2-1 Ippo Makunouchi facing off against 5-6-1 Matthew Kurose. The first round went fairly well for Kurose with him taking the fight down quickly but despite having a purple belt, he was unable to submit his white belt opponent on 8 tries. Clearly attempting that amount of submissions took a lot out of Kurose as at 0:19 of round 2 he was caught with an absolutely vicious uppercut that instantly knocked the fighter out. The victory, which was Ippo Makunouchi’s first within the Rising Sun organization, increased his record to 3-1. The loss however which was his second in a row drops Matthew Kurose’s record to 5-7-1. It also drops his Rising sun record to 0-2 with both losses coming via either TKO or KO. In other undercard action, a middleweight bout took place between 1-2 strikers Ryuuken Hoshikawa and 4-3 I Hard. There wasn’t much to say about this fight as before Hard could even react he was caught by a slapping head kick that cut him which was then followed by another head kick that rocked and dropped the fighter. From there Hoshikawa finished the fight from the full mount with a big shot declaring him the winner via KO at 0:22 of round 1. The win improves Ryuuken Hoshikawa’s record to 2-2 and showed that his kicks are not to be taken lightly. The loss however which is I Hards second straight loss drops the fighter’s record to an even 4-4. The opening fight of the card was a featherweight bout featuring Filipino Assasin entering with a 0-0 record making his Rising Sun debut, squaring off against 4-3 Komatsu Akiaki. Assasin who entered the fight with the worst wrestling of the two was instantly taken down by Akiaki. Unfortunately for Akiaki who is only a blue belt in Bjj was immediately caught by Assasin in an armbar that forced the fighter to tap out at 0:46 of round 1. The win which marks Filipino Assassin’s first gives him a 1-0 record whilst dropping his opponent Komatsu Akiaki’s record to an even 4-4. In other action... A featherweight bout between Jake The Terror (6-1) and Mike Bennett (9-8-1) was ended by Jake the Terror at 3:03 of round 2 via TKO (Strikes). A lightweight bout between Leroy Green (7-4-1) and Takanori Gomi (3-0) went the distance in an absolute slugfest with over 100 strikes being thrown between the two. The judges scored the bout 27:30 unanimously giving Takanori Gomi the decision victory. And with that Rising Sun 28 Boushoku and the weekend comes to a close. The event was chockfull of finishes with only a single fight going the distance. The weekend as a whole was very exciting for any fight fan following Rising Sun and hopefully the weekends to come will be as phenomenal as this one was. Signing off again from Hard Knocks, Chris Partridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Rising Sun 29 : Preview Opening up our night of action you will see Takanori Sakurai vs. Cyrus Plague at 145. Sakurai is a tremendous grappler with all 4 of his wins by submission but there are also holes in his game. His opponent in this matchup, Cyrus Plague, should be looking to keep this fight standing. Although he has shown an ability to grapple it appears he is outclassed in this one and should exploit his advantage in the standup in pursuit of a knockout. Whoever controls where this fight takes place should win. Next up will be two welterweights going at it with Nikolai Putin taking on Tetsuya Nakashiba. From their previous fights it is clear these two guys are grapplers through and through. The one question we still dont know the answer to is if Nakashiba wants to keep with that strategy or looks to change it up. It looks as though he could have an edge standing but it can be hard for a grappler to go away from the ground game. If he does try to get to the mat with Putin he could be playing with fire but you never know who will come out on top. After that we will see Roberto Saki against Lorenzo Von Matterhorn at 265. Both these guys have an ability to finish no matter where this fight takes place. Matterhorn arguably has the best wrestling background in this division being a former collegiate champion. It should be interesting to see if he looks to take this fight down and show off his vicious GnP or if he chooses to stand and bang. Saki is so versatile however he may be comfortable fighting anywhere and is certainly dangerous at all times. The next fight on the night will be between two middleweights with Bogdon Haze going against Kauno Kaalikorva. Haze has multiple wins by both submission and knockout so he should be fine with wherever this fight ends up. Kaalikorva on the other hand will probably be looking to get into a grappling match. He has good striking but all 3 of his wins have been by submission and with his brown belt he is a very dangerous grappler. This one should end long before the judges get involved. Following that will be Manny Pacman vs. Dak Ishii in a bantamweight bout. This looks to be a clash of styles even though they both appear to have good all around skills. Pacman has always leaned on his boxing background to finish fights with 4 ko's on his record. Ishii on the other hand has the majority of his wins by submission. They appear to be even in wrestling so it's anyone's guess if this will turn out to be an allout war on the feet or if they will be grappling looking to finish. After that we will have Osanti Herod taking on Danger Takeshi in a battle of heavyweights. This is a fight between two very experienced fighters with a total of 30 fights already to their credit. Herod has always been a dangerous grappler with 7 of his 9 wins by submission. Takeshi should be looking to sprawl early and often as he no doubt looks to have an edge in striking. If Takeshi can fend off the takedown attempts I like his chances at victory but we have seen in the past that Herod can have some good takedown ability. Next up will be two bantamweights with Randy Orton going against Yuuri Yushima. On paper it would appear Yushima really on has one route to victory and that's by getting this fight to the mat and using his edge in jiu jitsu however that may be hard to come by because he doesn't have a lot of wrestling ability in his arsenal. If Orton lands a clean shot on Yushima's chin I find it hard to believe that he would still be standing. Either way these two guys will surely be looking to finish and keep the judges out of this one. Following that fight you will see Mike Cades vs. Andres Aguinaldo at 265. These two up and coming heavyweights certainly know what is on the line in this fight as a win over a tough opponent would be huge for their credibility. For Cades it's clear that he has the edge in the standup and should look to exploit that early and often. That may be hard to do however because Aguinaldo is a tremendous wrestler and he complements that with a great grappling background. I expect that if this fight hits the ground Aguinaldo will walk away victorious. In our Co-Main Event of the night you will see the Lightweight title on the line with Greg LaFleche defending his crown against Charlie Chase. This should be interesting because LaFleche has always relied on his great takedowns to control his opponents while working some ground and pound and looking for submissions. In this one he may be playing with fire however because Charlie Chase should have the better grappling game. Chase needs to be aggresive on the ground because LaFleche usually wins if it gets to the judges scorecards so if Chase wants the belt he needs to finish. Now for our Main Event where you will see a huge rematch with two superstars. Antonio Santiago and Lei Wulong went a full 5 rounds in their last bout and it ended in a majority draw. This one should be exciting because I know both guys don't want to take the chance of going to the judges again. They are so evenly matched however it's no suprise to hear that they had a draw in their last fight. It really is anyone's guess as to who could have an edge, the only thing we know for sure if that these two have tremendous skills and back that up with a huge amount of experience. Their combined record is 23-2 not counting their last draw so the fans shouldn't leave early on this night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Rising Sun 30 : Preview In our first fight of the night you will see Kano Jigoro taking on Huimempi Huima at 265. It's very clear in this one that whoever can dictate where the fight takes place should be victorious. Jigoro is the much heavier fighter and has a huge edge in the ground game so if he can get a takedown and put his weight on his opponent he should wear him down quickly and get an early submission. If Huima can stay standing I expect him to knockout Jigoro without too much trouble. Next up will be two heavyweights with Huima Sisu going against Glenn Kabayan. It's amazing that we have two wrestlers