Buakaw, Souwer, Petrosyan, Yamamoto advance to K-1 MAX Final

Apologies for the lack of build-up to this, I completely forgot it was on. With UFC 100 and the Darchinyan fight (mainly UFC 100) this just got overlooked. I’ve just finished all of the fights and October’s Final Four is set and we’re guaranteed a newbie in the Final. Former champions Buakaw Por. Pramuk and Andy Souwer will do battle in one semi final with the winner to face the winner of Giorgio Petrosyan and Yuya Yamamoto, who upset DRAGO by unanimous decision in a war to book an unlikely spot in the Final. DRAGO battered Yamamoto for the 2nd half of the first round and again early in the 2nd round before the gusty Japanese warrior turned it back on him in what was a back and forth 2nd round. After surviving DRAGO’s early barrage in the 3rd it was all Yuya as he punished DRAGO to steal the decision.

Giorgio Petrosyan ‘upset’ Albert Kraus in the next fight by unanimous decision after taking the former K-1 MAX champion to school. Petrosyan repeatedly made Kraus’ attacks look amateurish and countered him for the full three rounds. While the fight wasn’t the most exciting, it definately cemented Petrosyan as one of the top fighters in MAX right now. The MAX favourite Artur Kyshenko shockingly went out against Andy Souwer, whom he defeated in last years semi finals. Souwer outlasted last years runner-up, outworking him in the extra round to book his 4th consecutive spot in the Final four. The fight started off tactically before the two went to war in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. With barely anything seperating them, Kyshenko just couldn’t handle the pace in the final round and the experienced Souwer turned up the pace to win the decision.

Souwer will do battle with old rival Buakaw in the semi finals after Buakaw outpointed Nieky Holzken in the last quarter final. Buakaw punished the Dutch fighters midsection with knees and kicks while taking little damage in return, putting in one of his best performances of recent times. Holzken was simply outmatched in terms of speed and skill and the decision was undoubtedly Buakaw’s. The semi final with Souwer is the 3rd time the two have met in K-1 with Souwer scoring a split decision in the 2005 final over five brutal rounds and Buakaw avenging the loss the following year, again in the Final, by 2nd round knockout.

Many K-1 MAX fans will be hoping that it is either Buakaw or Souwer who wins this year as the winner is likely to fight MASATO at Dynamite! on new years eve. MASATO battered former PRIDE star and current DREAM Lightweight contender Tatsuya Kawajiri, stopping the dangerous Japanese striker in two one sided rounds. Kawajiri was shown that there is a difference between an elite MMA striker and an elite K-1 striker as he repeatedly tried to brawl with MASATO only to land nothing of real significance while taking heavy counters in return. Kawajiri’s corner mercifully stopped the bout in the 2nd round.

Also on the card Kid Yamamoto was sensationally knocked out by unheralded Jae Hee Cheon in the first round. After rocking Jae in the opening moments, Kid grew aggressive and was countered heavily with a uppercut-left hook combination that knocked him out. It was the 2nd loss in a row for Kid, who bowed out of the DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix to two fight rookie Joe Warren in his last outing. Yoshihiro Sato was also victorious, defeating Joerie Mes by split decision after an extra round.

DREAM.9/K-1 (Lodz) Results

 

Super Hulk Tournament Results

Minowaman submits Sapp
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (sorry). Bob Sapp decided that he knew jiu jitsu after getting on top of Minowa early and instead of sitting in half guard and pounding Minowa’s face to mince meat, he tried to mount him. Minowa showed superb technique (well, superb compared to Sapp) and reversed him, got on top and sunk in a deep ankle lock for the quick submission victory. Watching Sapp tap out in pain is always fun, especially when the guy is half his size!

Hong Man batters overmatched Canseco
This fight didn’t go as expected as Canseco actually landed some shots, although he looked like he was impersonating the Karate Kid while he was at it. Then Canseco managed to blow his knee out and end up on the ground where Hong Man proceeded to pound him into submission. Glad it ended quickly and without much pain to Jose as it could have been a bad thing for MMA if he had of got seriously hurt.

Sokoudjou and Mousasi score quick wins
Both Sokoudjou and Mousasi were too much for their opponents. Sokoudjou got a takedown after about three attempts and mounted Jan Nortje with ease before pounding him until the referee stopped the fight, and then pounding him some more which resulted in a mini brawl between Nortje’s cornermen (mainly Ray Sefo) and Sokoudjou’s camp. Does anyone else smell a Sefo-Sokoudjou matchup down the road?
Mousasi surprisingly did what Fedor and Cro Cop and even Overeem had trouble doing in disposing of Mark Hunt very quickly with little trouble. He got an easy takedown and finished the fight quickly with a figure four arm lock. This tournament is Mousasi’s in my opinion and I don’t see any of the others giving him any trouble. Rumour has it that Mousasi will face Vitor Belfort at Affliction III in August first.

Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round Results

In one of the biggest upsets in recent times, one fight veteran Joe Warren upset Kid Yamamoto by split decision. Yamamoto, who was the heavy favourite to win the entire tournament, couldn’t stop Warren’s wrestling skills as he was taken down five times in the fight. Furthermore, Yamamoto couldn’t take advantage of the referee’s overzealous stand-ups or get anything working from his back. After a rally at the end of the opening 10 minute stanza, Warren controlled the entire five minute 2nd round and took a pretty comfortable decision (a split decision in Japan against a Japanese fighter who you didn’t completely batter means you won comfortably). In what was a lacklustre affair, Bibiano Fernandes outpointed Masakaszu Imanari over 15 boring minutes. Imanari repeatedly dropped to butt-scoot while Fernandes didn’t want to risk going into the Japanese grappling stars guard as he had the superior stand-up and wrestling (and probably jiu jitsu).
The other two fights in the grand prix stand out as fight of the year candidates. Hiroyuki Takaya survived a fierce ground and standing assault from Yoshiro Maeda before scoring a stunning one punch knockout with 20 seconds remaining in the first round. In the other match, Hideo Tokoro took full advantage of his 2nd chance in the tournament scoring a 2nd round submission win over Abel Cullum. After a ground battle of epic proportions which saw constant transitions and submission attempts from both men, Tokoro sunk in a rear naked choke early in the 2nd round to earn his place in the Finals.