with this much ability going head to head. They both have wonderful wrestling but the difference is that Sisu complements that with a brown belt in jiu jitsu. Kabayan on the other hand has some decent striking and a blue belt. If Kabayan can stay standing he has a small edge but he needs to avoid being taken down at all costs because if Sisu gets you into a grappling match he will walk out on top. Following that will be Zippi Duudi vs. Eric Cartman at 185. Although Duudi has a tremendous edge in jiu jitsu I find it hard to believe that he will get a chance to show that off. Cartman has some great wrestling and should have no problem fending off any takedown attempts. If Cartman can turn this into a slugfest he should be victorious because Duudi's standup game needs work. You never know though as if Duudi does get a takedown the tables turn significantly and he should like his chances at a win. After that we will have two Light Heavyweights matching up with Durden Tyler taking on Mirohito Murokuppi. Tyler is a perfect example of a mixed martial artists with pretty good striking and a strong grappling game. Murokuppi is no slouch either although it is more clear what his gameplan will be. With good boxing and a decent sprawl to back that up he would probably prefer to stay standing although Tyler may have something to say about that. We'll have to see what Tyler will look to do in this one. The next fight will be between Drake Winchester and Taka Osatoko at 155. This one will certainly be decided based on wrestling ability where at least on paper it appears Winchester has the edge. Winchester has always looked to show off his crisp boxing and in order to do that in this fight I expect he will need to show off a good sprawl ability as well. Osatoko has decent striking but he has a huge edge in jiu jitsu so if this fight hits the mat it shouldn't be long before he has Winchester tapping. After that you will get a chance to see Charles Landsman vs. Marmuro Takamura at 265. Takamura is a dangerous fighter and I don't mean to undersell him but it would appear he is going up against a superior opponent. Landsman has comparable striking and has a huge edge in both wrestling and BJJ. If he looks for the takedown as I expect him to do he will almost surely get it and it won't be long before he has his opponent tapping. If Takamura wins this one it will truly show what kind of heart he has. Next up will be Ming Hong and Dave Mustaine in a welterweight battle. Hong has an incredible boxing background but unfortunately for him that's about all. He has very poor wrestling and an almost equally as bad jiu jitsu game. Although Mustaine has some very good striking and usually relies on that I wouldn't be shocked to see him switch it up and try to work the ground game against Hong. We'll have to see if he trusts his striking enough to try to stand and bang with him. The next fight will feature two heavyweights with Jeff Miller going against Janno Kivessoo. Both of these guys are well rounded and are more than capable in all areas of mixed martial arts. Kivessoo has a very well rounded striking game with good muay thai as well as good boxing, all 7 of his wins have been via knockout. Miller has good striking but probably likes his chances on the ground a bit better and I wouldn't be suprised to see him look for a takedown. In the Co-Main Event we have two up and coming Light Heavyweights with Lewis Tsushima vs. Sam Samuels. They are both incredibly talented with very good boxing, wrestling and some amazing grappling ability. If these two brown belts do happen to hit the mat they could put on a display of jiu jitsu that most fans never get the chance to see. No matter where this fight takes place it could end at any second so be sure not to leave your seats during this one. Now we get to the Main Event where the Welterweight champion Buck Norris will look to defend his belt against Furio Guinta. The champion certainly looks to have the edge just about everywhere in this matchup but that doesn't mean Guinta will be a cakewalk. Guinta has good punches and he most certainly has the stereotypical "punchers chance". It only takes one clean shot to get the upset although Norris is probably confident no matter where the fight takes place. He has the clear edge in jiu jitsu and has even better boxing than his opponent. This should be a fun one to watch as Guinta will undoubtedly come out swining as he knows that's his only chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted March 21, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2010 Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun 29 Shinnen: Two new champions were crowned in an action packed night of Submission and TKO victories. Venue – Saku Dome – Tokyo (6133) Date – March 20th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was a Super Heavyweight title match between two ground specialists, 10-1-1 Lei Wulong and 13-1-1 Antonio Santiago. This is the second of two fights between the fighters with the first ending by majority draw. Right from the get go the bout had all the action an mma fan could ask for. The first two rounds stayed predominantly on the feet where Wulong utilized his better overall striking skills and completely dominated Santiago. The third round however showed the ground dominance Santiago had over Wulong with him getting the early takedown and controlling the rest of the ground but Wulong showed impressive defensive grappling and was able to withstand the barrage of submission attempts. After another similar round in the fourth we came to the fifth and final round with Wulong clearly leading on the score cards and Santiago desperately needing a finish to the fight. Feeling the pressure Santiago took the fight to the ground yet again but unlike his other forays on the ground, on his third submission of the round he was finally able to lock in a Americana submission to secure the victory at 1:59 of round 5. The very taxing fight declared Antonio Santiago the new Super Heavyweight champion increasing his record to 14-1-1 and in the process settling the score of the majority draw him and his opponent shared a month prior. Lei Wulong on the other hand drops to 10-2-1 but showed a lot of heart and skill in the bout and will no doubt have success in whatever organization he ends up in. Our co-main event of the evening was a lightweight title match between the champion, 11-2 wrestler Greg LaFleche and the challenger, 9-3 Muay Thai specialist Charlie Chase. Despite the fight going 5 rounds there really wasn’t much to say in this bout. LaFleche had a great start getting a relatively quick takedown and proceeding to avoid takedowns and land some vicious strikes that may have knocked out a fighter with a worse chin. Despite the impressive first round it was the beginning of a horrible fight for the champion who entered the bout with only 70% energy. Chase was able to capitalize on this energy differential and he proceeded to use his very well rounded striking game to completely dominate the champion who entered the fight 5 years the elder of his opponent. Throughout the 4 round domination Chase clearly wore down his opponent with an array of body and leg kicks and punches. The result was a 46:49 unanimous decision victory for Charlie Chase declaring him the new Lightweight champion and improving his record to 10-3 in the process. The loss however snapped Greg LaFlehche’s 3 fight win streak within Rising Sun dropping his record to 11-3. The last undercard fight of the evening was a heavyweight bout two completely different fighters, Mike Cades the 7-3 striker squaring off against 9-3 ground specialist Andres Aguinaldo. Despite having much superior wrestling than his opponent Aguinaldo was only able to land on two takedowns out of 11 attempts and the fight was very quickly returned to the feet on both occasions. For the large majority of the fight it stayed on the feet where Cades showed his absolute domination of the stand up game. Cades cut his opponent on several occasions in the first two rounds with his solid striking game and was able to push the cut to the point where the fight was stopped at 2:20 of round 3 via TKO (cut). The win bumped Mike Cades’s record to 8-3 whilst dropping his opponent, Andres Aguinaldo’s record to 9-4. The fight was also Mike Cades’s first within Rising Sun. In other undercard action we had a middleweight bout between two very well rounded fighters, 9-5 Bogdon Haze and 3-1 Kauno Kaalikorva. On paper it was likely the fight was going to end on the ground in some form with both fighters having solid Bjj and wrestling. As anticipated Kaalikorva scored a very early takedown and was able to avoid a scary triangle attempt from his opponent before attempting 7 of his own with the 7th ending with an armbar finish at 4:03 of the first round. The victory improves Kauno Kaalikorva’s record to 4-1 with all 4 coming via submissions while subsequently dropping his opponent’s record to 9-6 with the loss. Another undercard bout pitted two heavyweight fighters, 4-2 striker Roberto Saki and 2-0 Lorenzo Von Matterhorn who entered the fight with sensational wrestling and great well rounded skills outside of that. Seeing as how he is the fighter of my Boss I give this fighter my stamp of approval. Anyways onto the fight, Von Matterhorn clearly outmatched his opponent in the wrestling game by a very wide margin and was able to take the fight to the ground on his third attempt. From there he attempted two submissions to no avail but showed uncanny accuracy in his ground strikes and on his fifteenth ground strike he finally ended the fight with a TKO finish that came at 4:03 of the first round. The story of the fight was definitely the fact that the now 3-0 Lorenzo Von Matterhorn had 100% accuracy on his ground strikes and his unrelenting pressure on the ground clearly made his opponent, now 4-3 Roberto Saki uncomfortable and he was unable to put his purple belt to good use. On further investigation it appears Von Matterhorn is still yet to miss on any strike whether it be ground or stand-up and none of his three fights have left the first round. Definitely will be someone to watch in the future. The opening fight of the card was a featherweight bout between 4-4 Takanori Sakurai and 4-2 Cyrus Plague. With both fighters having solid ground skills it was anticipated that the fight would likely go there and stay there for the entirety of the fight. As expected Plague was able to utilize his superior wrestling to take the fight to the ground less than a minute into the fight. After three straight failed submission attempts from Sakurai the fight was returned to the feet where yet again Plague was able to score an easy takedown. After three more submission attempts that visibly took the wind out of Sakurai, Plague was able to lock in a painful kneebar securing the submission victory at 3:23 of round 1. The victory on Cyrus Plagues first Rising Sun fight improves his record to a solid 5-2. Meanwhile the loss drops Takanori Sakurais record past the .500 mark to 4-5 with him still being unable to string more than a single win together. In other action... Randy Orton (8-3-1) was able to utilize a his superior Muay Thai in the clinch to score a 30:26 unanimous decision over Yuuri Yushima (6-3) Osanti Herod (10-5) was able to score a hard fought 29:28 unanimous decision victory over Danger Takeshi (9-8) Manny Pacman (7-5-1) was able to utilize his superior ground skills on the way to a 2:31 Armbar submission victory in the first round over Dak Ishii (9-5) Ground specialist Nikolai Putin (6-1) landed an Americana submission victory at 3:51 of round two, defeating Tetsuya Nakashiba (5-6). And with that Rising Sun 29 Shinnen comes to a close. The event was chockfull of submission victories with two new champions being crowned. Hopefully you join us tomorrow for Rising Sun 30 Kibou where the welterweight title is up for grabs in a fight between the champion, 10-4 Buck Norris and the challenger, 7-1 Furio Giunta. With both fighters having excellent stand-up skills it is very likely it’ll be an absolute war with an inevitable KO or TKO finish. Will that actually transpire? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun 30 : Kibou Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun 30 Kibou: Buck Norris retains in his belt in a hard fought 5 round stand-up war! Venue – Hard Knocks – Tokyo (2854) Date – March 20th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was welterweight title bout between the champion, the dangerous 10-4 striker, Buck Norris squaring off against the challenger 7-1 Furio Giunta. Right from the start the champ absolutely took it to Giunta completely controlling the action with the clinch and he actually managed to rock him 3 minutes into the fight on a nasty head kick. After recovering Norris attempted a armbar from the ground but was unable to secure it. The second and third round were much the same with Norris completely controlling the pace and using the clinch and his stand-up to completely negate anything Giunta attempted. In round four however, Norris chose to keep the fight on the ground where he attempted to utilize his superior Bjj but was unable to actually lock anything in despite 5 submission attempts. Yet again in round 5 it was much of the same as the early parts of the fight with the clinch and stand-up from Norris completely controlling Giunta and preventing him from mounting any sort of offense. The masterful performance from the Rising Sun welterweight champion helped him in retaining his welterweight title with a 50:45 unanimous decision improving his record to 11-4. The victory was Norris’s second title defence and in both fights he was able to absolutely dominate his opponent with his incredibly well-rounded stand-up game. The loss however snaps Furio Giunta’s three fight win streak within Rising Sun and drops his record to 7-2. The last undercard fight of the evening was a heavyweight bout between two dangerous strikers, 4-2 Jeff Miller and 7-6 Janno Kivessoo. Right from the start Kivessoo was able to utilize his superior Muay Thai game to cut Miller on two occasions and the strikes he threw from the clinch clearly took something out of him as he walked right into a nasty head kick knocking him out instantly at 0:43 of the first round. The vicious knockout from Janno Kivessoo improves his record to 8-6 whilst dropping Jeff Millers record to 4-3. In other undercard action we had a heavyweight bout between 2-0 ground fighter, Charles Landsman and 4-3 striker Marmuro Takamura. Despite being three years the younger of his opponent, Landsman had much better primary skills and they were clearly displayed throughout the fight. There was very little to say about this fight on a round to round basis as each round was essentially identical to the previous one. Landsman’s superior wrestling was shown very quickly as he was able to take the fight down almost instantly and was able to keep it there for essentially the entire fight. From there he put on an absolute ground and pound clinic, landing 73 of 77 strikes from the ground that must have reconfigured Takamuras face to some degree. After mauling his face for three rounds, Landsman was able to latch onto an exposed arm and did everything but snap it off with a slick armbar finish at 4:22 of round 3. The sensational performance from Landsman improves his perfect record to 3-0 and he has dominated each and every one of those fights by a wide margin. Look out for Charles Landsman in the future. The loss on the other hand drops the badly named “The Bear Slayer” Marmuro Takamura to 4-4 and he subsequently retired after the fight. Guess the bear slayed him. Another undercard bout pitted two light heavyweight fighters against each other, 5-2 Durden Tyler and 2-0 Mirohito Murokuppi. The first round went fairly well for Murokuppi with him cutting Tyler on two different occasions with solid striking before getting taken down and kept there for the remainder of the first round. In the second round however, Murokuppi was able to use his superior stand-up and after a flurry of strikes Tyler finally acknowledged that he was getting dominated and tapped out from the strikes at 1:09 of round 2. The impressive stand-up display extends Mirohito Murokuppi’s perfect record to 3-0 overall and 2-0 within Rising Sun. The loss for Durden Tyler however drops his record to 5-3 overall and 0-2 within Rising Sun. In other undercard action we had a middleweight bout between 3-3 ground fighter, Zippi Duudi and 0-1 wrestler Eric Cartman. The first round of the fight went very well for Cartman as he was able to cut Duudi very early on and despite getting taken down he was able to control the superior Bjj fighter before getting the referee stand-up. Back on the feet Cartman was able to land several more good strikes before the round ended. The second round was more of the same with Cartman completely dominating the round and cutting Duudi on three separate occasions almost stopping the fight. Despite the adversity Duudi showed a lot of heart getting through the round but unfortunately after more strikes in the third round the referee finally called a stop to the fight at 0:47 of round 3 as Duudi’s cut became too much of a problem. The impressive stand-up display from Eric Cartman improves his record to 1-1 whilst dropping Zippi Duudi’s record to 3-4 and extending his losing streak to 3 straight. In other action... In a light heavyweight bout, Lewis Tsushima (7-2) won a hard fought 29:28 unanimous decision victory over Sam Samuels (5-2). In welterweight action, Dave Mustaine (3-0) absolutely dominated his opponent Min Hong (1-1) utilizing a masterful clinch and ground and pound display on the way to a 26:30 unanimous decision. In a lightweight bout, Taka Osatoko (5-1) caught his opponent, Drake Winchester (4-2) in a slick guillotine submission at 4:01 of round 2. In heavyweight action, Huima Sisu (1-1) caught Glenn Kabayan (2-2) with a speedy armbar at 1:34 of round 1. In the first undercard bout of the evening, Kano Jigoro (3-1) completely controlled and dominated his opponent Huimempi Huima (1-3) on route to a unanimous 30:26 decision. And with that Rising Sun 30 Kibou and the weekend comes to a close. Throughout the two weekend events we saw three title fights, with all of them being very exciting. Outside of the title fights we saw a ridiculous amount of submission victories with 9 of 20 fights ending by submission. Next week we can look forward to Rising Sun: Fight Night 9 with several intriguing matchups as well as Rising Sun 31: Jizen in a battle of undefeated fighters, 7-0 Ryo Nakamura looks to defend his featherweight belt against dangerous striker, 5-0 Shinichi Fuujin. Co-headlining the event is 8-2 bantamweight champion, Raimo Pukki, who is looking to defend his belt against the perfect, 5-0 ground fighter Demian Almeida. Hopefully both of these bouts live up to the hype and the rest of the event will follow their example. See you next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun Fight Night 9 Preview Opening up our night of action you will see two middleweights going at it with Bobby McGrath taking on Marc Tong Panong. These two guys are both pretty experienced fighters with a combined 20 fights to their credit. Panong is a bit more well rounded with wins by both submission and TKO while McGrath makes it pretty clear where he likes to fight with 5 submission victories. If this hits the mat I expect McGrath to be successful because although Panong is a good grappler McGrath is great. Standing it's hard to say who has the edge but I would lean toward Panong. The next fight will be between Dr. Francoise Petit and Ricky McBride at 170. They both have purple belts in jiu jitsu so if this fight ends up on the ground it's hard to see a clear edge for either man but it could be a great display of grappling ability. Standing the two have a contrast in styles with Petit having very good boxing ability while McBride has great muay thai. This could become a war and if it does the fans will surely be in for a treat. Following those two will be Ares Constantinides vs. Tyson Trinidad at 205. Looking at their skills it would appear these are two very similar and evenly matched fighters but I think if you look at their record it tells a better story. While they both have great boxing and purple belts in BJJ, Constantinides has the majority of his wins by TKO while Trinidad has most by submission. Constantinides has the edge in wrestling so we'll see if he wants to keep it standing or if he trusts his grappling enough to take down Trinidad. Next up we will have two lightweights going at it with Franz Ritter taking on Paul Paulson. Ritter comes in at 4-0 but this is a tough matchup for him. The two have nearly identical grappling backgrounds so that could end up canceling each other out while although Ritter has very good boxing Paulson has decent boxing and a very strong muay thai game. This will be a great test for these two to see how they deal with fighting top notch competition. After that you will see Okina Miyamoto vs. Moses Kippo at 185. Kippo looks to be your stereotypical sprawl and brawler who uses his strong wrestling to keep the fight standing and his boxing ability to end the fight quickly. Miyamoto on the other hand has a bit more well rounded game where he has great standup but also has the ability to take someone down and then ground and pound his way to a victory. I wonder which method he will choose in this one and whether Kippo can avoid takedowns could be key. The next fight will feature two Light Heavyweights with Jeff Make You Deaf taking on Fleegle Bananasplits. These two guys have some very interesting names but they also have the skills required to fight in the cage. From their previous fights I would assume that this one will continue the trend and turn into a grappling match. These two purple belts really have tremendous skills once the fight hits the mat and this one could be a great technical display of BJJ. After that we have Tony Big vs. Mongo Malone at 205. Tony Big is very well rounded with solid boxing skills and a good grappling game with a purple belt. Malone is a bit more one dimensional but that doesn't necessarily mean he is at a disadvantage in this matchup. Malone clearly has the edge in striking with a tremendous ability to mix up classical boxing with muay thai strikes. Big would be much better off trying to get a takedown and then using his advantage on the mat to try and get a submission. Following that you will see Freiherr Altenburg and Kite Winchester in a featherweight matchup. If Winchester wants to win this one he will have to hope his sprawl is stronger than ever as his white belt will be no match for the purple belt if this turns into a ground battle. If he can keep this standing it looks to be a fairly even matchup with both men having significant knockout power. This one should be a great one for the fans. In our Co-Main Event you will see two Light Heavyweight contenders going at it with Rankka Ankka going against Niko Berg. This one will definitely come down to who has the better wrestling ability and can control where the fight takes place. If Ankka can keep the fight standing I'm sure he likes his chances at getting another knockout victory however if Berg can secure a takedown he should be able to put another submission victory to his credit. For our Main Event we will have Daniel Johansson vs. Jason Jones at 265. These two brown belts are incredible grapplers who have the ability to submit you anywhere at anytime. If this fight hits the mat it could have the fans thinking they are watching a jiu jitsu match as their ability in that area is nothing short of spectacular. Neither man has tremendous striking ability so I think it will be a race for the takedown and then a chess match until it ends with someone tapping, napping, or snapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun 31 : Jizen Preview In our first fight of the night you will see D Lo Brown vs. Senki Gudo at 205. It's hard to find an area where Brown will have an advantage as his opponent Sudo appears to be slightly better across the board. If it stays standing Gudo has a bit more boxing experience that should help him win a slugfest and if it hits the mat Gudo's purple belt should be able to take care of Brown who only has a blue belt. If Brown can find a way to win this one it will go to show just what heart he has. After that we will have Justin Yanagida and Kenta Sazuki in a featherweight bout. It's pretty clear where each man will want this fight to go as Yanagida has a huge edge if this fight hits the ground with his extensive jiu jitsu background. Sazuki however may have a slight edge standing and could look to utilize the clinch with his muay thai ability. It should be interesting to see if each man comes out looking to finish or if they are cautious trying to feel each other out. Next up we have two bantamweights going at it with Billy Butler taking on Kenshiro Kitase. Butler's record really doesn't do his talent justice as he among the best muay thai specialists you will see. Kitase is no fool and knows his only chance at victory is to take Butler down. Kitase is not a bad striker but he is simply no match in this fight and needs to do everything he can to get his opponent to the ground. Once on the mat it is anyones guess how these two blue belts will fair. Following that you will see Makoto Nagano vs. Akio Hideaki at 135. This is a clear contrast of styles as Nagano is a pure striker with a great boxing background while Hideaki is a jiu jitsu ace who already has his brown belt in the art. If Nagano can stay on his feet he should have no problem separating Hideaki from his conciousness but that is no easy task. Hideaki has a pretty large edge in wrestling that he should be able to exploit to bring this one to the mat and once he is there I expect his opponent to be tapping in no time at all. The next fight will feature William Porthaven and Yrjo Pieru at 170. These two welterweights are true examples of mixed martial artists. Although neither of them specialize in any one area it is also hard to find a weakness for either of them. They are dangerous whether standing or grappling so this one could end at any time. Pieru has an edge in experience so we'll have to see if that plays a role in this one or not. Next up will be