Kawajiri dominates Calvancante

In a highly anticipated battle between two of the Lightweight divisions non UFC stars, Tatsuya Kawajiri dominated the middle and end portions of the fight with good stand-up skills and effective ground and pound to grind out a unanimous decision over Gesias ‘JZ Calvan’ Calvancante. After a good start by JZ in which he landed with several hard strikes, Kawajiri shot in for a takedown and had to battle out of a tight guillotine choke. Once free, Tatsuya started a pattern in which he dominated the stand-up, scored a takedown, espcaped a guillotine choke and dominated with punches from on top. JZ could do little back as his long layoff showed its effects as Kawajiri grinded out the decision.

Mayhem-Jacare ends prematurely

In the main event of the evening, the DREAM Middleweight title fight between Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ De Souza ended in a no contest after an illegal kick from Mayhem left Jacare unable to continue.

K-1 Results
Last years Amsterdam qualifier runner-up Zabit Samedov earned a place in this years Final 16 (and I’d say a rematch with the man who beat him in Amsterdam last year, Errol Zimmerman) by winning the Qualifying event in Lodz, Poland on Sunday. Samedov defeated Sakalauskas and Raul Catinas on points to reach the final of the qualifier. His opponent, Sergei Lascenko, fought three times the previous day in the European Muay Thai Championships, then scored first round knockouts over Noel Cadet and Dimitri Bezus before succumbing via third round stoppage to Samedov.

DREAM.9 Preview

The stacked MMA week finishes Tuesday as the next installment of DREAM takes place and minus the last New Years Eve show this has to be the best of all DREAM shows so far. There’s a mixture of classic fights in the making, significant fights and just pure Japanese MMA freakshows on display which should make this event very entertaining. In a nutshell the card consists of the quarter finals of the Featherweight Grand Prix, a Lightweight Super Fight, a Middleweight title fight and four freakshow matches that are going to be watched for no other reason then curiosity.

Super Hulk Tournament Round one
The Super Hulk Tournament was announced a few weeks back and people are still shaking their heads at some of the matchups. Most notably is the matchup between baseball (yes, baseball) superstar Jose Canseco and the world’s largest professional fighter Hong Man Choi. Canseco has no fighting background and was knocked out in a celebrity boxing match by a man much smaller then him. This is the only fight on the card I’m not looking forward to as Canseco could be seriously hurt which would have major mainstream implications for the sport.

Bob Sapp returns to Japan to take on the Japanese journeyman Ikuhisa ‘The Punk’ Minowa who is now referred to as Minowaman. Sapp has about a 200lb weight advantage over the 190lb Minowa, but his lack of ground game could get him in a lot of trouble against the leg lock specialist. Minowa has submitted big men before, most notably Kimo Leopoldo in a PRIDE Bushido event a few years ago. I like Sapp in this fight, probably by quick and brutal knockout. In the same league as this bout is the one between gigantic journeyman Jan Nortje and Light Heavyweight fringe contender Sokoudjou. Sokoudjou needs this win or his career will basically be over. Nortje is most known for his knockout win over Bob Sapp at a Strikeforce event last year, but that win was one of only two in his MMA career. Sokoudjou will likely win this fight quickly by submission.

The interesting (in terms of skill vs skill) fight in this tournament and the one that will likely produce the eventual winner is the Gegard Mousasi vs Mar Hunt fight. Mousasi is last years DREAM Grand Prix winner in the Middleweight division after memorable upset wins over Denis Kang, Melvin Manhoef and Ronaldo Jacare. Hunt is a former K-1 World Grand Prix champion who has been fighting in MMA of late although with little recent success as he suffered an 18 second knockout loss to Melvin Manhoef at New Years Eve last year. Hunt on his game though will be a very stern test for Mousasi, especially considering the 90lb odd weight advantage he has. I’m picking Mousasi, his grappling should help him win a clear unanimous decision.

Featherweight Grand Prix Quarter Finals
Some very interesting fights in the 2nd round of this tournament. The return of Kid Yamamoto against one fight veteran Joe Warren being the exception. While I didn’t give Warren a chance against Beebe, I’m going to risk making the same mistake twice as Yamamoto is simply too good for a one fight veteran, Kid should win this fight quickly. The other fight I think will be one sided is the one between Yoshiro Maeda and Hiroyuki Takaya. Takaya is the weakest of the fighters in the eight and despite any size advantage, Maeda’s skills are exceptional and I can’t see him losing this one outside of the punchers chance that Takaya has.

The Fernandes-Imanari fight should is the most interesting as Fernandes is an exceptional BJJ player while Imanari is one of the stand-out Japanese ground fighters. Hopefully the fight hits the ground and we get an old school classic MMA ground fight and I’m picking Fernandes to win this one because although Imanari has never been submitted, I doubt he’s grappled someone in the elite class of Fernandes. The other fight in the tournament sees American Abel Cullum up against Japanese fighter Hideo Tokoro who despite his loss in the first round advances due to Daiki Hata’s inability to be in shape for this fight. Tokoro is a brave fighter who has fought many men larger then himself in his career which explains his average record. Cullum is a solid grappler who will likely win this fight over the allotted time.