Marco Ruas vs. Kwame Moto in a middleweight battle. They both have extensive experience with a total of 28 fights to date. Ruas appears to have a slight edge in striking and should have a comfortable advantage on the mat. Ruas will undoubtedly look to secure the takedown and then go to work trying to submit his opponent but Moto is no pushover. He has decent striking and although he doesn't yet have his brown belt in BJJ he is still a very dangerous grappler and should not be looked over by Ruas. After that you will see Akio Hideyoshi and Diziz Sparta in a clash of Light Heavyweights. Although Sparta is not a bad striker at all if he wants to win this fight he will need to try and get a takedown as quickly as possible. Sparta has good boxing but Hideyoshi has good boxing that is complemented by superb muay thai ability. If Hideyoshi can remain on his feet he is very dangerous and it's very possible for him to knockout his opponent at any moment. Following that will be two lightweights fighting with Count Chocula going against Spencer Fisher. Chocula comes in being 4-0 with 3 of those wins by knockout so you know he is a scary striker. Fisher has good boxing but may be better off avoiding a slugfest and trying to get a takedown in this fight. Fisher does have 2 wins by submission already even though he is only a blue belt. Let's see which one of these guys can get a big win in this fight. In our Co-Main Event we have the Bantamweight belt on the line with Raimo Pukki defending against the top contender Demian Almeida. Even though Almeida comes in undefeated it is pretty hard to find an area where he will have an edge in this fight. His best chance will surely come in a grappling match as his purple belt makes him pretty dangerous but Pukki also has a purple belt and we have seen in the past that he is not uncomfortable on the mat. With that said Pukki certainly would like to stay standing in this one as he has a huge edge striking. He also has better wrestling so I expect Pukki to be able to dictate where the fight takes place and make his opponent fight his fight. Finally we get to our Main Event where Ryo Nakamura will defend his featherweight belt against Shinichi Fuujin. Both these guys are undefeated and this will surely be the toughest fight in Nakamura's career. He is usually the most feared striker heading into a fight but in this one his opponent Fuujin will at least have equal ability but some would argue Fuujin even has an edge standing up. Nakamura may suprise us and change his usual strategy by going for a takedown but something tells me he wants to prove to the world how dangerous his hands are. This one could easily turn into a slugfest where I have no doubt that someone will get knocked out it's just a matter of who and how long it will take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun Fight Night 9 Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun Fight Night 9 Venue – Hayashi’s Lounge – Tokyo (1737) Date – March 27th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was a heavyweight bout between 11-7 ground fighter Daniel Johansson and 5-1 Jason Jones. Johansson entered the bout with the better wrestling and it was expected he would use that to control the action on the ground and eventually get a submission locked in or finish him with strikes. Unfortunately for Jones that’s pretty much what happened. After draining his energy from preventing his submissions he was able to unleash his hands leading to a devastating TKO loss at 1:48 of round 1. The fantastic ground finish from Daniel Johansson improved his record to 12-7 overall and 1-1 in Rising Sun. The loss drops Jason Jones’s record to 5-2. The last undercard fight of the evening was a featherweight bout between two guys with fantastic names, 7-1 Freiherr Albrecht Alexander Von Altenburg and 5-0 striker Kite Winchester. The first round between the two was fairly uneventful since Winchester entered the bout with low energy and because of that he gassed incredibly quickly. Less than a minute into the round he was taken down and controlled for almost the entire round. The second round was slightly more exciting as after the four minutes of Altenburg controlling him on the ground they went back to the feet where they had a solid exchange of punches. The third round however was where Altenburg showed his class, earning an early knockdown with a left and finishing the fight with a Kimura at 0:25 of round 3. The dominant win improves Freiherr Albrecht Alexander Von Altenburg record to 8-1. The loss snaps Kite Winchesters perfect record and drops him to 5-1. In other undercard action we had a light heavyweight fight between 5-3 Tony Big and 4-0 Mongo Malone. This fight didn’t last long with both fighters having solid striking abilities and 1:12 into round 1 Malone caught Big with a massive head kick and threw more strikes after the knockdown until the referee finally ended the fight. The speedy win improves Mongo Malone’s record to 5-0 and drops Tony Bigs record to 5-4. Another undercard bout pitted two lightweight fighters against each other, 4-0 Franz Ritter and 5-1 Paul Paulson. Early into the fight Paulson used his far superior Muay Thai to take the fight into the clinch where he was able to keep the fight there for a little over a minute but was unable to land any sort of damage from the position and it cost him. At 4:29 of round 1 after a long stand-up exchange Paulson was caught with a nasty right hand and finished with a slick punch combination that knocked him out. The nasty KO improves Franz Ritter’s record to 5-0 and wins his Rising Sun debut. The loss however dropped Paul Paulson’s record to 5-2. In other undercard action we had a light heavyweight bout between 5-3-1 Ares Constantinides and 8-5 Tyson Trinidad. Entering the fight Constantinides had the much better overall ground game and it showed throughout the entire fight. He was able to land an early takedown and after the two exchanged submission attempts Constantinides was able to just let his hands go and after landing on 20 of 20 ground strikes was able to rock Trinidad and knocked him out with further strikes at 4:23 of round 1. The impressive ground performance improves Ares Constantinides’s record to 6-3-1 whilst dropping Tyson Trinidad’s record to 8-6. In other action... In light heavyweight action Fleegle Bananasplits (8-4) absolutely dominated the fight on the feet for three rounds on route to beating Jeff Make You Deaf (5-4) with a 26:30 unanimous decision victory. In middleweight action we had Okina Miyamoto (4-0) fighting Moses Kippo (4-1). Miyamoto dominated the fight in all aspects and Kippo just wasn’t able to keep up on route to Miyamoto scoring a 30:27 unanimous decision victory. In welterweight action Dr Francoise Petit (5-2) squared off against Ricky McBride (5-3). Petit was able to control the action and dominate the fight on the ground before it was returned to the feet. From there he used his much more superior boxing on route to a nasty hook KO victory at 4:33 of round 1. In the opening undercard bout of the evening we had two middleweight fighters, Bobby McGrath (6-6) squaring off against Marc Tong Panong (5-5). After a very close first round, McGrath was caught in an armbar at 3:03 of round 2 by Panong which was even more impressive due to McGrath having a brown belt and Panong only having a purple belt. And with that Rising Sun Fight Night 9 comes to a close. Despite no title fights being on the card there was an absolute plethora of KO and submission finishes and several 100% rated fights leading to a very solid 128.35 event rating. All in all it was a fantastic way to start the weekend and a good event to lead into tomorrow’s Rising Sun 31 Jizen where Ryo Nakamura looks to defend his Featherweight belt for the third time against Shinichi Fuujin. With both fighters having impressive stand-up skills it is very expected that the bout will either end in a KO or TKO finish or an all out 5 round war decision. In our other title fight we have the bantamweight title up for grabs with the Champion Raimo Pukki squaring off against undefeated newcomer Demian Almeida. I personally don’t see Pukki giving up his belt as he is better than Almeida in all areas and i personally expect him to keep it standing and get an early second round KO. Almeida’s pedigree is the ground game but in this case he has the inferior ground game and i expect that being put out of his element will not be good for the contender. Anyways, that’s all from me, I’ll see you all tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun 31 : Jizen Brought to you by Chris Partridge Rising Sun 31 Jizen Venue – Hard Knocks – Tokyo (3000) Date – March 28th 2010 Tokyo, Jap (TAP) - Our main event of the evening was a featherweight bout for the Rising Sun featherweight