Super Fights
 
Gesias Calvancante vs Tastuya Kawajiri
This is the fight I’m looking forward to the most on this card. Two of the world’s most exciting and skilled Lightweights battling for what will likely be the next shot at the DREAM Lightweight title after Aoki and Hansen battle again at DREAM.10. JZ Calvan hasn’t fought since the loss to Aoki at DREAM.2 last year. Kawajiri made the semi finals of the tournament last year before losing to Eddie Alvarez in what was fight of the year in my opinion. Calvancante is a very well dangerous fighter in all aspects of the game while Kawajiri throws some of the best punches in MMA and is dangerous against any man he fights because of this. I give the edge in the stand-up to Kawajiri, while JZ has a big advantage if he can get on top although that will be hard as Tatsuya has shown good takedown defence in the past. Both guys are big for the weight, although JZ is probably the bigger guy having fought in higher weight divisions in the past. I’m going with Kawajiri, although I’m not at all confident. I think he’ll win this over 15 exciting minutes in what will likely be a fight of the year candidate if someone doesn’t totally dominate.

Ronaldo Jacare vs Mayhem Miller
(DREAM Middleweight Championship)
The main event sees a rematch of last years DREAM.4 match between Jacare and Mayhem for the vacant Middleweight title that was vacated by Gegard Mousasi earlier this year. Jacare won last years contest in an exciting grappling match by unanimous decision before losing to Mousasi by knockout in the final of the tournament. Mayhem stands a serious chance in this fight if he can keep it standing but I’m picking Jacare to win the rematch, probably over the full distance as their last fight was.

Hari destroys Schilt at “It’s Showtime”

2008 K-1 World Grand Prix Runner-up Badr Hari made his comeback a successful one, destroying three time K-1 Champion Semmy Schilt in 45 seconds at the annual “It’s Showtime” event in Holland. Hari jumped on Schilt at the opening bell and pushed the K-1 Super Heavyweight champion across the ring with hard blows. A barrage culminating with a left hand dropped Schilt onto the ropes and although he was up at one he was on clearly wobbly legs. Hari then showed his superb finishing skills reigning in combinations knocking Schilt out with a right hand.

This fight had been built up for a number of years and was probably the best thing Hari could have done for his career. I’m not sure if he’s allowed in K-1′s Grand Prix this year, but if he is it’s going to be difficult for anyone to beat him. I’d love to see a rematch between him and Overeem at the Final 16 to prove the first win was not over the prime Hari but rather an out of conditioned fighter who had just fought three hard fights on one night only three weeks prior. As much as I (and a lot of fans) don’t like Hari, on his night he’d probably beat anyone in a kick boxing match in the world.

As for Schilt, his career has really slipped. The loss to Aerts in the Final 16 was unfortunate for him but this one was only the 2nd time he has been knocked out in his kickboxing career (the other was five years ago). Yes Aerts and Hari are among the very best in the world, but Schilt in my opinion seems to have been worked out. He looks the best in the world when he can stand his ground and deliver unanswered blows on his opponents but when someone big like Aerts or Hari takes the fight to him the technical flaws that his size allows him to get away with become more obvious and easier to take advantage of.

In a bit of an upset, unheralded Mourad Bouzidi scored a first round TKO over K-1 semi finalist Errol Zimmerman. The fight was stopped due to a cut caused by a clean Bouzidi knee landing flush to the face. Bouzidi seemed to be in control of the fight, mixing up good movement with his aggression to keep Zimmerman off balance. The loss is the third in a row for Zimmerman who needs to get a few fights with some decent veterans in before he fights the likes or Hari and Aerts again. Also victorious on the card was Andy Souwer, Gago Drago, Tyrone Spong and Melvin Manhoef who scored a KO win over Stefan Leko. I actually forgot this card was even on and probably would have made an effort to watch it as it was on Setanta had I known.

Drago beats Sato at K-1 Max Final 16

Gago Drago showed up in form on Tuesday night and advanced to the Final 8 in place of one of the heavy favourites in last years semi finalist Yoshihiro Sato via unanimous decision after an extra round. Drago has been eliminated by the champion before the final in the last three years; losing to Buakaw in the 2006 semi finals, Andy Souwer in the 2007 quarter finals and Masato in the 2008 Final 8. The fight was won by determination and conditioning as both fighters traded evenly over the first three rounds before a three minute assault by the Armenian in the extra round sent him through to the quarter finals in July.

Sato set the pace early, tattooing Drago with kicks to the legs and body as well as timing Drago’s rushes with knee strkes to the midsection. Drago had several good moments of his own in the first round, landing several stiff overhand rights as well as a hard uppercut in the second half of the fight that kept the round even. The pace increased in the 2nd round although the pattern of the fight remained the same. Sato continued to outbox Drago early in the round before Drago landed several heavy shots to keep things even. In the 2nd, Drago scored frequently with his high kick as well as two vicious leg kicks designed to slow the two time K-1 MAX Japan champion down. Nothing could seperate the two warriors in the third round however as Drago raised his hands in victory, Sato looked gassed after three rounds. 

As expected the fight was sent to an extra round after all three judges scored every round even (you’d have to have serious bias to score it to one fighter or the other). If you watched the extra round and then the other three, you wouldn’t have believed it was from the same fight. Drago immediately pounced on the fatigued Sato and punished him for three minutes. Sato was struggling to keep his hands up and could only push his punches out as Drago repeatedly hammered him with heavy right hands. Sato was game to the end, but couldn’t find the energy to deal with the rampaging Drago and all three judges awarded the extra round to Drago and his spot in the Final 8.