belt between the champion, 7-0 Ryo Nakamura and the challenger, 5-0 Shinichi Fuujin. The action started surprisingly as on two separate occasions Fuujin was able to take the fight to the ground and control the action very well, stealing the first round from the champion. Unfortunately it went all downhill from there for the challenger as Nakamura was able to put on a clinch clinic for the next four rounds on route to a very easy 49:46 unanimous decision victory. The dominating performance is Ryo Nakamura’s third straight title defence and improves his record to the perfect 8-0. Despite having the much better boxing, Shinichi Fuujin was unable to utilize that as he was stuck in the clinch for the majority of the fight, dropping his record to 5-1 with his first loss within Rising Sun. Our Co-main event of the evening was a bantamweight bout for the Rising Sun bantamweight belt between the champion, 8-2 striker Raimo Pukki and the challenger 5-0 Demian Almeida who entered the bout truly overmatched in almost every area despite being 3 years the elder of the champion. The first round went as perfect for the champion as it could have as he put on a striking clinic, completely avoiding any damage and eventually late in the round scoring a knockdown where he rocked the challenger with a huge right hand. Despite Raimo not being able to finish the fight in the first, he couldn’t have ended it any sooner in the second, landing a jab-overhand right combo forcing the referee to stop the fight. With the victory, Raimo Pukki improves his record to 9-2 and remains perfect in Rising Sun with a 4-0 record, defending his belt twice now. With how young he is I expect the belt to stay in his hands for a very long time as he gets better and better. The loss for Demian Almeida snaps his perfect record at 5 wins and his low energy entering the fight compounded with his poor primaries likely were big factors in his poor performance. The last undercard fight of the evening was a lightweight bout between 4-0 striker Count Chocula and 4-2 Spencer Fisher. Seeing as he had the worse striking Fisher chose to take the fight to the ground seconds in. After an exchange of submission attempts the fight returned to the feet for a brief period before Fisher took the fight right back down to the ground. After attempting a huge ground and pound, Fisher was caught in a triangle and after he slipped out Chocula transitioned to an armbar and finished the fight at 3:44 of round 1. The impressive victory shows that Chocula isn’t just a one dimensional striker and proves that he can definitely be a force in the lightweight division after improving his record to 5-0. The loss however drops Spencer Fishers record to 4-3 snapping his 3 fight win streak within the Rising Sun organization. In other undercard action we had a light heavyweight bout between the very well rounded, 4-3 Akio Hideyoshi and the very experienced, 8-7 Diziz Sparta. At no time was this fight ever close as right off the start Hideyoshi put on a striking and clinch clinic, rocking Sparta early and finishing the fight with further strikes from the clinch via TKO at 1:03 of round 1. The speedy finish improves Akio Hideyoshi to 5-3 while subsequently dropping Diziz Sparta’s record to an even 8-8. Another undercard bout pitted two bantamweight fighters against each other, 3-4 Muay Thai specialist Billy Butler squaring off against 2-2 Kenshiro Kitase. Right off the bad this fight was an absolute clinch war. The fight stayed in the clinch for nearly the entirety of the first two rounds with the two fighters exchanging a plethora of knees and elbows from the clinch. Late in the third round however Kitase was finally able to take the fight to the ground after 29 attempts and on his third submission attempt he was able to lock in a deep rear naked choke at 3:27 of round 3. The impressive submission victory improves Kenshiro Kitase’s record to 3-2 whilst dropping Billy Butler’s record to 3-5. In other action... Marco Ruas (9-4) won a hard fought unanimous decision victory over Kwame Moto (8-9) but despite having the better ground game was never able to finish the fight. Yrjo Pieru (7-5) executed a dominating ground performance over William Porthaven (3-1) on route to a unanimous 27:30 decision victory. Akio Hideaki (4-0) landed a ridiculously quick kimura at 0:18 of round 1 on Makoto Nagano (6-2) giving him the victory. Justin Yanagida (3-2) was able to land an impressive armbar at 4:23 of round 1 on his opponent Kenta Sazuki (2-5) declaring him the victor. Senki Gudo (2-2) won a fairly boring ground match over D Lo Brown (4-3) with a 28:29 unanimous decision victory. And with that Rising Sun 31 Jizen and the weekend comes to an end. Surprisingly despite having no title fights, the earlier Rising Sun Fight Night event scored a higher event rating than Rising Sun 31 Jizen. Contributing to this was several uneventful decision fights and a few very early finishes that had no other action. Regardless, overall it was a good weekend for Rising Sun and now we have next week’s heavyweight title fight between the very exciting champion, Kamuto Hierowato who has won 10 of his 11 wins via TKO or KO squaring off against one of his toughest challengers to date, Steve Beane who has won 9 fights with 8 of those coming via TKO or KO. With the stand-up pedigrees the two have it is very likely this fight doesn’t go to decision and will likely contribute to a very exciting overall card. That’s all from me, I’ll see you all next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun 32 Preview In our first matchup of the night you will see Sean Ripgut vs. Akio Daisuke at 265. This is a good matchup of a striker vs. a grappler although Ripgut isn't your typical striker. While he can strike at a distance he is most deadly in the clinch where if his opponent isn't ready they will get worked over. Daisuke has more grappling experience so I expect him to utilize that when possible in this fight. This will be a great matchup of talented heavyweights starting off our night of action. Next up will be two welterweights with Matthew Murdock taking on Godric Westbrook. There's not much questioning where this fight will take place as we have two prolific strikers going at it. They are a combined 5-0 and these up and comers have certain knockout power in their strikes. For Murdock he relies more on his muay thai kicks while Westbrook has his deadly fists. Murdock will come into the a solid 8 centimeters taller and 10 pounds heavier than his opponent so let's see if he can use that to his advantage. Following those two you will see Tixarian Kane vs. Jebediah Stewart in a matchup of lightweights. This fight will certainly be decided by who can dictate where the fight takes place. If Kane can secure a takedown then Stewart is in trouble as his blue belt is no match for Kane and his brown belt. With that said if Stewart can stuff any takedown attempts I don't expect it will take too long to put his opponent on the mat. He is 2-0 with two knockouts and will certainly be looking for number 3 in this fight. Either way I highly doubt this fight will reach the judges. The next fight will be between Sid Vicious and Kai Kasem at 170. These two guys are pretty evenly matched with a decent ground game but where they excel is standing up. Vicious has very good boxing with a good muay thai game to complement that while Kasem has tremendous muay thai. If these two decide to turn this into a slugfest the crowd will be in for a real treat. I expect that at the end of the night someone will be looking up at the ceiling wondering what just happened. After that we will have Bimbo Lice vs. Nabil Yanar at 135. These two guys both have great wrestling backgrounds and really have some good boxing to back that up. Lice will certainly try to remain standing in this one and look to knock his opponent out. Yanar on the other hand could choose to stand and bang or try to get a takedown and work ground and pound that has been quite effective in previous fights. Following that will be two heavyweights battling with Michael Angel vs. Too Fast. These two guys are both very well rounded with good standup and both have purple belts in jui jitsu so they are not uncomfortable on the ground. Fast has great boxing and all 4 of his wins have been knockouts where his opponent hasn't even survived the first round. Angel on the other hand has good boxing and great muay thai but he has shown some good grappling ability and I wouldn't be suprised to see him try to utilize that in this matchup against a great striker in Fast. Next up we have Ryan Gracie taking on Richard Bravo at 170. Both of these fighters have some okay striking but it's no secret where they excel and that is in the grappling game. They both have purple belts and are incredibly dangerous once the fight hits the mat. They work quickly and efficiently at targeting a limb and trying to rip it off or going in for the choke until their opponent turns purple. The only big difference I see is Gracie has twice as many professional fights as Bravo and that experience could turn out to be critical in this one. After that you will see two lightweights going at it with Arsene Wenger taking on Jackson Scholes. These two guys are pretty well rounded but I expect this one to turn into a grappling match from the very beginning. These two brown belts are among the best you will see with both their grappling technique and mental ability to plan two steps ahead on the ground. They are prepared for anything so I expect this to be back and forth until someone finally locks in a submission and leaves with their hand raised. In our Co-Main Event we will have Akira Sakurai vs. Craig Mason at 170. These two top welterweight contenders should put a show on. Sakurai is a recent signing and big addition to the division but don't overlook Mason as he is more than ready for this matchup. They are both incredibly well rounded and are ready to fight standing or on the ground. I also wouldn't expect this one to reach a decision as in their combined 22 professional fights only 4 of those have gone to decision. This fight should electrify the crowd and really help to sort out the top of the 170 pound division. For our Main Event you will see the Heavyweight champ Kamuto Hierowato defend his title against Steve Beane. These two guys are nearly mirror images with tremendous striking ability and a good sprawl to help keep the fight standing. Although they both have purple belts from what we've seen in the past that is mainly for defensive purposes as they always have finished with their hands. They both have remarkable boxing with tremendous knockout power and very quick hands. Beane will have a decent height advantage but I still find it hard to bet against the champ in what would appear to be a slugfest. Let's see if Hierowato can continue his dominance or if we will crown a new heavyweight champ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfire200 Posted April 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2010 Rising Sun 33 Preview Opening up our night of fighting you will see Jack Raiden vs. David Johnson at 170. Although these two welterweights are fairly well rounded I think it's clear what each of their gameplans will be. Raiden will likely be looking for the knockout by using his superior muay thai to expose holes in his opponents standup. Johnson on the other hand has all 4 of his wins by submission so look for him to try and make this a grappling match. After that we will have a matchup of heavyweights with Daniel Ghita taking on JJ Oppapatika. These two are among the most pure boxers you will see in the division and I expect for those skills to be on display when these two step into the cage. Ghita has a decent BJJ game but his opponent has the edge in wrestling so I doubt the fight will hit the mat. I would be suprised if this one went the distance as these two each have lightning in their hands and this fight could end with just one punch. Next up will be Tim Finnigan vs. Manny Ashida at 265. Finnigan will have the huge edge if this fight remains standing as his muay thai is far superior to any striking that Ashida has on his feet. Ashida does however have a tremendous advantage in wrestling and has proven in past fight how deadly his ground and pound can be. If Ashida can get the takedown then we'll see how good Finnigan's ground game is off his back, if he can't avoid the GnP it could be over quickly. Following that we will have James Hume going against Lyoto Machida at 205. These two have a history having fought all the way back on November 6 of 2009. Hume has the edge in both muay thai and wrestling so I would expect him to try and stuff any takedown attempts and try to showcase his tremendous kicks. Machida has good boxing so he won't be a fish out of water if they remain standing but he surely will look to get this fight to the ground where he has the superior BJJ. Hume won a unanimous decision in their first matchup but here we are nearly 5 months later, let's see who has improved the most in that time. After that you will see two welterweights going at it with Javier Navarro taking on Papoh Bamoya. These two guys have different striking styles but they are both brutally efficient with them. Navarro has very good boxing while Bamoya has some wonderful muay thai. They are both also very good wrestlers although Navarro has a tremendous wrestling background. It should be interesting to see if he changes up his past style and tries to take Bamoya down and work some ground and pound. The next fight will be between Damien Bullit and Dwight Demaine at 265. We have two great strikers in this matchup with both guys having great boxing backgrounds. They also have a great ability to sprawl and keep their opponent from securing a takedown but I don't expect either man to have to show off their sprawl in this one. I think once the bell rings these two will meet in the center of the ring and then tee off on one another until someone's head is separated from their body. After that will be Kevin Brooks taking on Mayuri Tatsuki in a lightweight matchup. Tatsuki is a very talented fighter who has arguably the best wrestling you will see at 155 and he also has good boxing and a purple belt in jiu jitsu. It's hard to find a hole in his game but that is exactly what Brooks must do. On paper the only edge Brooks will have is with his jiu jitsu experience but we'll have to see if his wrestling is good enough to get a takedown. Both guys know how big this fight is for them so you know they will lay it all on the line. Following that we have two Light Heavyweights fighting with Emils Heartman vs. Rock Random. This one could very easily turn into a display of jiu jitsu ability as these two guys are both great grapplers as their purple belts show. They already have a combined 8 wins by submission so you know they can finish their opponents on the mat. If it stays standing it would appear that Random has the edge but he may still prefer the groundgame as we have seen in his past fights. Next up will be our Co-Main Event where Lincoln Hawks will go against Kurisu Ikora in a battle of top lightweights. This will be a pretty clear clash of styles with Hawks preferring to sprawl and brawl while Ikora would be very happy to get his opponent to the mat where he can put his jiu jitsu to work. Hawks will have a slight reach advantage although Ikora has a big edge in experience. We'll have to see if either of those things plays a role in this fight, I don't expect it to get to the judges as each man knows how much a win here could help their career out. Finally we get to our Main Event where you will see Toni Huerta vs. Kazushi Yamazaki at 205. Huerta is coming off a tough loss and could really use this win to rebound him back up near the top of the division. Yamazaki will have a big advantage in striking with some amazing boxing ability and knockout power. He also has very good wrestling that he will surely use to try and stay on his feet. If Huerta can get a takedown then I don't think it will be long before his opponent is tapping as he is a much better grappler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHU Posted July 14, 2011 Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 RS 94 - King of the Playground Rd. 1 MAIN EVENT Steve Austin v Billy The Bar No. 1 Contenders Match for RS LW Championship The Match up: This lightweight affair pits two storied veterans, Billy The Bar and Steve Austin, in the Main Event of evening to determine the No. 1 Contender for the RS LW Championship. Steve Austin is the former Pride LW Champion, Current DIFO LW Champion, and well traveled veteran coming in with a record of 19-9. The aging veteran can beat you in any way you can imagine. Billy The Bar may have his hands full, but The Bar has made a living off winning as the underdog. What The Bar lacks in skill he makes for up in power as he has the power to get to any ones chin. Austin is literally can do it all with 7 wins via TKO, submission and 5 victories via decision. Austin can do it all and is one the games smartest tacticians employing intelligent gameplans that has earned him 5 straight submission victories. His counterpart, Billy The Bar, is the lesser skilled yet heavier handed version of Steve Austin. The Bar loves to brawl and his winging power style is usually hit or miss as he has suffered 7 knockouts in his career. However, if The Bar lands flush he usually puts his opponents away. The Predicition: It’s going to be a good scrap as The Bar should eagerly engage with Austin. This will be his demise as Austin