 Nieky ‘The Natural” Holtzken advanced in the co main event with a three round majority decision win over K-1 Rookie Chahid. Very little seperated the fighters in the first round with Holzken using hi superior reach and speed to score with clean combinations while the compact Chahid bulled his way inside where he worked both sides of Holtzkens legs as well as scoring with punching combinations to the head. Holtzken pulled ahead after the 2nd round, stunning Chahid briefly with a left hook and scoring with the cleaner and harder shots. The third round was very even again, as both guys let their strikes go but neither could score a clear advantage. One judge scored the bout a draw with the other two scoring it for Holtzken in a fight that realistically should have gone a 4th.

Three of K-1′s former champions also advanced to the Final 8 in July. Andy Souwer, the 2005 and 2007 champion, was given a good fight by Leroy Kaetsner but two first round knockdowns was too much for the Peter Aerts trained Kaestner to overcome. The fight was close throughout much of it, but Souwer’s experience and ability to capitilise on the openings given to him was the difference and he took a three round unanimous decision. 2004 and 2006 champion Buakaw Por. Pramuk’s night wasn’t nearly as easy against Andre Dida. Dida shocked everyone scoring a knockdown via a left hook in the opening minute of the fight. For the rest of the round he pursued Buakaw but despite landing some solid right hands, couldn’t put the former champion away. The rest of the fight was a different story as Buakaw punished Dida with knees to the body as well as his deadly kicks to the legs and midsection. After three rounds the judges scored the fight a draw meaning the fatigued Dida had to endure another three minutes of Buakaw’s fury. He held on, but the extra round was all Buakaw and a point deduction against Dida for holding made the decision easy for the judges and Buakaw procedes to the Final 8 for the sixth year in a row. The original K-1 MAX champion Albert Kraus made light work of Yuichiro Nagashima (who had the most bizarre walk in I’ve ever seen). Known more for his flamboyant personality rather then fight skill, Yuichiro was dropped by Kraus less then a minute into the fight before finishing him with a deadly assault of punches on the ropes at the 69 second mark. After falling short against Buakaw last year in the Final 16, it’s good to have ‘The Hurricane’ in the Final 8 this year and with his now seven fight winning streak, he has a serious shot at the crown.

In a fight that will likely provide cannon fodder for one of the other Final 8 members, 2009 K-1 MAX Japan runner-up Yuya Yamamoto outpointed K-1 MAX Korea champion Chi Bin Lim over three rounds. Lim took the early lead over Yamamoto, who was a late substitute for the injured Taishin Kohiruimaki, scoring with sharp combinations on the inside. Lim seemed to be leading in the 2nd round as well until he was dropped by a spinning back fist which gave Yamamoto an advantage after two rounds. The third round saw very little seperate the two combatants and was ruled a draw, giving the decision to Yamamoto. I’ll be very surprised if Yamamoto makes the Final.

Last years Finalist Artur Kyshenko advanced earlier on the card with a devastating first round knockout victory against overmatched Alviar Lima. Lima opened the fight fast, but soon tasted the Ukranian’s power and was down in the first minute. Kyshenko picked his shots from there on scoring a standing eight count late in the round before a further barrage finished Lima off. The card was opened up by Giorgio Petrosyans stoppage win over dangerous Dzhabor Askervov. Petrosyan controlled the first round from the outside, using a variety of boxing combinations as well as a well timed body kick and leaping rear knee to pepper Askerov all while skillfully avoiding his return fire. After an accidental groin kick by Askerov at the start of the 2nd, Petrosyan fought him on the inside and continued to get the better of just about every exchange. Scoring with uppercuts, body rips and knees to the head, the young Italian was too slick for the semi finalist of ‘The Contender.’ Early in the third, Petrosyan went to sweep Askerov’s legs and after knocking him off balance, he ended the night with a perfect knee to the liver that Askerov was unable to recover from.

(I’m fully aware that the card took place nearly a week ago but US viewers didn’t get it until Friday so that’s why this was put off for a week).

K-1 MAX Final 16 on Tuesday

I’ll put the focus on UFC 97 aside for a second as K-1 MAX starts this week with the Final 16 event on Tuesday. I have to say that since I started watching K-1 about eight months ago I’ve been blown away by some of it. The K-1 cards are now right up there with the UFC cards or a good boxing match. There’s either fights with a lot on the line or some quality beatings in store for you at a K-1 card. I’ve spent the last six weeks watching K-1 MAX for the last few years and I’m very much looking forward to Tuesday’s event. After defending champion Masato’s retirement (he’ll face the MAX champion at the New Years Eve event), the final 16 look for their spot in the quarter finals which will take place in July. The field sees past champions Buakaw, Andy Souwer and Albert Kraus return again as well as stand-outs from last years MAX series Artur Kyshenko and Yoshihiro Sato. Also on the card is an exhibition match between Masato and rising Japanese star Hiroya.

Leroy Kaestner vs Andy Souwer
Two time champion (2005, 2007) Andy Souwer returns to the MAX Final 16 and his opponent is a rising star in the sport. Souwer is one of the more accomplished kickboxers in the world holding multiple world titles in different organisations and boasting an incredible record of 130-7 (17-3 in K-1). Souwer is a very well rounded striker who doesn’t have many weaknesses at all. Last year Souwer was eliminated in the quarter finals by Ukranian young gun Arthur Kyshenko which snapped a winning streak that dated back to 2006 and included his MAX title in 2007. Souwer’s last outing saw him drop a decision to Italian star Giorgio Petroysan who is among this years Final 16.
Kaestner is the youngest competitor in this years MAX at just 20 years of age. Training out of Team Aerts, he won the K-1 Holland event last year with three wars on the same night to qualify for this tournament. Standing at just 5’5, his short compact style can be hard for the fighters without enough power to discourage him. Souwer really shouldn’t have too many problems in this fight, I expect him to win a lopsided decision or score a late TKO. Andy Souwer by 3rd round knockout.