is the superior in every facet of the game. Austin should continue his submission streak in a highly competitive bout. CO-MAIN EVENT Sergio Gonzalez v Mark Kayne The Match up: Rising Sun Contenders prospect, Sergio Gonzalez, steps into the big leagues against former challenger and fellow prospect Mark Mayne. Gonzalez took the fast track to the big leagues forgoing long training periods with constant fighting. Kayne, who many thought was given a title shot too early, looks to move from his only loss and continue his winning ways. This should be a bout spent entirely on the feet as neither fighter has shown much interest in the ground game. Both men are build from the same mold; solid strikers with both hands loaded with dynamite. The big difference in this one should be Kayne’s MT advantage. Kayne employs a varied striking attack that should be enough to keep Gonzalez off guard. The Prediction: The MT should be too much for Gonzalez too handle as Kayne should beat up Gonzalez’s legs all night. Gonzalez’s one shot should be his KO power and if he can land a lucky shot who knows what will happen. I’ll stick with the safe bet and go Kayne via decision. Round 1 KOTP Tourney Buster Cherry v Jakkir Hellfire The Matchup: Rising Sun Heavyweight standout and KOTP entrant, Buster Cherry, steps up in competition against the undersized Jakkir Hellfire. This fight caps off the night of KOTP bouts and should be a highly competitive bout. Both fighters are highly skilled in all aspects of the game with Cherry being the slightly better grappler. Cherry should utilize his size and strength advantage to will Hellfire to the ground where he can exploit his BJJ Purple Belt. To avoid an utter mauling, Hellfire must stay upright and utilize his boxing advantage to keep Cherry at bay. Even in a pure striking match Hellfire will still have his hands full with Cherry not only skill wise but size wise too. The Prediction: I have no doubt in my mind that the winner of this fight should make it all the way to the finals. Not only does it pit one of the two better managers in the alliance but pits two of the most skilled fighters in the tournament. Cherry’s overall skills should be too much for Hellfire and I predict Cherry to squeak out the decision. Round 1 KOTP Tourney Garson DeBramalo v Adam Macku The Matchup: Two behemoths, Garson DeBramalo and Adam Macku, square off for their respective managers in another KOTP tournament matchup. This matchup should be the prelude to exactly what the Cherry/Hellfire bout should be but with massive bigger fighters. DeBramalo is the 199cm tall 312 pounds and growing slugger with all his victories via knockout. His counterpart, Adam Macku, match his opponent in height but has the more slender frame. Both fighters are extremely gifted strikers with hands of stone and the only difference is Macku’s exceptionally better ground game. The only problem is the strength he is going to need to wrestler a juggernaut like DeBramalo to the ground. For DeBramalo it seems all he needs to do is land a few good shots on Macku, who has suffered 4 KO losses in his career. The Prediction: I’m going to go with the biased and sensible prediction of Macku via decision. Macku’s wrestling will be the equalizer if things get too tough on the feet. However, both manager are exceptionally tacticians and produce equally talented fighters. In reality, it’s really a toss up and comes down to who wants it more. Round 1 KOTP Tourney Curt LeMae v Siphiwe Tshabalala The Matchup: The freakshow fight of the KOTP tournament pits Siphiwe Tshabalala, a natural lightweight, against Curt LeMae, a 7’3 334 lbs monstrosity. This would be a different story if Siphiwe possessed a ground game as he could possibly use his size disadvantage to somehow bring it to the ground but this is not that story. Both fighters are extremely talented strikers who rely solely on there striking prowess. LeMae has earned his nickname, “Bombs Away”, as he has won all his fights via KO. LeMae lives and dies by the strike and fortunately for him he has walked away the victor most of the time. HIs counterpart, Siphiwe Tshabalala, is the equally talented striker who excels with his Muay Thai. Tshabalal is a grinder and if he comes to fight is virtually unstoppable. The Predicition: It’s really hard to ignore the size difference in this one. LeMae has the reach advantage and is a very powerful striker. It shouldn’t be long before LeMae drops Tshabalala to advance him and his manager to the next round of the tournament. Middleweights David Stack v Remedios Verzosa The Matchup: This rematch pits David Stack against the struggling Remedios Verzosa in the middleweight division. The first matchup was a highly contested champion bout that went the distance. Stack took the razor close unanimous decision but some fans and critics disagreed with the judgement. This fight should settle the score between these two fighters as Stack tries to keep his winning streak alive and Verzosa is looking to stop his downslide. Both fighters are equally gifted strikers with Stack holding the slight edge in boxing and Verzosa being the more versatile striker mixing leg kicks into his attack. Verzosa also has impressive wrestling and would be smart to utilize it in this fight. The Prediction: If Verzosa wants to avenge his loss of almost a year ago he must employ an up and down strategy. He must mix it up on the feet only long enough to find an opening to get it to the ground. From there Verzosa should employ a reserved approach and look to control Stack instead of wildly looking to inflict punishment. Verzosa’s takedowns and competitive striking should earn him the close decision. Openweight 120k+ Fighter ID Junior Pacquiao v Jack Jones The Matchup: The OW 120K+ division matchup pits the smaller Junior Pacquiao against the bigger yet less experienced Jack Jones. Pacquiao boasts an impressive 8-2 professional record opting to fight rather than train. He is a converter boxer and utilizes his boxing prowess to render his opponents useless throughout the duration of a fight. Jack Jones is a jack of all trades on the feet as he possesses the knowledge to mix it up with any type of striker. The big difference will be Pacquiao’s experience edge. Pacquiao knows how to mix it up with his Boxing and should be too elusive for Jack Jones to take advantage of his Muay Thai edge. Pacquiao will put in another 3 round workman like peformance enroute to victory. The Prediction: Junior Pacquiao via decision Lightweights Kunta Kinte v Nikolo Halike The Matchup: Two struggling lightweights, Kinte and Halike, square off on an undercard bout. Kinte is the one dimentional grappler who is on the downside of his career suffering an embarrassing submission loss to Dylan Carson in his last outing. Halike is a grappler turned striker who has forgone his former ground training to vastly improve his striking game. It got him in trouble in his last bout as Halike was put to sleep by Billy The Bar. This one should be Halike’s fight to lose as he possess a strong enough grappling game to keep this one upright for most of the match and enough BJJ knowledge to fend off Kinte’s ground offense. Halike has the big edge on the feet and if he can find a home for his jab he should walk away the winner. The Prediction: Nikolo Halike via decision Lightweights Armando Chimal v Matthew McPain The Matchup: Another pair of lightweights, Chimal and McPain, look to turn thing around in there undercard matchup. Chimal is the jack of all trades usually employs a strategic gameplan to earn victories over fighters he shouldn’t. McPain has been hell bent on a title shot ever since entering the Rising Sun, but he never was able to generate enough wins to warrant one. McPain is the vastly more impressive fighter skill wise. McPain holds the edge in everything but Muay Thai and shoud have no trouble with Chimal in this one. If McPain can play it smart he will be able to avoid Chimal’s winging bombs and cruise his way to victory. The Prediction: Mathew McPain via decision Round 1 KOTP Tourney Kronos Gianpopolos v Marcus Plant The Match up: This KOTP tournament match up opens the night and pits the winless Kronos Gianopopolos against the surging Macrus Plant. Kronos has suffered 3 horrific KO’s but holds an impressive striking pedigree. Marcus Plant is the surging journeyman who shocked most with his Wildcard win over Ryan Dixon to get his manager into the tournament. This is the classic striker vs grappler fight. Gianpopolos is the half witted striker going up against a tough grappler in Marcus Plant. Look for Marcus Plant to find a perfectly timed takedown and work Gianpopolos into submission. The Prediction: Matcus Plant via Strikes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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