Nieky Holtzken vs Chahid Oulad El Hadj
Two relative K-1 newbies will square off in the Final 16 with Holtzken and Chahid in what could be an explosive battle. Holtzken stands over 6′ and knows how to use his reach well. He’s scored some stunning knockouts in his short K-1 career where he’s won five of his six bouts with his only loss coming at the hands of Buakaw. Chahid is making his K-1 debut and I don’t know much about him as I’ve been unable to get any footage of him. From what I understand he’s a very technical fighter who likes to draw the lead of his opponents and counter with fast and accurate shots. I think the experience and size advantage that Holzken has will give him the edge. Nieky Holtzken on points.

Artur Kyshenko vs Alviar Lima
Last years MAX runner-up Artur Kyshenko has one of the tougher fights in order to qualify for the Final 8 in July against hard punching Alviar Lima. I’ll go out on a limb now and say that Kyshenko is my pick for the MAX title this year. The 23 year old Ukranian has bowed out to Masato in both 2007 and 2008 in the semi finals and final respectively. In recent times Kyshenko has defeated Yoshihiro Sato, Andy Souwer, Jordan Tai and Yasuhiro Kido while only losing to Masato in the last two and a half years. His win over Sato in New Years Eve was one of the better fights of the night and with Sato’s recent form it cemented Kyshenko as the best of the new breed of K-1 fighters. Lima is just dangerous, that’s the only way to decribe him. His power doesn’t stand out because of his low KO%, but his knockout of Nieky Holtzken last year shows that when he hits you you’ll go to sleep. Still, Kyshenko is my pick for this years title and I think he’ll make easy work of Lima after a hard fought first round. Kyshenko’s body punches should take their toll and he’ll put Lima away early in the 3rd. Artur Kyshenko by 3rd round knockout.

Chi Bin Lim vs Yuya Yamamoto
Probably the weaker of the eight matches on this years Final 16 card, 2009 Japanese MAX runner-up Yamamoto replaces 2009 Japanese MAX champion Taishin Kohiruimaki after the champion suffered an injury in training. Lim is a three time Korean MAX champion and gets another shot in this years Final 16. I’ll be very surprised if the winner of this fight is anything other then cannon fodder for some in the quarter finals, but this could prove an exciting scrap between two guys who will be desperate to get a win on the big stage. I’ll pick Lim, but only because Yamamoto is taking the fight on short notice. Chi Bin Lim on points.

Dzhabar Askerov vs Giorgio Petroysan
This is the fight I’m looking forward to the most on this card. Two fighters with little K-1 experience but fierce reputations in other organisations. I’ve already mentioned Petroysan earlier in this article as he is coming off a win over Andy Souwer via decision after an extra round. He’s also head Buakaw to a draw and defeated the likes of K-1 veterans Marco Pique and Warren Stevelmans. Petrosyan’s record stands at 55-1-2 in his young career so far, and he’s appeared in K-1 three times, winning twice and drawing with Buakaw. Askerov is known for his semi final achievement on ‘The Contender- Asia’ where he lost to John Wayne Parr in the semi finals. He lost comprehensively on points to JWP in a rematch last September in Australia. Petroysan is someone to watch out for in the future as he’s nly 23 and has already beaten some big names. I expect him to go through with a hard fought decision victory here and he could be a dark horse to take the title this year with a bit of luck on his side. Giorgio Petroysan on points.

Drago vs Yoshihiro Sato
This has potential for fight of the night as do most of Sato’s fights. Last year Sato engaged in two wars with Buakaw, losing one via split decision after an extra round before avenging it with a 3rd round KO to earn his spot in the MAX semi finals. Once there, he went to war with Masato, dropping him before losing a unanimous decision. He finished the year out with a majority decision loss to Kyshenko at Dynamite! but has since snapped the losing streak with a 2nd round KO over Sergey Golyaev in February. Drago is a fan favourite who sits behind the Souwer’s, Masato’s and Buakaws on the 2nd tier MAX fighters. Drago is always dangerous with his heavy hands and aggressive style and could put Sato out if he’s on his game. I expect that Sato will use his leg kicks to wear Drago down and stop him in the later rounds, but if he lets Drago in close his iron chin will certainly be put to the test. Yoshiro Sato by 3rd round KO.

Andre Dida vs Buakaw Por. Pramunak
Former Chute Boxe member Andre Dida is the first round opponent for two time champion Buakaw Por. Pramunak. Dida is more famous for MMA then K-1 where he has only had one fight. He was eliminated in the first round of last years DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix by Eddie Alvarez via TKO in an electrifying battle. Buakaw is one of the more lethal strikers on the planet and despite his recent poor form (which I think can be put down to over fighting) is one of the favourites to win the MAX this year. The 2004 and 2006 champion will look to become the first three time MAX champion this year but has lost two of his last three fights. After bowing out in the quarter finals last year in an exciting war with Sato, he defeated Kultar Gill by first round KO at the MAX final before dropping a decision to Albert Kraus in November in Holland. Buakaw fought seven times last year (two against Sato and two against Kraus) which I think he’ll need to cut back so he can be fresh for a run at the title. He was back in the ring within three weeks after beating both Kraus and Sato earlier in the year which is just too much fighting at this level. I expect Buakaw to have an easy nights work with Dida. His leg kicks and punching combinations will be too deadly and I’ll be surprised if this fight goes to a third round. Buakaw Por. Pramunak by 2nd round KO.

Albert Kraus vs Yuichiro Nagashima
Despite Nagashima losing in the Japanese MAX tournament earlier in the year, he had a strong chance of winning the crown had he not lost on a cut in the 2nd fight to Yamamoto. Albert Kraus appears to be reviving his career with recent wins over Buakaw, Warren Stevelmans, Mike Zambidis and Yashihiro Kido included in his six fight winning streak. Kraus lost to Buakaw in the Final 16 round last year but likely would have gone further had he been given an easier first round match. K-1′s first MAX champion is among the favourites to win this years event, and should prove too skilled for the flamboyant Nagashima. Nagashima dresses in weird clothes, but can fight as hard as the rest of them with a dangerous punch and iron chin, he’ll likely take a beating before going down to Kraus, in fact he’ll probably be crazy enough to last the distance. Albert Kraus on points.

Other Fights
As I sais before, also on the card is the first of Masato’s three fight retirement plan which is an exhibition match with Hiroya, the young Japanese superstar who many are tipping to be the next Masato. Also included in this plan is a fight (likely with DREAM standout Tatsuya Kawajiri) at the MAX final before a showdown with the winner on New Years Eve. The reserve fight sees K-1 MAX Japan semi finalist Yasuhiro Kido take on K-1 MAX Korea runner-up Su Hwan Lee.

K-1 Yokohama: Bonjasky beats Overeem, Maeda wins 100kg belt

 

Remy Bonjasky took a three round unanimous decision with a third round knockdown to defeat MMA star Alistair Overeem in the main event super fight at the annual K-1 event in Yokohama last night. The Yokohama event usually sees the first action from the major Heavyweight stars since the previous years Grand Prix and this years event didn’t dissapoint with six of last years quarter finalists in action. Overeem seemed the busier fighter for the majority of the fight but was unable to clearly dominate Bonjasky to score a lead on the scorecards. Both judges scored the opening two rounds 10-10 (I gave Overeem the 2nd round) and he was in firm control of the first two minutes of the third round. With roughly 30 seconds remaining, Bonjasky landed a knee to Overeem’s chin followed by an overhand right that dropped the former PRIDE star to the canvas. Overeem beat the count but the 10-8 round was enough to give Bonjasky a unanimous decision win over three rounds.
A lot of MMA fans don’t get the K-1 scoring system. Basically, you have to win the round clearly to get a 10-9 round. K-1 scores a lot of 10-10 rounds for the reason that it’s a three round stand-up battle so in order for the fighter to get a win he needs to show dominance with either a knockdown or a sustained beating to win on points in that time which leads to more action. The extra rounds makes up for this and while some fights end up with dodgey decisions, a lot more fights are decided by the fighters rather then the judges. I thought Bonjasky fought like shit compared to his performance in the last Grand Prix. He didn’t look comfortable under fire leading me to believe he didn’t train as hard as he normally does and I thought without the knockdown that Overeem would have surely won a decision. However, the only real dominating part of the fight was the knockdown which was a clean knockdown in which Overeem was hurt so the right man got the decision (although I wouldn’t have minded seeing a 4th round).

The co feature of this event saw a four man tournament for the vacant K-1 Heavyweight belt which was stripped from Badr Hari after his disgraceful showing in the K-1 WGP Final last year. With Gokhan Saki, Tyrone Spong and Melvin Manhoef making up three of the four, it was last years runner-up at Fukuoka Keijiro Maeda who upset both Manhoef and Saki to win the title. Maeda shocked the heavily favoured Manhoef in the first fight with a short right hand that left Manhoef unable to beat the count in the very first round. The 22 year old who lost his chance at competing in the Grand Prix last year against Ewerton Teixera, frustrated Manhoef with movement and leg kicks before countering a wild attack with a right hand that ended Manhoefs night early.
In the other semi final, nothing could seperate Gokhan Saki and Tyrone Spong for the first three rounds of their fight as they traded evenly with neither getting even the slightest edge. The fight was scored 30-30 and an overtime round decided the fight. In what was another close round, Saki left no doubt as he polaxed Spong with a right hand. The knockout was sudden and completely unexpected. Saki and Maeda battled out another close battle in the final, but Maeda was simply too sharp for last years Grand Prix semi finalist and took the title after an extra round. Whether this means that Maeda gets Hari’s spot in the Final 16 or not I don’t know, but it seems to be the best way to sort that situation out.

Also on the card, three time K-1 champion Peter Aerts made his comeback from his knockout loss to Badr Hari a successful one with a unanimous decision after an extra round against 2008 semi finalist Errol Zimmerman. Aerts successfully attacked the body throughout the fight, landing two and three punch combinations to the body as well as hard body kicks. Zimmerman was game though and answered with some heavy leg kicks and fast punching combinations that looked to have ‘the Dutch Lumberjack’ in trouble briefly in the 2nd round. After three rounds in which Aerts appeared to win comfortably, the judges scored a draw. Aerts again took control with his body attacks and grinded out a four round unanimous decision. Aerts looked much sharper in this fight then against Hari although the Hari that fought in December was a completely different animal to Zimmerman.

In other action, Ewerton Teixera upset Jerome Le Banner with a five round split decision victory. Le Banner fought in spurts and it hurt him on the judges cards in the end. After a slow first two rounds in which Teixera was doing all the work (although not landing with much), Le Banner seemed to outwork him in the 3rd round and then in the first extra round (one judge scored the extra round to Le Banner). In the fifth, Le Banner again fought in spurts and it was enough for Teixera to edge him out. Le Banner seems to think that if the other guy can’t hurt him, then he shouldn’t beat him and often fights to his opponents level. Had he turned the heat on Teixera from the start he would have won that fight easily. Also both Semmy Schilt and Glaube Feitosa scored easy wins over Hesdy Gerges and Junichi Sawayashiki respectively. Schilt controlled ever second of his fight, but despite a 2nd round knockdown couldn’t finish his game opponent. Feitosa repeatedly bounced Sawayashiki off the canvas before the referee intervened in the 2nd round.

K-1 GP 2009 in Yokohama Predictions

First of all I’m sorry for the lack of updates over the recent weeks. I’ve been extremely fucking busy and haven’t even been able to check out news sites let alone update anything. That and there wasn’t all that much worth talking about. That all changes this weekend with the first big K-1 event of the year. Featured is the current K-1 champion Remy Bonjasky against the man who destroyed Badr Hari, Alistair Overeem. Also on the card is a four man tournament to crown the 100kg champion (Hari was stripped of this title for his behaviour in last years GP) featuring Melvin Manhoef, Gokhan Saki, Chalid Die Faust and Tyrone Spong. Plus Peter Aerts, Jerome Le Banner and Errol Zimmerman in action.

Remy Bonjasky vs Alistair Overeem
Prediction- Bonjasky on points
I gotta go with Bonjasky under K-1 rules. Overeem definately has a strong chance in this fight but I think Bonjasky’s defence will be too tight and he’ll make Overeem look amatuerish in certain parts of this fight. Overeems sheer size and strength will pose anyone problems but there’s a few factors in this fight that are different from when Overeem KO’d Badr Hari in the 1st round on New Years Eve and they all favour Bonjasky.
First of all, Hari was three weeks removed from suffering two knockdowns and fighting three times in one night. Surely he didn’t train that much during those three weeks if at all. Second, little was known of how dangerous Overeem’s stand-up actually is. Out-striking an MMA fighter is one thing but against someone as good as Hari not many expected Overeem to last. Hari didn’t know exactly how dangerous he was, Bonjasky now does. The element of surprise that Overeem had over Hari he doesn’t have over Overeem. Last, Bonjasky is a much bigger man then Hari with a more proven chin and despite giving away some size to Overeem, he’s a fully fledged heavyweight (well super heavyweight by K-1 standards) and will be better equipped to deal with Overeem’s physical attributes.
Overeem will likely start fast, but Bonjasky should ride out the storm and pick him apart en route to a decision win (possibly in an extra round, but the longer the fight goes the mroe I favour Bonjasky) or a late stoppage.

K-1 Heavyweight title tournament
Chalid Die Faust vs Melvin Manhoef
Prediction- Manhoef by first round KO
Die Faust is as dangerous as they come when in form and has a bit of size over Manhoef, but Manhoef’s power and explosiveness should prove too much for the hot and cold Chalid. Manhoef I think will catch him heavily during an exchange and end matters with one punch midway through the first round.

Gokhan Saki vs Tyrone Spong
Prediction- Spong on points
I’m going purely off hype here but Spong has plenty of it. He’s won world titles in different organisations from 70kg up to his current weight (90-95kg). Whether he has the power to dent the chins of some of the best Heavyweights in the world or not remains to be seen and Saki may prove too experienced on the big stage, but should Spong live up to his hype Saki could be in trouble.

Either way, I don’t envy whoever wins this fight as Manhoef should prove too dangerous for either man. My overall pick is for Manhoef to win the entire thing and to do it in less then 10 total minutes of fighting. For the competition he’s up against, and I’m not saying it’s bad, I think he brings too much for all three guys right now. Saki has the best chance of upsetting him as he has solid technique with some size behind it, but I think Manhoef would find his chin eventually and end matters.

Peter Aerts vs Errol Zimmerman
Prediction- Aerts by 3rd round KO
Old timer vs young gun and it’s one that’s hard to pick. I’m going with Aerts to outlast Zimmerman and stop him late but it’s hard to know what he has left. Did he use the last ace in his hand against Schilt in September or does he have more up his sleeve? Zimmerman has speed and power and could make things ugly for Aerts if he doesn’t show up or if he’s indeed past his use by date, but he’s shown a lack of stamina in the later rounds in previous fights and if Aerts gets the sniff that I think he’ll get with his years of experience, I think he’ll turn the screws on Zimmerman and force a stoppage.

Jerome Le Banner vs Ewerton Teixera
Prediction- Teixera on points
I’m going for an upset here. I think Le Banner is used goods and Teixera’s style will give him fits if he isn’t in peak condition which I don’t think he will be. Teixera looked good against Zimmerman and while Le Banner is a different kettle of fish, I think he’ll be able to pick Le Banner’s assaults off and land clean counter shots of his own while frustrating the human refrigerator.

Glaube Feitosa vs Junichi Sawayashiki
Prediction- Feitosa by 2nd round KO
Interesting fight between two guys both in need of a win if they want to be in this years Final 16. I’m not at all sold on Sawayashiki and I think Feitosa has too much power for him. At some stage he’ll land and then we’ll see if Sawayashiki has what it takes to make it in K-1.

K-1/DREAM Update: Bonjasky vs Overeem March 28

With the endless supply of boxing and MMA so far this year, I’ve neglected the K-1 season which started two weeks ago on the 23rd of February. Now I still don’t fully understand how everything works and this is the first full season I’ll be watching, but at the MAX event there was an eight man tournament and I’m pretty sure the winner gets a spot in the final 16 for the MAX Grand Prix. Taishin Kohiruumaki won the tournament with a decision win over Yuya Yamamoto in the final after stopping Yahuhiro Kido and decisioning Andy Ologun earlier in the night. Also on the card, last years MAX semi finalist Yoshihiro Sato knocked out Sergey Golyaev and K-1 MAX 2002 Champion Albert Kraus won a decision over Su Hwan Lee.

The next K-1 event takes place March 28th and it’s a big one. There’s a tournament to determine the K-1 100kg champion after Hari was stripped of his title for his actions in the Grand Prix final last year against Remy Bonjasky. The four man tournament features Melvin Manhoef against Chalid Die Faust with the winner to meet the winner of the Gokhan Saki vs Ruslan Karaev rematch from last years GP Quarter Finals that saw Saki win via decision. This tournament should be explosive as the Karaev-Saki fight last year was superb and both Manhoef and Die Faust have serious power. I’d like to see Manhoef win and be a contestant in this years K-1 Grand Prix.

The main event sees K-1 Grand Prix champion Remy Bonjasky take on the man who destroyed Badr Hari at Dynamite, former PRIDE star Alistair Overeem. This matchup has major significance in the K-1 strikers vs MMA strikers debate as it pits arguably the best MMA Heavyweight striker against the K-1 champion and unlike the Badr Hari match, Bonjasky has had significant time to prepare for Overeem. A win for Overeem would make him a big money draw for the UFC should they look to sign him (Overeem was posing for photographs with Dana White at UFC 93) or it could set up a run for the K-1 title at the end of this year.

Also on the card is the rematch between Badr Hari and Errol Zimmerman (who I’m in complete shock about not being in the Heavyweight title tournament) which was an excellent fight last year with both guys being knocked down before Hari won with a third round knockout. Last years quarter finalists Jerome Le Banner and Ewerton Teixera face off as well as Final 16 contestants Glaube Feitosa and Junichi Sawayashiki, two guys who will have to go through qualifying (or get voted in by the fans) in order to make it back this year.

This weekend however is the first DREAM event of the year. DREAM.7 features 6 of the first 7 fights of the 2009 DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix with the other fight to take place at DREAM.8 (plus Kid Yamamoto receiving a bye to make up the final 8). The other fights see Tatsuya Kawajiri and Mitsuhiro Ishida in seperate bouts and Shinya Aoki fighting at Welterweight against Ross Gardner (Aoki is the current favourite for the Welterweight Grand Prix starting at DREAM.8). My picks for the Grand Prix matches are as follows:

Masakatsu Imanari vs Astushi Yamamoto (Imanari by submission 0-10 mins)
Hiroyuki Takaya vs Jong Won Kim (Takaya by KO 0-10 mins)
Yoshiro Maeda vs Micah Miller (Maeda by KO 10-15 mins)
Chase Beebe vs Joe Warren (Beebe by submission 0-10 mins)
Takafumi Otsuka vs Bibiano Fernandes (Fernandes on points)
Akiyo Nishiura vs Abel Callum (Callum by submission 0-10 mins)

Enjoy the action this weekend! The DREAM card caps off a quality weekend with UFC 96 and a decent HBO card on.

First K-1 Events scheduled for 2009

The K-1 website is reporting that dates of the first K-1 Events for the New Year. On the 23rd February the Japan MAX Qualifying Tournament will take place at Yoyogi Stadium. Usually on the card is an eight man tournament with the winner of the tournament earning a spot in the K-1 MAX Final 16 in April. Also there will be a handful of super fights between top K-1 MAX fighters. Rumoured to be on the card so far is last years semi finalists Yoshihiro Sato, as well as quarter finalists Buakaw, Drago and Yasuhiro Kido. None of these guys will be in the tournament as they have a direct pass to the Final 16 for making the Final 8 last year, however a few candidates to compete in the tournament are also rumoured to be on the card. Andy Ologun, Andre Dida, TATSUJI, Kozo Takeda, Taishin Kohiruimaki, HAYATO and Yuya Yamamoto are 7 of the likely candidates mentioned on the K-1 site so far.

The other event featured on the website looks to be pretty good. There’s no implications as far as the Grand Prix goes, but the Yokohama event (which will be held March 28th) usually features a good number of quality super fights and with the rumoured fighters so far this year should be no different. The return of Semmy Schilt, Badr Hari (could likely be fighting Kimbo Slice if last years rumours are anything to go off), Jerome Le Banner, Hong Man Choi, Ruslan Karaev, Gokhan Saki, Junichi Sawayashiki and Ewerton Teixera are mentioned (without opponents so far) as the combatants for the March event. Out of those eight fighters, only four of them (Karaev, Saki, Teixera and Le Banner) have a guaranteed spot in the Final 16, so the other four could be getting some ring time in before competing on one of the Qualifying Events later in the year.

Here’s how the K-1 Final 16 is shaping up for 2009:
1- Remy Bonjasky
2- Gokhan Saki
3- Ewerton Teixera
4- Errol Zimmerman
5- Peter Aerts
6- Ruslan Karaev
7- Jerome Le Banner

8- (Not sure how this spot will be filled, Badr Hari would normally fill it but as part of his punishment for stomping Bonjasky he won’t this year. Either they’ll add in a 5th Qualifier or let the fans pick five spots).

9- Amsterdam Qualifying Event Winner (apparently will be held May 16th)
10- Qualifying Event Winner #2
11- Qualifying Event Winner #2
12- Qualifying Event Winner #3

13- Fan Pick #1
14- Fan Pick #2
15- Fan Pick #3
16- Fan Pick #4

I find it very unlikely that Schilt will get voted in so I think we’ll see him in Qualifying action this year as I doubt he’ll want to risk his spot in the Final 16 on his popularity. Badr Hari I’m unsure of. The fans might still love him but then again they might hate him a lot for the disrespect he showed the sport in December. I think he’ll likely fight in a Qualifier just in case as well. With Alistair Overeem’s win over Hari at the New Years Eve show (sorry for lack of coverage on that, time was a big issue in that and it’s a bit pointless me doing anything on it anymore), maybe he’ll want to try his luck in the K-1 WGP this year? Melvin Manhoef is another man who might also enter this year and one who has a good chance at getting voted in after highlight reel KO wins over Mark Hunt (MMA rules) and Paul Slowinski (K-1 Rules) in December. Hong Man Choi though I’m sure will get voted into the Final 16, as will Ray Sefo.